With so many moving parts to account for, you’ll probably have a lot to focus on when it comes to the maintenance issues you address on a regular basis. Even simple tasks are going to require you to be diligent if they’re really going to be effective. This includes making sure all your appliances are fully functioning and free of grime or damage, appliances like your refrigerator. Caring for your fridge is fairly simple, but it does require some strategy, so RV Station Colbert has provided you with a list of tips for RV fridge maintenance. If you still need an RV, whether it be a fifth wheel or a travel trailer, stop by our location in Colbert, Oklahoma, near Sherman and McKinney, Texas.
Preparing your Fridge for Travel
Before you hit the road, there are a couple things you can do to get your fridge ready. This is especially important if you’re just taking your camper out of storage. Your first step should be to pull out your owner’s manual. We can give you the rundown on some of the basics, but any specific information you may need will need to be drawn from the manual.
Next, inspect your fridge for any potential concerns. This may mean dirt and grime, broken parts, strange noises, or anything else that may just seem off. Because you use your fridge so frequently and because it’s such an important part of your everyday life, you’ll want to make sure you’re not going to run into any surprises on the road.
Finally, consider allowing the unit to cool at least eight to ten hours before you put food in it. This way, there’s no temperature fluctuation for your refrigerated items and it’ll be easier for your fridge to cool down. This can also help you identify possible issues once the appliance is turned on.
Post-Trip Defrost
When you come home, you may have some time to kill before your next outing. If you intend to shut down your whole trailer for a while, then you’ll want to defrost your fridge. This is fairly similar to how you’d defrost other refrigerators. Just remember that the unit will be shedding a lot of water, so place some towels around it or deploy some other system to soak up all the water.
Safety Tips
Arguably, the safety risks around refrigerators is relatively low. After all, it directly affects food that you and your family consume. But that doesn’t mean you won’t occasionally have to worry about it. The biggest concern will come about if you start to smell ammonia. This is usually a sign that something is leaking, although ammonia fumes are usually where the real danger lies. They can be toxic to inhale, so you’ll want to air things out as soon as possible. Turn off the fridge and open it up. Then open up the rest of the RV to create ventilation. Keep the fridge turned off until you can get it to a professional technician, as the fumes will continue to affect the environment and more leaking can damage the appliance.
Also keep in mind that if you do choose to work on your RV fridge yourself, you’ll want to remove all flammable items while you work. Also, if you need to go on the roof to clean out the vent, ask someone to spot you, especially if your ladder isn’t connected to the rig itself.
Hopefully this gets you started with at least some basic RV fridge maintenance, but you may run into more complex issues (like that leak we talked about earlier).
This information is for educational purposes. VIARV shall not be responsible nor retain liability for RVer’s use of the provided information. Prior to making any RV service decision, you are advised to consult with an RV professional.
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