Fridge won't work on electricity or propane

[Wabbiteer]

Remember low voltage DC can be fickle in old wiring - stop & start working from temperature or humidity changes or vibration even when things look mechanically correct. If you are adding a new ground strap, lift the old one and tape off the controls area end to stay in code compliance. (primary ground in one place)

[jhenschen]

Originally Posted by Shacksman

Try putting a wire from the negative battery to the frame.

I bet that's it! I'm going to try that this afternoon when I get a chance. Thanks.

[jhenschen]

Originally Posted by jhenschen

I bet that's it! I'm going to try that this afternoon when I get a chance. Thanks.

That ground wire was my problem. There was actually a wire that was tucked away back inside that the PO must've disconnected when it was in storage, which is actually a good idea to keep any vampire items in check. Thanks for the help!

[jhenschen]

Okay, so now we skip forward a couple of years. Last summer we decided to park it at KOA. We used to never camp for more that 2 nights so I never noticed this problem.

What I'm seeing now is that the fridge is either off or it freezes everything. I experimented all last summer and fall trying to see if there was a happy medium somewhere on the dial, but no luck. I assume it's the thermostat. I found a PDF with maintenance for my model - MA52a - but none of the diagrams seemed to match my model exactly, and having contacted Dometic, they don't even recognize the model number. Finding parts is unlikely.

SO! Are there problems with installing what I'd call a "dorm fridge" in it's place? Just a smaller compact fridge that I'd plug into an outlet. While we won't be taking the trailer anywhere, I'd secure it thoroughly. I'm sure there are problems with doing this, but I can't think of what they'd be.

Thanks for any advice.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by jhenschen

SO! Are there problems with installing what I'd call a "dorm fridge" in it's place? Just a smaller compact fridge that I'd plug into an outlet. While we won't be taking the trailer anywhere, I'd secure it thoroughly. I'm sure there are problems with doing this, but I can't think of what they'd be.

I know some people that have done that, and it works fine as long as you are always going to camp with electricity available.

[Aage]

Originally Posted by Skater

I know some people that have done that, and it works fine as long as you are always going to camp with electricity available.

And as long as the noise of the compressor coming on and off all night long doesn't bother you...

[arodriguez60]

On your fridge there are two thermistats. one for the gas valve and one for the elect. The one for the gas when malfunctioning generally will freeze everything. The electric will usually not let the current go to the heating element.

[dcheshire]

One last consideration before you buy a dorm fridge. It will likely hurt your resale. LP fridges are spendy, but the next person you sell to might like to dry camp. I turned down a couple of units when I was shopping because they had pulled the LP fridge out and put in a 110V only fridge.

If you're going to keep it forever and don't care, then do whatever works for your family

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by dcheshire

One last consideration before you buy a dorm fridge. It will likely hurt your resale. LP fridges are spendy, but the next person you sell to might like to dry camp. I turned down a couple of units when I was shopping because they had pulled the LP fridge out and put in a 110V only fridge.

If you're going to keep it forever and don't care, then do whatever works for your family

Those numbers do balance out in the end. I'm looking for a very particular plan, vintage, and I find it's pretty common for them to have been swapped to the cheap dorm fridge. My approach is to get some money knocked off the asking price, unless they've started at a realistic asking price. (One I looked at was probably 80% higher than a realistic price, had a dorm fridge and some hokey jury-rigging with the umbilical/brakes/running lights. Even pointing this out to the seller elicited no more than a 2% reduction. He apparently is still trying to sell it.)

My point is, if you're never going to use it for traveling, you'll save about $1k going with the dorm fridge, but expect to lose that $1k on resale unless you find one of Mr. Barnum's favorite people as a buyer.

Oh, and do *NOT* remove/destroy the venting system for the RV fridge. That would be a deal-killer, you'd have to find someone who's either totally green or is OK with keeping the dorm fridge forever.

[Ronman]

I know this is a bit off topic. I am having issues with cooling while traveling. We bring the AS home and turn everything on. Fridge is cooling just fine. We get to our destination and the fridge has stopped working, and things are thawing in the freezer. What am I doing wrong??

[jhenschen]

Originally Posted by Ronman

I know this is a bit off topic. I am having issues with cooling while traveling. We bring the AS home and turn everything on. Fridge is cooling just fine. We get to our destination and the fridge has stopped working, and things are thawing in the freezer. What am I doing wrong??

Could be, from my experience, is that when it's on your driveway, and even while traveling, it's level. Leveling while camping is apparently VERY important to the original equipment refrigerators. I had a lot of problems with this until I took very careful measurements to ensure that the trailer was perfectly level. Once I got it perfectly level, the fridge worked.

[Phoenix]

Ronman,

Your propane burner may be blowing out while on the road. A couple of years ago, Dometic had a factory recall to install a protective shield near the burner area. However, I installed an air conditioner filter in the lower refrigerator vent door, to protect the flame from blowing out. Basically, the filter is just centered over the opening; then, the door is shut on it to hold it in place. I have since installed two of the retainer springs from a discarded Camco step rug, strung in an X-pattern between the metal louvers, to hold the filter against the inside of the lower refrigerator vent door.

Air conditioning filter: Duck Foam Air Conditioner Filter: Heating, Cooling, & Air Quality : Walmart.com

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Additional refrigerator tips:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...ml#post1471925

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f516...ml#post1329135

[Ronman]

JHENSCHEN, I try to keep it level in the driveway and have no problems. It's just travelling to the destination when things get sideways. Phoenix, Good tip. I will look into all of the above!
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