Possible refrigerator issue

JE78 · 07-16-2018, 11:23 AM

2018 x17z. We got home yesterday from a 3 day camping trip. The entire time we were gone the fridge was fine. Get home, open up the camper, hose it off, let it dry, close it up, while i'm closing up the bunks I notice the hose that releases the moisture from the fridge is leaking a lot, there was a pretty good size puddle on the ground, we've never had that before after camping. The fridge was still on as we had food and drinks in it, the camper was connected to the house electric. I go into the camper and check the fridge, it was not very cold, all the drinks had condensation on them and some of the food was starting to thaw. From what I could tell the fridge was running, I could hear it but it wasn't getting very cold. I shut it down, and removed everything but i'm a bit worried something is wrong with the fridge. The fridge has been on pretty much nonstop since June 22nd as we've had trip after trip since then and didn't see a reason to shut it down. The fridge as been on electric unless it was in transit to a site or our house. The camper is level in my driveway so i'm not sure what else to try. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. I'm going to turn it back on when I get home from work tonight and see its any better, if not I'll be calling the dealership.

oldmanAZ · 07-16-2018, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JE78

snip...

The fridge was still on as we had food and drinks in it, the camper was connected to the house electric. I go into the camper and check the fridge, it was not very cold, all the drinks had condensation on them and some of the food was starting to thaw. From what I could tell the fridge was running, I could hear it but it wasn't getting very cold.
...snip

A couple of things...
- I don't recall hearing anything from our fridge when it is on electric.
- Was the breaker switched off so the fridge wasn't really on?
- Check the seals and be sure the the door(s) close tight. Moisture from the outside gets in through a seal problem or the door being opened.

Hope it helps.

JE78 · 07-16-2018, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

A couple of things...
- I don't recall hearing anything from our fridge when it is on electric.
- Was the breaker switched off so the fridge wasn't really on?
- Check the seals and be sure the the door(s) close tight. Moisture from the outside gets in through a seal problem or the door being opened.

Hope it helps.

I did check the breaker but not the fuse but since the lights and everything are the same fuse/breaker and the lights were working I'm going to assume the fuse was good. I didn't hear anything from the inside of the fridge but when outside, there's a plastic guard that you can take off that's the back of the fridge and I could hear it running there. Doors seem fine, there's a very loud click when it's shut, the camper is only a few months old so not much wear on it.

hoppers4 · 07-16-2018, 01:51 PM

Every couple of days the fridge shuts down to defrost. I turn my fridge off and on every day to prevent the defrost cycle. If you just turn it back on now, it'll work.

jimovernon · 07-16-2018, 05:47 PM

I had something similar. Fridge was working great all week then not real cold and a lot of frost developed in freezer. A slightly long wine bottle had been put on the bottom shelf causing the bottom half of the door not seal well.

nisbitch · 07-16-2018, 06:53 PM

I had the same problem. DW had too much food in the fridge that caused the bottom part of the door to not seal properly. A little Tetris with the food and the door seals correctly. That’s where I’d start.

2edgesword · 07-16-2018, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nisbitch

I had the same problem. DW had too much food in the fridge that caused the bottom part of the door to not seal properly. A little Tetris with the food and the door seals correctly. That’s where I’d start.

Your wife must pack the frig like my wife does. I ask her at the end of every trip why I'm carrying so much food back into the house.

JE78 · 07-16-2018, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppers4

Every couple of days the fridge shuts down to defrost. I turn my fridge off and on every day to prevent the defrost cycle. If you just turn it back on now, it'll work.

Thanks Don! I hope that's what its doing but like I said, I've never seen it do it and the fridge has been on for almost a month until yesterday.

I don't believe it was something keeping the door open. The fridge wasn't that full. I guess something could've been keeping it open but I checked and all looked good.

JE78 · 07-16-2018, 09:28 PM

We'll I just went and checked it. It's been on since this morning and it's barely cold and it's still defrosting. There's a few things in the freezer and 2 bottles of water barely cold that my finger prints don't show. Starting to get worried the fridge is going bad. I flipped a few brakers and pulled the power from the house and plugged it back in. I'll check in the morning and see if there's any improvement.

tcanthonyii · 07-16-2018, 10:03 PM

Check the vent stack and make sure the fins are cleaned if debris. Mine had a lot of cotton stuck to the cooking fins. Also add some fans. Makes a huge difference.

hoppers4 · 07-17-2018, 06:59 AM

You're right about there being a failure somewhere. Have you tried running the fridge on propane? Perhaps something failed on the electrical side of the fridge, like the heater element. It could also be a failed control board. If there's a mobile RV repair outfit in your area, they could come take a look at it and determine what's failed.

Worst of worst, would be if the fridge has been run off level for a while and the cooling unit has plugged up.

JE78 · 07-17-2018, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppers4

You're right about there being a failure somewhere. Have you tried running the fridge on propane? Perhaps something failed on the electrical side of the fridge, like the heater element. It could also be a failed control board. If there's a mobile RV repair outfit in your area, they could come take a look at it and determine what's failed.

Worst of worst, would be if the fridge has been run off level for a while and the cooling unit has plugged up.

I put a thermometer in the fridge before I left for work this morning, let it sit for about 30 minutes, when I left for work I checked it and it was showing 55 degrees. It was colder this morning than it was last night so we'll see if it continues to drop. I have not tried the fridge on gas yet. That was going to be my next move. The fridge has been level the entire time we had it. A few weeks ago when we were leaving a site we had to park on the angle for about 5 minutes but I don't think that would be enough to do anything. Plus like I said were out last weekend with it and everything was fine.

hoppers4 · 07-17-2018, 08:34 AM

You're OK with off level for 5 minutes. It's my recollection that any period off level for over 30 minutes can create a problem with the cooling unit.

Quote from fridge documentation: "The refrigerator is made to operate within 3° off level side-to-side and 6° off level front-to-back (as looking at the front of the refrigerator)." Which is actually quite a lot of leeway.

JE78 · 07-17-2018, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppers4

You're OK with off level for 5 minutes. It's my recollection that any period off level for over 30 minutes can create a problem with the cooling unit.

Quote from fridge documentation: "The refrigerator is made to operate within 3° off level side-to-side and 6° off level front-to-back (as looking at the front of the refrigerator)." Which is actually quite a lot of leeway.

My wife just texted me and said the fridge is down to about 40 degrees. So seems to be heading in the right direction.

ALJO · 07-17-2018, 11:29 AM

Just put a small Thermometer (or wireless) in your fridge and freezer compartment so you have more visibility about the behavior of the refer.

hoppers4 · 07-17-2018, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JE78

My wife just texted me and said the fridge is down to about 40 degrees. So seems to be heading in the right direction.

Whew, that's good to hear. Nothing like success for whatever reason.

JE78 · 07-17-2018, 03:24 PM

Well I got home and fridge was about 50 degrees. Wife said it was about 42 when she checked it. My question now is, because were using the house electric and its not enough amps to get it really cold?

I just switched it to gas to see if that make a difference.

hoppers4 · 07-17-2018, 03:42 PM

The fridge only calls for 300 watts (or around 2.5 amps). If you're using outlet power with a 15 amp breaker, you have 1725 watts available. An electrical device calls for a specific amount of current. If that current isn't available, it doesn't work less, but trips the breaker or blows the fuse.

Since the fridge appears to be working somewhat, you've got a defective thermistor or control board.

JE78 · 07-17-2018, 04:30 PM

Just for reference, what should the temp be at in the fridge?

JE78 · 07-17-2018, 05:34 PM

I don't have a very good thermometer in the fridge, just one that usually measures outside temp but it's still showing around 50 degrees, maybe a bit lower. The freezer part is still cold, I left a freeze pop in there and it's solid. There's still mosture on the fins of the fridge. I put a fan in it to see if that might make a difference as I read somewhere that it would help.

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