How Cold Does Fridge Get? - R-pod Owners Forum

Author

Share Topic

Topic Search

Topic Options

lostagain

Senior Member

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2595

Topic: How Cold Does Fridge Get?
Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:53am

Tom, the gauge you are proposing to buy doesn't measure how much propane you have in your tank. It measures the pressure and that varies by temperature. The gauge will typically have 3 reading marks based on what you perceive as the ambient temperature, but the needle is always positioned based on tank pressure. So, you can show a full tank on a very hot day even though it is really half full.

You might want to check out Costco. When I was in our local Costco last week, they had a bunch of propane tanks that come with gauges for for about $25. That's a pretty good deal.

As for bleeding the air out of your gas lines, the lighting the stove usually works well, but the line to the water heater, furnace, and fridge may need a little help. Turn on your hot water heater with the gas operation switch on the face of the galley cabinet or turn on your furnace. They may try to light a couple times before firing up, but if they have gas, your fridge should too.

Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

TearlessTom View Drop Down

Groupie

Joined: 25 Jan 2019
Location: Spanish Fort AL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 85

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:50am

Ok thanks, I wasn't sure if they were a common branch or individual. Kind of like bleeding your brake system. Start with the furthest from the master cylinder 1st and work your way in.

Tearless Tom
2017 R-Pod 180
2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0

StephenH

podders Helping podders - pHp

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6417

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:26am

Lighting the stove bleeds that branch of the system. Running the furnace will bleed that branch. Sometimes, you just need to run the refrigerator and when it does not light, keep trying and eventually that branch will also be purged and you will have gas flow to the refrigerator. It may take two or three cycles of trying to ignite before it will light and stay lit.

StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

TearlessTom View Drop Down

Groupie

Joined: 25 Jan 2019
Location: Spanish Fort AL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 85

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:23am

how do you bleed the propane system to get the air out. Lighting the stove or is there another way for the fridge.

I plan on running to harbor freight my next day off to pick up a propane tank full / empty gauge and maybe a second tank.

Tearless Tom
2017 R-Pod 180
2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0

StephenH

podders Helping podders - pHp

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6417

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:20am

There are a couple of things that are not mentioned. Is this a new RPod with a new refrigerator? If so, get your dealer to check it out under warranty.

Given that it is a 2017 model and it is 2019, did you purchase it used? If so, then there are a couple of things you can check.

First is that the door shuts tightly. These absorption refrigerators are more sensitive to air leaks.

Second is that if it is not cooling on propane, the burner and flue of the refrigerator may need to be cleaned. If they are clean, is your propane regulator providing adequate gas pressure? Regulators can go bad, especially if the quality of the propane allows for an oily liquid build-up in your regulator and propane lines. You may need to blow that out with some air pressure and then purge the system and try again. If you are not comfortable with doing this, you should have your RV Dealer's service department clean everything and check the gas flow/pressure.

Third, adding a second muffin fan in the outside compartment may help.

Last, running it empty is probably the worst way to test it. It does need contents to help stabilize the temperatures. Water bottles are okay and cheap.

I use a wireless sender from an indoor/outdoor thermometer placed inside the refrigerator to help me monitor what is going on in there without having to open the door more than necessary. That may help also.

StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

DavMar

Senior Member

Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 592

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:52am

Tom, Domestic has your frig owner manual on line or you can write there tech support for a link. Unfortunately be aware on your Pod if your converter ever dies which results in your battery dying your frig will be inoperable. Do to the fact that it does not have an internal rechargeable battery in its control board so once power is gone so is your refrigerator. I learned that the hard way sadly and finding out FR used the cheapest refrigerator Domestic builds (higher end models do have this battery in the control board). Also 24hrs before you go on a trip just place a couple frozen water bottles or ice in your frig to help it cool it down and make sure you bleed your gas system and make sure it will turn on.

Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC

lostagain

Senior Member

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2595

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:31am

Tom, I taught English in Colombia for a year and often had to explain to my students that they had to drop the logical approach of putting the descriptive qualifier (adjective) after the name of the thing you are talking about [i.e. the car green] and do it backwards, since nearly everything in English is backwards. For example, I can't count the times I've heard people say when it's too warm in a room that they want to "turn up the air." What?! you want it hotter? So your challenge with turning up/down, is perfectly understandable.

We camped last year at Lee's Ferry along the Colorado River and it was hotter than #%$@&*!, certainly over 100 and our fridge did fine keeping everything cold and frozen in the freezer while running on gas. Since then, I've put in a couple extra pancake fans to keep the air moving in the area behind the fridge which should make it even more efficient.

Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

GlueGuy

Senior Member

Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2702

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:05am

We had one camping trip where the the OAT was around 97° or 98° F. We had some breakfast sausage we had put in the freezer (unfrozen) when we left home. It took all of a day (and maybe a bit more) to freeze that sausage. It works, but is not the coldest fridge in the world. Our home freezer will freeze a package of sausage in an hour or two.

bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

TearlessTom View Drop Down

Groupie

Joined: 25 Jan 2019
Location: Spanish Fort AL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 85

Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 9:55am

I don't have an owners manual as I bought the Pod used. I checked the temp with a lazar type thermometer and both and read about 40F degrees.

I think I may have found the problem (maybe) I did go to Domestic's website but couldn't find a model that looked like mine and I don't have the model # available. (at work) but I did read about the warmer/colder = smaller / larger thermometer icon. I was reading it backwards so I actually had it set on the warmest setting not the coldest so about 40F should be about right for the warmest.

I've always had problems with thermostat directions. I think it stems back to one of the ex's who was Mexican and as we know Spanish speaking people do not put their words in the same order as English speaking people. She was always telling me to "Turn the Chill down" I could never under stand if she wanted it colder or warmer.

Anyway. I will recheck the temp when I get home tonight and change the setting on the thermostat.

Also I could never get the propane to turn on last night. It may still be air in the lines or it may be my bottle of propane is empty. I will refill and try again.

Thanks for the help.

Tearless Tom
2017 R-Pod 180
2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0

lostagain

Senior Member

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2595

Posted: 04 Apr 2019 at 8:59pm

Tom, did you adjust the temperature control to the coldest setting? Look in your owner's manual to see how to do it on your particular model. If you don't have an owner's manual, you can get one from the internet by going to the Dometic web site.

Your freezer should freeze stuff if the temperature is set to the coldest or near coldest settings. On our fridge, there is a little bar graph on the control panel above the door where you adjust the cold setting. There are buttons at the coldest and warmest ends of the lighted bar graph to raise or lower the temperature.

If you are running it on 110 ac you should be able to get it cold enough to freeze unless you are in extraordinarily hot weather. If it isn't freezing, then there may be an issue with the unit that you will want to have a refrigeration tech look at. You should have about 40℉ in the fridge, and about 0℉ in the freezer. Check with a thermometer.

You may also want to fire up the gas system in the fridge. If you haven't used your propane system in a while, you may need to bleed the air out. Just light the stove until you can sustain a flame then turn it off. Then turn on the fridge and choose gas operation on the control panel. It may give you an error a couple times if there is air in the line, but once it lights, then leave it over night and check the temperatures in your fridge and freezer. If it's still not cold, then you may have an issue in the burner unit that you'll need to have a tech look at.

Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Topic: How Cold Does Fridge Get? Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:53am
	Tom, the gauge you are proposing to buy doesn't measure how much propane you have in your tank. It measures the pressure and that varies by temperature. The gauge will typically have 3 reading marks based on what you perceive as the ambient temperature, but the needle is always positioned based on tank pressure. So, you can show a full tank on a very hot day even though it is really half full. You might want to check out Costco. When I was in our local Costco last week, they had a bunch of propane tanks that come with gauges for for about $25. That's a pretty good deal. As for bleeding the air out of your gas lines, the lighting the stove usually works well, but the line to the water heater, furnace, and fridge may need a little help. Turn on your hot water heater with the gas operation switch on the face of the galley cabinet or turn on your furnace. They may try to light a couple times before firing up, but if they have gas, your fridge should too.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

TearlessTom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 25 Jan 2019 Location: Spanish Fort AL Online Status: Offline Posts: 85	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:50am
	Ok thanks, I wasn't sure if they were a common branch or individual. Kind of like bleeding your brake system. Start with the furthest from the master cylinder 1st and work your way in.
	Tearless Tom 2017 R-Pod 180 2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:26am
	Lighting the stove bleeds that branch of the system. Running the furnace will bleed that branch. Sometimes, you just need to run the refrigerator and when it does not light, keep trying and eventually that branch will also be purged and you will have gas flow to the refrigerator. It may take two or three cycles of trying to ignite before it will light and stay lit.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

TearlessTom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 25 Jan 2019 Location: Spanish Fort AL Online Status: Offline Posts: 85	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:23am
	how do you bleed the propane system to get the air out. Lighting the stove or is there another way for the fridge. I plan on running to harbor freight my next day off to pick up a propane tank full / empty gauge and maybe a second tank.
	Tearless Tom 2017 R-Pod 180 2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:20am
	There are a couple of things that are not mentioned. Is this a new RPod with a new refrigerator? If so, get your dealer to check it out under warranty. Given that it is a 2017 model and it is 2019, did you purchase it used? If so, then there are a couple of things you can check. First is that the door shuts tightly. These absorption refrigerators are more sensitive to air leaks. Second is that if it is not cooling on propane, the burner and flue of the refrigerator may need to be cleaned. If they are clean, is your propane regulator providing adequate gas pressure? Regulators can go bad, especially if the quality of the propane allows for an oily liquid build-up in your regulator and propane lines. You may need to blow that out with some air pressure and then purge the system and try again. If you are not comfortable with doing this, you should have your RV Dealer's service department clean everything and check the gas flow/pressure. Third, adding a second muffin fan in the outside compartment may help. Last, running it empty is probably the worst way to test it. It does need contents to help stabilize the temperatures. Water bottles are okay and cheap. I use a wireless sender from an indoor/outdoor thermometer placed inside the refrigerator to help me monitor what is going on in there without having to open the door more than necessary. That may help also.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

DavMar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Location: Lexington, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 592	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:52am
	Tom, Domestic has your frig owner manual on line or you can write there tech support for a link. Unfortunately be aware on your Pod if your converter ever dies which results in your battery dying your frig will be inoperable. Do to the fact that it does not have an internal rechargeable battery in its control board so once power is gone so is your refrigerator. I learned that the hard way sadly and finding out FR used the cheapest refrigerator Domestic builds (higher end models do have this battery in the control board). Also 24hrs before you go on a trip just place a couple frozen water bottles or ice in your frig to help it cool it down and make sure you bleed your gas system and make sure it will turn on.
	Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:31am
	Tom, I taught English in Colombia for a year and often had to explain to my students that they had to drop the logical approach of putting the descriptive qualifier (adjective) after the name of the thing you are talking about [i.e. the car green] and do it backwards, since nearly everything in English is backwards. For example, I can't count the times I've heard people say when it's too warm in a room that they want to "turn up the air." What?! you want it hotter? So your challenge with turning up/down, is perfectly understandable. We camped last year at Lee's Ferry along the Colorado River and it was hotter than #%$@&*!, certainly over 100 and our fridge did fine keeping everything cold and frozen in the freezer while running on gas. Since then, I've put in a couple extra pancake fans to keep the air moving in the area behind the fridge which should make it even more efficient.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2702	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:05am
	We had one camping trip where the the OAT was around 97° or 98° F. We had some breakfast sausage we had put in the freezer (unfrozen) when we left home. It took all of a day (and maybe a bit more) to freeze that sausage. It works, but is not the coldest fridge in the world. Our home freezer will freeze a package of sausage in an hour or two.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

TearlessTom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 25 Jan 2019 Location: Spanish Fort AL Online Status: Offline Posts: 85	Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 9:55am
	I don't have an owners manual as I bought the Pod used. I checked the temp with a lazar type thermometer and both and read about 40F degrees. I think I may have found the problem (maybe) I did go to Domestic's website but couldn't find a model that looked like mine and I don't have the model # available. (at work) but I did read about the warmer/colder = smaller / larger thermometer icon. I was reading it backwards so I actually had it set on the warmest setting not the coldest so about 40F should be about right for the warmest. I've always had problems with thermostat directions. I think it stems back to one of the ex's who was Mexican and as we know Spanish speaking people do not put their words in the same order as English speaking people. She was always telling me to "Turn the Chill down" I could never under stand if she wanted it colder or warmer. Anyway. I will recheck the temp when I get home tonight and change the setting on the thermostat. Also I could never get the propane to turn on last night. It may still be air in the lines or it may be my bottle of propane is empty. I will refill and try again. Thanks for the help.
	Tearless Tom 2017 R-Pod 180 2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2WD 5.0

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 04 Apr 2019 at 8:59pm
	Tom, did you adjust the temperature control to the coldest setting? Look in your owner's manual to see how to do it on your particular model. If you don't have an owner's manual, you can get one from the internet by going to the Dometic web site. Your freezer should freeze stuff if the temperature is set to the coldest or near coldest settings. On our fridge, there is a little bar graph on the control panel above the door where you adjust the cold setting. There are buttons at the coldest and warmest ends of the lighted bar graph to raise or lower the temperature. If you are running it on 110 ac you should be able to get it cold enough to freeze unless you are in extraordinarily hot weather. If it isn't freezing, then there may be an issue with the unit that you will want to have a refrigeration tech look at. You should have about 40℉ in the fridge, and about 0℉ in the freezer. Check with a thermometer. You may also want to fire up the gas system in the fridge. If you haven't used your propane system in a while, you may need to bleed the air out. Just light the stove until you can sustain a flame then turn it off. Then turn on the fridge and choose gas operation on the control panel. It may give you an error a couple times if there is air in the line, but once it lights, then leave it over night and check the temperatures in your fridge and freezer. If it's still not cold, then you may have an issue in the burner unit that you'll need to have a tech look at.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost