Another refer not working

[tifspiff9]

Seeking out the wisdom as I have always received such great help here. Hoping soon the trials of new ownership will be past us. I've seen two other posts on refers not working recently and a bunch on much older (70s) refers not working but still none covering our situation.

We have a Dometic RM2862 in our 05 Safari. We noticed it stopped cooling when the produce started going bad. It lost all cooling and has been down for about six days. Here's what we know/have done:
- Threw out all food. Have jug of water in fridge, ice packs in freezer.
- There was a recall in 2008 for our model but it doesn't look like our serial # was involved. No idea if PO submitted for recall.
- We are plugged in to shore power. When I switch from AC to Gas using buttons, gas does seem to fire up.
- I have shut down all breakers on shore power and tested other items on same 12v fuse and those are functioning.
- I have unplugged from outlet in outside panel and tested with hair dryer and plug is working.
- Coils in back are not hot.
- I unplugged thermistor from control panel 18 hours ago. Heard a click when I unplugged it.
- There is/has been no ammonia smell and no yellow powder or residue anywhere.
- We are level and haven't moved the trailer since 12/28/14.

We still have no cooling at this point. It seems based on my research on here that our fridge should last a lot longer than 10 years. I am trying to troubleshoot with my Dad from afar and will be purchasing a multimeter tonight to test control board. (I know I should already have one but the newbie gene is still strong with this one.)

I saw a youtube video on replacing the cooling unit and that seemed quite overwhelming but I also don't want to fork out $1200 for a new refer if not necessary. Mobile RV techs seem limited in my area and I would prefer to try everything I can first before paying those trip fees.

Any and all wisdom and guidance is appreciated.

[adonh]

Have you tried switching for electric to propane or 12v if equipped. The electric heading element can go bad as an example but still work on propane.

[acstokes]

I suspect your heating element had gone bad, especially if you've never replaced it. You can test it by "straight wiring" it directly from your 120 VAC receptacle to the heating element leads.


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[Nomad518]

You've probably already done all of these, but it can't hurt to double check:

1. Turn your fridge completely off and check your propane tanks to be sure they have fuel. Fill the propane tanks if they're empty.
2. Make sure the main power switch for your trailer is not set to the "store" position.
3. Set your fridge to run on propane and turn it on. If it ignites, leave it alone for the better part of the day (it can take a half-day or more for these refrigerators to cool down when they are turned on).
4. Propane is often more effective than electric power when running your fridge. Start the fridge using propane and leave it closed for at least a half-day to see if it cools.
5. Keep a small thermometer in the fridge to get a temperature reading. Don't trust your hand to tell if the fridge is cooling or not.
6. When starting a fridge from the off position, the best way to tell if it's cooling down is to open the freezer section and feel the bottom of the freezer after the fridge has been on for several hours.
7. If the fridge is in the "on" position and it is not running, a "Check" light should illuminate on the control panel.
8. Make sure the "On/Off" button on the fridge hasn't been accidently turned off. I've done this a couple of times accidently.
9. When the fridge has been off for a long time, and the propane has also been off, it can take several attempts to ignite the starter on the fridge as the air in the propane line is replaced with propane fuel. It may take several attempts to get the fuel to the igniter and for the pilot light to ignite. You'll know if it fails to ignite when the "Check" light comes on and you no longer hear the ticking of the igniter. If this happens, turn the fridge off, then turn it back on to cycle through the ignition process again.

Good luck.

[tifspiff9]

Thank you all for responding.

We are definitely not in store mode. We have lived in the Airstream full-time since 1/1/15.

This is where my issue is different than the other posts I have seen. I have switched to LP. I hear it ignite but no cooling. I left it on LP for two days. No cooling, no check light. The panel lights all still function as does the interior fridge light. Our propane tanks are full.

Don and Fred, is the heating element electric only? I have no cooling whether on shore power or LP.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by tifspiff9

Any and all wisdom and guidance is appreciated.

The only words of wisdom I can offer were learned as a result of hurricane-related power outages at home.

Put a small plastic cup of water in your freezer. After it has completely frozen, put a penny on top. As long as your penny is always on top of the ice, your freezer has not thawed. But if you ever notice that the penny is inside the ice, you had a thaw and all of your frozen/refrigerated food will need to be discarded.

For an RV refrigerator where you're on the move, you can use an empty (and rinsed-out) tuna can instead of a plastic cup. Fill it about halfway with water, then freeze, and put the penny on top once it's fully frozen. The short-but-broad tuna can is a lot less likely to tip over while you're in motion. Plus in my case it's a better fit in my dinky little 3.1cf dorm-sized fridge's freezer.

[tifspiff9]

Thanks, Protagonist! That's something I will certainly do once I'm up and running again. Sounds a lot more pleasant than spoiled food alerting us.

[acstokes]

Tifspf9,

The heating element is electric only. I'm now beginning to suspect you have a bad thermistor. Reason is the thermistor affects both propane and electric. Again, try the straight wire method to rule out the heating element. Then try moving the thermistor position up and down on the refer fin. Leave it in each position 12 hours to see if it affects the temp.

Also, propane may come on, but that doesn't mean it's staying on. The thermistor acts as a thermostat and it may be turning your propane off and on before the refer reaches a cold temp.

Next, there's the control board to consider. Following the above tests and having replaced the thermistor, try replacing the control board with a Dinosaur brand one. Thus far you will be out about $45 for a heating element, $45 for a thermistor, and $100 for the control board all of which beats buying a new refer.



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[perryg114]

Hot wire it before buying a new control board. Remove the cover on the gas burner to see if it is actually lit when on gas.

Perry

[guskmg]

Check the electrical plug/socket/contact(s) on the circuit board by cleaning them with a rubber pencil eraser. Before you reconnect them be sure and smear come dielectric grease for electrical connections on them. Your problem may just be corroded connections. Dometic and others save money by not using gold contacts. Consequently, over time road film and/or atmospheric dirt creeps in adding to the corrosion.
Space "A"

[tifspiff9]

Thank you all of the suggestions. In trying to trace all the wires, when looking behind the metal housing in protecting the flame, I found the dreaded yellow powder that I had feared.

Now the debate is, new cooling unit (which is slightly intimidating to this here gal) or a whole new fridge. Obviously, the cost difference is huge but so is the margin for error.

Living without a fridge for two weeks now has put a dent in our bank account so decision needs to be quick. We're going to borrow a small dorm fridge to get by.

[dznf0g]

What the others have said. If the coils are hot and no cooling...I'd bet the cooling unit is bad. I've had them last as little as 4 years and had one still good at 22 years when sold.