newbie is frustrated - pleasureway refrigerator

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

hers

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Posts
5
I just picked up my 2011 pleasureway plateau and am so frustrated.  During the training, the service rep showed me how to operate the refrigertor.  Press the mode light for 12 v , gas, or auto.  I'm ready to pack and hit the road, and went to turn on the refrigerator and nothing happens.  The mode light does not do anything.  There is a flashing vertical bar of green lights on the display.  LP gas is off, I just wanted to run it on 12v which is what they said to do while driving.  Refrigerator is not cooling.  The two buttons on the front don't do anything.  Am I stupid??? 

There's also a bad rattle.  I've taken everything out that could possibly rattle including the microwave shelf.  Put padding under the burner lid and sink cut-out.  Sounds horrible on anything but the smoothest pavement. 

Dreading this trip all of a sudden.  I'm a female driving solo.  Manual says it will use 1 quart of oil every 600 miles, so I guess I better know how to add oil since I'm driving 1800 miles. 

I thought I knew how to operate everything but I'm starting to question my purchase and this trip.  Does anyone know anything about the refrigerator?  I've gone to the dometic site and looked at the manuals and can't even find my unit which is a 3 way 3.6 cu ft.  Even my owners manual shows a different refrigerator model (2 door).  Grrrrrr.  This isn't fun anymore. :'(
 
Take that unit back to the dealer and have that service rep explain to you exactly what is going on with it.  He is supposed to do that.

600 miles per quart of oil?  :eek:    That is surprising in this day of emission controls.  I would get that confirmed also.

 
I don't know anything about Pleasureway but I know there are precious few 12v fridge systems, except that you need a little 12v to operate on gas.  They are usually gas or electric (being 110v.)  The auto feature is to switch back and forth between gas and electric when you plug into shore power.  If you really only have two-way (gas and electric) your problem is that you have the gas turned off and are not plugged in.  If it is three-way then I have no idea and you might want to call the dealer or the manufacturer.  Hang in there - it will get easier as you work out each problem and then don't have to deal with that again.  Most people operate their fridges on gas as they travel.
 
I know for sure it's a 3 way refrigerator, just looked at the specs.

Another weird thing happened tonight too.  When I left the dealer (second time) I was down to 1/8 tank of gas.  I pulled over and put in 5 gallons as I was in a hurry but knew I was going to be in bad traffic and in construction zones.  After putting in 5 gallons, about a mile down the road the reserve light comes on, and it's now down to 1/16 (gauge didn't budge with the addition of 5 gal).  A "0" is flashing just above the fuel gauge.  I'm torn between freaking out and being confident that I put 5 gallons in.  So, I get to another station finally, and fill it.  It only takes 15 gallons, and it has a 25 gal capacity, so something is quirky with that too. 

I'll take it back tomorrow.  At this point, if I'm not on the road tomorrow, I won't go because I didn't want to be in 4th of July traffic.  Dealer is 40 miles away and my pick up today was the second.  I picked it up Saturday, and returned it today.  I need to get some patience I guess. 
 
Since you know the fridge is three-way, you must have something that is not turned on properly.  The dealer can probably clear that up quickly and probably over the phone.  You should be able to find somebody at the dealership (service department) to help you through these concerns before they become frustrating and require the long drive.  As far as the fuel problem, I am surprised that the rig has only a 25 gallon tank and wonder if there are two tanks and you need to be switching them.  But again, I know nothing about Pleasure Way and the dealer could clear that up easily.  You certainly should be able to see the fuel gauge go up when you but 20% of the capacity in it. 

I see on the Pleasure Way Internet site that there are a couple of toll-free numbers so you could call them.  One is even for technical questions.  You might benefit from asking them some questions if your dealer is not available in this way.  But give one or the other a chance to address your current questions and see what happens.  I wouldn't  think you need to drive unless they need to do someting to the unit.

It also looks like there is a Pleasure Way forum on the Intenret and you might find somebody with your exact rig and would be able to quickly deal with your questions.
 
The Pleasureway is a van (Class B), so the 25 gallon tank is normal. So is the small 3-way fridge.

You may have a Reserve tank as well as main - might you be running on Reserve instead of main? Either the dealer or Pleasureway ought to be able to answer that via phone. Ditto with the fridge operation.

I would be shocked if the engine actually used a quart every 600 miles, but better hace a quart with you and know how to add it, just in case.
 
First off, welcome to The RV Forum!  Don't get frustrated - like any new endeavor, RVs have a learning curve.  But then it becomes second nature.

Three way (gas, 120v, 12v) refrigerators are really 2 1/2 way.  The problem is they use a fair amount of power in either of the electric modes.  If your refrigerator has a 12 volt mode, it's probably interlocked so it only works when the engine is running and the alternator is charging the battery.  Otherwise it would quickly drain the battery.

In other words, you have to select either 120 volts or gas operation (with the gas turned on, of course) whenever you aren't running the engine.

The way your refrigerator works is called absorption - a heat source (a propane flame or an electric heating element) boils a mixture of ammonia and water, turning them into gases.  The gases then circulate through the refrigerator, absorbing heat and cooling the interior as they condense back into liquid form.  Then the liquids drain back to the boiler and process repeats.

Boiling the liquid and getting the gasses to circulate takes a while, so you need to turn on the fridge several hours before you want to use it.  In hot weather it may take a full day to cool down.  It's not like your home refrigerator where a switch just turns on the compressor motor and cooling starts right away.

The day before you want to load things into the fridge, either plug the PleasureWay into electricity, or turn on the gas, then turn on the fridge.  Don't worry about the fridge draining your propane tank - it has a very small flame and uses a very small amount of gas - less than a gallon per week.
 
Sounds like Lou may have solved your problem.  Why not try plugging in to shore power and see if the fridge runs then?  And as far as using the 12V system when you travel, most people don't have 12V and use gas while they move.  It uses very little, works well and is very popular.
 
Welcome to the RVForum!

Take a deep breath and enjoy the Pleasureway, it will take time.  Your first one or two trips ARE learning trips.  You must expect that there will be several things that need figuring out.  You will probably have a laundry list of things that need repairing, things explained or tweaking after your first trip.

If you didn't have a trip already planned I would have recommended a short, local trip and camping in it for 3-4 days.  Then a visit to the dealership to get questions answered and/or items repaired including rattles, missing screws, etc.  After that shake down trip (both the equipment and your operating it) then a longer trip.

Take some pictures of the inside and take notes and post them when you get home.  Let us know what you liked and disliked and what drove you crazy if anything.
 
hers said:
Dreading this trip all of a sudden.  I'm a female driving solo.  Manual says it will use 1 quart of oil every 600 miles, so I guess I better know how to add oil since I'm driving 1800 miles. 

Maybe she means DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid ?
 
Thank you all for your replies.  I'll update the situation......In frustration, because the green lights were blinking, I decided to cut power off with the "red handle" and see if it would reset itself.  Then another problem happened.  Went out the next morning, turned the red handle back to on, turned the LP on and started up the generator.  Worked like a charm.  then shut off after about a minute and wouldn't come back on.  So...off I went to the dealership.  When I got there of course the generator started right up, and the refrigerator turned on.  Murphy's law.  They suspected that for some reason that they couldn't figure out that 12v battery was down the night before, and that charging it on the 30 minute drive caused the generator to start up, and the refrigerator had in fact reset itself.  Whatever...it's working now, but I'm still a little paranoid.

Lou, I got a real manual at the dealership for the refrigerator.  I have to go through the rest of my things and be sure I got everything before I leave. 

I took it today for the recommended alignment at the recommended alignment shop, which prompted a few more questions for the dealer.  Took the opportunity to read my Pleasureway manual (brief as it is) again while there.....all 12 pages of it.  It states to not run the generator while the vehicle is running unless you have an inverter?  Really?  Going to have to ask about that too, I was under the impression that you could run the gen driving down the road. 

We are going to continue with little trips, and appreciate the suggestion to actually do an overnight before we start our 1800 mile journey.  I really appreciate all the encouragement.  I know it's going to take a while, but to have these issues week one before I ever left the city limits had me a little excited.....and not in a good way. :D ;)
 
If you have an inverter, I don't know why you would run the generator. They both produce 120vac power, so there is no reason to use both at once. In fact, the inverter will shut off if the generator is running.  Sounds strange to me - please let us know what the dealer says about that.
 
I have a similar unit (Road Trek Adventurous) and I try and plug in the night before a trip and get the refrig cooled down on electric.  Then I try and load it with stuff that is already cold.  the propane underway can keep it cold.

You don't need to run your generator underway unless you want the a/c or microwave on.  The engine alternator will keep the invertor/house batteries charging.

Update us on how you're doing. 
 
Hey carrothers ...

Just wonder how you made out with your fridge etc. I purchased the 2012 Winnebago ERA which is similar to the Pleasure-way vans. My fridge is also a 3-way fridge. (Probably the same as yours). It has an AUTO setting that I use all the time. It automatically selects the mode of power. While driving it uses 12V power. When I stop and turn off the engine it runs on propane. While plugged into 120V shore power or running the generator it runs on 120V.

As for the 1 quart of oil after 600 miles. My manual told me the same thing. I have no idea where they get that from. I have 8500 KM (about 5200 miles) on my unit and haven't had to add a drop.

I have had to add some Diesel Exhaust Vehicle however and that is a bit of a pain. I had to purchase a 2 1/2 gallon container and trying to pour that in was a nuisance. I will be looking for smaller containers that I can use to fill from the larger container when necessary.

The fridge doesn't seem to keep items as cool when running on 12V or propane ... although if I keep the setting on high I am good. Even for Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the freezer.

Also ... you should be be able to run the generator while driving. Shouldn't have to do that often. About the only reason I can think of is to run the coach (roof) air conditioner if in a real, real hot area where the chassis air just isn't working for you. I run mine once a month while taking it for a drive to make sure it is "exercised", as recommended in the manual. Since it is winter here ... I usually turn on an electric ceramic heater as well to put it under a bit of a load ... again as recommended.

If you are still having any issue please feel free to contact me. If your DEMO was as poorly done by your dealer as mine than no wonder you are frustrated. I've had to do a lot of research and doing it myself to figure everything out.



 
Back
Top Bottom