Domestic RV Refrigerator – Don’t Buy One Until You Read This!

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There are not many things in life that are better than grabbing a cool beer or a chilled glass of wine from the fridge are there? Picture the scene, you’re cruising along in the comfortable RV that you have fully customized, it’s a beautiful day so you park up and crack open a cool refreshing drink. Bliss!

Maybe you feel a little overwhelmed with the thought of looking for and buying a new RV fridge? Or you have experienced a little bump in the road, excuse the pun, and your current RV fridge which has stopped working and you want to replace it. So, before you go any further in your search for a new or replacement domestic RV refrigerator, read this first!

What to consider before buying your RV Refrigerator?

Your new fridge will end up being your most loved and definitely most used piece of equipment in your RV, so let’s ensure you know everything you need to know before you part with your hard-earned cash. Firstly, take note of the power source you have available in your RV when looking to buy a fridge. You can power up your fridge via gas or electricity depending on what you have available to you. There are many models to choose from but you must remember a key factor before even beginning to look; can you keep your fridge perfectly level? If you can’t, then your fridge will not cool. Size and storage capacity is also key factor when searching for the perfect domestic RV refrigerator. Will you be using the RV for mainly family trips and excursions or will it simply be for you and your better half? Consider which would meet your needs best and work with the available space you have. The best thing to do is make a checklist before you buy and ensure you have on it:

  • What are the measurements of your available space?
  • Can you keep it level?
  • What capacity do you need?
  • What is your budget?
  • Will you get plenty of usage out of it?

Know how your fridge works…

This may sound obvious but it is in fact a crucial bit of advice many RV owners don’t take up. When you initially purchase your new or used domestic RV refrigerator be sure to keep the manual safe and secure so you can refer to it when needed. Also, ensure you fully brief yourself about how it works so you are completely clued up about it. So, how will your new or used domestic RV refrigerator work? The fridges operate by means of a sealed cooling element which is heated by electric, or a gas flame. When the heat is dispensed, the fluid then circulates around the inner cooling unit which subsequently pulls heat out of the RV refrigerator. There are two types of RV refrigerators which are domestic 3-way refrigerators and 2-way refrigerators.

Ensure you use your RV refrigerator on a regular basis

The worst thing you could do is buy your new fridge and just let it sit without it getting any proper usage. Why is this? This can cause you problems with the fridge and it can actually stop working. RV refrigerators contain an ammonia-based liquid which is involved in the process of circulating liquid. When RV refrigerators are left unused or age, this ammonia liquid can create sediment which then gathers and settles at the bottom of the cooling unit, which is something that won’t do your fridge any favours! The more this sediment builds up, the less your fridge will cool because there’s limited flow. So how can you prevent this from happening to your newly bough fridge? The answer is simple, USE IT. The more you keep everything flowing around your fridge the better because fluid movement will ensure any possible sediment will remain suspended in the fluid so it cannot accumulate and cause any blocking.

Be aware of any possible repair issues

Of course, like anything when purchasing your RV fridge, ensure you purchase from a reputable brand or supplier and make sure you get a warranty with it, which you keep safe. Even though you do the best you can when purchasing your fridge, sometimes things can still go a little wrong and you’re faced with having to fix it yourself. Usually, any issues can be fixed at a reasonable price. So what are the most common repair issues you may face?

1. The pilot light keeps going off – Don’t panic this is usually down to having a bad thermocouple which is responsible for controlling the gas flow, but if it fails to ignite altogether it may indicate a fault with the control board instead.

  1. It isn’t cooling very well – Your cooling units may need replacing if sediment has blocked up the tubes due to prolonged periods of disuse.

There are a number of things you need to consider before purchasing a domestic RV fridge but hopefully, we have covered them all for you so you can now go off and confidently make a purchase. You can unwind and enjoy your trips along the open road knowing that your food and drinks are being chilled for you to enjoy later. Once you know your specifications and requirements, purchasing an RV fridge is nice and simple and will be one of your best, if not the best addition to your RV.

RV fridges are known for their reliability and as we have discussed possible faults, this is only so you have every corner covered should something go wrong so you won’t need to panic or worry, you will have a good idea what it is and be able to relax. Don’t forget though, you don’t always have to purchase brand-new fridges, you can also get a superb range of used domestic RV refrigerators at excellent prices from online sales, dealerships and restoration and refurbishment shops.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to comment below!

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