Gas Fridge not working - vent cover?

[The Cruisers]

Should the vent covers be off while the fridge in use?
We have a dometic fridge with separate freezer and this morning when we woke up the freezer contents were completely thawed (luckily only couple things in it) and the contents of the fridge warm. All lights show gas being used and there’s no alarms or lights flashing. Could feel heat from top vent outside.
many thanks

 

[jezport]

below 8deg vents can be used covered

 

[The Cruisers]

I’m sure last night must have been below 8 degrees. Have taken vents off to see what happens now.
I thought vents were to stop wind blowing the gas out. Why else are they used?
There are small holes in the covers so the air is circulating. We will see.

 

[irnbru]

Is your van sitting level? We usually put a thermometer in to keep an eye on ours.

 

[jezport]

I’m sure last night must have been below 8 degrees. Have taken vents off to see what happens now.
I thought vents were to stop wind blowing the gas out. Why else are they used?
There are small holes in the covers so the air is circulating. We will see.

I use the bottom one if windy to stop the gas blowing out, but they are really to allow the heat at the hot part of the system to keep hot in very cold weather

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[tonka]

I’m sure last night must have been below 8 degrees. Have taken vents off to see what happens now.
I thought vents were to stop wind blowing the gas out. Why else are they used?
There are small holes in the covers so the air is circulating. We will see.

FYI.. (as the kids say )

"As winter rolls round, it is time to start thinking about storage and keeping your vehicle in top condition during the colder months. One important step to consider is covering your fridge vents. If left open during storage, the vents can become an attractive entrance to insects and bugs, even if the vehicle is covered. As the vehicle sits unused, dust and dirt can start to collect on the vent grilles, which, not only starts to ruin the appearance of the vents, but also damages them; possibly causing heat from the fridge operation to escape when is use again.

Having fridge vent covers can also protect your vehicle from damp and water ingress. The covers help prevent rain and moisture from outside finding its way into your vehicle through the vents but also allows the required amount of ventilation needed, helping to prevent water build up and damp issues. It is a good idea to keep fridge vents on the vehicle when washing it, for the exact same reasons.

The fridge vent covers can also be used when a vehicle is still in use during cold weather, not just in storage. If the temperature outside drops below 8°c, absorption fridges struggle with their cooling ability and can increase the power usage on gas or electric operation. This is due to the cold air outside preventing the heat exchange in the fridge from happening as efficiently. By fitting a fridge vent cover when it is cold, it allows fumes to escape and stops the heat exchange system from cooling down too much, helping your fridge to work properly and efficiently over winter, saving you power and money."

 

[Lenny HB]

If running on gas don't fit the top vent.
Although fitting the vents shouldn't make that much difference. I would clean the chimney, a sooted up chimney often causes poor performance also check the jet & burner.

 

[aria]

below 8deg vents can be used covered

Not all of them. Check the instructions. My Dometic RMS 8501 doesn’t use them in any temp.
I fried a control board before I read the instructions about that bit.

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

I only use the vent covers when washing the van or in very cold weather, below freezing. Have you checked that you have gas? In cold weather the gas pressure decreases, and if the volume is low it may stop flowing. Check by lighting a cooker burner. The fridge should be level for it to work in gas. Are you able to check it on electric? Also strange as it sounds, if the fridge thermostat is turned up too high (ie to make it colder) it can make it work less well, no logic to that but it’s worth a try.

 

[The Cruisers]

Thanks for your input everyone. Yes we have a nearly full gas bottle and we are on a rally without electric and absolutely level both ways!!
Have taken both vent covers off now and turned it down to 3 bars of the 5 bars on the control panel so will see how it goes. Fingers crossed.

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[Gellyneck]

The Cruisers
We had similar problem when using the vent covers. Now we just leave them off and fridge \ freezer works fine.

 

[The Cruisers]

Hello again. Left the covers off for couple of hours and the freezer is working well but the separate fridge isn’t cold at all!!!

 

[Lenny HB]

Hello again. Left the covers off for couple of hours and the freezer is working well but the separate fridge isn’t cold at all!!!

The freezer is probably not as cold as you think. There is only one refrigerant circuit that circulates to both. The only reason the freezer gets colder than the fridge is because the freezer is 20% of the size of the fridge with the same amount of cooling.
So if the freezer is working the fridge must be.

 

[DBK]

Covers on or off won't stop the fridge working. They are a red herring. There is a fault somewhere else.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

The first time I fitted covers in cold weather the fridge didn't get down to temp. Took the top one off and within a very short time everything was OK. Bottom cover yes, top cover no.

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[WillH]

When the wind blew in our fridge vents, apart from a draught there was a 'buzz'. Cured with the use of vent covers.

 

[Richard n Ann]

The freezer is probably not as cold as you think. There is only one refrigerant circuit that circulates to both. The only reason the freezer gets colder than the fridge is because the freezer is 20% of the size of the fridge with the same amount of cooling.
So if the freezer is working the fridge must be.

Also the refrigerant goes into the freezer first, so if the system is short of refrigerant, by the time it enters the fridge it's all evaporated and there's little cooling effect. Our fridge had these symptoms but it turned out to be the thermal transfer paste behind the fins.

 

[Off da Grid]

Our Dometic RM75xx fridge/ freezer works at its best at about the 7 o'clock setting, any higher and it doesn't seem to work aswell.
We allways take the fridge vents off when in use at any temperature.
I also fitted a 120mm computer fan on the left side of the top vent away from the chimney, last summer before we went to France in August 40 degree heat, the fridge and freezer worked perfectly so we could make ice cubes.