Yeah, all you drivers of 1970s technology! Rip out that fridge and go all
modern!

: )

As far as the ice cubes, if you have traveled in Germany--or more so, in
England--you will know that they are lavish compared to the ice standards
of the country of origin. I once came down from my room in Karlsruhe and
asked for some ice at the bar. The bartender asked what I was going to do
with it. I  told him I was going to put it in a little glass and pour some
water over it and drink it. He sighed like a sailor throwing his treasure
chest into the sea to make room for me on a lifeboat and produced a plastic
bag with a waffle weave pattern in it like a small pool float. It was full
of frozen water, about the size of a sheet of paper. He squeezed hard and
popped out a few lozenges of ice into my glass, shook his head and went
back to work.

Jim

On Sun, Jun 28, 2015 at 12:48 AM Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
wrote:

> So true! The Dometic is useless even here in the NW, with our record
> breaking heat wave that is likely to continue all summer.  The poor
> person's
> fix:
>
> http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=4361&category_id=&category_par
> ent_id=  or do it yourself for about $30 with just the GW block off plate.
>
> I always had to carry an ice chest anyway, and now I carry a Coleman and a
> soft cooler.  If it gets any hotter I may have to get one of those fancy
> super insulated ice chests that costs an arm and a leg.
>
> The Dometic is a cute but obsolete novelty (just like the ice cubes it
> makes) that is simply not worth the trouble, and the extra storage when
> removed is much more useful.
>
> Stuart--though it did take me 20 years of wasted time and effort to realize
> this.  I'm (much) older and wiser now.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Richard Jones
> Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2015 9:03 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Propane and refrigerator success
>
> > The ammonia cycle is capable of pulling something around a 40 degree
> > (F) differential between ambient temperature and internal temperature,
> > and my measurements agree with this.
>
> I think this is not correct.  The "40 degree" comes from the Koolatron
> style
> heater/coolers:
> "Cools to 22°C (40°F) below ambient temperature"
>
> For ammonia cycle fridges, our big brothers have big fridge/freezer combos
> that are the same design.  How about a double door 9 cu-ft one?
>
> http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dometic-new-generation-rm3962-2-wa
> y-refrigerator-double-door-9-0-cu-ft-/34425
> <http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dometic-new-generation-rm3962-2-way-refrigerator-double-door-9-0-cu-ft-/34425>
> The ice cube maker seems like a nice idea about cocktail hour.
>
> The ammonia cycle is not the problem.  Size is the problem.  Think this
> way:
> Volume goes by the cube whereas surface area goes by the square.  So a
> slight increase in surface area--the outsides of the fridge--give a bigger
> kick to the volume.  You design the ammonia cycle for the volume.  So the
> SMALLER you make the fridge, the harder it is to make it work, since the
> surface area approaches the volume.
>
> THAT is the problem with the Westy Dometic--it is TOO SMALL.  My Dometic
> made wonderful ice cubes, even if they were Barbie size.  So that part of
> the fridge must have been below freezing.  But in a hot Moab afternoon,
> with
> the interior temp of the Westy at 110 F, there was too much surface area of
> the fridge for the volume of cold.
>
> Maybe sometimes that meant a 40 degree difference but other times it could
> be less.  If the overnight low was 40 degrees, my fridge would go to well
> below freezing if I didn't turn the thermostat down.
>
> Again, the problem with the Westy Dometic is that it is TOO SMALL.
>
> Replace it with a Vitrifrigo and you have DOUBLE the volume in the same
> space, or really less since you can put a drawer under it, or a Propex,
> or....  And you have double the volume with only a slight increase in the
> surface area. :-)
>
> Richard
>