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05-04-2021, 10:53 PM
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#1
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: ripon
Posts: 50
M.O.C. #19708
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Cooling fridge in hot conditions
We will be hooking up to our Montana on a hot day (95) for our trip next week. In the past, it has taken over 24 hours to cool the fridge. Someone suggested that it will cool faster if we run it on gas rather than electricity. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Would it help to put dry ice in the fridge and freezer to aid cooling?
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05-04-2021, 11:17 PM
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#2
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Portland
Posts: 68
M.O.C. #28145
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I personally think gas is faster. I put some frozen ice packs in mine from the house to help cool it down faster but I always let it cool before I load it and try and start at least one day in advance. Prefer 2
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2021 Montana 3854BR with 2014 Ram 3500 SRW Limited CC LB, 2021 Malibu 23 LSV, 2019 Can AM XRS turbo, 2017 Yamaha YXZ 1000R
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05-05-2021, 05:45 AM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Anderson
Posts: 2,533
M.O.C. #22835
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When we had gas/electric refrigerators in the past, I found running them on gas to be a bit faster than starting out on electric. We always had good refrigerators in our 3 previous travel trailers. Ours always went from ambient temperature to full made ice cubes within 8 hours, even in the hottest weather.
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Who you are right now is a sum total off all you use to be.
2019 Montana High Country 375FL
2014 Chevy Silverado Duramax, 6.6L Dually
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05-05-2021, 09:06 AM
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#4
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 170
M.O.C. #23433
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Absorption fridges just take 24-36 hours to cool due to the nature of how they work of removing heat from the inside box and not making cold air like a standard fridge.
Just make sure you turn on the fridge between 2pm-5pm so that it will run the defrost cycle in the middle of the night and not during the day. Read your manual for details.
Get the fans that attach to the cooling fins to circulate the air and prevent ice buildup on the fins. Makes a big difference.
https://jc-refrigeration.com/product...an-23-a-12v-u/
__________________
Troy and Tracy Chaddon
2019 Montana High Country 330RL
2005 Ford F-350 "Bulletproofed"
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05-05-2021, 09:14 AM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Oro Valley
Posts: 3,891
M.O.C. #20477
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Dan,
I always fire mine up 24 hours before loading it for a trip. Gas works better than a/c. Make sure all the food is cold before going in.
__________________
Zack and Donna plus Millie and Ranger
2018 3160RL
"Life is too short to stay indoors, enjoy the ride!"
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05-05-2021, 09:53 AM
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#6
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 4,672
M.O.C. #12947
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We full time so never have to deal with startup cooling. But to the question of cooling when in hot weather, we have the ARP device with the two additional fans, one at the bottom vent cover and the other at the top, which are controlled by the ARP device. These fans are separate from the factory fans and in hot weather you need extra air flow when these fridges are in slides. We have been close to 100 degrees here in AZ for several weeks now and the fridge is exposed to the south so it’s getting full afternoon sun and heat and is still working great.
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Bob & Becky
2012 3402RL
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC 4WD
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05-05-2021, 12:12 PM
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#7
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: ripon
Posts: 50
M.O.C. #19708
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Thanks for the comment. What is an ARP device? I've not heard of that. We are coming to the Phoenix area next week and might need it.
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05-05-2021, 12:17 PM
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#8
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Portland
Posts: 68
M.O.C. #28145
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on a residential fridge is this crap really necessary? was in palm springs when it was 100 in april and fridge seemed plenty cold at all times in our 2021.
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2021 Montana 3854BR with 2014 Ram 3500 SRW Limited CC LB, 2021 Malibu 23 LSV, 2019 Can AM XRS turbo, 2017 Yamaha YXZ 1000R
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05-05-2021, 01:39 PM
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#9
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Southoftheboarder :)
Posts: 109
M.O.C. #25725
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Hey
We live in the South...Carolina South, HOT, humid. We only travel to hot hot locations.
We just turn it on about 1 day in advance (if turned off for some reason) load it up and off we go. We never had to prep our Montana fridge for anything.
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05-05-2021, 02:27 PM
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#10
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 170
M.O.C. #23433
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dfryk
Thanks for the comment. What is an ARP device? I've not heard of that. We are coming to the Phoenix area next week and might need it.
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https://www.arprv.com/index.php
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Troy and Tracy Chaddon
2019 Montana High Country 330RL
2005 Ford F-350 "Bulletproofed"
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05-05-2021, 02:31 PM
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#11
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 170
M.O.C. #23433
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rohrmann
We full time so never have to deal with startup cooling. But to the question of cooling when in hot weather, we have the ARP device with the two additional fans, one at the bottom vent cover and the other at the top, which are controlled by the ARP device. These fans are separate from the factory fans and in hot weather you need extra air flow when these fridges are in slides. We have been close to 100 degrees here in AZ for several weeks now and the fridge is exposed to the south so it’s getting full afternoon sun and heat and is still working great.
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Do you have the cooling unit ventilator fan and the internal defrost circulation blower fan in addition to the ARP Fridge Protection Control with Fan Controller?
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Troy and Tracy Chaddon
2019 Montana High Country 330RL
2005 Ford F-350 "Bulletproofed"
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05-05-2021, 09:28 PM
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#12
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 4,672
M.O.C. #12947
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I have this ARP setup, https://www.arprv.com/products.php#4-arp-3.1-2-fan, which works great. You definitely need to be very careful to not let the rig sit out of level when the fridge is operating. If the boiler gets too hot, crystals will start to form in the coolant and start reducing the performance of the fridge. That excess heat will also weaken the steel in the plumbing of the unit and you risk having a leak. If it's hot outside or especially when the sun is shining on the fridge slide and it's hot, the fans are working in addition to the factory fans which makes a huge difference.
I also have one of these, which has been working well, attached to the cooling fins in the fridge. https://rvcoolingunit.com/Norcold-Ev...-P5984717.aspx
ARP also has an interior fan option with one or two fans. I installed all this after having my second cooling unit replacement in 2015, and this cooling unit with all these parts has been performing great. It was 100 degrees here today, sun shining on the fridge slide, and the freezer right now is in the middle teens and the fridge is just under 40 degrees.
I have also had to replace the factory fan switch which is attached to the cooling fins near the top of the cooling unit, accessible in the upper vent area. I noticed a few years ago that the fridge wasn't quite working as well as it had been, and the factory fans weren't working. I replaced the switch, and they were again working. https://rvcoolingunit.com/Norcold-Fa...-P1802602.aspx
If you are unsure about the ARP device or have questions or need support after purchase, Paul Unmack's personal cell phone is the number at the bottom of their web site. (406) 494-1959 He regularly puts on presentations at Quartzsite and even does installs out there. Paul and his wife Mao designed the ARP device and are very sharp about the RV fridges. Unfortunately, I don't get a cut from sales or their products, but I am a happy customer.
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Bob & Becky
2012 3402RL
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC 4WD
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05-06-2021, 11:41 AM
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#13
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: ripon
Posts: 50
M.O.C. #19708
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Thanks for all the suggestions. They are helpful and appreciated.
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05-07-2021, 09:00 AM
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#14
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Mesa az
Posts: 2,920
M.O.C. #5651
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Rohrmann, how do the outside fans attach to 12V? Do they provide the wiring and is there some sort of thermostat? Thanks.
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Tom and Gail
2013 Mountaineer 362
2012 Silverado 2500
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05-07-2021, 07:26 PM
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#15
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 4,672
M.O.C. #12947
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twindman
Rohrmann, how do the outside fans attach to 12V? Do they provide the wiring and is there some sort of thermostat? Thanks.
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You need to provide enough wiring to reach the fans when you install them, so you will need basic connectors and tools, cable ties, and possibly other items. The ARP control device is what turns on the fans when it senses heat from the operation of the fridge cooling system. The factory pancake fans operate when the snap switch on the fins near the top of the fridge senses heat, and then those fans come on, independent of the ARP device.
If you go to the ARP site, https://www.arprv.com/ , they have info on the operation of their device and also detailed operation and installation instructions and video's. Most questions can be answered by the information on their site.
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Bob & Becky
2012 3402RL
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC 4WD
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05-07-2021, 08:03 PM
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#16
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Oro Valley
Posts: 3,891
M.O.C. #20477
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Tom,
I had the folks Bob mentioned in the earlier post install mine. They did it fairly quickly and are often in AZ. The extra fans really help.
__________________
Zack and Donna plus Millie and Ranger
2018 3160RL
"Life is too short to stay indoors, enjoy the ride!"
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05-09-2021, 01:30 PM
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#17
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New Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Richfield
Posts: 8
M.O.C. #25120
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Have to circulate the air in the fridge to help it cool. My first attempt was a RV refrigerator fan the ran on D batteries. It helped but didn’t quite do the job. I can cross a fan on eBay that hooks to the fins in the back of the fridge and that worked like a champ. The fan gets its power from the light in the fridge so it’s not had to wire up. Very hot days I turn the fridge to level 5 and run both fans..
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05-09-2021, 05:51 PM
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#19
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: San Jose
Posts: 388
M.O.C. #2277
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I bought 4 12v muffin fans, a 130F thermostatic button switch, several feet of #18 wire, and a 12v inline fuse holder. I mounter the fans at the top sucking air through, as opposed to pushing air from the bottom. The fans are attached with tie-wraps!
My 1201LRIM cools down in less than 12 hours and maintains the refer box at 33-40F and the freezers at -18. Regardless of the weather.
Before doing this (8 years ago) I was ready to scrap the refer.
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05-10-2021, 04:04 PM
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#20
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Established Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Meridian
Posts: 49
M.O.C. #28444
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Ours cools pretty fast on gas. Plus we have learned over the years to load it with already cold groceries, then it doesn't have to play catch up.
__________________
Rick and Theresa
2017 Montana 3160RL
2020 Chevrolet 3500HD, Duramax
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