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Old 03-30-2020, 12:11 PM   #1
FPT
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3-Way Fridge Not Running On Battery

2020 Globetrotter 23FBT with 3way fridge. I have my tow vehicle connected and can’t get the refrigerator to run off of battery. The battery and fault buttons blink red when I switch to battery. Any ideas?
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Old 03-30-2020, 02:59 PM   #2
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2020 Globetrotter 23FBT with 3way fridge. I have my tow vehicle connected and can’t get the refrigerator to run off of battery. The battery and fault buttons blink red when I switch to battery. Any ideas?


I recommend you test your battery voltage using a voltmeter.
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Old 03-30-2020, 04:16 PM   #3
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3-Way Fridge Not Running On Battery

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Originally Posted by TouringDan View Post
I recommend you test your battery voltage using a voltmeter.


I measured while connected to the tow vehicle and tow vehicle running.

Sunexplorer II measures 14.1
Seelevel measures 14.1
Voltmeter on batteries measures 14.01

There is no change in volts if the refrigerator is off or running battery mode.

Also, here is photo of the outside compartment. There is a wire that looks to go no where and is covered in electrical tape.
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Old 03-30-2020, 09:10 PM   #4
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I measured while connected to the tow vehicle and tow vehicle running.

Sunexplorer II measures 14.1
Seelevel measures 14.1
Voltmeter on batteries measures 14.01

There is no change in volts if the refrigerator is off or running battery mode.

Also, here is photo of the outside compartment. There is a wire that looks to go no where and is covered in electrical tape.


Since you have 14v at the battery, I would call the refrigerator manufacturer, and talk to their tech support.

Does the fridge work on 120v or on propane?

Dan
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Old 03-31-2020, 02:10 AM   #5
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Quote:
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Since you have 14v at the battery, I would call the refrigerator manufacturer, and talk to their tech support.

Does the fridge work on 120v or on propane?

Dan


Yes, works fine on propane and 120v.
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Old 03-31-2020, 05:25 AM   #6
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I am not 100% sure mine ever works on battery. I know it runs fine on propane and electric. I always have it on automatic. I don’t think I’ve ever checked it with the truck engine running. It always goes right to propane when I unplug.
If it’s flashing, press and hold the triangle flashing button on the far right. That resets the alarm. Mine wouldn’t run on propane when we first got it. I thought I had a bad control board, until someone explained the reset/alarm button to me.
Hope you get it worked out.
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Old 03-31-2020, 10:34 AM   #7
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I am not 100% sure mine ever works on battery. I know it runs fine on propane and electric. I always have it on automatic. I don’t think I’ve ever checked it with the truck engine running. It always goes right to propane when I unplug.
If it’s flashing, press and hold the triangle flashing button on the far right. That resets the alarm. Mine wouldn’t run on propane when we first got it. I thought I had a bad control board, until someone explained the reset/alarm button to me.
Hope you get it worked out.


Thanks, I was hopeful that the reset would work, but no luck. I will probably never use the battery function but would like to make sure everything is working.
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Old 03-31-2020, 10:38 AM   #8
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3-Way Fridge Not Running On Battery

Does anyone else have a Dometic RMD8555 that they could post a photo of the outside compartment? I’m curious about this stray wire.
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Old 03-31-2020, 03:04 PM   #9
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Have you tried flipping the store /use switch?Happened to me one time.
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Old 03-31-2020, 03:15 PM   #10
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Have 2018 globetrotter I hook up while the truck is running set the switch to battery works great. Will stay on battery until I shut off the truck.
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Old 03-31-2020, 03:16 PM   #11
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Sorry forgot
Have the dealer fix it.
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Old 03-31-2020, 03:22 PM   #12
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Attached is my picture. Hard to see where all my wires run since they are behind that container. I didn’t see a loose wire. However, I have an orange wire connected to the buss bar in a middle connection and your orange wire is mounted at the top. They have some labels to indicate what should be connected where but they don’t really line up with anything.
For what it’s worth I can manually select to use the battery while towing but it will not automatically do it.
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Old 04-01-2020, 08:59 AM   #13
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[QUOTE=Dollie;2346414]Have 2018 globetrotter I hook up while the truck is running set the switch to battery works great. Will stay on battery until I shut off the truck.[/QUOTE.


I think that this is the key. The fridge runs on the 12 volt charge line from your tow vehicle. It does not run off your house battery. If it did, the battery would be dead in minutes.
Hook your trailer up to your tow vehicle and start the engine. Then see if the fridge will switch to 12 volts.

Cheers,

John
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Old 04-02-2020, 10:01 AM   #14
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The photo helps a lot but the wire colors don’t seem to match up. Thanks for posting that. Guess I’ll be making a stop at the dealership after the world is done coming to an end.
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Old 04-02-2020, 10:04 AM   #15
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Thanks for other suggestions as well. No luck toggling the store/use switch and I’m hooked up to the tow vehicle while trying to switch the fridge to battery.
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Old 04-02-2020, 01:50 PM   #16
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FPT

I have a 2019 27' GT with the Dometic 8555 refrigerator. You do not need to be hooked up to your TV to run the refer on 12 volt, it is powered by the trailers batteries. Your TV keeps the batteries charged.

The manual states that if the 12v led and the fault led on the control panel are both flashing the refer either has no 12v supply (blown fuse?) or the supplied voltage is to low. On my GT there are 12v fuses in the panel below my refer but none of the fuses are labeled "refrigerator" so it is either mislabeled or the fuse is in some other location.

My wiring is the same as GOUSC's, not like yours. I would use a multimeter on the wires on the right side of then connector block to see if any read 12 volts. I do not have the "extra wire" in your photo in the wire loom entering the refrigerator compartment.

I would also send the pic you took Airstream tech support and ask them what's up with the different wiring and ask where the fuse is located. PM me if you want a copy of picture of my wiring. Note the black jumper wire missing from your set up.

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Good luck let us know what happens.

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Old 04-02-2020, 07:01 PM   #17
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Thanks, I’ll fire off an email to Airstream, Dometic and my dealer and update this thread on what I find out.
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Old 04-03-2020, 05:58 AM   #18
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The D+ terminal is an optional input signal intended to be wired to the alternator on motor coaches. With that signal connected the refrigerator will automatically switch to 12V when ever the alternator is providing voltage. Without it connected, your refrigerator has no way to detect that your tow vehicle is present so you must manually switch it to 12V.

As another poster indicated it was probably a coincidence you have a fault unrelated to the fact you had the tow vehicle connected. You didn't indicate clearly if you have ever had it successfully running in 12V mode. So as suggested clear the fault and try 12V mode again, since you don't have the +12D wired you will not need the tow vehicle.

I looked at the online Manual (search for it), it also describes the need to clear the fault before you can select 12V again.

It would be nice for you to run the refrigerator on 12V while towing. It draws 10-14A while cooling and about 1 Amp when resting so it will consume power from the batteries pretty quickly while running. Don't use the battery only to cool the refrigerator and once cold and fairly full, if you don't open the door, you could go 12-18 hours on batteries with no trouble.
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Old 04-03-2020, 08:02 AM   #19
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2020 Globetrotter 23FBT with 3way fridge. I have my tow vehicle connected and can’t get the refrigerator to run off of battery. The battery and fault buttons blink red when I switch to battery. Any ideas?
Hi FPT,*

Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can learn more and 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*customersupport@airstream.com

Thank you.*
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Old 04-04-2020, 03:35 PM   #20
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Unfortunately, clearing the fault does not permanently fix the problem.
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