12V/24V Caravan Fridge Maintenance – Things to Look Out For
After more than 40 years as a qualified refrigeration mechanic, there are a few general 12V/24V caravan fridge maintenance things I think every caravan and camping fridge owner should keep an eye on. A little bit of maintenance can make a big difference to how well your fridge works, how much power it uses and how long your batteries last.
Keep the Condenser Clean
Cleaning out the condenser is something that should be done fairly regularly. If the condenser gets full of dust and fluff, your fridge will struggle to keep the temperature down. Eventually it may run 24/7 trying to keep cold and still not get cold enough. That means you use way more power than you should.
If you only have a small solar setup, it may not keep up. This can run your batteries down to lower voltages and shorten their lifespan dramatically. Eventually, the fridge will cut out on its low-voltage protection. Another result of a dirty condenser is that the fridge may not get down to the recommended temperature and your food can start going off.
These condensers are used in most brands of caravan fridges these days, including Dometic, Waeco, Vitrifrigo and others. They are also in quite a few portable camping fridges.
Don't Let the Evaporator Ice Up
One thing to remember with most caravan fridges is that they are not frost-free. They will need defrosting on a regular basis, especially through summer and humid weather. Once the ice gets to approximately 4mm thick, it is time to defrost it. Even before it reaches 4mm is better.
If the evaporator gets heavily iced up, the fridge loses efficiency and runs for longer periods of time. The ice then builds up even quicker. Eventually, the fridge can run continuously, pull your batteries down to an unusable level and still not achieve the temperature you want. Then the food starts going off. These are two simple things you really need to keep on top of, and I see fridges come in with both problems quite often.
Is the Fridge Fine During the Day but Struggling at Night?
Another thing to look out for is a fridge that runs fine during the day but plays up at night, loses temperature overnight and then works alright again during the day. There is a fair chance your batteries are faulty, or you don't have enough solar power for the setup.
Being a 12/24V caravan and camping fridge repairer is not always just about checking the fridge itself. In this game, we have to be detectives and ask the right questions from customers. Otherwise, we don't get the answers we need for a correct diagnosis.
This is especially important when customers remove their fridges and just drop the fridge off by itself, which a lot of people do. I often ask them to bring the vehicle in as well so I can have a quick check over the whole system. I check voltages, make sure the batteries are charging, check whether the DC-to-DC charger is charging and have a look at how much solar is actually available. Quite often, the answer is simply that there isn't enough. I also recommend having your 12V electrical system checked by a qualified professional.
Sometimes the Fridge Isn't the Problem
I would say approximately 20 percent of the fridges that come in here are not actually fridge problems. The problem is often somewhere in the vehicle, battery system, solar system or wiring. So if you've repaired the fridge yourself and I start asking you a lot of questions about these things, come and see me. I'm a caravanner and camper myself, and have been all my life. So I have a good understanding of how much power your fridge uses, from real-world experience.
A Few Simple Fridge Cleaning Tips
When cleaning fluff and dust out of the condenser, a little dustpan brush is a good start. If you have a compressor and airline with a blower, or even a gentle blowout with the compressor, that should remove the rest. Just don't go blasting it with excessive pressure. A gentle blow is all you need, and keep the blower well back from the condenser.
To defrost your fridge, remove all the food into another fridge and put a couple of towels underneath the evaporator you're defrosting to catch any drips. A towel on the floor in front of the fridge is also a good idea. If you point a 12V fan at the iced-up areas from a distance, the ice will disappear quite quickly and eventually start coming off in sheets. It doesn't take long at all.
Never use sharp or blunt instruments to bash away at the ice. You may put a hole in the evaporator. The evaporator is the part that builds up ice in your fridge.
I hope this helps you guys out a lot so you can have a trouble-free camp.
Get out there and enjoy.
Andrew
The Fridge Whisperer
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