Refrigerator heating cabinets on propane

[ShutterBugBev]

I have a used but new-to-me 2007 Jayco Seneca. It wasn't taken very good care of by the previous owner and it wasn't cleaned well by the dealership. There are dark soot marks to the left of the pull out pantry cabinet that is located to the left of the refrigerator, left from the previous owner. (I've been cleaning like crazy but I hadn't gotten to that yet.). Tonight when I opened up the pantry to remove something, it was extremely warm in there and it scared me so bad that I turned off the refrigerator. I now run the generator every 6 hours for two hours to keep the refrigerator cold. Obviously there was some source for the smoke that made the soot and I can't believe it's normal for the pantry to get that warm from the propane cooling the fridge. Has anyone else had this issue?

[rgolding]

We are "semi-boondocking" on a 20 amp single plug and therefore running the refrigerator on propane. Have not noticed this overheating of cabinets in the area. There is a chimney built to the roof, to allow proper venting of exhaust fumes from the propane side of the frig. I'd check to make sure that is open and getting good draft. If you go up on the roof, you will find this long vent cover right over the refrigerator. It is removable with two screws, that are usually under caulking. Pop off the caulking and uncover the screws. Remove them and the vent cover lifts right off. Gives you a clear view and path down to the back of the frig.

By the way, this is a great place to route a wire from in the cabin to the roof. I've used it for solar panels and power sources for getting 12 volt to the roof on other RV's.

Wonder if these are old soot marks? I can only imagine the venting not working if the vent was covered and the propane frig was running.

[WaltW]

If your fridge is a Norcold, check with them as there was a fix for an overheating problem a few years ago. Have your fridge serial number handy.