RV Refrigerator Troubleshooting: Checking Fridge Seals

RV refrigerator troubleshooting begins with checking the unit’s seals to make sure they’ve been installed correctly and they haven’t started to lose their grip. With proper sealing of your RV refrigerator and freezer doors, you can better guarantee that your unit is capable of running at maximum efficiency.

Dave Solberg says the most notable sign that your refrigerator is not sealed appropriately is excessive condensation on the face and around the edges of the fridge and freezer doors and ice buildup inside. You can also tell when the RV’s refrigerator is losing cooling if you put your hand up to the door and you’re able to feel cold air. Due to road vibration and continual use, it’s not uncommon to need to replace door seal and or even the entire door after a number of years.

RV experts and fridge technicians recommend stripping and replacing any seal that has begun to come loose or show signs of extensive wear and tear, which usually looks like distortion or pinching. If doors do not close flush or suction appears to be weak, that generally means the seals are worn out and you should consider replacing them.

In another RV refrigerator troubleshooting trick, Dave pulls out his wallet to determine whether the seal is strong enough to close tightly around a dollar bill. If you’re unable to close the freezer and fridge doors and tug on the bill without it quickly coming free regardless of whether you have engaged the road locks, you should think about replacing the seal. RV refrigerator troubleshooting technicians say that when you have doors that are sag-free and properly sealed, you’ll experience less condensation and minimal freezing, which will lead to a happier time on the road and an overall more efficient RV.