Refrigerators

Many times we forget that even though we live in an age that nothing seems impossible, some things as far as motor home enthusiasts are concerned are not possible. One of those things is cooling performance of an absorption unit versus the compressor driven unit that you may have in your home.


The absorption units that are in most motor coaches are in fact designed to conserve as much energy as possible. But, they also perform very well when properly maintained. While “camping” is not what it used to be, it is now a word that is all but obsolete with the luxuries that time has afforded motor coach owners. For a motor coach to be completely self sufficient, there is a need to conserve on board resources as much as possible, hence the need for a refrigerator that can operate on two or three different sources efficiently.

The refrigerators that are in coaches today are a much more sophisticated machine than the compressor driven units we have at home, where you plug them into an isolated 15-amp 110VAC circuit. These home units are very power-hungry as compared to the units you have in your motorhome. When running on AC voltage, absorption units only draw about 2.5 to 3.0 amps. The absorption unit actually extracts the heat from inside the food compartment slowly. Once the heat is removed, all that is left is cooler air.

There are a few simple steps that can help you get the most out of your refrigerator.

1. Start the refrigerator the day before it is to be filled with food.

2. When the refrigerator is being filled when preparing for a trip, the frozen foods should be pre-frozen before placing them in the refrigerator. Ice making should be avoided until the refrigerator has cooled the lower compartment to the desired temperature.

3. Air circulation within the food compartment is important for proper cooling. DO NOT place paper on the shelves or overfill the compartment with large cartons, etc.

4. Do not put hot food in the refrigerator. Allow it to cool to room temperature first.

If you believe your unit is not cooling as it should, one check you can perform is to check the doors for proper sealing. A simple method of doing this is to close the door on a dollar bill, then pull the bill out. If no resistance is felt, the gasket is not sealing properly. This should be done on all four sides of the door (complete length of the gasket). Also check the rear of the unit for any blockage by opening the side vent and look all the way up the rear of the unit to make sure you haven’t got any stowaways such as birds and their nests. If you are not able to see all the way to the roof vent, then remove the roof cover and check the back of the unit as well. Drafting in the rear of the unit is very important for a proper cooling refrigerator.

To test the unit for proper cooling, place a thermometer in a small container of water and place in the center of the main storage compartment. Set the thermostat to it’s maximum position, close the door and run unit on AC power for 10-12 hours, check the thermometer at the end of this period you should have a reading of 36-42 F. If you do not get this temperature then you should contact your nearest service center for repairs.

Also the burner assembly and the flue should be checked and cleaned annually.