# Overheated Pantry



## kycamper (Jun 1, 2008)

in the 21 RS, the pantry is right next to the refer and gets very hot, shortening the shelf life of the food and destroying some. Has anyone placed vents in the pantry to inside of TT to ease this problem?


----------



## russk42 (Sep 10, 2007)

Wow--how hot does it get? My pantry in the 28rss is also right next to the fridge, but I've never noticed it particularly hot.
is it very hot in a particular spot?


----------



## kycamper (Jun 1, 2008)

russk42 said:


> Wow--how hot does it get? My pantry in the 28rss is also right next to the fridge, but I've never noticed it particularly hot.
> is it very hot in a particular spot?


It gets hot enough to cause condensation in bread bag, partially, if not completely melt chocolate and cause all food to get fairly warm-I am considering placing vent at top of refer and at bottom and top of pantry to solve problem, with drilling holes in shelves to provide for air circulation. There is no particular spot in pantry hotter than any other


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

russk42 said:


> Wow--how hot does it get? My pantry in the 28rss is also right next to the fridge, but I've never noticed it particularly hot.
> is it very hot in a particular spot?


Ditto....I'm not sure I've ever felt an increased temps in the pantry.

Can you feel the side of the pantry and feel heat?


----------



## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Could the heat gain be caused by full exposure of the outside wall to the sun? I've had problems with my frig (in a previous TT) because the outside behind the frig was getting baked by full sun all day. Just a thought.

Regards, Glenn


----------



## OutbackPM (Sep 14, 2005)

kycamper said:


> in the 21 RS, the pantry is right next to the refer and gets very hot, shortening the shelf life of the food and destroying some. Has anyone placed vents in the pantry to inside of TT to ease this problem?


 In the 21RS is the pantry over the hot water heater?

On my new camper the hot water tank is under the pantry and the fridge is next to it. The first compartment above the water heater does get hot but not the others above that. I removed the panel and bonded some bubble wrap under the shelf for insulation and put some vent holes into the water heater compartment to vent the hot air out. That made a big difference.

best of luck with this


----------



## luv2camp (Mar 9, 2006)

Our pantry is next to our refrigerator as well. The only time stuff in our pantry got hot was when the whole trailer was hot - no AC when we aren't there or when traveling. I currently have chocolate bars in our pantry and they are fine. Did keystone change models of refrigerators in the newer campers? OR did they move the water heater under the pantry? Those could be contributing factors.


----------



## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

We have a rear kitchen fiver with the pantry in the left rear corner of the rv. It is on the corner outside walls and next to the refrigerator. It consist of 3 doors - floor to ceiling. We leave the pantry doors open when camping to help in cooling. We adjust the a/c ceilng duct vent to point right at the pantry. Then in storing items, we start at the bottom shelf with things that need to stay cooler and work our way up. Seems to work out fine that way. Not the best situation, but we could not do without our pantry. PCM


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

jdpm said:


> We have a rear kitchen fiver with the pantry in the left rear corner of the rv. It is on the corner outside walls and next to the refrigerator. It consist of 3 doors - floor to ceiling. We leave the pantry doors open when camping to help in cooling. We adjust the a/c ceilng duct vent to point right at the pantry. Then in storing items, we start at the bottom shelf with things that need to stay cooler and work our way up. Seems to work out fine that way. Not the best situation, but we could not do without our pantry. PCM


Any way to swap the pantry and the wardrode? Warm clothes would be nice on a cold morning.


----------



## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

I would say it is not the refrigerator, but rather the power converter that is generating the heat. Your 21 is the same as our 23, and the power converter is directly under the pantry.

Bob


----------



## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

Oregon_Camper said:


> We have a rear kitchen fiver with the pantry in the left rear corner of the rv. It is on the corner outside walls and next to the refrigerator. It consist of 3 doors - floor to ceiling. We leave the pantry doors open when camping to help in cooling. We adjust the a/c ceilng duct vent to point right at the pantry. Then in storing items, we start at the bottom shelf with things that need to stay cooler and work our way up. Seems to work out fine that way. Not the best situation, but we could not do without our pantry. PCM


Any way to swap the pantry and the wardrode? Warm clothes would be nice on a cold morning.[/quote]

LOL. Thanks for the tip. Not much need for the warm clothes here in the warmths of FL. It's rare we travel out of the state or into any cold climates. pcm


----------



## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

I have noticed this in our 23rs. It always makes our marshmallows stick together. The drawer below the pantry is really warm and I use it mainly for paper plates, bowls and dish towels. I will wait to see if you are able to fix yours before I try to get Curtis to fix ours.









Micah


----------



## 5th Time Around (Jul 8, 2008)

My old SOB was the same exact way! Marshmellows melted, forget about anything with chocolate, and bread never lasted. I had to use it for storing clothes instead of food. The pantry was above the power converter and next to the fridge. I also had 2 drawers above the power converter which I stored paper and plastic. I didn't like a lot of things about that TT, so I traded it for a nice newer Outback I don't really have a suggestion other than try swapping out the pantry and clothes closet if the clothes closet is convienent for a pantry. Just wanted you to know you aren't crazy and I FEEL your pain.


----------



## 4ME (Sep 11, 2006)

I agree with the converter being the culprit but I have never felt any heat with mine. I would have the converter looked at


----------



## kycamper (Jun 1, 2008)

4ME said:


> I agree with the converter being the culprit but I have never felt any heat with mine. I would have the converter looked at


thank you for all your input and your continued input. We are camping almost nonstop until after Labor day, so I will not be able to get the tt to the dealer until after then, but the power converter IS directly below my converter and that may be the culprit, but I may still have to add vents to cool the pantry


----------



## advancedtel (May 7, 2008)

we store our bread in the oven. It makes a nice big bread box and never molds the bread. We don't do much baking around here


----------



## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

The refrigerator compartment, much less the pantry next to it, should not be getting that warm. I would make sure that the refrigerator is venting heat out of the vent on the roof. The fridge unit is designed for all heat and CO exhaust to be vented through the roof.

Bees or wasps could have built a large enough nest/hive to block, or partially block the vent, causing the fridge compartment to get warmer. (And maybe it was not vented properly from the factory?) If you run your fridge primarily on propane, the CO could also be blocked from escaping in this scenario, which could be dangerous. (But if your CO detector is working, it would let you know.)

Please take a look and make sure that everything is being vented properly. If your trailer is under a warranty, I'd have the dealer take a look at this problem. This should not be happening.

Just my $.02

Mike


----------



## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

Well, when it is warm and sunny outside, my 21RS pantry will be quite warm compaired to the rest of the air conditioned trailer. Heat just seems to build up in there with no air circulation. On the other hand, in the winter, with the heater on, it is cool in there.


----------



## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

kycamper said:


> in the 21 RS, the pantry is right next to the refer and gets very hot, shortening the shelf life of the food and destroying some. Has anyone placed vents in the pantry to inside of TT to ease this problem?


I doubt there is naything wrong with your fridge or venting of the fridge. I know there is nothing wrong with mine, however, the pantry does get warmer due to the fact is in the corner of the trailer. I do not think that being next to the fridge is related to the heat. I do have a dead air space above the fridge that allows warm air from the fridge to accumalate. However, I installed a fan in the top of the fridge flue, to move the air out. I know that the pantry in my unit simply heats up due to the sun. Close the door on the pantry, and you have shut off any air conditioned air to the pantry. Basic physics - a closed up compatment with no air circulation is naturally going to be warmer than the air conditoned areas, especially if the sun is beating against the rv. pcm


----------



## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

Our 26RS has a similar configuration as the 21RS with the power converter below the pantry and the fridge next to it. I've never noticed the pantry being overly warm compared to the rest of the trailer. We usually dry camp so the converter isn't usually generating much heat. If you're camping with hookups and running a lot of 12V DC items such as lights then the converter will generate more heat as it converts the 120V AC to 12V DC. When I'm running a lot of lights and have hookups then I notice the converter cooling fan running quite a bit. With the converter right below the pantry I could see the pantry getting warm. If you try some extra venting I would focus on getting the hot air out or the converter area.


----------



## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Scoutr2 you have never had a problem with bread getting warm in the drawer above the fuse box?? I put the bread in their and it get warm in their and I get some condensation in the bread bag. It is next to the refrig but I am pretty sure its from the converter/fuse box.


----------



## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

battalionchief3 said:


> Scoutr2 you have never had a problem with bread getting warm in the drawer above the fuse box?? I put the bread in their and it get warm in their and I get some condensation in the bread bag. It is next to the refrig but I am pretty sure its from the converter/fuse box.


We keep our bread in a Rubbermaid bread keeper and that is stored on the top shelf, above the wardrobe for the bunk area. We keep breakfast cereal, crackers, etc. up there. But I have not noticed that the pantry gets that warm - even when we were at Disney World, last June.

My concern is that badly installed insulation in the compartment, or even a failure ensure the vent is working from the factory might be causing the overheating. But maybe I'm thinking too much. I don't want to alarm anyone - just make sure that everything is working the way it was designed to.

Mike


----------



## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

Our 26RS pantry gets plenty warm. Our opinion is that it is from solar gain on the wall behind the pantry. The 26RS pantry, BTW, is above the power converter and next to the fridge. However, our problem is not, in our experience, related to running of the converter. Most of the time we've had heat problems in there has been after long travel days in sunny weather, thus the solar gain theory.

We've considered more insulation on the back wall of the pantry.

Ed


----------



## kycamper (Jun 1, 2008)

kycamper said:


> I agree with the converter being the culprit but I have never felt any heat with mine. I would have the converter looked at


thank you for all your input and your continued input. We are camping almost nonstop until after Labor day, so I will not be able to get the tt to the dealer until after then, but the power converter IS directly below my converter and that may be the culprit, but I may still have to add vents to cool the pantry
[/quote]

All your advice sent me to do some investigating. First thing in the morning the pantry is fine. After being up and using 12 Volt appliances, the bottom pantry compartment gets hot first, and the others then follow as the day goes on. It is, obviously the power converter as many of you said. Thank you for the help. As to leaving the pantry door open, it is in the middle of our aisle, and we cannot leave it open when we are gone, or the dog will eat all of our food!


----------



## Camper Louise (Aug 7, 2004)

When we had the 28RSS, the fridge side of the top shelves got warm also. So we packed the right side of the pantry with boxes of items that did not matter if they got warm and always had the bread, marshmallows on the left...


----------

