It's Spring and there are butterflies!

Now that we are well into Spring the butterflies are back. There are small, green inch worms form the moth family hanging from silk threads and then there are lots of butterflies.

Here are a few photos taken during walks this holiday weekend.

RV Refrigerator Tweaks

It’s getting warm and I see more and on the social websites about complaints or issues about RV refrigerator performance. There are some things that one can do without voiding warranties or spending serious cash.

What type of refrigerator? Some of the newer rigs have 120VAC compressor refrigerators (residential models) with big batteries and a large inverter (12VDC in/120VAC out) to power the refrigerator when trekking down the road and off of 120VAC shore power. Our 5th wheel (HB#3) has such an arrangement. The TT (HB#2) has a larger absorptive refrigerator with separate freezer and refrigerator compartments. We don’t trek in it so it runs on 120VAC.

Our Roadtrek (RV #1)) also has an absorptive refrigerator. It’s a single door model 5 cu. ft. We do trek in it and so we do run it under a variety of temperature extremes, and on 120VAC as well as propane/12VDC battery. It’s a good size but not as large as the one in the TT. We use the Roadtrek refrigerator to transport initial food to the summer camp (HB#2) and of course when on our treks (longest to date was 110 days). The refrigerator has performed well, but we decided to make some modifications to help it out under high ambient temperature conditions. This post is primarily a consequence of our experiences in the Roadtrek with treks from 2 weeks to 110 days.

There are some things to know about the absorptive type of refrigerator. Adapting to what we’ve learned makes our treks better. ‘Better” as in more successful or easier. I suspect some of our lessons learned would be helpful with any style or model refrigerator.

IMHO having a good time means learning to live within limitations. That might be our financial means, our time constraints, or the limits of the available technology. One can resist or one can adapt. It’s all a matter of choice. I prefer successful treks and so I learn and adapt.

1. The absorptive type of refrigerator is slow to cool. That means turn it on and give it some time to reach 45F. If the refrigerator is 90F when you turn it on, don’t expect instant frost. Sounds simple, but you would be surprised what people expect. It also means put cold things in it to give it a boost. Put warm things in a warm refrigerator and one can expect soured milk. What can we do to avoid this? Start up the refrigerator several hours before first use. How early? The warmer the refrigerator is when you start it up, the longer it will take to chill. Use common sense. As an aid we also put a large, frozen ice pack in the freezer when we pack it for a trek. That works very well. See the photo.

2. On hot days don’t park with the sun striking the side of the RV that the refrigerator is on. The additional heat from the sun is sure to create efficiency problems for absorptive refrigerators. We travel with a triangular sun sail to shield the RT from the hot sun.

3. Do what one can to help the refrigerator. We load it up with fully chilled goods before we trek, and that large ice pack.

4. Once on the road we minimize the bulk addition of warm items, and prefer to add these only in the evening when the ambient temperatures are falling. For example, we only add 2-4 cans of warm soda or sparkling water at a time. When we shop, we put the coldest things in a small cooler, to keep them cold. When we introduce them into the refrigerator there is less “heat shock.”

5. Use an interior fan. There are battery operated ones, and fairly inexpensive wired 12VDC fans. We opted for the battery powered simply because our refrigerator doesn’t have an interior light, or some easy means to get to 12VDC power.

 6. If you are planning on travelling in elevated temperature areas, add exterior, supplemental fans to draw air into the compartment behind the refrigerator. This we decided upon when we experienced the consequences of daytime temperatures consistently above 100F.

Here's the sun sail mounted to shield the front of the vehicle. if the sun was on the refrigerator side, we'd position it to provide shade on that side. 

The Return of the Swallows

With mild weather the swallows have returned to the shores of Lake Michigan. They are working hard to pair up and to build those nests. Some find these birds to be pests; I prefer to share and discourage building over my RT. They do eat a lot of bugs and that is beneficial to me.

We went to the lake for a sunset and an opportunity to see the planet Mars. We were very entertained by the swallows. Some swooped very close as they grabbed the insects flying directly above.

Meanwhile, others were at the water's edge getting the final rays of the sun.

And out on the water, birds were settling down for the night.

Here's what the swallows are building and feeding:

Return of Moby Turtle

Each spring we wonder how wildlife has done through the winter. Winters are harsh here. Critters don't always make it.

We were pleased to see that the koi (goldfish) are thriving in the pond and the snapping turtle is paddling away.

At the Pond

Well, we are in the middle of May. Had some cool weather and set a low of 35F (2C) the other night. Frost is not uncommon until the 15th or so.   Tomorrow should reach 70F and by next week a high of 78F (26C).

Looks like everything is fine at the pond. Our neighbor has returned from her summer abode in Florida. Even a visitor from Montana. It will be a busy summer.

Adding Refrigerator Exterior Fans

Photo During Construction!

The sun is a beneficial thing in RVs in the winter. Most RVs have a lot of glass, and that surface area loses heat in the winter. So sunshine is a good thing. However, in summer the sun can contribute to discomfort and can interfere with operation of the refrigerator.

When we trek, we sometimes park in full sun and occasionally in partial shade. More often than not we don't get to choose the orientation to the vehicle to the sun or the amount of sun we receive.

On a trek a while back we were in a location where we and a lot of other people were in full or partial sun. The outside temperature in the shade peaked at 103F (39C). To make things worse, the vehicle was oriented so the afternoon sun was full on the side of the vehicle that houses the refrigerator.

Our Class B has a single door Dometic refrigerator. This is the absorptive type, which does not have a compressor. It works well, but is slow to cool from ambient temperatures. It has rear radiators. The radiators are behind the refrigerator and two grills on the side of the RV provide cooling of the radiators via convection. "Cool" air enters the bottom vent, passes through the radiators and the compartment cooling them. It then exits through the upper vents.

On our trek which reached peak temperature of 103F the refrigerator struggled. We weren't alone and a lot of rigs both big and small had similar issues.

We decided to do something about this. Short term, some people put a bucket of ice in their refrigerator. That is not always practical. First, one has to find a source of ice. Second, that bucket takes up interior space, which is precious in a 5 cu. foot refrigerator. Third, the water has to be disposed of. If a covered container is used, as the ice melts it won't slosh around while moving, but otherwise it can get messy.

The other choices we considered included one active and one passive supplemental cooling technique. The passive one was to add a moveable sun shade. However, we usually orient that in such a way as to reduce sun on the front of the vehicle, where most of the glass is. The other was to add electric fans to improve the airflow behind the refrigerator.

Dometic has instruction on how to do this for both single and dual door refrigerators. Here's a link to the single door instruction. Dometic also has instructions on the web for their dual door refrigerators:
Dometic Power Ventilator Instructions

Installing these will vary from model to model and that includes the details of the RV. I chose a location directly behind the upper vent openings. I also installed an simple aluminum strut to bolt the fans to. I used two low power fans and a thermostat mounted on the hot side of the coil. Seems to work well.

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands in Utah is one of those places "On the road less travelled." Canyonlands National Park is large. "Canyonlands invites you to explore a wilderness of countless canyons and fantastically formed buttes carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Rivers divide the park into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the rivers themselves. These areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, but each offers different opportunities for sightseeing and adventure..." "There are no roads that directly link the districts. Although they may appear close on a map, traveling between them requires two to six hours by car. Most people find it impractical to visit more than one area in a single trip."

If you have a high clearance 4x4 or mountain bikes, there is the possibility of the White Rim Road. This 100-mile road "loops around and below the Island in the Sky mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. Trips usually take two to three days by four-wheel-drive vehicle or three to four days by mountain bike." Note that ATVs are not allowed. "ATVs, UTVs, and OHVs are not permitted. Motorbikes must be highway-legal."

However, we've taken a Class B into the park and driven the main roads, with stops at numerous vista points. Mountain biking may require steep descents on dirt roads with the inevitable climb back to the rim.

A Class B is a great way to visit the park. First, "Canyonlands is an isolated and rugged environment. You won't find many services here; it's best to bring what you'll need for your visit." As for amenities, "There is no food, lodging, or gas available in Canyonlands National Park."