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REFRIGERATOR EFFICIENCY Little Ways to Increase the Efficiency of your Ammonia Absorption Refrigerator Ammonia absorption refrigerators have been around a long time. In fact, they used to be the only types of refrigerators available to use in houses. But, that was before the invention (?) of the compressor driven / freon based units used in houses today. There are several factors that can increase your rv refrigerators ability to cool. Among these are level, ventilation, packing, and maintenance. Level....sounds simple enough. However, a common mistake is to pull up to the campground, level your rv, and walk away thinking that everything is ok. But, it's not. You need to check the level of your refrigerator in relation to the rest of the rv. If you find that there is a slight difference, fine tune the level of your rv to the level of your refrigerator. In doing so, you are increasing both the efficiency of your refrigerator and the lifespan of the refrigerator. Ventilation....every ammonia absorption refrigerator, no matter what brand, must have a cool air intake over the cooling unit coils. This prevents the cooling unit from overheating, and increases it's ability to cool. By periodically cleaning the roof vent on your rv, you increase the efficiency, and lifespan, of your rv refrigerator. Also, check around the back and sides of the refrigerator. Birds and other small animals love to build nests in there in the winter months, but leave their nests when springs comes around. Also, check for dirt dauber nests and such. This periodic cleaning will help your refrigerator in the long run. It is also advisable to wire in a small 12 volt fan on the coils of the cooling unit. This increases the airflow over the coils, and increases the refrigerators efficiency. In fact, many rv manufacturers are installing them on the newer units. Packing....a common mistake is to over pack a refrigerator. Unlike a household refrigerator, an ammonia absorption refrigerator uses no fans to circulate air inside the refrigerator. It instead uses a set of fins at the back of the refrigerator to exchange hot air for cold air. Because of this, packing a refrigerator completely full is not advisable. It will not cool this way. There should be an airspace between everything inside the refrigerator, both above it and to the side. Depending on the size of your refrigerator, you should have about a 2 or 3 day supply of food inside it. You can purchase a small, battery operated fan to place inside your refrigerator that will circulate air inside it. This will increase the efficiency of the refrigerator. Also, do not stand with the refrigerator door open for a long period of time. It takes a long time for these refrigerators to cool down to operating temperatures. They are not made to be opened more than 2 or 3 times per hour, and for very short periods each time. Get a cooler full of ice for the common (drinks, etc.) items. Maintenance....well, we touched on this a little under "Ventilation", but there are also other things that you need to do to maintain your refrigerator. For example, the gas orifice should be removed and cleaned periodically, as should the gas valves, lines, thermocouple, etc. There are some fuses on the electric control board(s) that should be inspected periodically, as should the thermostat, heating elements, insulation pack, door gaskets, etc. In short, there are several systems on a refrigerator that require maintenance. A quick trip to your local service center or dealership every spring for a little "tune-up" will save you money, and frustration, in the long run. In fact, the refrigerator manufacturer's require this maintenance every year by an authorized service center during the warranty period of a new refrigerator. Read your refrigerator warranty for more details about this.
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