3 way V 12v compressor fridges

For me it's not the cost of running, as you say minimal, but they are not and never really have been fit for purpose even in our normal summer temps.
You're right: a badly fitted gas fridge will have a buildup of heat behind it and won't work in hot weather. It's not difficult to fit them well, but lots of motorhome builders get it badly wrong.

An absorption fridge generates a lot of heat: the heat of the burner plus the heat removed from the cabinet. As ambient temperatures rise, if it can't get away, the heat trapped makes the fridge work harder, so the problem gets worse.

As a short term fix, turn the fridge right down to its warmest setting for 30 to 60 minutes to heat that heat escape. Seems counter-intuitive, but then set it to a slightly warmer than usual setting, at least until the relative cool of evening.

A fridge vent fan to suck out any excess heat makes a huge difference. Well worth the £5 it costs.

My fridge has three fans in the top vent and it copes with higher temperatures than I can. It also has a small fan in the cold section to help when it is overfilled and cool can't circulate.

I've never replaced the heat sink compound behind the fins: perhaps I should one day, because the fridge is well over 23 years old.
 
Yes just checked,
With the habitation door rubbers off there appears to be about 5mm leeway.
replacement marginally smaller.
On Ehu last night. Then 12v whilst travelling today and now on gas.
All is well fridge at 7 freezer at -17.
But I have the plan if necessary !
If my fridge was at 7, I'd not describe an it as "well"
I like to keep the fridge between 2 and 4.5, though sometimes it dips down to 0.5.
7 is not cool enough for a fridge.
 
When I was raised my parents had a larder, in which hung a meat cage that was stuffed full of perishables. They survived, as did my kid sister and I.

These days, if the frig in my van feels cool, that's good enough for me. 🤣
 
We had what we called a meat safe as a kid, it was a wooden cupboard with fine mesh on all sides, but we seemed to shop in local shops every day for groceries meat and veg.
 
That sounds pretty much like my parents hanging meat cage Kev, except they didn't buy food on a daily basis during rationing because it wasn't available.
 
In winter our whole country is a fridge, years back all irish farms had a small room with a we river piped down the middle of the floor so cold it would cool the room in which meat/fish etc was hung on hooks from the roof, worked 100%
 
That was all B4
Global warming ! :unsure::sleep:
Milk bottles in bucket of water ?
Caves are great for even temperatures as are cellars but not much use in a motorhome !
 
The good old days eh?
I remember having to walk at night to the toilet that was located at the end of the pigsty. Lovely. Bring that the old times, huh!
 

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