Drain tube in Norcold N300.3??

[Deb Mac]

Has anyone attempted or considered or actually installed a drain tube from the drip tray to the outside in their N300.3 fridge? (my trailer came to me with no drip tray btw)

Having a drip tray is great for keeping any melting frost from running down onto the contents and all over the floor, but it still retains that water inside the fridge. In a really hot humid setting (like summer in southern Ontario) every time you open that fridge you introduce a tonne of water. It would be great to have anything that goes into the drip tray to be able to drain to the outside.

I found that I had trouble while driving with the fridge side facing the sun in 85-90F weather for 4-5 hours. Fridge had a hard time on DC maintaining interior temps cold enough to keep any collected frost from melting. Food temps were fine but the water was all over everything due to the missing tray.

I thought that a drain tube added to the tray might be helpful in humid environments to help keep the interior humidity down and consequently the frost build up. But then it could introduce a whole other issue…. a plugged drain tube, where to run it, etc. I am hoping that just having that drip tray (which is coming) would be enough. Just empty it upon arrival at my destination. But just wanted to put that question out there. See if anyone had tried it, thought about it, etc.

[Wavery]

Are you talking about this drip tray?

[Deb Mac]

That’s the one. I think it will be a non-issue next trip. Now that I do have a drip tray. I also got a dehumidifier for when I’m stuck in the 80-90F with 80% humidity summer weather that is what I get when I visit the brothers in Ontario. Keep the moisture down in the trailer and therefore inside the fridge.

I also found that the cd deck that is installed above the fridge generates a lot of heat when on even when idle. And the Power button on it doesn’t turn the power off. After playing with the remote and randomly pushing buttons I managed to find a way to turn it off and lose one source of heat right over the freezer door.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Deb Mac

That’s the one.

I'm confused. That tray just pulls out to empty. We've never seen any water in ours. If you're getting that much condensate in yours, you may have a door seal seal.
EDIT:

I see now. Your tray is missing. I still see no need for a tube running to the outside. If that's what you want to do, just run the tube through the floor, behind the fridge.

[Deb Mac]

Not necessarily something I want to do, just putting the question out there.
I do think that now that I actually have a tray it will cease to be a problem. I had a really wet couple of weeks - relative humidity was 80% and 35C temps. The dehumidifier I bought made a huge difference. Brought it from 80% to 45% in 5 hours and the frost accumulation on the fins decreased considerably.

That picture of condensation on the bathroom mirror was not after a shower…. Just ambient heat and humidity. After 3 days of heavy rain alternating with sunshine. Was like living in a sauna. Thank god for the ac!

The tin foil/sham-wow “drip tray” that I put in the fridge under the fins kept any condensate off the shelves and floor, so I think now that I have a proper tray we should be fine.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Deb Mac

The dehumidifier I bought made a huge difference.

Can you tell us what dehumidifier you bought?

Bill

[Deb Mac]

It's a small Midea - 22 pint. Danby has a small one too, but this one was in stock in store and a little cheaper. Though the Danby one is on sale right now.
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/midea-2...2?from=/search
It's small, quiet, energy efficient and tucks away well during the day if I don't need it (end of the hall by the bed). On wheels so it is easy to shift if I do need to get into any of the storage by the bed. And it fits perfectly between the wardrobe and the cabinets when I'm traveling. I just covered it with a blanket to pad it a bit.
Best $250 I spent on the whole trip Made the last week so much more comfortable!!

[Deb Mac]

I have also just purchased a pack of silica gel packs on amazon (saw them as I was checking on an order).
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08...ZBK0N5SNW&th=1
Last time I was in Ontario (in my Bigfoot fibreglass trailer), I had a similar issue with the fridge, though we didn't have the rain - just the normal heat & humidity. The fins iced up and stopped cooling, (freezer was fine) and I had to defrost it twice in 3 weeks.

I thought about those little dessiccant packs that come in a shoe box, or with almost anything that might be subject to moisture damage (those little "Do Not Eat" packs), and realizing that they are just silica gel in a porous packet, I made my own desiccant pack with a sock and some silica kitty litter. It helped significantly in that last week. Minimal frosting and no ice at all. Though it wasn't food grade, I made do.
That big bucket of kitty litter (had to get a gallon bucket - nothing smaller) is still in the garage, but wouldn't be any good by now.

So when I saw these little packets on amazon, I thought I would preemptively get prepared for my next trip. These 112 gm packets are good for a 2.4 cuft space - pretty much exactly the volume of my little Norcold! They are "rechargeable" by heating them to evaporate the absorbed moisture, and at $20, if it helps minimize the frost on the fins, I figured, why not? And I'll tuck one in the sock / underwear drawer while I'm at it!