Refrigerator problem in my 94 Savanna 5th wheel.

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94Savanna5thWheel

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Nov 12, 2007
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This fridge is a dual LP/Electric unit.
It decided to act up on me about a month ago.
She will freeze all items in the fridge part, but seems to keep the same temperature in the Freezer.
So i decided to defrost it for a few days. Now she will not work at all. I get lights on the front control panel and if i switch over to gas she lights right up and acts like she is running.

Any ideas or more info needed?

Jason
 
Let e make sure I understand you: both the fridge part and the freezer part are freezing food?  And it works OK on gas but not at all on electric? [You said it "acts like she is running" on gas but did not seem positive it really was]

And what brand of fridge (Dometic or Norcold)?
 
Yes the fridge was freezing food in both the fridge and freezer.
When it first did it i just thought maybe it was doing it since it was getting cooler outside.
So i set it to the lowest setting, left for the week and when i got there the next weekend all my beer and food was fozen.
Now in the summer i set it to 5, the coldest setting and it worked great, kept all the liquids very cold but not frozen, i mean, i love my beer very cold. :)

No sure the brand of fridge, but its the typical one you see in most campers. No compressor or anything like that.
It has a 110 outlet it plugs into in the outside access panel for the fridge.

All lights and everything light up and seem to work, but will not get cold at all now since i defrosted it.
The automatic switch for the gas or ac option works just fine.

I'm pretty sure its a Norcold, but not sure what model number.
 
1. Check that the trailer is level.
2. check that you have 110v supplied to the refrigerator ( the plug you mentioned) the control panel is 12v a different supply
3.try setting to the middle of the scale 2 or 3, also look their may be separate settings for the freezer and frig.

 
All lights and everything light up and seem to work, but will not get cold at all now since i defrosted it.
The automatic switch for the gas or ac option works just fine.
Click to expand...

I wasn't asking about the Auto switch - I was asking if it gets cold when it is in LP gas mode?

There should be a sensor (thermocouple) clipped to a cooling fin on the inside of the fridge - is it possible you knocked it off when defrosting. Or moved it to a different position?

Remove the outside access panel and feel the fins on the back (be careful - they can get very hot in some circumstances).

HERE is a step by step diagnostic procedure for the cooling system.

ANOTHER source for trouble shooting info on Rv fridges.
 
Jason,

If the fridge is freezing everything in both compartments then it is running wide open. This is a common occurrence when troubleshooting a bad refer. Bypassing the control board gives this result. Sounds like your control board might be defective. I would have someone test the board to see if there is a problem.
 
Okay, i am out here at my camper, the fridge is actually a Dometic, sorry i was wrong earlier.
I have ran it 24 hours and it never got cold using AC, now i am trying LP today to see if it gets cold.

Stupid question here, but is the board of the fridge also in use when its set to LP mode?
Or is it a whole other system being used.

Jason
 
94Savanna5thWheel said:
Can the control board be taken out and taken to a RV place to be tested?
Click to expand...

Yes, but there are two boards. One in the rear and one over the refer where the controls are located. The easiest thing to do is take it to a dealer and have them check it without having to remove it. Unfortunately it'll be more expensive as well. The problem would most likely be the board at the rear of the refer. Quite a few things to disconnect before removing.

 
Jim Dick said:
Jason,

Sounds like your control board might be defective. I would have someone test the board to see if there is a problem.
Click to expand...


Yes I'm afraid so. This has occurred to me. I do mess with a electronics little... does any body have a schematic or place to get one, I would like to troubleshoot it.

Thanks to all who reply ;)
 
If you want to see if it's the board, and you are familiar with electricity, you can by pass it by connecting the AC heating coils directly to AC. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE NO ELECTRICAL BACKGROUND!!! Once connected both the freezer and main refer will get extremely cold after a few hours. If this happens then the board is defective. If it does not then you have a cooling unit problem and it most likely will have to be replaced.
 
does any body have a schematic or place to get one, I would like to troubleshoot it.
Click to expand...
I would be difficult, if not impossible, to get a schematic for the actual circuit board. Even if you could get one and repair it, chances are it would fail again. Almost all of us with older Dometic units have replaced ours over time with Dinosaur replacement boards. They're much better than the original Dometic units, and will run around $100 from an rv supply or repair facility. Dinosaur doesn't sell directly to the public, but you can buy one and install it yourself quite easily.
 
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