12v GE Fridge - strange behaviour (2022 2108FBS)

[eatSleepWoof]

I'm seeing strange variations in temperature on my 12v GE fridge (in a 2022 2108FBS). For example, 30 minutes ago I had +9C (way too warm) in the fridge, and -22C (way too cold) in the freezer. I've also got a ton of frost in the fridge compartment.

Opening up the fridge access panel from the outside I see that it's sealed shut. (Presumably this is because I have a 12v compressor fridge and not an absorption fridge that would require that opening/ventilation).

I can't help wondering whether that sealing panel is causing issues? Do I need to add ventilation holes to it, or remove it altogether?

[Wmlunt]

Good day,
My 2024 MW 2108 FBS did not ice up in the freezer, but only ran it for about 4 days.
I did see 10+ degree temp swings, but not that surprising on an RV fridge, wide swing vs energy usage…
I would check your seal around the door, likely moisture getting in, or uncovered liquids? My ice cube trays from Target have covers for low evaporation.
Bill

[eatSleepWoof]

I found countless online reviews for this fridge that are complaining about the exact same problems. It really does seem to be a question of poor ventilation inside and outside the fridge. People report significant improvements when they put a fan inside the fridge, and another in the fridge cabinet.

In the meantime I've put a gun safe dehumidifier and a portable, rechargeable fan inside. Temperatures do seem to be a bit more stable.

I'll probably end up doing both fan mods permanently sometime down the line.

[bjhay]

We’ve seen similar issues. There is a definite cold zone near the back panel (and whatever you do, don’t let anything actually touch the back or it’ll freeze solid). Generally we load the more freeze-tolerant items towards the back. Last year we also used a rechargeable fan and found that moving the air helped a lot, I actually tossed the receiver for our weather station in there as well at the start of the season to help dial in the right temperature. Since we have a FLX, we leave the fridge running all season with our condiments, etc on board to save packing/unpacking on each trip, once the fridge is set where we want it we don’t really need to touch it.

[Morich]

This would look like a problem on two fronts. One is the seal at the door looks like it is leaking too much to let too much moist air in and then the air is not moving enough to let the cold air at the top move to the bottom. From the picture it looks like there is too much frost buildup along the back wall closing off air moving down.

My wife had to be retrained to get her to let our home frig work better! She wanted to do the easy things and push all the food to the back and let it lean on the wall. That stopped the air moving and the freezer built up ice as she needed to turn the temperature lower to keep the frig section cool enough!

I would suggest doing two things. First check the seal with the old dollar bill trick to see how much air might be leaking in. Then try to stay aware that air needs to move around the food on top and have a way to get down to the frig.
If all the cooling stays in the top section, it will be too cold and the frig too warm!
It is worth noting that there is probably only one thermostat that controls both sections and it is likely to be in the frig section.

[eatSleepWoof]

Would it make more sense to place a fan in the top section of the fridge, with the intent of pushing cold air down, or place it in the bottom section of the fridge, with the intent of pushing warm air up?

I'd imagine either option would help with circulation, but my gut tells me pushing cold air down would have quicker (desired) results. Any thoughts?

I saw one person replace the fridge's glass shelves with metal-wire shelving, and while that helps avoid breaking the glass due to items in the fridge bouncing around, I'm also wondering whether the shelving would also make a significant difference in air circulation? Seems like it would help...

[Morich]

One point often missed is that most frigs only have one cooling system, even in home frigs. So the norm is for the place we want to be colder gets the cooling and then a varied amount of cooling is passed to the frig section by controlling the amount of air moved.
Open grills will pass more air but that also depends on how we stock the freezer!
If we fill the freezer and cover the grill, there will be no change in the amount of air flowing down through a grill over a solid glass.
In a home frig that has controls for top and bottom, there are often channels built in and fans can be used to control the bottom temp as well as the top.
In an RV frig with only one temperature setting the only way to change the different in temp from top to bottom is by manually changing the airflow.

Part of the "roughing it" factor, when we go "camping" but it is easy to forget we are actually camping when we take it all with us!

If I were dedicated to making the difference between top and bottom more functional, I would go for something like a cheap temperature controller, place a sensor in the bottom and plug a fan into the controller.

But that is still going to be a bit of trial and error as the air movement will change often, depending on how much we have in the two sections at any time. If we go tot he store and come back to fully stock the frig, air WILL be restricted more than when the frig begins to run closer to empty.

Maybe another point to look at is the way things are stored around the sensor in the lower section? If that sensor gets covered and it is pressed into a cold corner, it will let the whole frig get warmer as it still thinks it's cold!

[eatSleepWoof]

Great insight, Morich, thank you!