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Strange issue with fridge (not cooling - but only periodically)
Fridge model: Norcold N8X
Travel trailer: Jayco Jay Flight 284BHS
I've been having an issue with my fridge for the past few weeks, since right around the time I got into New Mexico. I've done a lot of reading trying to figure out what the issue is, but to no avail. The problem is like I said in the title of the thread. The fridge will cool things appropriately some of the time, but it's periodically shutting off, ruining all the perishables we have. It's extremely frustrating because at least if it just stayed off, I wouldn't keep buying more meats and cheeses only to have them ruined.
The fridge doesn't give an error code on either electric power or propane power. On electric power, I can feel that the boiler part in the back is heating up, and on propane, I can see and hear the flame. There's no ammonia smell, and there's no weird looking dust or particles or anything like that in the back that would indicate some kind of leak. There's a bit of dust but nothing that looks out of the ordinary, it's just not spotless, you know? If it helps I can post a picture.
I've tested the thermistor with a multimeter and the readings it gives me are pretty close to what the manual says it should read, and it reacts to changes in temperature when I grasp it in my hand. About an hour ago, I unplugged the thermistor and I'm waiting to see if the fridge gets super cold, as I read that by default the fridge will work on maximum without a thermistor present.
Also, the fridge is level, as is the rest of the trailer. For a few days it was off-level and I leveled it properly when I read that this could cause serious damage to the fridge. I'm really REALLY hoping it's not permanently damaged.
Right now I think it could be one of a couple things:
1. There might be some kind of problem with the thermistor that isn't readily apparent from testing the resistance? I'm not sure about this one.
2. The park I'm at doesn't have much shade, and the sun shines directly onto the back panel for a significant portion of the day. The outside temperature has been around 70 lately, so I'm not sure about this one either, but maybe the UV plays a role in this effect or something?
3. The elevation here is about 3300 feet above sea level. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the fridge either, because it ran fine when we were up in Colorado and about 1500 feet higher up, but we also didn't have the problems with direct sunlight there.
Really I'm just at a loss to explain why it works for days, then stops working, then starts working again for no apparent reason. I've searched everywhere to find out about why this might be but to no avail. Maybe I'm searching the wrong key words or something but I can't find anyone else who's having this issue.
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