Dead fridge

[Boyd]

Pondlady, Open the inspection door on the outside wall behind the fridge and see if you can see a little blue flame. Look close, the flame will be deep inside of a tube.

[pondlady]

Thanks, Boyd. Will do.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by jimh

do u have a light showing that it is on (next to where it is switched between propane and electric)? when u put it on propane does it show an error.
what i'm driving at here is if u have 12 v. to it.

If the interior lights are on, isn't that an indication that you have 12 volts to the fridge ??

Could the 120 volt circuit breaker be tripped ?? But if that were the case, and you have fridge interior lights, then the propane system should work if unplugged form shore power or the switch is on gas only.

Is the automatic button on the front panel in the wrong position, forcing the fridge to run on propane only, and then the propane maybe didn't fire in time, causing the system to default to off ??? In that case, the check light should come on. I had this happen to me once in the automatic position. I unplugged from the house current, and then down the road notcied a higher than normal temperature, and then noticed the check light on. I had changed propane tanks, and the system hadn't bled good, causing the fridge not to fire right away, defaulting to off.

Just speculating here before you have to take it to a service center.

[Herk7769]

I need to chime in again. I am SURE you did, but just in case, check for a GFCI trip where the fridge plugs in.

[pondlady]

There is power to the fridge. The interior light is on. I am pretty sure the propane is not working, probably not turned on. And I have no idea how to do that. I looked in the box behind the fridge and all I found was a wet floor in it. (Yes, the drainage tube is sticking out.) I can see the thermocouple but no place where there might be a pilot light. I have turned the fridge back to electric power. The light on top is on. The GFI is fine. I think the fridge is hardwired in because there is but one gfi that I can find in here.
I am giving up and will buy ice for the ice chest until I can find a maintenance person.

[Herk7769]

I believe the light inside is 12 volt DC.

Do you have propane at your other appliances?
I am sure the answer is yes, but I had to ask.

I doubt there is a pilot light since most fridges have electronic ignition.
The thermocouple is to shut OFF the gas if there was no ignition.

If you can smell gas when it is trying to light (person outside sniffing while you select propane only inside), you most likely have a failed board.

Unplug the fridge and plug in light. If the light works, then you have power to the plug.

There are more troubleshooting tips on the dinosaur site.

[pondlady]

Herk, I can find no plug, that's why I think it must be hardwired. Other appliances? Like the stove that is being used as a countertop? That other appliance? <G>.

I can smell no gas anywhere, but can hear a click when I push the 'gas' button. I think it is not igniting because the propane has not been used in over 2 years.
The interior light in the fridge is on, so it is getting power. So is the yellow light at the top of the fridge that tells me whether it is electric or gas.
All fuses are good unless there is some obscure one somewhere.
I am trying to find a tech who will come out here and repair it.

[pondlady]

OK, I uncovered the stove. The burners light nicely. So the propane is fine. This is frustrating. I am giving up again.

[08flagvlite]

Have you checked the outside glass fuses under the cover yet?? Take the large plastic cover off, and you'll see a small (about 3""x4"")cover that I believe is metal. Remove that cover, and you will see 2 glass automotive fuses. Even though the light works, and you have 12v and 110v to the rest of the camper, one of these could still be bad. The 12v fuse powers the auto-striking mechanism that you should hear while attempting to light the gas flame. It sounds like a clicking noise about two clicks per second, probably around 20 in a row, until lit, or failure. The AC 110v side runs the fridge on that circuit-(basically, a heater). If the fuse is blown, the electric side should keep lighting the "check" light, after cycling through its startup procedure. However; if you say it is wet in there under the big cover, and it's not water condensate, you may have a leak. So, good luck, and hope it's something simple! Randy

[NWJeeper]

If it hasn't been run on propane for a while it is common for the burner to become fouled with debris falling down the flue tube. There is a cover (Usually on the lower left side of the fridge on the ouside behind the fridge) that conceals the burner/ignitor/thermocouple. I have found it necessary to blow this burner out with compressed air about once a year to keep stuff from fouling it. Usually you will get some rust scale that forms inside the flue that will flake off and fall down onto and into the burner.

With someone inside the rig turning on the fridge on propane mode listen very carefully outside for the "click click click" of the ignitor. You should also smell propane if it is getting to the fridge. If you don't hear the clicking noise it can be a bad circuit board or a bad ignitor box, the latter happend to my friend just this summer. However not running on both electric and gas is a bit of a bigger issue and I would guess my first post might be closer to the point, a bad thermistor.

You might check this PDF document on troubleshooting. It may not be specific to your exact fridge but the components are all the same in most of them. It describes how to check the electric heater element and the thermistor to see if they are good or not.

[pondlady]

After two days of nothing, somebody rolled the rock away and the fridge is resurrected. I changed nothing. It just started working. I may have to name it Lazarus. But I do hope there is not a repeat performance.

[Boyd]

One word, "MAGIC!"

[pondlady]

Well, I did cuss at it a few times. I speak three languages fluently: Vulgar, profane and obscene. Maybe the fridge understood one of those languages.