Refrigerator

Tony Smith · 03-25-2014, 05:43 PM

This is the BEST site to help someone out who is just starting. I bought a 2007 rv and the refrigerator didn't turn on. The lights for the fridge seem to get no power at all. When I select either gas or electric...still nothing. The whole thing just seems dead. Could it be the board or wire? Anyone have any suggestions....Thanks again...T

Lloydg · 03-25-2014, 05:51 PM

Have you checked all your fuses and reset any circuit breakers? Are you plugged into a known good ac power source? Is there anything else that does not work including all your AC outlets, lights, etc. Once you can isolate that the only thing that does not work is truly the fridge, then you can start thinking about something internal to the fridge itself. If so, the first thing I would do is pull the panel off the back side of the fridge and while using a volt meter, check that the power inlet has power. Do you have the schematic of the fridge to work with?

rbq · 03-25-2014, 05:51 PM

Open the outside fridge cover. Look on the stack, probably on the right side. There will be several wires hooked to the stack. In between the wires there is a small resetable circuit breaker that you just need to push. This trips if the fridge overheats or is out of level for an excess time to protect the fridge from overheating. Had this happen to mine & was relieved to find that the fix was that easy. Check this out first.

Lloydg · 03-25-2014, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbq

Open the outside fridge cover. Look on the stack, probably on the right side. There will be several wires hooked to the stack. In between the wires there is a small resetable circuit breaker that you just need to push. This trips if the fridge overheats or is out of level for an excess time to protect the fridge from overheating. Had this happen to mine & was relieved to find that the fix was that easy. Check this out first.

This is good to know. Good suggestion.

rbq · 03-25-2014, 05:59 PM

Go to this link and look on the 2nd page. There is a picture showing the stack & the circuit breaker
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ues-38715.html

Ford Idaho · 03-25-2014, 06:02 PM

While you have the cover open look for Mud Dauber nests.

Oaklevel · 03-25-2014, 06:05 PM

Just askin' since you are new, the refrigerator does not make much if any noise its not like a compressor type also it will take several hours to cool down.

By the way welcome to the Forum

Tony Smith · 03-25-2014, 06:22 PM

The refrig seems dead...no lights at all...no cooling...it's like it is getting absolutely no power to unit

TURBS · 03-25-2014, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

The refrig seems dead...no lights at all...no cooling...it's like it is getting absolutely no power to unit

Theres fuses behind this cover if its a dometic.
You'll access it from outside.

TURBS
Sabre owners united!

cadman99 · 03-26-2014, 12:31 PM

The frig light may be a clue or the bulb or switch might be bad.

If you take the outside cover off and the frig is operating on gas you should be able to see a small flame - about like a pilot light on the right side - you have to peek around the cover to see it. (make sure you have propane). If there is a flame the frig should be working - allow 24 hours for complete cool down.

The light in the frig and the circuit board use 12vdc for power. You need to check fuses and make sure the frig is getting 12 volt power (note it helps to have a good battery).

In the electric mode it runs of 110VAC - so you need to be plugged in for that.

It could be the circuit board but if you are getting the flame it should be okay. The last possibility is the frig is "broke". This can happen if it has been run when off level - more than 3°. There is no simple fix for this.

PrairieBoy · 03-26-2014, 01:11 PM

These fridges need 12V power to operate in any mode. I would start with the 12V power. If you have 12V power then you most likely have a bad circuit board.

cadman99 · 03-26-2014, 01:26 PM

True the frig needs 12 volt power in all cases but if the gas flame lights you are getting 12 volts. The circuit board would not light the flame if it was not powered.

Tony Smith · 03-26-2014, 04:40 PM

I unplugged the fridge from the back and plugged it back in. I also reset the little black button in the back of the unit. When I did, I heard a small pop sound. I immediately went inside and pushed the power button and the auto light came on. This is the first time any lights have came on inside the unit and on the front board. I know it doesn't have a pilot lit in the back but then again, I wouldn't think I would need that running just off 30 amp. I will leave the rv plugged up for a few hrs and see what happens...any suggestions from here would be great...Thanks. T

rbq · 03-26-2014, 05:54 PM

If the circuit breaker that you reset is tripped you will have no lights on the control & the light in the fridge won't come on either. It is completely shut down. With that reset now you will probably find that your fridge will work fine. Let us know how it goes.

rbq · 03-26-2014, 05:59 PM

In auto mode the fridge will run on AC power if you are plugged into shore power & if you are not then it will run on propane. That way you can keep the fridge on while traveling or while boondocking. Your fridge probably also has a button that you can push if you want to set it to run on gas (propane only). If you have it in auto mode the trouble light will come on if you have problems, but if you have it set for gas only then the trouble light won't come of if you have problems, so I just leave it on auto unless I plug into the generator & then I set it on gas so as not to bog down the generator.

Tony Smith · 03-26-2014, 07:05 PM

Seems like a fix. The light came on the inside of the fridge and I put a small glass of water in the freezer and within an hour, I had ice forming in the freezer. I would guess the fridge works as well...is there any way to tell short of leaving it running and getting a gauge to see if it works? I guess I am answering myself...haha

Thanks again for your help...T

Tony Smith · 03-26-2014, 07:07 PM

Quick question, can I just run this appliance on the 30 amp power cord? Does it only pull from the 12 volt battery outside or do I haveli run it on propane as well....I will normally never be somewhere where I won't have power hookups...

DaGrinch · 03-26-2014, 07:25 PM

I have my TT plugged into 30 amp and keep my fridge on all the time when it's in the driveway.
As rbq stated, if you leave the fridge on "auto", then when you unplug from shore power (30 amp), as long as you have a decent battery and your propane is turned on, then it will flip to the propane for when you are traveling to and from your destination.
Like many others I've seen post on here, switching over to propane a day or so before you leave for a trip is a good idea to make sure you don't have any last minute problems. Then you can go back to shore power until just before you depart.

Larry

F and E Damp · 03-26-2014, 08:59 PM

There's one nasty symptom, even if all the bells and whistles see, OK. It happened to us two days before a 3-week trip last season.

Even with all the lights showing things were fine, the fridge wouldn't get cold. I found a thread on one of the three RV newsgroups I visit regularly (can't remember if it was this one) that said "Go look round the base of the fridge's chimney/flue. If there's any yellow powder (powdered sulfur), the cooling unit is dead."

Sure enough, a couple of tablespoons full! We went on the trip, relying on picnic coolers and bags of ice. We must have stopped at every Fred Meyer store on the Oregon Coast, topping up the coolers with ice.

Instead of our planned 3 week trip, we bagged it after two and headed home. $1800 later we had a new fridge installed. We decided that going with a residential fridge would have probably discouraged potential buyers, as we expect to give up the RV life this year due to cost.

Tony Smith · 03-29-2014, 02:48 PM

Anyone know why my rv fridge had a check light appear after being plugged in for several hrs? It wasn't on before and it appears to be working...I have the unit on auto since the gas is turned off at the tanks...

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