I hope this isn't too wacky.

If the AC is temporarily out of service do you think the refrigrator and freezer (being vented to the outside)with the doors left open would cool a TT a bit without wrecking the frig & freez? No food in either frig. or freez.
Could put a small fan in both.

John and Karen,

If you mean the air conditioning is inoperative and you want to cool the travel trailer by leaving the freezer and refrigerator doors open, the answer is that you will not notice any cooling in the trailer.

Matt Harris

quote:

do you think the refrigrator and freezer (being vented to the outside)with the doors left open would cool a TT a bit

About as much as leaving your home refrigerator open to cool your hot house off... The only noticeable result would be warm food that needs to be kept cool!!

Assuming that the air in the trailer is both hot and humid, which is typical in many areas this time of year, you may also have ice form on the cooling units, which would further mitigate whatever slight cooling effect you might get.

Simple answer, no.

What you will do is to make no detectable change in interior temperature but you would put a heavy duty test on the cooling unit since it would then be operating for 24/7 as long as you keep it on. I'm not sure that it would damage anything, but I do know that it won't help the refrigerator any.

Y'all don't sound too encouraging!!!

Do you think that the heat generated in the cooling cycle of the refri. does not get vented to the outside of the trailer at all or just not efficiently enough? If all of the heat were vented outside of the trailer (which I don't really suspect is true)then the trailer would have to experience cooling and the more so the smaller the trailer (the "box" of our 17' TT is 14.5' x 6.2' x 6.2').
Of course with the typical home refri. none of the heat generated in the cooling cycle gets vented to the outside of the house and so opening the doors of the refri. would have no net effect of cooling the house.

We may be trying this for one evening in about a week when we will be camped with power, but without the AC installed. We will have no food in the refri. and will not try to cool with the refri. through the night, but just try to take the temp down a bit until the cooler night air can be drawn in. If I do try this I will monitor the trailer temp. and give a report of my probable FAILURE.

Cheers, John

A 'fridge is about twice to three times the price of A/C unit, if you damage the 'fridge. You would be better off with just a fan moving the air around.

I doubt you have a thermometer sensitive enough to measure the tiny amount of cooling in the RV that would result. All you will accomplish is wasting propane or electricity.

About the only way you would notice any cooling at all is to sleep at the foot of the fridge. Cool air falls, so if you are sleeping below the fridge/freezer, you will be cooler there. Three or four feet away, you would probably feel nothing.

Joezilla

I have been playing around with some numbers like the cu ft of the frig/frez and the number of degrees it cools the air inside the f/f. And using those numbers to see how many degrees the f/f might cool the cu ft of the trailer. It doesn't look good - maybe less than a degree if lucky!!!
Good to know ahead of time. If it is really hot on our trip back home without the AC, we may need to stay in a motel.
Cheers, John

I would suggest with the cost of a new refrig. and the cost of other damages to just bite the bullet and stay at a hotel. I would also think you would rest more comfortable and be less stressed over the whole situation. Never the less good luck, I know RV problems can be stressfull-hang in there.