Refrigerator coils icing up

[Richard Cooper]

Re:  Dometic Model NDR1492
Temp set at level 3 out of 5
Low Ambient switch set to "off"
Climate control switch set to "off"
Operating on 50 amp shore power
Outside temperatures --- 62 day; 50 night

Given above info why is my interior refrigerator (not freezer section) icing up on the coils?  Should I reduce my temp to 2 instead of 3?  See picture.  Seems to be the worst on left and middle.  Freezer is on left side.

See picture of freezer icing at top.

[Richard Cooper]

I am forever doing this --- uploading a pic that needs to be edited by rotating.  The last pic above should have been rotated to the left.  The icing is at the top not the right side as shown.  Turn your head to the right.  

After I post pics here --- I do not see how to repair or replace them.  Seems one has to delete entire post and re-post.

[David T. Richelderfer]

The humidity on the Oregon Coast is legendary.  Cars rust out and fridges fill with frost... unless you have a frost-free fridge.  I think frost-free fridges have a cycle that periodically allows the cooling fins to thaw and dry out.

[Edward Buker]

We run our Dometic1492  on two and we find that to be a good compromise with less icing. Things still stay plenty cold. A door gasket leak may also be part of the issue here. You can use a small piece of paper and work around the door with the door gasket shut on the paper and see if there is an area where it pulls more easily. These door gaskets seal much better with a small amount of Vaseline on the gasket. That was a trick recommended for boat refrigerators which worked well and reduced battery usage and frost.

Later Ed

[Richard Cooper]

We run our Dometic1492  on two and we find that to be a good compromise with less icing. Things still stay plenty cold. A door gasket leak may also be part of the issue here. You can use a small piece of paper and work around the door with the door gasket shut on the paper and see if there is an area where it pulls more easily. These door gaskets seal much better with a small amount of Vaseline on the gasket. That was a trick recommended for boat refrigerators which worked well and reduced battery usage and frost.

Later Ed

Thanks so much Ed.  I've just now put Vaseline on the freezer gasket sides, top, bottom.  Also, raised temp of system from 3 to 2 with 5 being coldest.  I'll let you know in 24 hours how it went.

[Joel Ashley]

I'll back Ed up here- you may have a gasket leak.  Moist room air seeps through the door and freezes on the cold fins.  I've also used vaseline on our home freezer to span a micro gasket gap, and it works.  The door may be sagging with age and not aligning quite perfectly enough to totally seal all around the edges - after Ed's paper check, look also for good alignment all around and solid hinge mounting.  The ultimate fix is a new gasket otherwise.

I regularly have to delete an entire post because a photo isn't right.  Just select your text first, right click, and copy it.  Delete your post.  Then correctly orient your photo in the album first, before pasting your copied text into a "newreply", followed by the pictures.  It's relatively easy when you've done it as many times as I've screwed up and had to     .

Joel

[Richard Cooper]

I should grease the gaskets of the refrigerator too?

How often do you guys put Vaseline on your refrigerator/freezer gaskets?

[Edward Buker]

Richard,

We greased both frig and freezer. This will not clear the frost you have but it is an easy system to defrost. We take the frozen stuff and critical fridge stuff like milk and put it in the sinks with the covers on and these items stay cold and frozen for the time it takes to thaw the fridge. Just turn it off and open the doors. We lift out any ice as it releases and give it the heave. The Vaseline and position 2 should slow the build up but it is still inevitable that frosting will occur with high humidity. Enjoy your humidity, it has been dry from Texas to Montana for us....raised some hell with my sinuses.

Later Ed

[Joel Ashley]

If you are getting frost in the fridge side, yup, add vaseline, especially if your paper test indicates one or more spots without a tight seal.  I've only applied the petroleum ointment once, last fall, to our home freezer.  I really need a new gasket as there is one small area that leaks slightly despite my efforts (it was mildly affected when a piece of metal sitting on top of the freezer slipped and got caught in the door once, and that's all it took - there is no visible marks or deformity, yet it still leaks there several years after the fact).  The vaseline did cut down the slight frosting inside that area.  I may try applying some more, but the obvious ultimate fix is a whole new gasket.

Joel

[Gerald Farris]

Some refrigerator/freezer door seals do not tolerate petroleum based products well. That is the reason that I use silicone gel as a lubricant and sealing agent on all gaskets/weather seals. Silicone gel will not deteriorate any vinyl or rubber seals, and it promotes sealing as good as Vaseline, but it does not last as long.

Gerald

[Edward Buker]

Gerald I have used the Vaseline on RVs and boats frig gaskets for years and never had an issue. Guess maybe I was lucky, Thanks for the insight, I will switch over at some point and pick up some silicone gel. Any insight as to brand or where you pick this item up?

Later Ed

[Tom and Pam Brown]

Richard, I have been in Florida for an extended stay and my fins looked the same.

I used my wife's hair dryer and melted the ice off the fins.  Not too close but close enough to melt it and it worked fine.

May not be a good idea and I am sure if its not others will comment.  But it worked well.

[Richard Cooper]

That is a good idea --- I may do that myself.  My coils today are less iced than this time yesterday.  So, maybe it will take care of itself in due time.

[Joel Ashley]

The manual cautions against hair dryers since they can warp plastic.  On newer units, that will void the warranty.  Nevertheless it expedites the process so you can get your food back in relatively quick.  I often forget to lift the bail on our ice maker the night before hitting the road, so unfrozen water can slop around, coating surrounding surfaces and freezing;  otherwise I'd rarely have to defrost our freezer, which has an auto defrost cycle every night.

Using our small, folding, portable hair dryer I can melt and cloth-dry the area in about 10-15 minutes, including crevices and drainage portals that ice plugs up.  But I try to resist getting too close and overheating surfaces.  A small plastic spatula can help pry loose and scrape ice chunks together with the dryer without scratching surfaces.

Carefully using a hair dryer on your fridge side metal fins shouldn't damage them.  Just stay a reasonable distance from plastic surfaces, and have a towel handy for wiping as you go.

Joel