The ARP Refrigerator Protection Device Saved Me !

[powercat_ras]

The ARP Refrigerator Protection Device Saved Me !
I recently learned that RV Absorbtion Refrigerators without a "cold weather" option must not be operated when outside temperature is below freezing (32 F).

Solution in the outside of the refrigerator can freeze, preventing the refrigerator from cooling and worse, causing the refrigerator boiler to overheat and cause corrosion and overpressure conditions that worst case can cause catastrophic failure and a fire to be initiated behind the refrigerator.

Before I learned all of this I started up my Norcold in December and was using my RV. Had taken steps to make sure water and holding tanks were kept above freezing. Did NOT know about the refrigerator not working when it is below freezing outside.

I don't know how far below freezing the refrigerator stops working, but at some point mine did. It was well below zero F when I noticed the refrigerator had stopped working !

I have the ARP Control Refrigerator Protection Device on my Norcold. IT SAVED ME ! When my refrigerator solution froze, causing the boiler to begin to overheat , it detected the boiler beginning to overheat and shut down the heat source before it overheated to the level that causes damage, keeping my refrigerator from being destroyed !



LOVE MY ARP REFRIGERATOR CONTROL ! ! ! Check it out on ARPRV.COM

FYI, the "cold weather" option consists of putting plumbing style heat tape around the parts of the tubing behind the refrigerator where the solution can freeze in the lower back part of the refrigerator.

 

[al1florida]

Good info to not operate the fridge in well below 0F temps.

I have heard of folks in really, really cold temps of partially closing off the vents, in the wall behind the fridge, to trap some of the heat from the fridge operating so it stay quite a bit warmer than the outside temps.

We regularly operate out Norcold fridge with outside temps dropping to 15-25F for a few hours without taking any precautions.

 

[powercat_ras]

It was well below zero F outside when I noticed my ARP control had shut down the fridge due to boiler heating 5 times and gone into "lockout" where it no longer powers the fridge until the ARP control is power cycled. So yes, I agree that at some point below 15-20 F my fridge stopped cooling and started to overheat boiler due to the cooling cycle stopping.

I got a suggestion to put a old style light bulb, 60 watt on in the outside wall side of the refrigerator in the bottom below the absorber tubing. Also learned that Norcold puts a short piece of heat tape similar to the heat tape on the icemaker water line on the absorber tubing in their fridges with the cold weather option, Norcold's manuals says fridges with the cold weather option can be operated down to 0 F.