Hi All, we are here in sunny and extremely hot Normandy. We're in our Coachman which has our fridge by the door of the van. Yesterday, as the temperature 🌡 rose, the fridge display went berserk. It read 🔧10, and the display lights were flashing. Naturally I panicked, but my wife said she reckoned it was overheating because the venting on the outside was covered by our open van door. I closed the door, waited 10 or 15 minutes, full working order restored. Phew. So don't cover up your vents!!!!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Typically absorption type fridges are happy up to ambient temps of low to mid 30s Centigrade, but plenty will testify they work up to much higher temps, but with the vents unobstructed in 'free air'. Even an awning, as many of us use on the fridge side of the van, due to it's often elevated air temp and limiting fresh air circulation can have an impact. Caravan/MH manufacturers do seem to be daft making doors obscure the fridge vents, probably compounding the already negative effects of an awning! But it's a commonplace layout, and regularly reported as a problem, who knows how many others have problems without realising the cause! - At the very least manufacturers should put a warning sticker on the door instructing not to leave open and obstructing fridge vents in high ambient temperatures!
Fortunately mine just clears the vents, so not a problem for me.
My career has been as an industrial design engineer, mostly in charge of design way back since my twenties, in various disciplines including aerospace, and TBH caravans have a kind of 'road crash' fascination to me, SO MANY aspects just make me think "WHY!", for crying out loud why! So many aspect that show poor thought and lack of understanding, either technological or ergonomic! All designs are compromises, and often made worse by the bean counters cutting costs, but caravans are often examples of plain old fashioned 'got it wrong'!
Quote: Originally posted by bazlam on 18/6/2025
Hi All, we are here in sunny and extremely hot Normandy. We're in our Coachman which has our fridge by the door of the van. Yesterday, as the temperature 🌡 rose, the fridge display went berserk. It read 🔧10, and the display lights were flashing. Naturally I panicked, but my wife said she reckoned it was overheating because the venting on the outside was covered by our open van door. I closed the door, waited 10 or 15 minutes, full working order restored. Phew. So don't cover up your vents!!!!
100% correct re door.
We had a brand new Coachman and I wrote to them about this issue and was told there was nothing wrong with the fridge and it was functioning as it should. They suggested I could fit a small fan by going through the external vents, this cost was all down to myself!
These emails continued for a number of weeks getting more smart *rsed from their end as they went!
I wrote to the CC and Practical Caravan and strangely enough neither published my letter!
We kept that van for less than a year and got shot of it.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Oh and they still manufacture their vans with the door covering the vents.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
I did a very simple mod to our coachman. I bought a 12volt computer cooling fan off fleabay and fitted it to blow over the cooling fins. Took the 12 volts from the nearby wiring and, to keep things simple, fitted an on/off switch in the cupboard next to fridge. As there is no thermostatic switch with this set up, I have to operate it manually, but it seems to serve the purpose and keeps the fridge cool no matter what the ambient temperature. Perhaps one day I may look at fitting a temperature sensor so that it is automatic.
Our Stirling Elite 560 too has the fridge next to the door, also has the vents behind the open door. We came back from a very hot France last week after spending 8 weeks there. I had fitted a manually switched fan at the back of the fridge a few years ago. No problem, still had plenty of ice cubes clink clink.
That's the way to go!
Cheers, Keith
I saw a simple DIY solution, I think on a FB forum, to the open door blocking fridge vents issue - a SPACER BAR, one end clipped onto door, other end clipped onto wall, both utilising existing door retaining fitting, so no actual mods to the van (so door can still clip flush with wall) or fridge.
Held the door at something like a 30-40 degree angle from the wall, kept the vents clear and door (waste bin!) didn't obstruct doorway or prevent use of flyscreen.
The catches are only a few pounds, available as replacement parts, something like a length of plastic plumbing waste pipe would be ideal as the bar.
Cheap, light, functional. How you affix catch parts to bar will vary with catch design, and there's a few different ones out there, so can't help with that.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Overheating Fridge
via mobile 18/6/2025 at 5:27pm
