31FS and 29KS A/C Thermostat Question

[TX_Arvee]

I have a 2012 - 31FS. My thermostat is mounted on the wall by the door. The wall it is on is the cabinet wall the refrigerator is in.
We have experienced the A/C running much longer than reguired, with avreage temps in the RV much lower than what the thermostat is set at. A/C can be set to 78 and the coach will average 72 and the unit continues to run...

What I discovered is that this cabinet or wall that surrounds the fridge gets pretty warm. We thought this was due to the window on the RV door. But that is not the case. The wall temps vary. When fridge is run on 110v the wall temps get up to almost 90 degrees in places. When the fridge is on LP, the wall has places that hit 100+ degrees.

So, when the RV is cool, and the A/C should be cycling nicely, the wall the thermostat is mounted on is causing the A/C to run based on radiant heat being generated from the Fridge... This does not seem right to me.

Does anyone with a 31FS or a 29KS have this issue? Is this heat coming from the fridge normal? If so, Do these temp ranges seem normal?
I am thinking I need to move the thermostat away from this heat source.

Temps taken with a Fluke IR temp gun. All temps taken after RV was cooled down and plugged in for 6 hours and after dark.

[bgermane]

We discovered the same problem. Conversely, you have to set the t-stat to a much higher temp than desired when trying to heat. I've been wondering about the possibility of relocating it. One of many items on the list when it finally gets out of service.

[TX_Arvee]

I am going to take it off the wall and place a piece of insulating foam behind it in the mean time. I emailed Jayco (Vinh Le) to get a recommendation.
If left there, a piece is needed to isolate it from the radiated heat. This is just bad placement of the Thermostat..

[PUG.MOM]

I have the same problem. I placed a thermometer on the cabinet wall across from the refrig and it registers 3 to 4 degrees lower than the thermostat. Please let us know what you hear from Jayco.

[TX_Arvee]

Vinh is forwarding my email to the engineering group at Jayco to get there opinion. He says he has not heard of this. However, after 4 days of keeping track of it, I have pretty much decided to move the thermostat to about 10" towards the centerline of the coach from it's current location. The area it is mounted at sees various temperature spikes, all depending on the status of the fridge. Over night it operates close to normal, as the fridge is at its most stable temp and not cycling to cool. But as soon as the fridge kicks into gear, the wall heats up and starts affecting the a/c function.

I isolated the thermostat from th ewall with a few squares cut from an old windshield sun blocker (foiled insulation about 3/16" thick). This helped but due to the holes I had to cut in it to slide it in place, heat was geting through.

My opinion is it needs to be moved. Leaving me with a hole in the wall to cover. It will be interesting to get Jayco's advice.

If you are having this same problem please e-mail service@jayco.com and note to forward to Vinh Le with a subject of "A/C Thermostat Issue"

[TX_Arvee]

Vinh responded today that they believe the refrigerator should be pulled and an insulating panel be put in place to keep the keep from transferring through this wall (skin) to the thermostat. This in lieu of relocating an causing there to be a hole to repair and/or cover up.

Being that a reputable Jayco service center is 6 hours away, I will probably be relocating the thermostat and hanging a miniture deer head over the hole left behind.