A ventilation system for an absorption refrigerator having a condenser and an absorber and located in a recreational vehicle. The ventilation system includes a generally vertical air passage in which the condenser and the absorber are located, a lower vent for the intake of ambient air into the air passage, an upper vent for exhausting heated air from the air passage, and an air assist system for forcing air flow through the air passage only when the temperature of the ambient air is too high for an efficient natural draft. The air assist system includes a blower positioned to promote airflow within the air passage over the condenser and the absorber, a temperature activated thermal switch positioned to sense ambient temperature and adapted to energize the blower only when the ambient temperature is above a predetermined value, and a power switch connected in series to the thermal switch to activate and deactivate the system. The power switch is preferably adapted to automatically activate and deactivate the system when the refrigerator is turned on and off respectively.