Fridge drips

[Richandhelen]

We have a constant drip onto the cabin sole from our fridge. It appears that the rather persistent ice mass that adheres to the back wall of the fridge may be forming and melting?I have turned the thermostat to the highest setting (which in the past has frozen and burst bottles of beer) but the problem persists. It is definitely not as cold as it once was.



The fridge is a Waeco/Dometic /Coolmatic RSD 115.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I have turned the thermostat to the highest setting (which in the past has frozen and burst bottles of beer) but the problem persists.

Any chance you could be looking at exterior condensation on the fridge wall due to poor insulation of the box ?

The fact that you're in Florida (high temp. and humidity) further adds to the problem.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Ralph's right, add insulation.

 

[Bill Roosa]

The frozen fridge could be due to high air temps. Can't tell from the picture but it looks like your unit is air cooled. Hot air does not cool as well as cool air so the compressor runs a lot and that is causing ice to form.......All that can also be solved with more insulation (just don't insulate over the air cooled condenser

 

[ALNims]

We have a constant drip onto the cabin sole from our fridge. It appears that the rather persistent ice mass that adheres to the back wall of the fridge may be forming and melting?I have turned the thermostat to the highest setting (which in the past has frozen and burst bottles of beer) but the problem persists. It is definitely not as cold as it once was.

View attachment 88782

The fridge is a Waeco/Dometic /Coolmatic RSD 115.

If you have the room you may want to consider installing a drip pan under the refrigerator and run a drain hose to the bilge. You may also want to ensure the refrigerator is properly charged with freon. If you notice frequent cycling of the refrigerator you may have a leak.

 

[Benny17441]

It is definitely not as cold as it once was.

View attachment 88782

The fridge is a Waeco/Dometic /Coolmatic RSD 115.

You should not have any ice formation in the back of the refrigerator. Possible causes are low refrigerant and/or obstructed air flow at the coils. A common symptom will be reduced cooling.

 

[Richandhelen]

A wise mechanic on the dock suggested that I get to the coils and give them a cleaning. Wow, were they dusty! They were not easy to get to and once gotten to not easy to reach. I gave them a wipe down with a tooth brush and most of the dirt seemed to drop off. I think what I really needed was a can of compressed air, like is used for computer keyboards. I'm going to pick one up today and also do the freezer and the ice maker.

We'll see if this does the trick. If not freon is next? BTW the mechanic said that drip or no drip, the door seal should not be allowing water to drip onto the floor. He pointed out a small crack in the door housing (plastic) and said I need to glue and then smooth that out.

 

[Schatzi]

Rich:
We have to defrost our refrigerator a couple of times per year when the back wall freezes up. They are not made to be serviced but a HVAC Tech can put a saddle valve on to check Freon. Our freezer runs a lot as it seems like the ventilation and insulation for both the refrigerator and freezer are poor.

 

[Richandhelen]

Rich:
We have to defrost our refrigerator a couple of times per year when the back wall freezes up. They are not made to be serviced but a HVAC Tech can put a saddle valve on to check Freon. Our freezer runs a lot as it seems like the ventilation and insulation for both the refrigerator and freezer are poor.

I grew up on the Severn and used to keep my boat at White Rocks Marina!

Not made to be serviced? Like a sealed unit? And have you looked into added insulation? How is it done? Worth it?

Rich

 

[Schatzi]

Small World!!
A friend with an identical boat had a HVAC Tech out last week to look at his. He indicated that with sealed units, if the thermostat gets satisfied and the unit runs a lot, it is most likely the ventilation. Neither of us has added insulation. Our Refrigerator freezes up occasionally when it is humid during the summer. I have added a digital thermostat so I can read the temp at all times. Seems to work well if I keep it in the low 40's and try not to leave the door open too long. The freezer on the other hand constantly draws 4-5 amps so we have reverted to turning it off for 6 hrs at a time and back on for maybe 12 hrs. I hope to pull it out soon and look at the coils. Hunter didn't design much ventilation into the installation. I may add some additional ventilation to the freezer and refrigerator.

 

[Richandhelen]

Small World!!
A friend with an identical boat had a HVAC Tech out last week to look at his. He indicated that with sealed units, if the thermostat gets satisfied and the unit runs a lot, it is most likely the ventilation. Neither of us has added insulation. Our Refrigerator freezes up occasionally when it is humid during the summer. I have added a digital thermostat so I can read the temp at all times. Seems to work well if I keep it in the low 40's and try not to leave the door open too long. The freezer on the other hand constantly draws 4-5 amps so we have reverted to turning it off for 6 hrs at a time and back on for maybe 12 hrs. I hope to pull it out soon and look at the coils. Hunter didn't design much ventilation into the installation. I may add some additional ventilation to the freezer and refrigerator.

I would love to know how it goes when you pull your freezer. Mine has the back of it next to the hull, a bulkhead to the left, the oven to the right of it and storage drawers below. I don't know how you could clean the coils without pulling the freezer.

 

[Schatzi]

I pulled out the freezer this weekend. Not much dust on the coils but then again they are not usual coils. Looks more like a fence wrapped around it with a fan. Found a little mold and a lot of dirt under the freezer. Looks like a little room to add some insulation on three sides. Maybe 3/8". FYI...the refrigerator was much dirtier and needed some cleaning of the coils. Used a small wire brush and shop vac. Access from the rear under the seat. Didn't take very long to do both.

 

[Richandhelen]

I pulled out the freezer this weekend. Not much dust on the coils but then again they are not usual coils. Looks more like a fence wrapped around it with a fan. Found a little mold and a lot of dirt under the freezer. Looks like a little room to add some insulation on three sides. Maybe 3/8". FYI...the refrigerator was much dirtier and needed some cleaning of the coils. Used a small wire brush and shop vac. Access from the rear under the seat. Didn't take very long to do both.

Thanks so much for the follow up. I got to the fridge the same way and the dirt came off easily using a toothbrush. I vacuumed the detritus with a shop vac as well. I go to the boat tomorrow. We'll see it the fridge is colder and not dripping.

Rich

 

[Richandhelen]

Okay. I went back to the boat and the fridge is still dripping. The solution did not lie in just cleaning the coils, I'm afraid. Do I have to now get a refrigeration specialist to check the Freon?

 

[kappykaplan]

Is the fridge colder? Have you checked the seals on the door? Do you still have ice forming?

 

[Richandhelen]

Is the fridge colder? Have you checked the seals on the door? Do you still have ice forming?

I can't tell if the fridge is colder. Do I leave a thermometer inside to check temp? I think the seals are okay. But as mentioned above it was pointed out that I have a very small crack in the plastic housing which is probably the escape route for the drips. Interestingly, all of the ice that used to reside on the back wall of the fridge are GONE.

 

[Richandhelen]

Problem solved

Our A/C company added freon with a line tap valve. Problem appears to be totally resolved. No leak large enough for them to detect it. $182