BenHedrick
Adventurer
Great tip! Thanks!
ARB fridge question
- Thread starter playhard
- Start date
Great tip! Thanks!
TomOwen
Observer
I recently joined the ranks of ARB Fridge Owner and am really looking forward to having it along. Like folks on this thread, I noticed that the temps were off when I first plugged it in.
Here is what I learned:
My Part: Before thinking the temps are way off, there is a right way to measure. Put some items in the fridge and let settle. For me it was two 1 gallon milk jugs 7/8 full of water in each compartment, a couple of aluminum water bottles, a soda can or two, and a few oranges in the upper dairy section. The factory measures the temp in the center of the floor with a static remote thermometer resting on top of/above the internal basket at this center location. After letting the temps settle (overnight) I used both a static and infrared thermometer to test the temp of the water in the jogs/bottles and the temp differential was now in the +/- 10 degree range.
When I finally got through to ARB, a tech (Eric) told me I need to calibrate the thermostat (as suspected) and walked me through the calibration process.
It is as follows:
1) Press and hold BOTH + and - temp setting buttons and HOLD for about 5 secs until AOF appears on the display, then release
2) Using the + or - button, add or remove degrees to the setting. For me I was running warmer so I added (+) degrees to the reading to match the internal temp.
3) After adding degrees, release the button and the fridge will blink to acknowledge/accept the new setting and begin to adjust accordingly
What I learned from Eric is that these fridges are sometimes out of calibration and this is how to do it; there is an 8º range of adjustment (now mine is running at +6 of 8) and calibration has no effect on how cold the fridge will get - meaning it won't now reach a max cold of 6º warmer than a differently calibrated fridge. Also learned the factory temp reading scenario above.
Also of note, the "CH1,2,3,4" settings are for a yet to be released Wireless Monitoring System. If you noticed the small rubber plug on the back by the power connectors, this is part of that. Think of it as ODBII ad there will be a small transmitter that plugs into the rear connector and you can change channels as not to interfere with other fridges within range. There may also be other monitoring type accessories available as well..
I had some assembly QA concerns and he was kind enough to address those apologetically and added "they come from the manufacturer etc.." So I asked who the manufacturer was and he mentioned they are built for ARB by eCamping (?) A quick web search found an eCamping site but not likely a manufacturer of these fridges.
I cleaned mine and readjusted the temp and will let it set for a while then begin to retest the temps. I'm glad to now have this calibration info and think I'm on the right track to getting it dialed in.
Hope this helps,
Tom
Here is what I learned:
My Part: Before thinking the temps are way off, there is a right way to measure. Put some items in the fridge and let settle. For me it was two 1 gallon milk jugs 7/8 full of water in each compartment, a couple of aluminum water bottles, a soda can or two, and a few oranges in the upper dairy section. The factory measures the temp in the center of the floor with a static remote thermometer resting on top of/above the internal basket at this center location. After letting the temps settle (overnight) I used both a static and infrared thermometer to test the temp of the water in the jogs/bottles and the temp differential was now in the +/- 10 degree range.
When I finally got through to ARB, a tech (Eric) told me I need to calibrate the thermostat (as suspected) and walked me through the calibration process.
It is as follows:
1) Press and hold BOTH + and - temp setting buttons and HOLD for about 5 secs until AOF appears on the display, then release
2) Using the + or - button, add or remove degrees to the setting. For me I was running warmer so I added (+) degrees to the reading to match the internal temp.
3) After adding degrees, release the button and the fridge will blink to acknowledge/accept the new setting and begin to adjust accordingly
What I learned from Eric is that these fridges are sometimes out of calibration and this is how to do it; there is an 8º range of adjustment (now mine is running at +6 of 8) and calibration has no effect on how cold the fridge will get - meaning it won't now reach a max cold of 6º warmer than a differently calibrated fridge. Also learned the factory temp reading scenario above.
Also of note, the "CH1,2,3,4" settings are for a yet to be released Wireless Monitoring System. If you noticed the small rubber plug on the back by the power connectors, this is part of that. Think of it as ODBII ad there will be a small transmitter that plugs into the rear connector and you can change channels as not to interfere with other fridges within range. There may also be other monitoring type accessories available as well..
I had some assembly QA concerns and he was kind enough to address those apologetically and added "they come from the manufacturer etc.." So I asked who the manufacturer was and he mentioned they are built for ARB by eCamping (?) A quick web search found an eCamping site but not likely a manufacturer of these fridges.
I cleaned mine and readjusted the temp and will let it set for a while then begin to retest the temps. I'm glad to now have this calibration info and think I'm on the right track to getting it dialed in.
Hope this helps,
Tom
MTaco
Adventurer
Thank you for posting this info. Mine needs to be recalibrated also. I stuck a thermometer in it this weekend and I too was running about 6 or 7 degrees warmer that what the LCD was reading.
I thought I was crazy and the only one who's fridge was running warmer. Bought one a few weeks ago and was wondering why it was off.
