Rm1350 refer not cooling

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Gary RV_Wizard said:
Rather than shotgun the problem with more fans, run it in LP gas mode for a day. If it cools ok in LP gas mode, then air flow is not the problem and you need to look elsewhere.  Ditto with the thermister - same one is used whether electric or LP.
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Gary he already ran it overnight on LP
 
Well sucking air didnt help? call service tech, that was a waste of time and money, he had no clue himself. So went out and got a small refer.. had to have something to keep beer cold,? while troubleshooting this. Everything you have suggested, I've done..
 
Gary he already ran it overnight on LP
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I missed that (and still don't see it). Just that it ran on LP while traveling.  Since my reading of this topic seems to be deficient, what was the result of running on LP at the campsite?

If it runs fine on LP, both driving and parked, then it is pointless to fiddle with fans and air flow, cause those are identical whether using electric or gas. The only difference between electric and gas modes is the heat source for the boiler. Everything else works exactly the same.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
I missed that (and still don't see it). Just that it ran on LP while traveling.  Since my reading of this topic seems to be deficient, what was the result of running on LP at the campsite?

If it runs fine on LP, both driving and parked, then it is pointless to fiddle with fans and air flow, cause those are identical whether using electric or gas. The only difference between electric and gas modes is the heat source for the boiler. Everything else works exactly the same.
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I got tangled up in the back and forth also, so went back and re-read each entry. On the 27th OP reported he would leave it running overnight on LP, and on the 29th he reported it still doesn't cool. I am confused by the earlier comments that it cooled OK while driving, which started a chase down the airflow path, but now it doesn't sound like that was anything more than an anomaly.

He's already changed thermistor, checked both heating elements, cleaned the chimney, installed a couple different versions of auxiliary fans, and tried it on both LP and electric and it still doesn't work. So if I've followed the story correctly he has a fridge which, on both LP and electric, marginally cools the freezer but won't get the fridge portion below 50, which in my much less learned than you opinion sounds like a classic cooling unit failure.
 
Sorry about all this confusion. I'm just trying to get this fix.. so ill repeat all that has happened and I have done.
I started camping ft, and the refer is maintaining 50?, so i changed the tremisor, and no change. After trying a couple things, I came to here and started asking questions.
Then I had to drive it to carpenter campers, for something else(they couldn't look at it)(about an hr total drive time) the temp dropped to 33? so then the thread started

. I have installed new fans to blow, ran on l.p. only, cleaned chimney, moved fans to exhaust instead of blow. I have oms checked heating elements, volt check everything and all the good, except the temp never goes below 48? that makes the freezer 26?

I hope this clears up the confusion, if the cooling unit is bad, then wouldn't not cool to 33? while driving??
 
Coopster8 said:
if the cooling unit is bad, then wouldn't not cool to 33? while driving??
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I would have to agree, but the fact that no matter how much air is moved and all the other things you've tried it now won't cool either the freezer or the fridge properly (at mid range setting the freezer should at least be in low single digits and the fridge should be in the mid 30s, give or take).

What is the longest the unit has sat running without the doors being opened a single time?

Also, have you checked the seals on the doors? Open the door, then close the door on the bill. The door should grab the bill. Check the entire seal all around all doors.

What is the outside temp where you're located?
 
The longest is has set without doors opening is approx 15hrs.
Doors checked like stated
In pensacola fla, temp is approx 73? day, 55 lows at times.
Also looking at getting a new cooling unit, and i see that they have insulation around the pipes.. mine dont have.. should they??
 
How are you checking the temperature in the fridge? If using a normal thermometer, the temperature will rise immensely as soon as you open the door. Use a pocket thermometer in about an inch of water in a glass, or a temperature sensor with a remote wireless readout.
 
I know that others have offered opinions on possible solutions so I'm not adding to those.
Below is a link to a YouTube video from a RV refrigerator professional that demonstrates how to determine if the cooling unit is functional by bypassing the electronic controls and using the 120VAC heating element of the refer only by rigging a direct connection to Ac voltage. Of course, it has the basic caveat that the refer must have adequate ventilation, be level, etc.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k2bBSGuwU_o
 
Ok.. last thing I try and if cooling unit dont work, time to buy a new refer.. ? we have tried everything else.. and someone said cooling unit might be bad, looks like the best way to try it out for find out for sure..
 
Also looking at getting a new cooling unit, and i see that they have insulation around the pipes.. mine dont have.. should they??
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The function of the cooling unit requires that portions of it shed heat, so insulation would be counter-productive. Usually any insulation is at the boiler and the tube immediately above it and is a safety measure to protect the surroundings from the intense heat (about 350 F at that point).  Up near the top, there is a condensor that sheds heat to bring the coolant back to liquid and that must NOT be insulated on any way. Secondary heat shedding occurs at the two evaporators, which press firmly against the back wall of the fridge and conduct heat from the fins on the fridge interior.
 
You do not need a new cooling unit if the fridge cools adequately under one circumstances and not others. It's the same cooling unit no matter what the circumstances.  But if it fails to cool in all modes and circumstances, then the cooling unit is the most likely culprit.

Based on your comments in Replies 13 & 14, it appears that LP mode does NOT cool, yet you reported 33 F while driving to the shop. If it were me, I would revisit the circumstances where [apparently] the fridge cooled OK and verify that whether that drive-time reading was a fluke or maybe a faulty measurement. Always measure the temperature as kdbgoat described, using a thermometer in water and allow time to stabilize. 
 
Could this be a 12v DC issue?  Maybe the voltage is low, coming from the converter/battery, versus when driving, when it could be 13.8-14v?  I know the 12v DC only runs the control board, relay and fans, but it seems everything else has been verified.
 
gravesdiesel said:
Could this be a 12v DC issue?  Maybe the voltage is low, coming from the converter/battery, versus when driving, when it could be 13.8-14v?  I know the 12v DC only runs the control board, relay and fans, but it seems everything else has been verified.
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Most RV refrigerators will work normally with the DC volts as low as 9.5V DC. The panel lights will even stay on with DC volts as low as 5V. However, there is a possibility that there may be AC volts riding on the DC volt source (referred to as AC ripple) and can cause erratic operation of the control board. Measuring the DC voltage with the DVM set to AC voltage should be done to determine if there is any AC voltage component while the camper is hooked up to shore power.  You would not get any AC ripple voltage from the trailer battery while driving.  So... just a thought for consideration.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Based on your comments in Replies 13 & 14, it appears that LP mode does NOT cool, yet you reported 33 F while driving to the shop. If it were me, I would revisit the circumstances where [apparently] the fridge cooled OK and verify that whether that drive-time reading was a fluke or maybe a faulty measurement. Always measure the temperature as kdbgoat described, using a thermometer in water and allow time to stabilize.
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Someone told me it might of shaken up the gas and gave me that number, so I'm going to try the direct wire and if this dont work, looks like a new refer, if it works then it sounds like a control board issue.. hoping for the best
 
Bypassing the thermostat doesn't prove anything, since you already know the heater element is receiving voltage (you measured voltage at the element, right?). Bypassing the control board with direct 120v is a way to diagnose the 120v relay on the board or a non-functional thermostat, but since the board is apply voltage to the heater, that is not at issue.

But have at it - it will give you piece of mind.
 
Yep, I did measure it, but the video said this is the best way to see if you have a bad cooling unit, or control board.. but your right peace of mind too..
 
If you end up needing a new cooling unit I have yet to hear anything but praise for the ?Amish? units. Pictures I?ve seen show increased coils and fins vs. OEM. I think the price is similar. And aside from wrestling the unit out on to the floor, supposedly not too complicated of a job.
 
"If the freezer is cold but barely freezing and the inside of the refrigerator is cool, but not cool enough, you may still have a failing cooling unit due to internal restrictions in one or more of the cooling lines. This can happen if the refer was run off-level and got too hot, causing some of the internal chemicals to turn to solids."
Ok.. after running it for 24 hrs direct a.c., still no difference, then i added a "hurricane fan" to it and still no change??? have to say cooling unit is a goner???? so now debating, should I buy a new house refrigerator, new cooling unit , or just a new refrigerator?? I think that we have done everything possible to say the cooling unit is dead. So I'm leaning towards getting a new cooling unit, since I'm like 99.9999% sure evrything else is good.. what's you guys option?? I do want to thank everyone that has tried to help me in this.. grrr 1300.00 ?
 
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