Fridge Problem - Page 4

jdwilson3 · 08-21-2008, 08:16 PM

When my fan (one of the two) went bad, I could hear it inside the 5er! It was replaced. Later, the fans were not running at all...jumpered them and they worked. RV Tech replaced the thermostat and the fans never stopped....he had installed a themostat from a water heater....off at 130 degrees...Duh.

I ordered a new thermostat from someone, and at the same time replaced both fans (both two at Radio Shack). Then, RV Tech gave me the Dometic replacement parts for free for his previous mistake.

I replaced the thermostat I bought (just to be sure) and now have two spare fans and one spare thermostat.

The fans are designed to run about 10000 hours continuous, but are cheap sleeve bearing type, not ball bearing.

We can hear our fans running (when they are on) from outside the 5er, and if the noise level inside the rig is quiet, you can hear the fans running with the fridge door open.

Hope this helps...by the way, it is easy to replace both the fans and thermostat through the upper vent.

berghild · 08-23-2008, 11:05 AM

we wired fans to a switch, bypassed the thermostat, purchased a $10.00 remote digital thermometer at appliance parts store. temperature according to this themometer is 35 degrees overnight at setting number 3 runinng on shore power, with fans off. if we open and shut the door the temp zooms to 50 and takes awhile to come down. It is probably about 70 degrees outside this morning, no sun with marine layer hanging over us. Fans are off and have been off all night.
yesterday the temp would only get down to 45. After about 5 minutes the in frig has dropped from 50 to 39.
does this sound like we need a new cooling unit? Are there other scenarios we need to check?

**wingnut60** · 08-23-2008, 11:15 AM

Cyndy,
Can't answer to whether you need new cooling unit--I don't think your tech has figured everything out yet.

As to ours--working wells with new (2) fans installed, but propane/CO alarms are chirping due to low voltage---batteries are toast! top of one is swelled up from internall gassing. Had to get 2 new Trojan T-105s. Now, fridge is working and alarms are silent.

I suspect that the batteries may have been the source of all the problems, even when on shore power. I may have spent money not needed, but fridge is now working, at least it appears to be. gonna leave it off for a week, turn it back on propane and see what happens.

I am surprised that CW techs didn't check this, but may not have been any indications of low voltage while they ran it on shore power.

Oh, well, if it works from now on, I guess I'm happy.

I don't think there is a failsafe checklist that defines problems, and there isn't enough money in a diagnostics test to pay for extended testing/operations while monitoring the temps--especially if it is a full-timer trailer.

Joe

**wingnut60** · 08-23-2008, 11:15 AM

Cyndy,
Can't answer to whether you need new cooling unit--I don't think your tech has figured everything out yet.

As to ours--working wells with new (2) fans installed, but propane/CO alarms are chirping due to low voltage---batteries are toast! top of one is swelled up from internall gassing. Had to get 2 new Trojan T-105s. Now, fridge is working and alarms are silent.

I suspect that the batteries may have been the source of all the problems, even when on shore power. I may have spent money not needed, but fridge is now working, at least it appears to be. gonna leave it off for a week, turn it back on propane and see what happens.

I am surprised that CW techs didn't check this, but may not have been any indications of low voltage while they ran it on shore power.

Oh, well, if it works from now on, I guess I'm happy.

I don't think there is a failsafe checklist that defines problems, and there isn't enough money in a diagnostics test to pay for extended testing/operations while monitoring the temps--especially if it is a full-timer trailer.

Joe

**wingnut60** · 08-23-2008, 11:18 AM

At the same time my trailer was in McClains in FW, there was another MS in with failed fans--Unit #2593--don't know whose this is.

joe

billr · 08-23-2008, 11:39 AM

Joe, it sounds like your batteries may possibly be over charging if being plugged into shore power for extended time. This will boil out the fluid and toast the batts. If you don't have one yet, consider installing a Charge Wizard into the converter. Easy and cheap to do. Avail at CW. This will float the batts when fully charged and keep from over charging.

After 3 yrs, I have not needed to add any water to the batts with a charge wizard running.

Bill

RodeWorthy · 08-23-2008, 11:53 AM

Joe,
What ambient air temp are you seeing to make your fans run?

Also, do you have Charge Wizard on your converter? That should help control overcharging that you have experienced.

berghild · 08-23-2008, 01:33 PM

FANS ARE OFF NOW WIRED TO A SWITCH BYPASSES THERMOSTAT

jdwilson3 · 08-23-2008, 06:56 PM

The fans should kick in around 130-140 degrees.

berghild · 08-23-2008, 07:29 PM

outside temp is 76 today...cooler now...fans off all afternoon while we were gone so no one was around opening and shutting the door. refer temp is now 43. so we have turned on the fans...but for most people their fans never run so I am beginning to think that the fans are not the problem....but they seem to help.
Don is right....let 'em replace everything and get it over with. I am going to the shop on Monday that replacing the cooling unit also means replacing the controls. What the heck, one more week in San Diego is not going to kill me at this point.

**wingnut60** · 08-24-2008, 06:14 PM

I have a CW on the converter, but didn't install it til about 3 months ago. Damage was done by then, I guess.
Fan is set to come on at a lower temp now but dont know what that is.

Away from home for a week, will restart unit next Sun and see how it works.

bstark · 08-24-2008, 06:20 PM

That's the attitude to have. While fretting that todays tech's should be able to troubleshoot a simple little RV fridge problem without resorting to wholesale replacemnet of parts as their first option, the reality is; it's far better to just let them do their thing and relax.

Another vote here for the Charge Wizard attachment to the back of the convertor. Billr convinced me over a year ago that little baby would pay big dividends and he was spot on the money! No boil off or gassing taking place now and have not had to add water for a loooonnng time! Best under $100.00 I ever spent.

berghild · 08-24-2008, 07:19 PM

yep i have given up steaming about the refer....I think part of it was that I was so upset about not being able to leave here and also the thought of moving out of it for an entire day.
about the charge wizard...we had put one on the old 5th wheel but I thouight with this Xantrex 3000 that we didn't need one because it controls everything except what we have for dinner. ????

berghild · 08-24-2008, 08:16 PM

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS....OUR TECH JUST SHOWED UP AND RECHECKED EVERYTHING!!!! IT STILL ISN'T RUNNING RIGHT NO MATTER WHAT FIDDLING WE DO. HE DID SAY THAT DOMETIC WILL NOT AUTHORIZE NEW CONTROLS...JUST THE COOLING UNIT. OH WELL. I HOPE ALL IS WELL. CYNDY

bstark · 08-25-2008, 10:18 AM

berghild: I just hate the "up-in-the-air-and-hanging" aspect of what you're going through and have a thought to contribute that won't help you in the least but will probably express what a bunch of us RV'ers are thinking at this point.

How do these guy's get to call themselves tech's? Any serviceman worth his salt would have a few generic boards for the most common units out there (he could purchase them from salvagers and test them at his liesure to defray initial cost) and would, as his first troubleshooting exercise, swap out your board (probably no more than a 1/2 hour exercise for a truly qualified tech) for one he keeps in stock in his van for these situations then, simply bill Dometic later if it cures your problem.

Dometic are simply responding to his sketchy info. they won't authorize a new board unless he assures them he has properly tested and narrowed down the problem to your old one . Therein lies the problem, Dometic ask "did you perform test "A" and if so, what amperage/voltage/ohm reading did your obtain?" and this guy is either too lazy or not qualified to know what the H--- they're talking about, so Dometic simply wash their hands of it!

I truly wish we were sitting beside you as I wouldn't hesitate to have tried this as a first step.

berghild · 08-25-2008, 05:46 PM

Well I don't think the guy is lazy really (but then I am usually to generous in my assessments of people) and they did have him do 28 checks and questioned some of his results...you would think they would have hime check the board....other people here in the park have confidence in this guy...I sure hope they are right!
we do have a friend coming to visit tomorrow that works on RV refers....maybe he will have some input.
for now Howard has reconnected the thermostat for the fans and the temp is up to 50 degrees...so fans must be at least part of the problem.
they have promised to have rig back at the end of the day on Wednesday but we are preparing for the worst and are cashing in some of our Am. Express points for a night at the La Jolla Shores hotel on the beach...not a bad place to go sulk if we have to...:-)
thank you for all your input.....i wish you were sitting next to us too!

Cyndy and Howard

berghild · 08-26-2008, 09:02 PM

well in anticipation of delivering our rig to the repair shop tomorrow we emptied the freezer and refer and the phone rang...yep the part is delayed. they will take the rig in on friday and have promised to have it back to us that night. They will have to do a check on Tuesday morning to satisfy Dometic and they have assured us that they will be here first thing in the morning so that we may hit the road.....we shall see. Cyndy

bstark · 08-29-2008, 04:57 PM

While this is somewhat off-topic it is germaine to the future of RV's. Teton is declaring that their trailers for '09" will be Dometic-free.

I guess at least one high end manufacturer of RV's has had enough of the crap that Dometic are building. Probably got tired of all the warranty wrangling!

berghild · 08-30-2008, 03:59 PM

well........we did get our rig back last night...minus one refer! the poor owner of the rv place says after this he is done with Dometic. the correct cooling unit was supplied to him...minus whatever it needed ( holes or whatever) for the ice maker and none of the holes for screws or whatever matched up.
I should have known we were in trouble when our experienced tech was not around when we arrived at 8 am. the guy that had made the mistake with our xantrex 3000 was in the unit in a flash. extended the slides and then triedcto shove the kitchen island out of the way. oops!
we arrived back there at 6 pm to find the same tech with the partially reassembled refer on our livingroom floor! He had been in there drilling and whatever all day....everything is covered in some kind of film.
they moved the thing out the door and swept up and sent us on our way and we were back in the park after dark. then things got ugly...somehow the faucet handle was bumped and in the open position...
so when hubby turned on the faucet the water ran all over the counter and down onto the floor ...thank heaven we have mostly linoleum but the carpet on the slide was drenched. luckily the ice maker line had a nut on it that was squirting water everywhere ..outside...and howard had run to turn off the hose. I did not discover the mess inside until later when I went in to extend the slides. grrr
Supposedly the owner and the tech are working on it now and we will be called to bring the rig in this afternoon so that they can install the refer back inside.
Lord knows, I would like to be done with Dometic also.
It's a long and meaningless post....but since you all have stuck it out with me so long, I thought I would relay our comedy of errors. I am past the point of crying or swearing....I just accept it.
Oh, one more thing...we were storing our food in a friends 5th wheel that she has put up for sale...the batteries went dead..the fridge went off the food in the refer spoiled and the freezer food deforosted....big cook out here tonight...wish you could all join us, we are having a mixture of Baja fish, bar-b-qued tri tip roast, t-bone steaks, and Elk patties! At least most of the food was underneath in the freezer in the storage compartment!
Hapy trails< Cyndy

bstark · 08-30-2008, 06:19 PM

Oh goodness me! I tune into this forum thinking I'm finally going to read a post relating some good news and the end is in sight for your woes. How can it possibly get any worse? They do the bench work of drilling and such INSIDE your rv??? That is just stupid! they should do the complete changeover to attaching the new cooling unit to the back of your fridge and put it through a full test run while still on the bench in the shop, that way if it still doesn't work they haven't wasted time and labour (and created double the mess) lugging it in and then out again. All they need is a 12volt souce, a 120volt source and for complete test, a 20lb propane tank with regulator so they can run it on both electric and propane to verify full cool down occurs before they send you down the road.

For sure they should have capped off the icemaker line, a golf tee stuck in there would have sufficed, good grief!

This stuff is not rocket science and it really pains me when they stumble along putting you through needless hardships. Knowing ahead of time that they were scheduled to perform this job they should have put themselves through a 'quasi-rehersal' of perhaps even writing down the steps as they should have happened and complete removal of unit should have been step one with isolating all power supply such as electric (both 120 and 12volt) and, most importantly, the gas and it then should have occurred to them that the water supply to the fridge would need capping off as well.

Please do not apologize for posting every installment as these issues and their outcome need to be made as public as possible.