rusty-greatwhitenorth Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Hi there Greg and all others; I'm relatively new to this toy RV thing, I bought an '83 20' dolphin a little over a year ago and my only regret is not having purchased one earlier. I'm not new to RVing, as my family did the trailer thing when I was a kid, but this toyota-based RV is the cat's behind!!! I do admit the sunraider is probably better constructed, but I have the dolphin, so that's what I'll run. I did a few weekend runs last summer and a 3,000 mile shake-down cruise from Ontairo, Canada to South Carolina and back as well.....my girlfriend and I had a blast (she won't let me sell it now..........ever). As it turns out I did fairly well purchasing the dolphin...they were asking $9000, and took my offer of $6000 (that's canadian funds). The dolphin has the full-floating 1-ton axle, and was in excellent shape as it was from Florida so it was rust-free (a big issue up here in Canada), and it only has 70,000 miles on it!!! I have some things to tinker with....I replaced all the camper body lights as the stock ones were crap....had to run the marker lights with a relay, but no big deal. I have some plumbing to sort out, probably have to re-do the whole mess as they sure did use the cheapest fittings and hardware they could find.....I'm fixing and up-grading as I go through the thing a little at a time. The only big thing on the list is my fridge.....it just doesn't get quite cold enough, and it looks to me like I'll have to replace it, if I can I'll try to track down a 3-way unit that will fit instead of the standard 2-way. Any suggestions?......not sure of the dimensions off the top of my head, but it's a Swedish-built unit. That's about all my rambling for now, except I'm real impressed with your web-site......excellent job, lots of great info!!! Rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 Hi Rusty and welcome to the group here. Getting your refrigerator level is key to it cooling. Use the freezer tray in the center to level then find a spot on a counter top that is also level, that way you do not have to open the door to level it. I also have had problems with cooling and wonder if a rebuild would fix it. Actually a rebuild is the replacement of the parts that actually do the refrigerating. I have found that if I cool it down a couple of days prior to a trip it helps. They need contents to work properly. I put in a bunch of soda, water bottles and even freeze some bottles in the freezer. An empty refrigerator will not recover very fast when the door is opened or something room temp is placed inside. The contents act as a thermal mass. I have also found that at higher altitudes it does not cool well. In the summer we travel east to the Sierra Nevada mountains. We pass thru the Sacramento Valley where it can be 100 plus degrees and so during the travel the temp goes up and then is hard to get down once camped at elevation 7000 plus. I also run it on 12 volts dc when on the road. I found mine cools better that way while travelling. I also have an exterior temp readout so that I don't have to open the door. Also one of the fans that move the air around inside the refer help a lot. I have also installed some fans that help get the hot air out of the vented area behind the refer. Dolphins are good rigs, but make sure you do not develop any leaks. A friend of ours just discovered she had a leak and the bad news she got was that much of her dolphins main construction was particle board and has started to come apart and so now she is looking at several thousand dollars to have it rebuilt. Thanks for the compliments, I still got a long ways to go. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty-greatwhitenorth Posted December 30, 2005 Author Share Posted December 30, 2005 Ok Greg; I follow what you're saying about fans in and behind the fridge, they probably would help some, but I'm more inclined to think the fridge is just old and tired. I admit we were traveling during hot weather, but the fridge just didn't seem to do very well....I'd estimate the interior temp somewhere between 45-50, while the freezer section would make ice. I'll see if fans help as I'd like to avoid replacing the unit if I can, but I have to sort this out as spoiled food is no fun. One thing I tried that seemed to help some was to remove the fridge and "roll" it over a few times......I was told the ammonia in it crystalizes and clogs the tubes. I know that is a bad thing to do to a freon fridge, but these ammonia units are different I hear. I ran the fridge on propane almost all the time as it seemed to perform better.......yes, I ran it on propane while driving, and it never blew out the pilot light. Any more comments you have would be appreciated. Rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 Ok Greg; I follow what you're saying about fans in and behind the fridge, they probably would help some, but I'm more inclined to think the fridge is just old and tired. I admit we were traveling during hot weather, but the fridge just didn't seem to do very well....I'd estimate the interior temp somewhere between 45-50, while the freezer section would make ice. I'll see if fans help as I'd like to avoid replacing the unit if I can, but I have to sort this out as spoiled food is no fun. One thing I tried that seemed to help some was to remove the fridge and "roll" it over a few times......I was told the ammonia in it crystalizes and clogs the tubes. I know that is a bad thing to do to a freon fridge, but these ammonia units are different I hear. I ran the fridge on propane almost all the time as it seemed to perform better.......yes, I ran it on propane while driving, and it never blew out the pilot light. Any more comments you have would be appreciated. Rusty Rusty That is about the same temps I get, and it seems hard to get them down. I too have considered replacing the cooling unit. It really does not look to difficult. Looks like I an just stick it up on the table and replace it without removing it completely from the rv as that would involve removing the passenger seat and taking it out that way. The fans did help me to a point, certainly not to the point where I am happy though. I can't recall your vintage year, there are two basic models. One with a square burner chamber and one with a round burner chamber. The square is level critical as where the round is level tolerant. The fans I have in the rear, one is solar powered and the other is a 12volt dc computer case cooling fan which I control via a switch inside the rv. Its right at the top of the cooling chamber to exaust air out the top vent. I have a flashing led light to remind me its on. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picklebill Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 Hi Rusty, I have had 2 absorbtion type refers and have found that at 90 degrees or above they will run at 45 degrees or so. I had my first one into the repair shop thinking it had a bad cooling unit, but they said it was in good condition. My current fridge is the same size as my last one and performs about the same. The bottom line is that these units are just not as efficient as the compressor types. Years ago I had a VW camper that had a compressor type of fridge that ran on 12 or 120 volts ( Norcold) and I loved it - no leveling to worry about and it stayed cold inside (38 degrees) when it was hot outside. The downside was that it drew 4.5 amps in 12 volts and would discharge a group 24 battery in about 3 days. I think ther still make them - you might want to check it out, but don't be disappointed if you get another gas fridge and it works about the same. If it stays below about 48 degrees when the outside temp is at 100 degrees, it probably is fine. Just remember to keep from opening the door up as much as possible. Also check the door gasket, as even a little air leak will have a big effect. Also, Greg's trick of using a fan to move the air past the coils helps too. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty-greatwhitenorth Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 Thanx Greg and Bill; From your comments it would seem my unit is running ok, maybe not 100%, but close enough. It is the square vent type so, I guess I'll try some fans to help it along as I'm not real excited about the cost of replacing it......besides that, the only way to get it out of the camper is to remove the rear window. The gaskets seal fine, and I don't "graze" in the fridge for food often, so maybe in hot weather the fans and a block of ice on the bottom shelf will be enough. Thanx again. Rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Rusty Remember that if you have the square type it must be closer to level than the round type. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladd Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Hi there Greg and all others; I'm relatively new to this toy RV thing, I bought an '83 20' dolphin a little over a year ago and my only regret is not having purchased one earlier. I'm not new to RVing, as my family did the trailer thing when I was a kid, but this toyota-based RV is the cat's behind!!! I do admit the sunraider is probably better constructed, but I have the dolphin, so that's what I'll run. I did a few weekend runs last summer and a 3,000 mile shake-down cruise from Ontairo, Canada to South Carolina and back as well.....my girlfriend and I had a blast (she won't let me sell it now..........ever). As it turns out I did fairly well purchasing the dolphin...they were asking $9000, and took my offer of $6000 (that's canadian funds). The dolphin has the full-floating 1-ton axle, and was in excellent shape as it was from Florida so it was rust-free (a big issue up here in Canada), and it only has 70,000 miles on it!!! I have some things to tinker with....I replaced all the camper body lights as the stock ones were crap....had to run the marker lights with a relay, but no big deal. I have some plumbing to sort out, probably have to re-do the whole mess as they sure did use the cheapest fittings and hardware they could find.....I'm fixing and up-grading as I go through the thing a little at a time. The only big thing on the list is my fridge.....it just doesn't get quite cold enough, and it looks to me like I'll have to replace it, if I can I'll try to track down a 3-way unit that will fit instead of the standard 2-way. Any suggestions?......not sure of the dimensions off the top of my head, but it's a Swedish-built unit. That's about all my rambling for now, except I'm real impressed with your web-site......excellent job, lots of great info!!! Rusty Hello, Rusty. I am new to this R.V. thing...so new that I haven't purchased my R.V. yet. After a lot of looking around, I've decided to go with the Toyota model. but that's another story. As for your ammonia refrigerator, try this: disconnect the refrigerator, remove it, and turn it upside down. Let it set for 24 hrs., then re-install it. I've done this to a friends R.V. refer and it worked great. (I used to do refrigeration work with freon, but I read about this trick in an ammonia system troubleshooting guide and it really works). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D. Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Rusty Remember that if you have the square type it must be closer to level than the round type. Greg Greg I know this is a old topic but I would like to ask questions about the fan in the rear of the fridge. You said you used a computer fan, What was your source for the fan and how did you mount it. Did you just use one or several computer fans. Have you considered installing a themostat that would come on when the temp in that cavity reach a certain degree. Thanks for all your imput. Tony in Louisiana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doktasoohs Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 i have an 1984 phoenix and it had the same tired fridge but the ammonia had leaked out before i got it, i read hundreds of google searches on people who replaced the absorbtion unit with mixed results so i just looked on craigslist until i found a unit only used 3 trips that was basically 2 years old with 3 uses on it where the owner upgraded to a larger family unit and ended up paying 440 bux for it. i leave it on 24/7 with nothing in it half the time and it is only on setting 3 (goes to 6) and it is brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr cold so instead of wasting 250 bux trying to bring that old fridge back to life get a newer one and have cold beer in 90 degree weather with it on setting 3!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Hi, Rusty; Welcome to the Toyohome world. I had the same impression when we purchased our '86 Sunrader. While driving it home from Colorado it took just about five miles of driving in the mountains to decide I wished we'd purchased one earlier...after about a dozen trailers and motorhomes. One possible tip for your refrigerator is to install a computer fan (12V) in the outside compartment to move more air to assist in removing heat. I've also heard it's helpful to remove the refrigerator, turn it upside down for a day or so then reinstall. I tried that back in the 1970's and it didn't help. If you're handy you can replace the cooling unit and perhaps save a few dollars. Don't forget, a mecca of parts and appliances are available in Elkhard, IN. Best Wishes, John SW OH, '86 21' Sunrader, 43D auto, 22RE, 55K miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Basically the fridge will only cool “X” degrees below ambient temperature (I don’t know what the temperatures are but there is a curve) I too have added small fans they draw very little power and make a big difference in hot weather. If you can lower the temperature at the condenser (little thing with fins behind the fridge) your fridge will be cooler inside. I used a pair of 3” fans from some thing, I save that kind of stuff. They are pretty cheap at a electronics store (under $15 for a 5”) I do a lot of camping when it’s cool out and my fridge gets too cold! It will freeze milk if it’s 45 outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D. Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Basically the fridge will only cool "X" degrees below ambient temperature (I don't know what the temperatures are but there is a curve) I too have added small fans they draw very little power and make a big difference in hot weather. If you can lower the temperature at the condenser (little thing with fins behind the fridge) your fridge will be cooler inside. I used a pair of 3" fans from some thing, I save that kind of stuff. They are pretty cheap at a electronics store (under $15 for a 5") I do a lot of camping when it's cool out and my fridge gets too cold! It will freeze milk if it's 45 outside. Maineah I noticed when I look at the back of my fridge that there does not seem to be insulation around it. There is a cavity between the metal wall and the panelling that is about 1 to 2 inches wide. When I added a small 12 volt fan to the inside I drilled a small hole through the side and there does not seem to be any insulation at all. Makes me wonder..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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