Is back of fridge supposed to get hot?

[Ratherbecamping]

Hi All, I apologize if this is a really dumb question. We leave for a trip tomorrow so turned the fridge (Dometic RM 2193) to AC to cool down. I noticed a few hours later it is hot by the vent covers. We look them off and the bottom of the silver tube (circled) is hottest (burns finger when held on a second), fins are warm, top of silver tube also hot. Is this normal? I checked the manual but didn’t say anything about it. We can use coolers instead if this isn’t normal and fix it when we get home. Thanks!

 

[Eric Webber]

Hi All, I apologize if this is a really dumb question. We leave for a trip tomorrow so turned the fridge (Dometic RM 2193) to AC to cool down. I noticed a few hours later it is hot by the vent covers. We look them off and the bottom of the silver tube (circled) is hottest (burns finger when held on a second), fins are warm, top of silver tube also hot. Is this normal? I checked the manual but didn’t say anything about it. We can use coolers instead if this isn’t normal and fix it when we get home. Thanks!

That’s absolutely normal and even required the way that they work.

without boring you with the details on how they work, the fins are there to dissipate the heat pulled out of the inside of the fridge. Sort of.


The really hot bit is where the propane is burning. It’s supposed to be hot.

all is normal if it’s cooling

 

[Ratherbecamping]

That’s absolutely normal and even required the way that they work.

without boring you with the details on how they work, the fins are there to dissipate the heat pulled out of the inside of the fridge. Sort of.


The really hot bit is where the propane is burning. It’s supposed to be hot.

all is normal if it’s cooling

Thanks! We are actually using AC. Is it still okay it’s hottest at bottom of silver tube? We haven’t used propane yet as have had electric on trips so far.

 

[Eric Webber]

Thanks! We are actually using AC. Is it still okay it’s hottest at bottom of silver tube? We haven’t used propane yet as have had electric on trips so far.

It’s normal. But it would be even hotter near the pilot when on propane. Also because propane seems to cool more aggressively than AC does (although AC is fine when you have it)

 

[BillyMc]

All modes will create heat at the back. Just to save you a problem some encounter, only use 12 volt mode while the PUP is connected to something to keep the battery charged. They can completely deplete your battery in mere hours.

 

[LilRed]

Fridge on 120v at exhaust tube photo. The more heat dissipation at the rear fins, the cooler the inside of the fridge. Some install fans mods on the vents to help the dissipation.

 

[Ratherbecamping]

Fridge on 120v at exhaust tube photo. The more heat dissipation at the rear fins, the cooler the inside of the fridge. Some install fans mods on the vents to help the dissipation.
View attachment 76189

Wow thanks! Nice thermometer too. I need one of those.

 

[Ratherbecamping]

All modes will create heat at the back. Just to save you a problem some encounter, only use 12 volt mode while the PUP is connected to something to keep the battery charged. They can completely deplete your battery in mere hours.

Thank you for the heads up! We have only used battery while driving as our TV is set up to charge. Have you ever heard of fridge depleting the TV battery while stopping for lunch etc? I’ve wondered if we should just unplug if it will be a longer stop.

 

[Grandpa Don]

That Fridge looks pretty new, or at least very well kept. If you have never used the Propane to cool your Fridge, you may have some trouble lighting it the first time. Air gets into the Propane line and prevent combustion at the pilot light. This is especially true when you disconnect the Propane tank to have it refilled or attempt to light it the very first time. I think there are supposed to be check-valves in there to prevent that, but I have still had the problem. After you get the air out of the line it should light instantly every time.

I have install some cooling fans behind my Fridge to help dissipate the heat.

 

[LilRed]

Have you ever heard of fridge depleting the TV battery while stopping for lunch etc?

I've read stories of hotel overnights draining both the trailer and tv batteries. Simple solution is to Switch over to propane for longer stops. Assuming both batteries in decent shape, a small break is not going to kill your tv and prevent starting the engine. Your alternator (sized correctly) will replenish both in short order once on the road again.

 

[jeepster04]

Thank you for the heads up! We have only used battery while driving as our TV is set up to charge. Have you ever heard of fridge depleting the TV battery while stopping for lunch etc? I’ve wondered if we should just unplug if it will be a longer stop.

Some vehicles will shut off the battery pin on the hitch wiring when the ignition is off (all of my jeeps do). If they do not, it can drain the vehicle battery. My fridge pulls 11 amps on DC, so it would take around 10 hours to completely drain a fully charged group 27 battery.

Please note, the hitch wiring will not supply 11 amps to the campers battery... So when on DC, you will still be slowly draining the camper battery.

 

[Grandpa Don]

I've read stories of hotel overnights draining both the trailer and tv batteries. Simple solution is to Switch over to propane for longer stops. Assuming both batteries in decent shape, a small break is not going to kill your tv and prevent starting the engine. Your alternator (sized correctly) will replenish both in short order once on the road again.

My cousin just had this happen to him. We were getting ready for out Boondocking trip to the High Sierra mountains. He put the fridge on 12 VDC to pre-cool it and then forgot about it. The next morning when he got ready to leave, his pup battery was completely dead. He did not have a charge line running from his TV, so he had to put it on the charger for a few hours. Once on site, he used his Solar panel to bring the battery back up to the proper level. It was a deep-cycle battery, so no harm done.

 

[LilRed]

He put the fridge on 12 VDC to pre-cool it and then forgot about it.

I've been keeping it on Shore Power until the last possible moment - kids in the car, etc. I also keep a wheel chock in place to remind me to walk back and disconnect before a trip. I'm sure this isn't foolproof, and will bite me someday too.

 

[Ratherbecamping]

That Fridge looks pretty new, or at least very well kept. If you have never used the Propane to cool your Fridge, you may have some trouble lighting it the first time. Air gets into the Propane line and prevent combustion at the pilot light. This is especially true when you disconnect the Propane tank to have it refilled or attempt to light it the very first time. I think there are supposed to be check-valves in there to prevent that, but I have still had the problem. After you get the air out of the line it should light instantly every time.

I have install some cooling fans behind my Fridge to help dissipate the heat.

Thanks for the info! I’ll look into installing a fan. It is brand new, but I do plan to keep an eye on it as I’ve read about critters liking to build nests in these compartments.

 

[Ratherbecamping]

I've been keeping it on Shore Power until the last possible moment - kids in the car, etc. I also keep a wheel chock in place to remind me to walk back and disconnect before a trip. I'm sure this isn't foolproof, and will bite me someday too.

Good idea! I don’t want to admit how many times we’ve tried to drive away with a chock still in place.

 

[Snow]

Thank you for the heads up! We have only used battery while driving as our TV is set up to charge. Have you ever heard of fridge depleting the TV battery while stopping for lunch etc? I’ve wondered if we should just unplug if it will be a longer stop.

I have.. So yes unplug if you're stopping for more then 10 minutes.

 

[BillyMc]

Thank you for the heads up! We have only used battery while driving as our TV is set up to charge. Have you ever heard of fridge depleting the TV battery while stopping for lunch etc? I’ve wondered if we should just unplug if it will be a longer stop.

Never had a problem with that. Ours drew 9 amps on 12 volt and my truck disconnects the power draw at the pigtail when I stop the engine. You'll get horror stories about overloading the pigtail and all sorts of stuff. Put an auto resetting 15 amp breaker in the charge wire and forget about it. I pulled ours for years with no problems. At first I used a fuse, but it blew on a trip once. We had a near dead battery when we arrive at the camp site. Changed to a breaker and problem solved, if the draw is too high the breaker trips and resets when it cools down.

 

[Coles]

Thank you for the heads up! We have only used battery while driving as our TV is set up to charge. Have you ever heard of fridge depleting the TV battery while stopping for lunch etc? I’ve wondered if we should just unplug if it will be a longer stop.

We had an older battery that we “thought” had another season of use left to it.. we left the fridge on battery while we set up till I got the propane turned on.. just that little bit of time completely drained the battery. I would switch it over as soon as you stop. No more than an hour. Let me tell you... That little alarm is so annoying to hear. And having to plug in and use the generator right away ‍. God forbid it happens during “quiet hours!”

 

[curran4life]

I have a little fan that was taken from the inside of an old computer, then hooked up to a small solar panel. The fan sits up against the fins on the back of the fridge to pull away the heat. I keep my pup stored in the garage so the fridge doesn't usually work so hard to stay cool until it's outside in the sun, but that's when the solar panel kicks in and starts the fan running.

 

[Michael J]

Seems like the 3way I have the manual said to only us the 12 to maintain temp and that was it, precool to be done on 120 or propane and propane definitely makes it colder! Norcold fridge I believe