I have new (Feb 2017) Hawk front dinette with a Isotherm 65L 2-way compressor refrigerator. Before this I had a Hawk shell model and used an ARB 50qt/47L fridge. The ARB seemed to be much more power efficient and seemed to cool better. I understand that by their very design front loaders are going to loose much more cold air air when you open them than the top loaders. But I am surprised by how much better the ARB performed than the Isotherm.
I am looking for tips on how I can use the isotherm 65L more efficiently and what I can realistically expect. This week it was very hot (high 90s) where I live and I turned the fridge on with a gallon block of ice in it to help it cool down. I ran it all day with just the ice block in it and it never got down to the mid 30 deg F I like to maintain. FWCs manual says the fridge should work at temps up to 113F. Once it was cool enough I loaded it very full with pre-chilled food and it continued to struggle to keep the temps below 40F. It was very hot outside (upper 90s) and about 95F in the camper. I opened and closed the door several times over a couple of hours loading it. My voltage never dropped below 12.5 V (per the zamp solar controller).
My questions:
1. Would it help if I installed an auxiliary fan in the vent space blowing on the compressor coils?
2. Does it hurt performance to "overstuff" the fridge ? I have read the fridge works better when full, but maybe I overdid it and killed all circulation hampering cooling performance...
3. Is this fridge just not capable of keeping the temp in the low 30s when it is in the upper 90s (in a dry desert climate). I try to park with the fridge and vents on the shady side of the camper but often it ends up on the sunny side.
4. When shore power is available will the fridge run better/worse/same on AC power as on 12V? My understanding is that the fridge just converts power to 12v anyway.
5. Is the temp dial a true thermostat? Will turning the temp dial colder than the 4.5 setting I use in cooler weather to maintain low 30s temps make a difference when it is hotter outside?
6. Would it be feasible to install some sort of pull up barrier vertically in the fridge to keep the cold air from spilling out every time the door is opened. Has anyone tried this?
7. Has anyone removed a built in front opening fridge and installed a top opening fridge in its space?
Any fridge tips would be greatly appreciated. I know fridges have been discussed at length on WTW but the search function did not lead me to answers..
Any fridge tips would be greatly appreciated !
Thank you!
Brandon
I am looking for tips on how I can use the isotherm 65L more efficiently and what I can realistically expect. This week it was very hot (high 90s) where I live and I turned the fridge on with a gallon block of ice in it to help it cool down. I ran it all day with just the ice block in it and it never got down to the mid 30 deg F I like to maintain. FWCs manual says the fridge should work at temps up to 113F. Once it was cool enough I loaded it very full with pre-chilled food and it continued to struggle to keep the temps below 40F. It was very hot outside (upper 90s) and about 95F in the camper. I opened and closed the door several times over a couple of hours loading it. My voltage never dropped below 12.5 V (per the zamp solar controller).
My questions:
1. Would it help if I installed an auxiliary fan in the vent space blowing on the compressor coils?
2. Does it hurt performance to "overstuff" the fridge ? I have read the fridge works better when full, but maybe I overdid it and killed all circulation hampering cooling performance...
3. Is this fridge just not capable of keeping the temp in the low 30s when it is in the upper 90s (in a dry desert climate). I try to park with the fridge and vents on the shady side of the camper but often it ends up on the sunny side.
4. When shore power is available will the fridge run better/worse/same on AC power as on 12V? My understanding is that the fridge just converts power to 12v anyway.
5. Is the temp dial a true thermostat? Will turning the temp dial colder than the 4.5 setting I use in cooler weather to maintain low 30s temps make a difference when it is hotter outside?
6. Would it be feasible to install some sort of pull up barrier vertically in the fridge to keep the cold air from spilling out every time the door is opened. Has anyone tried this?
7. Has anyone removed a built in front opening fridge and installed a top opening fridge in its space?
Any fridge tips would be greatly appreciated. I know fridges have been discussed at length on WTW but the search function did not lead me to answers..
Any fridge tips would be greatly appreciated !
Thank you!
Brandon