RV Repair Manual
for the RV Do-It-Yourselfer
RV refrigerators are much different than the one in your house. They don't have compressors and they work off the principle of absorption. You should turn the RV refrigerator on several hours before putting food in it. It is best to leave it on overnight and put your food in it just prior to leaving. Always keep a small thermometer in your RV refrigerator so you can monitor the temperature. Food can begin to go bad at temperatures above 40 degrees.
The hi-humidity switch operates a small heater element in the freezer door frame. The purpose is to control the humidity that may collect around the door opening during very high humidity situations. The circuit draws around 6 amps and will kill a battery within 12 hours or so. In addition, this switch is not controlled by the refrigerator on/off switch - if it is on, it is on and uses 12 volt current. The very first thing I check when a customer has a battery draw down complaint is this switch. VERY often it is left on ... If your battery goes down for no apparent reason ... check this switch!