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Trae and Ann · 07-11-2018, 03:46 PM

Great set up!! I love the idea of its portability too. Something we may consider down the road, just not quite ready to spend the money. I really think you have a winner with this one

Glampman · 07-11-2018, 07:44 PM

Good Evening Basecamp Forum!

Yes, please include my Basecamp story into the refer-madness! Of course my refer doesn't get safely cool at any temperature on propane or on electricity....It only gets coolish....

I just bought the little battery operated fan for the inside of the refer and will test it this weekend....but something tells me I am going to keep tugging my Igloo cooler around in my $37,000 2018 Basecamp from Airstream because they don't appear to be wanting to make any changes and I am reluctant to put another $1000 into it (it is a matter of principle, or stupid and stubborn pride). Having the cooler on the floor eats up that tiny space, but beats salmonella I suppose.

See you in the forum!

Glampman

TracieW · 07-12-2018, 08:38 AM

Hi all, I may have a simple fix!

I have a 2017 Basecamp and I've been so frustrated with the refrigerator not cooling on gas and our food spoiling.

I had the fix of installing the extra fan and it didn't make any difference.

I called Airstream yesterday and talked to a tech and I think he may have solved the problem.

Usually when we go out we plug or Airstream in about 24 hours and turn on the refrigerator before we leave for a trip. I was assuming since the refrigerator was set to Auto that it would automatically switch to the gas. Well according to the tech the refrigerator may not be switching to the gas when we unplug... maybe the auto button is not working or the refrigerator is only checking for electric or gas when you turn it on. So when we unplugged, it wasn't switching to gas and it was turning off. The freezer would stay cool probably because its enclosed with it's own door.

The tech said to manually take it off auto and put it on gas and then it will switch to the gas. I did a test last night on gas only and the refrigerator section was the coldest it has ever been. It got down to 30 deg.

I hope this simple fix works but still need to test it on a hot day.

rowiebowie · 07-12-2018, 09:01 AM

Welcome to the Forum TracieW!

Great first post. Seems too easy to be the problem, but lets see what other basecamper's say. I'm watching with interest.

YoungishJedi · 07-12-2018, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracieW

The tech said to manually take it off auto and put it on gas and then it will switch to the gas. I did a test last night on gas only and the refrigerator section was the coldest it has ever been. It got down to 30 deg.

We live in the SW and are picking ours up from storage on Saturday to prep for a trip the following week. Already I was planning on getting the fridge down to temp on electric and testing everything. With this new information I'll add this to the testing as well. <crosses fingers>

MrKenmore · 07-18-2018, 10:59 AM

Very nice work Roc. Quite impressive. I am terrified to open up and see what is going on behind the fridge because I know with 100% certainty water drains from the front directly onto the top Dometic vent. There should be a small gutter to redirect the water. Any pics from the inside?

OTRA15 · 07-29-2018, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracieW

Hi all, I may have a simple fix!
. . .
I hope this simple fix works but still need to test it on a hot day.

Wondering if you have had a chance to test your fix during a hot spell?

Thanks,

Peter

ToddA · 07-29-2018, 11:30 PM

My fridge also doesn’t work on propane and I’ve had the recall work (additional fan etc) done by my dealer. It does work fine on shore power.

mpa90 · 07-31-2018, 10:10 AM

TracieW, I tried your fix this weekend and our fridge stayed cool on propane all weekend. I should note that we were camping along the coast where the high only reached 70 degrees at most so I'll have to try it again next time.

swakyaby · 08-03-2018, 01:13 PM

Went on a 4 day trip last week to the coast. During our 7 hour drive, temps started at 98 degrees, reached a high of 111 degrees, then dropped to 65 degrees once we reached the coastline. So it was mostly triple digits during our drive. We let the fridge run on propane due to the heat and duration of the drive. On arrival, our milk and yogurt and cooked meats were cool/cold enough. We then plugged in to shore power. When I checked our vegetables the next day, the fridge had frozen our baby carrots and our green beans (overnight outdoor temps were 60 degrees). Nothing spoiled or went sour during our 4 days.

So while the our fridge does cool, it struggles during the heat and overchills during the cold weather.

MrKenmore · 08-04-2018, 08:05 AM

Carrots and snap peas always seem to freeze first!

TracieW · 08-06-2018, 08:55 PM

I tested my Basecamp in my driveway today. High today was 90 deg. and the coldest the refrigerator got was 45 deg.

OTRA15 · 08-08-2018, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trae and Ann

. . .
. . . What is the odds of this LAST thing finally getting resolved?

Wondering if you could give us an update on your fridge, and whether the dealer was able to give you satisfaction?

Thanks,

Peter

OTRA15 · 08-08-2018, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracieW

I tested my Basecamp in my driveway today. High today was 90 deg. and the coldest the refrigerator got was 45 deg.

Thanks for the updated report!

Will you be taking your BC back to the dealer for a fix?

Peter

OTRA15 · 08-08-2018, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToddA

My fridge also doesn’t work on propane and I’ve had the recall work (additional fan etc) done by my dealer. It does work fine on shore power.

Thanks for this report. Is your dealer going to fix the fridge?

AirstreamInc · 08-08-2018, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracieW

I tested my Basecamp in my driveway today. High today was 90 deg. and the coldest the refrigerator got was 45 deg.

Hi TracieW,

If assistance is needed, please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

OTRA15 · 08-16-2018, 12:12 PM

Would you all please update us on the operation of your Basecamp fridge, while it is sitting in direct sun in hot weather?

Thanks,

Peter

PS -- To go directly to these posts, click on the orange arrow inside of each quote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracieW

Hi all, I may have a simple fix!
. . .
I hope this simple fix works but still need to test it on a hot day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by YoungishJedi

. . .
With this new information I'll add this to the testing as well.
. . .

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToddA

My fridge also doesn’t work on propane and I’ve had the recall work (additional fan etc) done by my dealer. It does work fine on shore power.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpa90

TracieW, I tried your fix this weekend and our fridge stayed cool on propane all weekend. I should note that we were camping along the coast where the high only reached 70 degrees at most so I'll have to try it again next time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swakyaby

. . .
So while the our fridge does cool, it struggles during the heat and overchills during the cold weather.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracieW

I tested my Basecamp in my driveway today. High today was 90 deg. and the coldest the refrigerator got was 45 deg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trae and Ann

. . .
What is the odds of this LAST thing finally getting resolved?

MrKenmore · 09-01-2018, 05:44 PM

I am working on a fix to the fridge fan TSB. I have found the original 92MM fridge fan and the 120MM added fan as part of the TSB go on and off too frequently. I would much rather prefer the fans are either running or not. Not cylcling constantly which is annoying. I plan on installing a three position switch where the fans are either on via the temp sensor, off, or on constantly. Based on what I removed today, I think I will be upgrading the fans for new ones that are more quiet. While I was undergoing my exploratory work, I decided to correct a design deficiency that always bothered me. The Dometic air grille and frame are not installed correctly from the factory. The grille frame has seven screw holes to secure and compress the gasket to make a good seal. AS did not make use of these. They simply used four screws through the frame offering no way to properly compress the gasket. I noticed there was certainly some water infiltration due to this. My fix was to add 1" aluminum angle which allowed for the use of 8-32 machine screws to properly secure the frame and compress the gasket. The other silly thing about the TSB work was that the new 120MM fan was positioned in the center where there are no vents. It really should have been set to one side. It was also not isolated for vibration which also contributed to the noise.

OTRA15 · 09-02-2018, 06:04 AM

Thanks for the update! Interesting that the seven BC owners quoted in Post #397 have not updated us. They should have received emails, alerting them about being quoted, over two weeks ago.

Maybe they have been asked to stay quiet? Or are just busy camping!

Happy Trails,

Peter

hopmonster · 09-02-2018, 10:06 AM

Just brought ours home...it allegedly has fan fix. Not cooling at all...sitting at 21degrees for 36hours now on shore power. Though I didn't hear fan run once while sleeping in it...so maybe it's not fixed or done improperly?

My BC has also developed the front end leak....and the tent was stained right out of the box (LOL)

Thinking of taking it back to CanAm...delivery was not a very organized process.

Maybe I should cancel the sale of my 1977