RV How-Tos

How to Work an RV Refrigerator

March 25, 2019
We are all familiar with a refrigerator, right?  Actually RV refrigerators are nothing like the ones in your home (except that it keeps your food cold).  Standard home refrigerators cool quickly using a compressor.  RV refrigerators actually run on gravity with a completely different type of cooling system.  Let me start this by saying some of the large fifth wheels and travel trailers do have a regular 110  AC,  house type, refrigerator in them.  We are not going over operation of this type of refrigerator.  For this article we are focusing on RV refrigerators.

One important difference with an RV refrigerator is that it will take the refrigerator about 24 hours to cool down to the desired temperature. I recommend you plug it in, and turn it on, at least one day before you plan on using it.  Also note: as we stated earlier the RV refrigerator uses gravity to cool.  Because of this, the more level your camper is, the better your refrigerator will work.  For example, if your driveway is steep, and you can’t get the camper level, don’t run it there.  Maybe the street or side yard is a better option.

To adjust the temperature of the refrigerator, there are a couple of variations.  Some RV refrigerators have button on the outside of the refrigerator near the top front of the refrigerator, near the on/off switch.  Others have a little sensor located on the fins inside the refrigerator.

The higher the sensor is on the aluminum fins the colder the refrigerator gets.  RV refrigerators are designed so that the freezer section cools down first (there is often, but not always, no temperature adjustment for the freezer) and the refrigerator section cools down second.  Again it can take 24 hours for your refrigerator and freezer to reach the desired temperature.  One way to help your refrigerator to cool more quickly is to put cold items in your refrigerator.  It is difficult for your RV refrigerator to recover after you put something warm in it (think a warm case of pop).  Also, a good rule of thumb is:  for every minute that you leave the door on your refrigerator open it takes about an hour for it to recover.

The back side of the refrigerator stays cool by drawing air through the refrigerator cover on the outside of the camper and vents heat out through the roof vent.

Some larger refrigerators, or refrigerators located in slide rooms, have a small computer type fan behind the refrigerator to help move air. If the back of the refrigerator becomes hot, the fan will automatically turn on (just like with a desktop computer). This helps cool down the back side of your refrigerator. It is normal to hear this fan turn on. It does not mean there is anything wrong. The fan is just helping your refrigerator cool better.

Every service tech I know has had complaints that the refrigerator doesn’t get cold enough. One of the ways that we, as RV techs, will check to see if your refrigerator is holding a proper temperature is to put a thermometer in a bottle of water and set it in the back of your refrigerator overnight, then check the temperature in the morning.

Power Sources

An RV refrigerator can operate an electric 110 power, propane (LP gas), or (on some models) 12 volt power.

Most RV refrigerators have a display on the front upper portion of the refrigerator.  When using an RV refrigerator you have the option to run it in LP mode or auto mode.  I recommend running on auto mode.  Do this by pushing in the “auto” button.  When a refrigerator is running on auto mode it will run on 110 power when you’re plugged in, then switch to running on propane if electricity is no longer available.  For example, if someone were to pull the electrical cord or power is cut to the RV, the refrigerator will automatically switch over to run on propane.   Then,  when 110 power is reconnected it will switch back from propane to AC power automatically.

It is important to note that the sparker that ignites the propane only sparks for about 30 seconds.  If the refrigerator fails to light after 30 seconds, the refrigerator will give up and the “check” light will come on.  RV refrigerators will run on propane only if your propane tanks are open and you have gas in them.

A word of advice:  before you leave for your trip, make sure your refrigerator did in fact switch to propane.  The last thing you need is to get to your destination only to realize that your refrigerator is off because it didn’t ignite.

If your refrigerator has the 12 volt (battery) electric option it will first try to go to 110 power in auto mode. Then when power is cut, it will try to go to propane or gas.  If there’s no propane or gas available it will run on 12-volt or battery power.

A word of caution about running your refrigerator on 12 volt power. If you are dry camping (boondocking) or you are traveling and stop for a long period of time, your refrigerator could be drawing down your battery. If your tow vehicle’s power cord is connected to your RV, you could also be draining your tow vehicle’s battery.

The “check” light

The “check” light will come on on the top front of the refrigerator if the refrigerator fails to light while switching to propane.  This light is an indicator that your refrigerator failed to light and needs to be checked.  Pay attention to this light.  If this light is on, your refrigerator is not working.

To reset the check button, shut the refrigerator off and wait a couple seconds.  Then, turn it back on. The refrigerator will reset and first try to run on electric.  If no power is available, it will begin sparking and try to run on propane again.

Maintenance

Once a year I remove the refrigerator cover on the outside of my camper and blow it out with an air hose.  Is usually find a lot of dust and cobwebs.   Lady bugs also like to go in there.  I recommend blowing it out to keep it nice.

Example of why you need to clean the back of your refrigerator.

Common Questions:

Every Tech gets the question:  “Can I travel down the road with my refrigerator operating on propane?”  On the old refrigerators, sometimes the pilot would blow out and the refrigerator would not work properly.  In modern refrigerators, there should be no issue with running your refrigerator while traveling down the highway operating in gas mode.

Another question we get is: “What about when we are traveling and the RV is not level (like going through mountains) will the refrigerator work correctly then?”  Yes.  The motion and vibration of traveling will keep the gasses moving and the refrigerator will work fine.

I have also heard people concerned about having a small pilot flame for running their refrigerator while they go to a gas station.  The worry is that they might have an explosion. I have never heard of a gas station blowing up due to an RV sitting too close to the pump with its refrigerator pilot light on. If you are concerned, park with your camper away from the gas pumps.

Happy Camping!

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