Karl, are you precooling the refrigerator on household current overnight, and putting only chilled food in it?  I do that, and am able to maintain temperatures a bit above 40 F in really hot weather, and in the mid 30s F if the outside temperature is generally below 90 F and the van is in the shade, once I am on propane.  If it cools into the fifties F at night, then I am good in the day to stay in the thirties with the fridge.

mcneely

---- Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM> wrote:
> OK, I believe you.  I was never, even when it was new, able to get better than 30 degrees put of it.  I weren't to the dealer (Dometic - VW wouldn't touch it) who showed me the spec sheet which said the unit was only capable of -30. After that I used it for storage, then finally pulled it. It's now in my storage shed.
>
> Karl Wolz
> Sent from my electronic umbilicus
>
> On Jun 10, 2013, at 6:12 PM, mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET> wrote:
>
> > Sorry, this is simply not the case. We have camped many times for a week
> > or more in 90-100 degree weather and kept our food including milk fresh
> > for up to a week. That is with 4 different Dometic RM182 over the the
> > last 20 years in various vans. You do have to be smart about how you use
> > the things.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >
> > Karl Wolz wrote:
> >> McNeely,
> >> The Dometic, according to its own specs, is good for about a 30 degree drop.  That's marginally adequate in 70 degree weather (like in the Black Forest), but not so good in about 45 of our states this time of year.  I installed extra fans inside and out after cleaning and resealing the firebox, etc. before taking it out and gaining much storage space.
> >>
> >>

--
David McNeely