When you're travelling in the heat of the Aussie outback, your caravan fridge becomes one of the most important appliances on board. From keeping your drinks chilled to preserving fresh food and frozen essentials, it needs to work efficiently—especially during those scorching summer months. In this guide, we’ll share practical tips to help you maximise the efficiency of your caravan fridge, so your food stays fresh and your energy consumption stays low throughout your next camping adventure.
Before You Leave For Your Trip
The night before you leave on your caravanning trip, power on your caravan refrigerator and let the cooling process begin while you’re still on the grid. This will give your fridge a few extra hours to kick-start the cooling process, and keep your supplies cold before you head out.
Leave Some Room in Your Caravan Refrigerator
While it might be tempting to fill every nook and cranny of your caravan fridge—especially before a long trip—it’s essential to leave enough space for air to circulate. Overpacking restricts airflow, which is crucial for maintaining a consistent internal temperature. Without proper air circulation, some items may not stay cold enough, and the fridge will need to work harder (and use more power) to compensate.
A good rule of thumb is to keep around 20% of the fridge space free, particularly around the cooling fins or vents inside. This small change can make a big difference in how effectively your fridge performs, especially in hot weather or when the door is being opened frequently.
Install a Refrigerator Vent Fan
A 12V fridge vent fan is one of the most effective upgrades you can make to improve the efficiency of your caravan refrigerator—whether it's a compressor fridge or a 3-way absorption model. These fans are designed to expel hot air that builds up behind the fridge, particularly in high ambient temperatures or when your caravan is parked in full sun. By removing this hot air, the fridge can maintain a cooler internal temperature more easily, reducing power draw and strain on the cooling system.
For 3-way fridges, which rely on heat exchange rather than a compressor, proper ventilation is even more critical. Dometic offers a dedicated cooling fan specifically engineered for their 3-way models, which mounts behind the refrigerator and actively pushes hot air out through the upper vent. These fans can often be set to switch on automatically when a certain temperature is reached, ensuring consistent performance in all conditions.
Keep the Refrigerator’s Air Vents Free
Your caravan fridge has external vents—usually located on the wall behind the fridge—that allow heat to escape from the cooling unit. If these vents are blocked by dust, debris, insects, or even storage gear, the heat becomes trapped, dramatically reducing your fridge’s efficiency.
Inspect the vents regularly and give them a clean-out before every trip. Most caravan fridges over 100 litres in capacity require two external vents: one positioned low to allow cool air to enter, and one high to allow warm air to exit. This setup promotes a natural airflow known as the chimney effect, which helps draw cool air in and expel hot air from behind the fridge. For extra performance in extreme temperatures, combine this vent setup with a fan (as mentioned above) for active airflow and cooling support.
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Dometic Vent Requirements
For small to medium sized Dometic fridges (CRX50, CRX65, CRX80 & CRX110), minimum of one vent is required. This should be mounted in the van wall, parallel to the compressor at the top of the fridge. Vent options include:
The NRX130 is a little different, as the fridge compressor is mounted on the top of the fridge. It is best to only use one vent mounted at the top rear of the fridge. Install the fridge in a way that you can pull air from the front, up the side of the fridge over the compressor and out the vent.
The compressors above 140 Litre, (RUC6408X & RUC8408X), these large sized fridges require two vents, one at the bottom and one at the top. In this case it would be best to choose the 2 x LS300 vents.
Cleaning and Maintenance
This is particularly important for LP gas powered caravan refrigerators. For absorption fridges, Dometic recommend cleaning the coils on the back of the fridge with a soft bristled brush. For both compressor and absorption models, Dometic recommend cleaning the interior liner of the refrigerator, using a lukewarm weak soda solution. When cleaning the finned evaporator, gasket, ice tray and shelves only use warm water.
For other brands and models make sure you do regular cleaning as per the instruction manual, there are some great tips in there!
Minimise External Heat
The ambient temperature of the region you’re visiting can have a drastic effect on the efficiency of your caravan’s refrigerator. If temperatures outside are on the high side, turn up the refrigerator’s cooling setting, and vice-versa. After a point, however, the fridge might not be able to tackle the high ambient temperatures, and in such cases, your best bet is to park your caravan in such a way that the side where the fridge is located is in the shade. An awning installed right outside can also shade your refrigerator effectively.
In addition to the above tips, good caravan refrigeration practice includes keeping your refrigerator on level ground. This will help the cooling unit last longer, and save you unnecessary repair or replacement costs. You can additionally pair your refrigerator with an icebox, dividing the load between the two in such a way that more frequently accessed items are kept in the icebox. This will reduce the number of times you have to open the fridge, thus maintaining its interior temperature and maximising its efficiency. Iceboxes also double up as excellent portable coolers that you can carry with you to the beach or to a picnic spot in the woods, helping you chill out in style and make the most of your camping holiday!
Know Your Fridges Capability
3-way absorption fridges are only designed to run off a 12V power source while the auxiliary battery is being charged by the alternator via the start battery. In other words, you should only run a 3-way fridge on battery while driving from point A to point B. 3-way fridges are most efficient fuel source is gas or 240V. If you want to power your refrigerator from battery and solar, you should purchase an upright compressor fridge.
Not sure which fridge type is right for your setup? Check out our comprehensive Caravan Fridge Buyer’s Guide to compare models, fuel types, and key features.
Maximising the efficiency of your caravan fridge is essential for keeping your food fresh, your drinks cold, and your power usage under control—especially during those hot summer road trips across Australia. By following a few simple practices like pre-cooling before departure, allowing space for airflow, cleaning regularly, and using vent fans where necessary, you can get the best performance out of your fridge in any conditions.
Don’t forget—knowing the limitations and ideal conditions for your specific fridge type (whether 3-way or compressor) plays a big role in how well it performs. Smart additions like a portable icebox and careful positioning of your van in shaded areas can also go a long way in helping maintain your fridge’s internal temperature.
Looking for more advice or upgrades for your caravan setup? Give our friendly team of product experts a call on 1800 787 278—we’re here to help you get the most out of your home on wheels!
DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.
