Great video thank you. Last winter it got down to -15 with 30 plus mph winds. Our ammonia in the fridge froze and caused the fridge to not work. To fix the issue we took the fridge out and flipped it upside down several times until the ammonia turned turned into liquid again. We like to rv in the cold a lot so we are more than likely going to switch to a household fridge to avoid all the temperature changes due to outside temps. Also to help with the cold we cover the bottom vent up with heat tape and leave the top open.
I'm so happy you showed a view of the top vent. I have a vent that is almost sealed and it doesn't cool on LP and CO leaks into the the RV and sets off the CO detector. I'm going to remove the top panel so the bottom panel is still there in hopes of allowing it to cool more.
We've been working to improve our under-performing fridge lately. We removed that fan at the top of the fridge and I can't believe how much dust accumulated in there. We disassembled it, spent almost 30 minutes cleaning it because the moisture made the dust mighty sticky. Afterwards, the airflow was MUCH improved there. We gained three degrees in the fridge JUST from that.
I have same refrigerator. Only a few mounts old. Was having issue getting it to cool below 50. We found that pice that flips out to fill the gap between the door was not flipping out every time. Had to adjust the doors up. All good now. It also caused a large amount of condensation in the frig.
We purchased our new 5th wheel last September, and used it for weekend get aways every week until it got cold in October. Cooled great with no issue. This year we brought it down to the lake here in S.E. Kansas on April 1st, and I've been living it in full time and working out of it due to Covid-19. Because we are using it more I've noticed that the freezer is not as cold as it should be, and neither if the refrigerator. Upon closer examination I noticed 1.5" of Ice on the back wall of the freezer, and I knew that is the cause of our cooling issues. I remembered this video that you did, so I went and found it again to brush up on your technique again and will be doing it this evening. Your video's are very helpful!
Saw part one, inspired me to look at mine. OMG! Total mess in the plenum. Followed your video. Unbelievable results. Much more cool air volume at duct ends, very much quieter due to lower turbulence. Wiring bundled and secured in return area. Thank you…. Now I’m helping my son to redo his new 5thWheel. Thank you!
We are in the Northern California coastal area..and are now able to have the refrigerator in our G. Design 310GK at the #4 setting after placing a "Nylon Washer" on the bottom left hinge pin, allowing better center flap closure on door. The Fridge is usually at 34 degrees or less in the morning at that setting! The nylon washer does not have to fit the pin perfectly.
I was complaining about the time it takes for our Dometic fridge to get to temp (37degrees) and the difficulty maintaining it to a fellow camper a few weeks ago. He gave me a 12v fan that he mounted in the top outside of his Dometic saying that it helped a little but he solved the problem by converting to a residential. He didnt have anything good to say about Dometic fridges. He didn't say anything about checking the for the baffles and etc. that your video showed. I'll be checking mine this weekend and hope that Grand Design did as good a job on our Reflection as they did on your Momentum. Timely topic and well done
One of our tricks is we put a bag of ice in a pan in the freezer the night before we go out camping. This Pre-Cools the entire fridge before any food is placed in it.
Thanks for sharing that fantastic thorough education. I now know the culprit, that dang drain hose pluggerony is missing on my fridge and my fins keep icing up...too fast.
From what the RV shops say the propane gas lines have a protective device call an "excess flow valve." The purpose of this device is in the even of excess flow it blocks and seals the flow.
Enjoying your channel. In the refrigeration industry we have for the most part do not use heat guns or blow driers due to the damage they can cause to plastic even at low temperatures. We keep steamers on our vehicles to reform gaskets and defrost frozen evaporators. Steamers are less harmful to surface areas than heat guns. Also steamers with wand are also great for clogged drain pipes in refrigerators.
We really appreciate the fact that you guys are taking the time to produce these maintenance videos to help your subscribers. This being said, there were just to many incorrect statements made in both this segment and the previous one. This is only due to the fact that you were given incomplete and or inaccurate information from your expert. For instance condensing coils reside on the exterior of the unit and evaporative coils are found in the cold side of the frig. The biggest problem those of us have is the poor air flow, we suffer not having a roof jack vent when the unit is mounted in a slide. We are forced to rely on a side vent that does not provide the proper chimney effect (draft). Also of key importance is to make sure that the propane line is providing the required pressure (11.0 water column inches) to the control valve and clean the burner assembly thoroughly at least once annually. Please see the TH-cam video I have provided a link for that describes how an absorption systems works. Happy trails. th-cam.com/video/udeSVyx6_9A/w-d-xo.html
Stephen Cimmarusti I agree that the side vent is not a great design and does make it harder. That was discussed but wasn’t something addressed in this video. While we could have discussed it, I think the purpose of the video was to help people with what they have. My phrasing on the coils. I was trying to say condensate off the coils and yes I said incorrectly as condensate coils. That was an error. Regarding your propane statement again this wasn’t the focus because almost no RVer has a manometer nor the experience to conduct a proper time pressure drop test. I understand your desire to cover 100% of all the possibilities but this video wasn’t created for that. I hope you understand.
Like Todd said... Our focus was on the things a layman could do and the fact that an RV fridge is different in that it uses heat versus a refrigerant. We all make mistakes in verbiage sometimes, but the heart of the matter was covered, which is what can be done by the average Joe to eliminate sources of improper air flow etc. It's easy to nit pick details after the fact. We try to get all of the details right every time, and don't always bat 1000. But we feel the "meat" of this video is spot on and helpful.
@@ChangingLanes Sorry Guys. I tend to be a little critical being a flight instructor with an aircraft power plant rating and an FAA authorized inspector. I also have a back ground in refrigeration and owned an RV repair center for several years. This being said, what you are doing is very good and we thoroughly enjoy following your channel. Keep up the good work and keep in mind we are all constantly learning. I was told once " when you are green you grow when your ripe you rot". Happy trails- Steve ;)
Good info and very timely. Our drain tube was clogged causing it to overflow into the fridge. At first I thought something spilled. Then your video popped up reminding us it was time for our semi-annual fridge check...clears the clog and voila! No more water in the fridge. First time it's ever been clogged!
I just found y'all! Fantastic videos. I have been rv'ing for more than 30yrs, had many rigs, and had no knowledge of these maintenance requirements. Been livin' on borrowed time, I guess. Great info. I am collecting all your videos and distributing to my friends and family and everyone else I find who owns an rv. Thanks so much.
Ok so I have a question. I have a norwood fridge in a 2013 Eclipse Milan. I bought it used, there is a drain hose sticking out of the outside vent. I have never seen it drip before, and since I am in Phoenix, AZ I figured it is so dry out here that there just was not enough condensation in the fridge for it to drain. However I saw some of your videos and learned that I should clean out behind the fridge. So I set up the vacuum and cleaned it out. While vacuuming I accidentally vacuumed the drain and it dripped a lot. I tried it again and more water came out. Should I blow this tube out from the inside to clear it? My thought is that the drain tube is clogged and without proper suction it will not work correctly. Thoughts?
Thank you for doing these info videos. We have been camping our whole lives and its great to have these to refer to. We are camping definately less than we would like so, the begining of the season its learning alot of things again.....,
*I am on the hunt for info. My RV for the last month has started to smell of Amonia. it was subtle at first but now it's starting to get more potent. i determnied through other people's videos that my refrigerator is on it's way out rapidly. i am looking at spending around $450.00 in the next week or two to swap this out for an all electric one which is not an issue since i'm perma camping on my acre and a half lot. it appears the Magic Chef appears to add a bunch of refrigerated storage room without all the gas worries and it fits in the same space as my Dometic. the only thing it appears i'll need to be careful of is capping off the gas line. so i can still use my stove and furnace. i am planning on adding a mini-split later because it's twice as efficient as the 1300+ Watt roof AC unit and more efficient than the furnace as well. if i can get solar put in i really wouldn't mind going completely electric because i've never been at all fond of gas or propane and it's the number one cause of failure and fires in RV's. seconded only by electrical issues. But hey if it will improve my odds of not catching on fire even a little i'm all for it! This was interesting and useful information though because even if I don't have gas any longer in THIS rv i do still have another one that i may be keeping and hauling out of town to other places. i don't know the plan was to repair and deep clean the other one and sell it off to someone else and pay off my property faster. but with all of the upgrades and maintenance i don't know if selling it would make that much difference in the end at all because i am doing these repairs and upgrades X2 right now. I have a 2011 Heartland Big Country 35 footer with 3 slides and 4 tanks that i am living in and a 2012 Heartland Elkhart Express with 1 slide out and 2 tanks as well as the dinkiest of bathrooms. tiny shower not made for fat people and when sitting on the toilet my 6'5" legs have to be out into the cabin meaning the bathroom doors can not be closed. the Norcold refrigerator in that RV works great though, never had a single issue with that one other than it drawing damp over the summer and getting mold which i quickly treated with alcohol and stopped it before shutting off the refrigerator and leaving the doors open. i still have power to that rig also as i built the 150 foot power cable well enough to keep it live even though it's not sitting in the #1 usable spot with the septic, water and electrical connections*
My wife and i watch your videos all the time .. running propane on the road you guys are the first RV'ers to say you should not run the propane.. i have told many many people they should not run it traveling ... long story short.. i put a inverter in there. know body believed it would work thought it was a wast of time, wasn't worth it ..... i guess im just a pioneer.. it's the only way to travel.. we dont have a channel we mostly boondock we want to take a trip to west virgina and some time to arizona i am mostly worried about my truck it's a 2000 5.9 cummins with a ton of work...our TT is a 2608ws forest river UL... thank's
Hi Chad and Tara, awesome video...as always. I do have one question with regard to the wireless Thermometer, are you aware of any that work with the Ring security system. Reason for the question is that we will be putting our RV on a seasonal site and want to keep the fridge on. It would be great if I could get alerts on my phone when the temperature changes.
Hello at 1:30 in video you say that the voltage is 120 well I see in the background that your refer is a household one if I'm correct. My question is are all refer's in RV's 120 volts or 12 volts
the air "dam" across the bottom of your upper vent seems to make sense to me, our fridge has a similar situation but no "dam". is this recommended by norcold? we have an open spot above our fridge of about 3 inches, i will close that off. thanks for the great video, most of it is common sense except for the baffling around the back of the fridge, great tips!
I don’t even have a rv yet and I like these videos. I am from Alabama but working in Southern California and soon ( around Christmas ) will be getting a travel trailer and do these tips to it .
Good content and well done guys. We have the 12volt compressor fridge and we love it. No need to worry about propane and no outside venting. Thanks a lot. Hope all is well with you.
Try you shop vac when clean , with you hose in the exhaust side , you can buy adapters parts kit at Lowe’s ,Home Depot ,and I’m sure Amazon ,for blowing out small ,and cleaning tight areas ,works great for that I do HVAC work and use this over an air compressor even .
I rarely boondock with my class C motorhome, so I have considered converting to an AC powered residential fridge, but being 30 amps, I wonder what an 8ft fridge would draw amp wise with like running the AC?
I’m a weekender I find by put a 10lbs bag of ice I. The freezer the night before when I turn my fridge on helps the freezer l/fridge quickly and maintain temp better while we are out ( typically 4-10 days) then I use that bag in my cooler as I empty the fridge and shut off the morning i head home and by the time I get to where I store my 5er all’s I have to doors open the doors and wipe out
Another great & informative video. Thanks for the refrigerator maintenance ideas. On the gassoff, I'm taking it that if you have 2 tanks, you need 2 of those valves, unless you want to swap it each time you change tanks.
Just one little note on running your refrigerator on propane during you are travelling, i realize the risk associated with it but it can not be much more dangerous then a taxi car running on propane.
I really enjoy all your videos, and also appreciate that your intro is short. I really don't like waiting 1 to 8 or so minutes to get to the topic as so many other vloggers do. thank you both for all your hard work. just sayin'.
Hi guys, just finished watching your duo video meet with "Enjoy The Journey" and you totally reinforced my disappointment, and concerns, with an RV refrigerator. As I mentioned to them, my current unit does have a residential one, while my previous TT had the RV G/E unit....NEVER again. Along with that, you confirmed my thoughts with regards to a 3 axle unit. I hope you will go into more detail on that in a future video, as I do want to take my Wing along on our travels next year. Later shipmate, be safe, have fun, & happy camping. v/r, TS Denver, CO
We're considering the JC Refrigeration mod to make our fridge compressor based and DC powered... We go talk a bit about axles and weight here: th-cam.com/video/87runDszXLQ/w-d-xo.html
The air compressor seems like it will run for ever but after it runs long enough to fill 2 tires from flat it will get hot and stop compressing always limit how long it runs
I was kinda pissed that my brand new Norcold (same unit as yours) that the freezer wasn't getting down to anywhere close to zero and thought there was something wrong with it. But now after watching your video... you just saved me a ton of time and headache of taking to dealer! I think I will invest that unused time in drinking a cold one... with one less rv concern on my mind. Thank you!
We've had a couple of comments referencing this mod to get colder temps. We've not tried it but might in the future: www.arprv.com/ But, don't give up on the beer idea either! 😎
What do you suggest doing if your refrigerator is a 110v ? Mine is 110v it has no fans inside the actual fridge area so stuff in the fridge takes a VERY long time to cool.. I wanted to add a fan to help circulate air throughout the fridge but wasnt sure how to power a fan from within the fridge?? Unfortunately most fans are 12v. Any ideas? I do have a light inside the fridge so could i possibly attach it to that light or maybe there is a way to run wires from a 110v plug outside the fridge to thru into the inside? I noticed amazon does sell 110v fans that move a lot of air that could seriously help!!
Have always been curious about the fridge and whether or not it is safe to drive down the road on propane. This was helpful! If you do drive with it on, make sure it’s off before you get to a tunnel. Loved the video. Thanks!!!
I hope the Tiffin I ordered is built with the same attention to detail as your Grand Design. You guys have the best informational videos. Appreciate the time you take to help everyone out. I’m going from a tent to a 40 ft. fifth wheel 😬
I was kinda wondering why you guys were worried about a catastrophic gas leak from a flat tire with the Gas Stop installed. While you may get a flash fire if the Gas Stop works you won't get any sustained combustion. But, you just can't be too safe. GREAT video.
Johnny Lightning so it’s not just a blow out. There is an open flame when the fridge is on. Most RV fires start at the fridge. Best to be present should a fire start.
Sustained propane doesn't really need to be there when the whole RV is made of flammable materials.. 😳 All fire needs is a start. We now have the gasstop as well as fire suppression (video in the works) 😊
Another fantastic video.. you guys always present very informative videos that anyone can follow. Plus the stuff you do to your RV makes it perform better and safer. Can’t say enough good things about you guys. The service you are providing RV owners in excellent 👍🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I have a Fifth Wheel with a full basement, so I've been driving with the Propane on for my refrigerator. HOW would I go about adding an Inverter and hooking it up so I can shut the Propane off?
We have a 2918 Satellite Comet 17RB with a Dometic fridge. It literally takes 2-3 days to get it cold before we leave. And we usually have to keep a 5# bag of ice in the lower part to maintain temps. Ideas?
@@firemarshal17 So freezer works but the fridge does not correct? So first make sure your fridge seals are clean and they connect well from the door to the fridge. 2nd make sure you don't over fill the fridge- give a good 2 inches of space on the back side, if you can find a 12volt fan to put back there it would be wonderful. 3rd item as stated in the video is to check your air flow between your lower access panel and your upper access panel located on the outside of the rig where the fridge is located. make sure there are no obstructions and no large pockets for air to get trapped. if the freezer works but the fridge doesnt then its either air getting into the fridge or not enough air going across the fins to pull the heat away.
Thanks for this video, I learned a lot about maintaining my refrigerator. Please keep the videos coming, and let us know how Lucille is doing. I haven’t seen her in awhile.
The pressure regulator already has an excessive flow valve, but I suppose 2 is better then one. Put us in "travel with propane on" category. Great video as always..
Correct the excess flow valve only slows down the rate of flow should a catastrophic event happen but there is still propane flow. The Gas stop device shuts propane flow completely off should a catastrophic event happen.
Thanks for sharing this helpful information. I have a travel trailer and always concerned about the fridge and possible issues. Very helpfull. Thank you guys.
If you guys had a choice would you get a residential refrigerator? I’m getting ready to ord my momentum having trouble deciding which route to go, thanks for some feedback!!
Another great video, learning so much from you guys. We don't have our fifth wheel yet but getting ready to probably in the next year and a half. Trying to gain as much knowledge as I can. Big hugs to Lucille.
You know I always have a comment. 120 volt for refrigerator still needs 12 volts for control circuit, I believe. One more thing I have found that us is to keep frig side of RV shaded. Awning out if possible. Another good video. Thanks
Doug Hasson honestly if it wasn’t for the size of wires and the battery space, everything in an rv could be 12v. They are making quite a few appliances that run off 12v and 60v batteries.
Another great educational video from you two... 😊 Thanks for taking the time to put videos like these together for us. Even when we "think" we know it all it's great to watch videos like these (because we quickly learn something new). At least I always seem to. Safe travels, y'all!
Can anyone tell me why (at least for the past 8 years or so) they did away with the 3-Way fridge? I liked the 3-Way since it had the 12V option when driving. Back in 2015 when shopping for a new unit the salesman told me to just drive with the propane on (everyone does it). Sounded dangerous but that's what I've being doing and haven't had any issues. My fridge vent faces the rear of my trailer so it's far away from the gas pump.
Yea.. we had an 8 hour drive yesterday and ran propane for most of it. Even with 300Ah, we an only run the fridge for about 5 or 6 hours. Thinking about the mod from JD Refrigeration that's DC only and is only 60W (5 Amps DC)! We could run that for 60 hours!
You do not need to turn off your LP when you drive you have an LP leak detector by law in every camper. (It is like a smoke detector for gas) RV refrigerators frost up on hot days or just after months of use. It happens to all of us. Just buy a cooler. Put your food in it for 24 hours. Open the door, Turn off the refrigerator, Let it defrost. I do this every 6 months. Also some tunnels say turn off the gas. So fill up your cooler. Turn off the gas and power to it and defrost your refrigerator at that time.
Good video, but I made the switch over to a Residential Fridge, and will never go back to an RV Fridge, I would even get rid of our Furrion Stove/Oven and go to an Induction Top just to get rid of the use of Propane, except when traveling in the Winter for the Furnace. The residential Fridge is an 18cft Samsung Double Door with Ice Maker, so much better. We finally got tired of the small RV fridges, and the constant icing up of the Fridge and Freezer in the extreme hot days.
Changing Lanes yep I have that info at home will email it, but we leave NJ to Florida traveling 32 hours I run Fridge/Freezer on 2 LED Acid Batteries, and when we connect in Florida we usually have 50-70% battery left, less if we run the furnace but I will get you power consumption truck is make sure ice maker is off and batts are fully charged before we leave
Need help with my Dometic RM2341 that I notice the fans never shuts off. I’m connected to electric but I also tested the propane mode. Refrigerator runs cold but not as cold I want it and freezer does freeze well. Any suggestions?
You can check out the home study course here: changinglanesrv.com/rvtechcourse Or, you can go in person: changinglanesrv.com/nrvta Also see: changinglanesrv.com/nrvta-rv-school/
Any suggestions for 12V furrion refrigerators? Ours is either freezing or not cold enough. Also, can you share the link to the little fan that was in the video?
Ah... the only fan we have is the built-in one at 7:47. the one at 7:30 is Todd's and I'm not sure what it is.. But any small battery powered fan should work. Be sure to use lithium batteries in it as they handle the cold better.. 👍🏼
Great video, thanks for helping everyone with this knowledge. What video do you show your motorcycle chock mounted for travel with your bike? I need to decide how to transport my recently purchased bike (85' V65) in my toy hauler and cannot find the video you posted about it.
We use a WheelDock. wheeldock.com/ Uses a piston you trigger with your foot to lock in the wheel versus having to rock it in and out. I don't bolt it in at all, it just sits on the floor and I strap lucile down on the front forks and rear bars. We demonstrate it a bit here th-cam.com/video/_X-LAY8Fwlw/w-d-xo.html, then later here th-cam.com/video/uPXNmS0IBRQ/w-d-xo.html and even more here: th-cam.com/video/f56_8ecCTaI/w-d-xo.html
Is there any way to get the RV freezer down to 0 degrees? The best I've gotten from my Dometic is 10 - 15, and it doesn't do a good job of keeping ice cream. Because of that, I have trouble trusting the food from it.
We get about the same... We had a viewer say he's getting close to zero using this... The web site makes me want to scream, though... www.arprv.com/index.php
So ice cream has a high fat content and it takes near to sub zero temps to achieve it. It really depends on your location (humidity, air flow, sunlight) to have frozen ice cream with an RV style fridge, muchless and ice machine. Depending on brand the lower right hand or lower left hand back is the coldest part of the freezer. Because the evap coils are on the back of the unit the coldest spot is against the back wall, lower right or left in the freezer section.
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I am a licensed professional engineer in hvac-r and that was the best explanation of absorption cooling in laymans terms I have ever seen. Good job.
Just found this after having refrigerator issues during recent camping trips. Thanks for the information, it is still relevant.
Great video thank you. Last winter it got down to -15 with 30 plus mph winds. Our ammonia in the fridge froze and caused the fridge to not work. To fix the issue we took the fridge out and flipped it upside down several times until the ammonia turned turned into liquid again. We like to rv in the cold a lot so we are more than likely going to switch to a household fridge to avoid all the temperature changes due to outside temps. Also to help with the cold we cover the bottom vent up with heat tape and leave the top open.
I'm so happy you showed a view of the top vent. I have a vent that is almost sealed and it doesn't cool on LP and CO leaks into the the RV and sets off the CO detector. I'm going to remove the top panel so the bottom panel is still there in hopes of allowing it to cool more.
We've been working to improve our under-performing fridge lately. We removed that fan at the top of the fridge and I can't believe how much dust accumulated in there. We disassembled it, spent almost 30 minutes cleaning it because the moisture made the dust mighty sticky. Afterwards, the airflow was MUCH improved there. We gained three degrees in the fridge JUST from that.
I watch your videos all the time. I noticed you have the Viair Compressor that I have. Works great. Learn a lot from your Channel.
I have same refrigerator. Only a few mounts old. Was having issue getting it to cool below 50. We found that pice that flips out to fill the gap between the door was not flipping out every time. Had to adjust the doors up. All good now. It also caused a large amount of condensation in the frig.
Video is great and I appreciate the information. Outtakes, even better. Thanks for a great channel.
We purchased our new 5th wheel last September, and used it for weekend get aways every week until it got cold in October. Cooled great with no issue. This year we brought it down to the lake here in S.E. Kansas on April 1st, and I've been living it in full time and working out of it due to Covid-19. Because we are using it more I've noticed that the freezer is not as cold as it should be, and neither if the refrigerator. Upon closer examination I noticed 1.5" of Ice on the back wall of the freezer, and I knew that is the cause of our cooling issues. I remembered this video that you did, so I went and found it again to brush up on your technique again and will be doing it this evening. Your video's are very helpful!
Enjoyed your videos. The inclusion of the outtakes is awesome. thank you.
The Tech/instructor is very good .
Saw part one, inspired me to look at mine. OMG! Total mess in the plenum. Followed your video. Unbelievable results. Much more cool air volume at duct ends, very much quieter due to lower turbulence. Wiring bundled and secured in return area. Thank you…. Now I’m helping my son to redo his new 5thWheel. Thank you!
We are in the Northern California coastal area..and are now able to have the refrigerator in our G. Design 310GK at the #4 setting after placing a "Nylon Washer" on the bottom left hinge pin, allowing better center flap closure on door. The Fridge is usually at 34 degrees or less in the morning at that setting! The nylon washer does not have to fit the pin perfectly.
Good tip! we've heard of that issue with several people..
The maintenance video's are wonderful, on point! Like the thermometer. First that I have ever seen. THANKS SAFE TRAVELS
I was complaining about the time it takes for our Dometic fridge to get to temp (37degrees) and the difficulty maintaining it to a fellow camper a few weeks ago. He gave me a 12v fan that he mounted in the top outside of his Dometic saying that it helped a little but he solved the problem by converting to a residential. He didnt have anything good to say about Dometic fridges. He didn't say anything about checking the for the baffles and etc. that your video showed. I'll be checking mine this weekend and hope that Grand Design did as good a job on our Reflection as they did on your Momentum. Timely topic and well done
Thanks and good luck with the fridge! 👍🏼
You make it look so easy.
One of our tricks is we put a bag of ice in a pan in the freezer the night before we go out camping. This Pre-Cools the entire fridge before any food is placed in it.
Thanks for sharing that fantastic thorough education. I now know the culprit, that dang drain hose pluggerony is missing on my fridge and my fins keep icing up...too fast.
From what the RV shops say the propane gas lines have a protective device call an "excess flow valve." The purpose of this device is in the even of excess flow it blocks and seals the flow.
Enjoying your channel. In the refrigeration industry we have for the most part do not use heat guns or blow driers due to the damage they can cause to plastic even at low temperatures. We keep steamers on our vehicles to reform gaskets and defrost frozen evaporators. Steamers are less harmful to surface areas than heat guns. Also steamers with wand are also great for clogged drain pipes in refrigerators.
Awesome! I have one of those steamers with a wand I can now take with me on long trips. Thanks!
Another great video. You guys are awesome-favorite rv couple.
Thanks for sharing! Follow y'all religiously and always looking forward to the next video. Love the outtakes! Safe travels!
We really appreciate the fact that you guys are taking the time to produce these maintenance videos to help your subscribers. This being said, there were just to many incorrect statements made in both this segment and the previous one. This is only due to the fact that you were given incomplete and or inaccurate information from your expert. For instance condensing coils reside on the exterior of the unit and evaporative coils are found in the cold side of the frig. The biggest problem those of us have is the poor air flow, we suffer not having a roof jack vent when the unit is mounted in a slide. We are forced to rely on a side vent that does not provide the proper chimney effect (draft). Also of key importance is to make sure that the propane line is providing the required pressure (11.0 water column inches) to the control valve and clean the burner assembly thoroughly at least once annually. Please see the TH-cam video I have provided a link for that describes how an absorption systems works. Happy trails. th-cam.com/video/udeSVyx6_9A/w-d-xo.html
Stephen Cimmarusti I agree that the side vent is not a great design and does make it harder. That was discussed but wasn’t something addressed in this video. While we could have discussed it, I think the purpose of the video was to help people with what they have.
My phrasing on the coils. I was trying to say condensate off the coils and yes I said incorrectly as condensate coils. That was an error.
Regarding your propane statement again this wasn’t the focus because almost no RVer has a manometer nor the experience to conduct a proper time pressure drop test.
I understand your desire to cover 100% of all the possibilities but this video wasn’t created for that. I hope you understand.
Like Todd said... Our focus was on the things a layman could do and the fact that an RV fridge is different in that it uses heat versus a refrigerant. We all make mistakes in verbiage sometimes, but the heart of the matter was covered, which is what can be done by the average Joe to eliminate sources of improper air flow etc. It's easy to nit pick details after the fact. We try to get all of the details right every time, and don't always bat 1000. But we feel the "meat" of this video is spot on and helpful.
@@ChangingLanes Sorry Guys. I tend to be a little critical being a flight instructor with an aircraft power plant rating and an FAA authorized inspector. I also have a back ground in
refrigeration and owned an RV repair center for several years. This being said, what you are doing is very good and we thoroughly enjoy following your channel. Keep up the good work and keep in mind we are all constantly learning. I was told once " when you are green you grow when your ripe you rot". Happy trails- Steve ;)
Good info and very timely. Our drain tube was clogged causing it to overflow into the fridge. At first I thought something spilled. Then your video popped up reminding us it was time for our semi-annual fridge check...clears the clog and voila! No more water in the fridge. First time it's ever been clogged!
Glad it was a simple (and free) fix! 👍🏼 😊
I just found y'all! Fantastic videos. I have been rv'ing for more than 30yrs, had many rigs, and had no knowledge of these maintenance requirements. Been livin' on borrowed time, I guess.
Great info. I am collecting all your videos and distributing to my friends and family and everyone else I find who owns an rv. Thanks so much.
Welcome to our channel! 😊
Wishing you two well ...
Very informative. Makes me realize I have not dug into my frig enough. It woks okay but I have been wanting better performance
Ok so I have a question. I have a norwood fridge in a 2013 Eclipse Milan. I bought it used, there is a drain hose sticking out of the outside vent. I have never seen it drip before, and since I am in Phoenix, AZ I figured it is so dry out here that there just was not enough condensation in the fridge for it to drain. However I saw some of your videos and learned that I should clean out behind the fridge. So I set up the vacuum and cleaned it out. While vacuuming I accidentally vacuumed the drain and it dripped a lot. I tried it again and more water came out. Should I blow this tube out from the inside to clear it? My thought is that the drain tube is clogged and without proper suction it will not work correctly. Thoughts?
Again what an awesome video.. Thanks for all the tips..
Great video on refrigeration. One of the best I've ever seen.
Thanks for watching! Hope you check out the rest of our channel! 😊
Actually I have and your content is impressive :)
Thank you for doing these info videos. We have been camping our whole lives and its great to have these to refer to. We are camping definately less than we would like so, the begining of the season its learning alot of things again.....,
*I am on the hunt for info. My RV for the last month has started to smell of Amonia. it was subtle at first but now it's starting to get more potent. i determnied through other people's videos that my refrigerator is on it's way out rapidly. i am looking at spending around $450.00 in the next week or two to swap this out for an all electric one which is not an issue since i'm perma camping on my acre and a half lot. it appears the Magic Chef appears to add a bunch of refrigerated storage room without all the gas worries and it fits in the same space as my Dometic. the only thing it appears i'll need to be careful of is capping off the gas line. so i can still use my stove and furnace. i am planning on adding a mini-split later because it's twice as efficient as the 1300+ Watt roof AC unit and more efficient than the furnace as well. if i can get solar put in i really wouldn't mind going completely electric because i've never been at all fond of gas or propane and it's the number one cause of failure and fires in RV's. seconded only by electrical issues. But hey if it will improve my odds of not catching on fire even a little i'm all for it! This was interesting and useful information though because even if I don't have gas any longer in THIS rv i do still have another one that i may be keeping and hauling out of town to other places. i don't know the plan was to repair and deep clean the other one and sell it off to someone else and pay off my property faster. but with all of the upgrades and maintenance i don't know if selling it would make that much difference in the end at all because i am doing these repairs and upgrades X2 right now. I have a 2011 Heartland Big Country 35 footer with 3 slides and 4 tanks that i am living in and a 2012 Heartland Elkhart Express with 1 slide out and 2 tanks as well as the dinkiest of bathrooms. tiny shower not made for fat people and when sitting on the toilet my 6'5" legs have to be out into the cabin meaning the bathroom doors can not be closed. the Norcold refrigerator in that RV works great though, never had a single issue with that one other than it drawing damp over the summer and getting mold which i quickly treated with alcohol and stopped it before shutting off the refrigerator and leaving the doors open. i still have power to that rig also as i built the 150 foot power cable well enough to keep it live even though it's not sitting in the #1 usable spot with the septic, water and electrical connections*
Another great video! I like how you two learn information and are able to send it back out in an easy to understand way.
My wife and i watch your videos all the time ..
running propane on the road you guys are the first RV'ers to say you should not run the propane..
i have told many many people they should not run it traveling ...
long story short.. i put a inverter in there.
know body believed it would work thought it was a wast of time, wasn't worth it .....
i guess im just a pioneer.. it's the only way to travel..
we dont have a channel we mostly boondock we want to take a trip to west virgina and some time to arizona i am mostly worried about my truck it's a 2000 5.9 cummins with a ton of work...our TT is a 2608ws forest river UL... thank's
Hi Chad and Tara, awesome video...as always. I do have one question with regard to the wireless Thermometer, are you aware of any that work with the Ring security system. Reason for the question is that we will be putting our RV on a seasonal site and want to keep the fridge on. It would be great if I could get alerts on my phone when the temperature changes.
Hello at 1:30 in video you say that the voltage is 120 well I see in the background that your refer is a household one if I'm correct. My question is are all refer's in RV's 120 volts or 12 volts
They can be just about anything. Ours is a 2 way RV fridge (120V AC or LP plus 12VDC). Some can be straight DC also but those are rare in new rvs.
the air "dam" across the bottom of your upper vent seems to make sense to me, our fridge has a similar situation but no "dam". is this recommended by norcold?
we have an open spot above our fridge of about 3 inches, i will close that off.
thanks for the great video, most of it is common sense except for the baffling around the back of the fridge, great tips!
I don’t even have a rv yet and I like these videos. I am from Alabama but working in Southern California and soon ( around Christmas ) will be getting a travel trailer and do these tips to it .
GREAT video. And it looked like you guys had some fun making it. Thanks for providing such valuable content.
Good content and well done guys. We have the 12volt compressor fridge and we love it. No need to worry about propane and no outside venting. Thanks a lot. Hope all is well with you.
We're thinking about that also.. Do you know how many amps it draws on DC?
I believe it’s only 3amps
Holy cow! 3Amps DC (36 watts)? Wow!
I’ll check that for sure tomorrow. We are going away camping and the owner manuals are in the trailer.
Awesome, thanks! This is the one from JC Refrigeration?
Try you shop vac when clean , with you hose in the exhaust side , you can buy adapters parts kit at Lowe’s ,Home Depot ,and I’m sure Amazon ,for blowing out small ,and cleaning tight areas ,works great for that I do HVAC work and use this over an air compressor even .
Good tip!!! 👍🏼
excellent information, you both are the best. Take care and be safe.
Don’t have that brand of refrigerator but there was a lot of good information.
Hubby cleaned ours today! Great information!
I rarely boondock with my class C motorhome, so I have considered converting to an AC powered residential fridge, but being 30 amps, I wonder what an 8ft fridge would draw amp wise with like running the AC?
I’m a weekender I find by put a 10lbs bag of ice I. The freezer the night before when I turn my fridge on helps the freezer l/fridge quickly and maintain temp better while we are out ( typically 4-10 days) then I use that bag in my cooler as I empty the fridge and shut off the morning i head home and by the time I get to where I store my 5er all’s I have to doors open the doors and wipe out
Another great & informative video. Thanks for the refrigerator maintenance ideas. On the gassoff, I'm taking it that if you have 2 tanks, you need 2 of those valves, unless you want to swap it each time you change tanks.
Yes.. we have two of them. 👍🏼 Links and demo here: changinglanesrv.com/gasstop-automatic-propane-shut-off/
Just one little note on running your refrigerator on propane during you are travelling, i realize the risk associated with it but it can not be much more dangerous then a taxi car running on propane.
I really enjoy all your videos, and also appreciate that your intro is short. I really don't like waiting 1 to 8 or so minutes to get to the topic as so many other vloggers do. thank you both for all your hard work. just sayin'.
What does Todd say about crystals? Is it a permanent problem? Should I toss it if it seems like the problem?
Great information. Thanks for keeping it interesting and informative.
Hey guys just wanted to say thanks for all the great information. My wife and I are new to RV-ing and we really appreciate your helpful videos.
Hi guys, just finished watching your duo video meet with "Enjoy The Journey" and you totally reinforced my disappointment, and concerns, with an RV refrigerator. As I mentioned to them, my current unit does have a residential one, while my previous TT had the RV G/E unit....NEVER again. Along with that, you confirmed my thoughts with regards to a 3 axle unit. I hope you will go into more detail on that in a future video, as I do want to take my Wing along on our travels next year. Later shipmate, be safe, have fun, & happy camping. v/r, TS Denver, CO
We're considering the JC Refrigeration mod to make our fridge compressor based and DC powered...
We go talk a bit about axles and weight here: th-cam.com/video/87runDszXLQ/w-d-xo.html
The air compressor seems like it will run for ever but after it runs long enough to fill 2 tires from flat it will get hot and stop compressing always limit how long it runs
I was kinda pissed that my brand new Norcold (same unit as yours) that the freezer wasn't getting down to anywhere close to zero and thought there was something wrong with it. But now after watching your video... you just saved me a ton of time and headache of taking to dealer! I think I will invest that unused time in drinking a cold one... with one less rv concern on my mind. Thank you!
We've had a couple of comments referencing this mod to get colder temps. We've not tried it but might in the future: www.arprv.com/
But, don't give up on the beer idea either! 😎
What do you suggest doing if your refrigerator is a 110v ? Mine is 110v it has no fans inside the actual fridge area so stuff in the fridge takes a VERY long time to cool.. I wanted to add a fan to help circulate air throughout the fridge but wasnt sure how to power a fan from within the fridge?? Unfortunately most fans are 12v. Any ideas? I do have a light inside the fridge so could i possibly attach it to that light or maybe there is a way to run wires from a 110v plug outside the fridge to thru into the inside? I noticed amazon does sell 110v fans that move a lot of air that could seriously help!!
Good tips on fridge maintenance- understand some places like the Lincoln tunnel make u turn off propane before going through
Yep... had a tunnel like that in VA... Had to pull off to inspection, then on our way.... 👍🏼
Another good tip on the freezer defrost is use a hairdryer works great
Yep! th-cam.com/video/hjYLCUCdMpQ/w-d-xo.html 😊
YEAHHH!!!!! I got a shout out!!!! Whoot Whoot!
Another Great video guys!
💙💙💙💙💙
Great video you guys always do the best videos, however ammonia and water are both refrigerants. Only mistake I found.
Just found your channel and I’m glad I did - lots of good informative information.
Welcome to our channel! 😊 Thanks for watching! 😊
Have always been curious about the fridge and whether or not it is safe to drive down the road on propane. This was helpful! If you do drive with it on, make sure it’s off before you get to a tunnel. Loved the video. Thanks!!!
Another very helpful and humor filled video. Thank you for everything and safe travels.
I hope the Tiffin I ordered is built with the same attention to detail as your Grand Design. You guys have the best informational videos. Appreciate the time you take to help everyone out. I’m going from a tent to a 40 ft. fifth wheel 😬
Tiffin makes great RVs too.. Hope you like it! 😊
You could add a gas stop on your propane line. It shuts off in the event that there is a leak or line break.
I was kinda wondering why you guys were worried about a catastrophic gas leak from a flat tire with the Gas Stop installed. While you may get a flash fire if the Gas Stop works you won't get any sustained combustion. But, you just can't be too safe. GREAT video.
Johnny Lightning so it’s not just a blow out. There is an open flame when the fridge is on. Most RV fires start at the fridge. Best to be present should a fire start.
Sustained propane doesn't really need to be there when the whole RV is made of flammable materials.. 😳 All fire needs is a start. We now have the gasstop as well as fire suppression (video in the works) 😊
Charged propane line. So need to clear the lines before towing, is that correct?
Tammi Stone no need to clear the lines. But I do recommend shutting off your propane at the cylinders.
I noticed you do have a fan in the back but didn't mention it. Did you see it?
Love these videos - Thank you for the time, effort, and energy spent to help us help ourselves! #changinglanesrocks!
Thank you for the instructional videos. I am learning a lot from your experiences.
Another fantastic video.. you guys always present very informative videos that anyone can follow. Plus the stuff you do to your RV makes it perform better and safer. Can’t say enough good things about you guys. The service you are providing RV owners in excellent 👍🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I have a Fifth Wheel with a full basement, so I've been driving with the Propane on for my refrigerator. HOW would I go about adding an Inverter and hooking it up so I can shut the Propane off?
It's a big project... see: th-cam.com/video/1rPKWrXQYWA/w-d-xo.html
Thank you.
This is a great video format, having a pro as well as the actual user. I've learned a lot ans sure appreciate it!
Which worked better the compressed air cans or the the little compressor? I'm debating whether or not to purchase the additional air blow gun kit.
Honestly, neither did a great job. Recently, I just used our leaf blower. 😀
You guys are great! Thanks for the information. Educational and humor. LOVE IT!
What kind of small fan did Mr. Henson have in the refrigerator?
Not sure... But, you can reach out to Todd here: info@twobeardsandababe.com
Just bought that handy dandy wireless fridge thermometer!!! Gotta keep up with you on the latest greatest toys....I mean tools.
😎
Good stuff - we checked ours and we are OK. Thanks for the good information.
We have a 2918 Satellite Comet 17RB with a Dometic fridge. It literally takes 2-3 days to get it cold before we leave. And we usually have to keep a 5# bag of ice in the lower part to maintain temps. Ideas?
Did you check the things in this video? Air flow, seals, etc?
Yes. Nothing works. If I try to run it on ac or battery it’s even worse. But I forgot to mention that the freezer seems to be just fine.
That is odd...
@@firemarshal17 So freezer works but the fridge does not correct? So first make sure your fridge seals are clean and they connect well from the door to the fridge. 2nd make sure you don't over fill the fridge- give a good 2 inches of space on the back side, if you can find a 12volt fan to put back there it would be wonderful. 3rd item as stated in the video is to check your air flow between your lower access panel and your upper access panel located on the outside of the rig where the fridge is located. make sure there are no obstructions and no large pockets for air to get trapped.
if the freezer works but the fridge doesnt then its either air getting into the fridge or not enough air going across the fins to pull the heat away.
Thanks for this video, I learned a lot about maintaining my refrigerator. Please keep the videos coming, and let us know how Lucille is doing. I haven’t seen her in awhile.
She's good! 👍🏼 😊 She'll be back in a video soon!
The pressure regulator already has an excessive flow valve, but I suppose 2 is better then one. Put us in "travel with propane on" category. Great video as always..
It does.. but it does not shut it off completely. See the test I did here: changinglanesrv.com/gasstop-automatic-propane-shut-off/
Correct the excess flow valve only slows down the rate of flow should a catastrophic event happen but there is still propane flow. The Gas stop device shuts propane flow completely off should a catastrophic event happen.
informative as always been camping for 50 years and still learned something about hair dryer and gaskets cool great job
Love that dude, such great knowledge.....didnt he used to be on the show Haven?
Troy if he’s good looking then yes! Lol
@@RVBeardandBabe lol his name is Adam copeland, he also was the Edge as a WWE wrestler
So is it better to have a residential fridge
You never said, is 1 the coldest or is 9, yes I have the same fridge, did I miss it in the manual? Thanks
9 is the coldest... 👍🏼
Thanks for sharing this helpful information. I have a travel trailer and always concerned about the fridge and possible issues. Very helpfull. Thank you guys.
If you guys had a choice would you get a residential refrigerator? I’m getting ready to ord my momentum having trouble deciding which route to go, thanks for some feedback!!
The fans in the fridge and freezer blow in are suck the air out
Another great video, learning so much from you guys. We don't have our fifth wheel yet but getting ready to probably in the next year and a half. Trying to gain as much knowledge as I can. Big hugs to Lucille.
You know I always have a comment. 120 volt for refrigerator still needs 12 volts for control circuit, I believe. One more thing I have found that us is to keep frig side of RV shaded. Awning out if possible. Another good video. Thanks
True.. Pretty sure almost nothing runs in our RV without DC.. Even the ACs.
Doug Hasson honestly if it wasn’t for the size of wires and the battery space, everything in an rv could be 12v.
They are making quite a few appliances that run off 12v and 60v batteries.
Another great educational video from you two... 😊 Thanks for taking the time to put videos like these together for us. Even when we "think" we know it all it's great to watch videos like these (because we quickly learn something new). At least I always seem to. Safe travels, y'all!
Can anyone tell me why (at least for the past 8 years or so) they did away with the 3-Way fridge? I liked the 3-Way since it had the 12V option when driving. Back in 2015 when shopping for a new unit the salesman told me to just drive with the propane on (everyone does it). Sounded dangerous but that's what I've being doing and haven't had any issues. My fridge vent faces the rear of my trailer so it's far away from the gas pump.
Yea.. we had an 8 hour drive yesterday and ran propane for most of it. Even with 300Ah, we an only run the fridge for about 5 or 6 hours. Thinking about the mod from JD Refrigeration that's DC only and is only 60W (5 Amps DC)! We could run that for 60 hours!
You do not need to turn off your LP when you drive you have an LP leak detector by law in every camper. (It is like a smoke detector for gas) RV refrigerators frost up on hot days or just after months of use. It happens to all of us. Just buy a cooler. Put your food in it for 24 hours. Open the door, Turn off the refrigerator, Let it defrost. I do this every 6 months. Also some tunnels say turn off the gas. So fill up your cooler. Turn off the gas and power to it and defrost your refrigerator at that time.
My friend had an ammonia leak with the RV fridge, so she's deciding between 12v or 120v.
Good video, but I made the switch over to a Residential Fridge, and will never go back to an RV Fridge, I would even get rid of our Furrion Stove/Oven and go to an Induction Top just to get rid of the use of Propane, except when traveling in the Winter for the Furnace. The residential Fridge is an 18cft Samsung Double Door with Ice Maker, so much better. We finally got tired of the small RV fridges, and the constant icing up of the Fridge and Freezer in the extreme hot days.
That's certainly an option we've considered. Do you know what that samsung pulls in terms of wattage?
Changing Lanes yep I have that info at home will email it, but we leave NJ to Florida traveling 32 hours I run Fridge/Freezer on 2 LED Acid Batteries, and when we connect in Florida we usually have 50-70% battery left, less if we run the furnace but I will get you power consumption truck is make sure ice maker is off and batts are fully charged before we leave
👍🏼
Need help with my Dometic RM2341 that I notice the fans never shuts off. I’m connected to electric but I also tested the propane mode. Refrigerator runs cold but not as cold I want it and freezer does freeze well. Any suggestions?
Only the stuff already in this video... Unfortunately, absorption fridges just aren't very efficient. Our freezer never gets past the teens.
What is Todd’s RV school? Where is it? How donI get more information about it??
You can check out the home study course here: changinglanesrv.com/rvtechcourse
Or, you can go in person: changinglanesrv.com/nrvta
Also see: changinglanesrv.com/nrvta-rv-school/
Any suggestions for 12V furrion refrigerators? Ours is either freezing or not cold enough. Also, can you share the link to the little fan that was in the video?
Sorry. Not familiar with the furrion 12V.... Not sure which fan you mean... Can you tell me the time index in the video?
Little portable refrigerator fan at time 7:30. Thanks.
Ah... the only fan we have is the built-in one at 7:47. the one at 7:30 is Todd's and I'm not sure what it is.. But any small battery powered fan should work. Be sure to use lithium batteries in it as they handle the cold better.. 👍🏼
Great video, thanks for helping everyone with this knowledge.
What video do you show your motorcycle chock mounted for travel with your bike? I need to decide how to transport my recently purchased bike (85' V65) in my toy hauler and cannot find the video you posted about it.
We use a WheelDock. wheeldock.com/
Uses a piston you trigger with your foot to lock in the wheel versus having to rock it in and out. I don't bolt it in at all, it just sits on the floor and I strap lucile down on the front forks and rear bars.
We demonstrate it a bit here th-cam.com/video/_X-LAY8Fwlw/w-d-xo.html,
then later here th-cam.com/video/uPXNmS0IBRQ/w-d-xo.html
and even more here: th-cam.com/video/f56_8ecCTaI/w-d-xo.html
Is there any way to get the RV freezer down to 0 degrees? The best I've gotten from my Dometic is 10 - 15, and it doesn't do a good job of keeping ice cream. Because of that, I have trouble trusting the food from it.
We get about the same... We had a viewer say he's getting close to zero using this... The web site makes me want to scream, though... www.arprv.com/index.php
So ice cream has a high fat content and it takes near to sub zero temps to achieve it. It really depends on your location (humidity, air flow, sunlight) to have frozen ice cream with an RV style fridge, muchless and ice machine. Depending on brand the lower right hand or lower left hand back is the coldest part of the freezer. Because the evap coils are on the back of the unit the coldest spot is against the back wall, lower right or left in the freezer section.