Help! Domestic refrigerator not cooling.

[NWRVR]

We are getting ready for a 16 day trip and after plugging in the AS and starting the refrigerator it stopped cooling after the first 24 hours. The first morning after starting the refrigerator it showed 32 deg so I dropped the setting from 5 to 3. All the while this is going on I installed a fan at the top of the vent with a 130 deg thermostat switch on the second tube. I also installed an internal circulation fan clipped to the refrigerator condenser fins. This morning the refrigerator temp was 40 and it climed during the day to 55. The freezer is minus 2 deg. The ambient temp was 73. Late this afternoon I switched to propane and the temp started to drop about one deg an hour. We are scheduled to leave in the AM. Is there anything that I can do if the temp isn't 40 or lower in the morning?

[mimiandrews]

I'm assuming priorities in this order:
1. Save the trip.
2. Fix the fridge.

If the fridge runs properly on propane, run on propane for your upcoming trip. If it does not, you can always use an ice chest and pretend you're tent camping.

When you have a day or so to troubleshoot the problem, see if the fridge will run on electric. A heating element failure would explain the symptoms you described. If you have access to the wires at the back of the fridge, disconnect the heating element and measure ohms across the two wires. There should be some resistance, but not a lot, if the element is good and infinity if it has burned out.

If the heating element checks good, there are thermostat issues possible that are beyond my knowledge and experience.

Best of luck.

[KJRitchie]

What happens when you put the setting back to 5 and using electricity?

Adding the fans which are 12v shouldn't have caused the 110v issue but its always advisable to turn of the power when performing any electrical work behind the fridge. I'm assuming you ran and power lead from the internal fan through the fridge's thermistor access hole and connected both fans power to the plastic 12v block at the base of the fridge accessible from the lower vent.

How long ago did you run the fridge on 110v and was it working correctly? My fridge when set to 3 seems to top out at 40 deg F and if the day is warm it will climb but not to over 50F.

Here is a youTube video showing replacement of the heating element. There is a fuse in the motherboard that may be blown too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KMHamcidMo

Good luck.

Kelvin

[Gringo]

You were doing some work in that area recently, right?

Rule # 1:
It's Always Connectors.

[NWRVR]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

What happens when you put the setting back to 5 and using electricity?

Adding the fans which are 12v shouldn't have caused the 110v issue but its always advisable to turn of the power when performing any electrical work behind the fridge. I'm assuming you ran and power lead from the internal fan through the fridge's thermistor access hole and connected both fans power to the plastic 12v block at the base of the fridge accessible from the lower vent.

How long ago did you run the fridge on 110v and was it working correctly? My fridge when set to 3 seems to top out at 40 deg F and if the day is warm it will climb but not to over 50F.

Here is a youTube video showing replacement of the heating element. There is a fuse in the motherboard that may be blown too.

Good luck.

Kelvin

Thanks to all for the quick responses. This morning the temp is 45 but with an inferred probe it shows 39 and freezer -2. When I put the setting back to 5 on elect the temp continued to climb until I switched to propane yesterday. The power lead for the internal fan is powered by the internal light and all that works. The ambient temp this morning is 57 and the tubes where the thermostat for the external fan is attached is only 110 deg. Shouldn't it be warmer than that?

Are there any thermostats in the upper area of condenser fins. If so, maybe I dislodged it when fishing the outside roof vent power wires to the fan at the top of the vent??? Thanks for the video!

[NWRVR]

Does it make any difference where the internal fans are located? I have mine on the right side near where the thermostat is clipped to the fins thinking (thinking is where I probably went wrong) that the fans would draw the cold air from near the thermostat where it would be reading the average temp of the whole refrigerator.

[Al and Missy]

I think the fridge's temperature sensor is clipped onto the fins somewhere. Did that get disturbed in any way? Probably would affect the fridge the same on AC and propane, but thought I'd ask.

If the freezer is below 0, the system would seem to be working correctly. I wonder if the internal fan on the (you said condenser, but isn't that the evaporator?) hasn't thrown everything out of whack. Try taking that off.


Al

[ijustlee]

I'd check to see if the fans are somehow back feeding the light bulb or the bulb is stuck on and adding heat to the fridge. It sounds like the freezer compartment is OK but the food box has too much heat. Also is the fridge level? Could the new inside fan motor be adding heat to the box? Door gasket not sealing? The cooling unit is partially working and it's hard to track down the thing that's a little out of wack. Something is not quite right and if the problem started right after you made some change odds are good that what you did threw the system out of balance.

[CabinCruiser]

Assuming your fan is not coming on in the back of the fridge, like ours didn't, you can prop open the exterior vent doors. We initially used a stick then upgraded to a piece of PVC pipe. May not be high tech ultimate fix but does lower the temperature.

[Phoenix]

From other discussion threads related to refrigerator problems, the most likely causes (not already addressed in this thread) are:

• Light stays on when refrigerator door is closed, due to door misalignment. (Light puts out a lot of heat.)
  
  
• Door gaskets do not seal properly, due to door misalignment or damaged gasket.
  
  
• Clogged propane-burner/electric-heater flue.
  
  
• Clogged burner orifice.
  
  
• Low propane regulator pressure.

Also, as others have questioned, did you wire the new fan that you added, in parallel to the refrigerator compartment light, and wire the light and fan to run continuously? If the light is on all the time, that would heat up the refrigerator compartment.

[KJRitchie]

The thermistor sensor should be on the last fin closest to the wall. The higher up on the fin the longer the cooling will take place. I've got one of those evaporator fans and I have it located in the middle of the evaporator fins. Since the fridge seems to work OK on propane the heating element may not be getting hot enough. The flue should be hot to touch, not enough to burn you. Unplug shore power, turn battery disconnect to Store. Pop the circuit board cover, inspect the fuse, pull the leads for the heating element and test the Ohms.

Kelvin

[NWRVR]

Ok, from all suggestions: We are on the road and camped for the night. Refrigerator at 42 deg. Light turns off when door closes, turned internal fan off, but back to 110 with auto function on. My thermostat is on the last fin to the left at the highest point so we shall see in the morning if we have a box of spoiled food or a functioning refrigerator.

[NWRVR]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

From other discussion threads related to refrigerator problems, the most likely causes (not already addressed in this thread) are:

• Light stays on when refrigerator door is closed, due to door misalignment. (Light puts out a lot of heat.)
  
  
• Door gaskets do not seal properly, due to door misalignment or damaged gasket.
  
  
• Clogged propane-burner/electric-heater flue.
  
  
• Clogged burner orifice.
  
  
• Low propane regulator pressure.

Also, as others have questioned, did you wire the new fan that you added, in parallel to the refrigerator compartment light, and wire the light and fan to run continuously? If the light is on all the time, that would heat up the refrigerator compartment.

Light goes off according to door switch.
All other points appear to be negative.

[NWRVR]

This morning temp display shows 42 degrees, but using the infrared temp probe it is reading international temperature of 37 degrees so all is well. Panic over, thank you all for responding and helping.
Steve & Patsy

[KJRitchie]

You still on setting 3? I haven't been able to figure out where the fridge's displayed temperature gets its reading from. I don't see a sensor unless it gets it from the thermistor. I've put in a wireless thermometer temperature sensor in the middle of the fridge to compare. Sometimes they are equal and other times the fridge displayed temperature is higher vs the wireless thermostat by a few degrees. Our last two week trip in August we didn't have any food spoilage and the lettuce we started with at the beginning of the trip was still good at the end of the trip. Nothing defrosted in the freezer. We took too much food and returned a lot of the frozen food back to the house fridge upon return.

Kelvin

[NWRVR]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

You still on setting 3? I haven't been able to figure out where the fridge's displayed temperature gets its reading from. I don't see a sensor unless it gets it from the thermistor. I've put in a wireless thermometer temperature sensor in the middle of the fridge to compare. Sometimes they are equal and other times the fridge displayed temperature is higher vs the wireless thermostat by a few degrees. Our last two week trip in August we didn't have any food spoilage and the lettuce we started with at the beginning of the trip was still good at the end of the trip. Nothing defrosted in the freezer. We took too much food and returned a lot of the frozen food back to the house fridge upon return.

Kelvin

Just noticed spell check changed internal to international. Good question, i am back on 5 setting for past two days. I don't know where the digital readout gets its temp data from either, does anyone have an idea?

Mine is obviously erroneous as I have checked internal temp with the infrared probe at various times today and where the refer display shows 42-43 the hand held on the wall shows 37 and on food 39.