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Old 05-03-2015, 12:57 PM   #1
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Fridge Issues

We just took our brand new 2015 Seneca HJ out this weekend and ran into a couple of issues. The first issue deals with the fridge. The Lo DC light flashes on the fridge after it is parked for a short period of time. We were not camped at a site that offered shore power so we had to rely on our batteries. Has anyone experienced this issue and if so what is causing it and could it have something to do with the fact that the battery that starts the engine isn't holding a charge for very long. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Old 05-03-2015, 01:16 PM   #2
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I believe your unit has separate 'vehicle' and 'house' batteries; one to start your engine, the other to run DC appliances etc. while you are stopped.

One plan might be to stay where you had electrical service for a day, or overnight, (to charge the 'house' battery) and plan on a long drive to be sure the 'vehicle' battery is fully charged. Having both batteries fully charged may correct whatever issues you are encountering.

Your other post said you had starting problems earlier. It seems a stop at Jayco dealer would be a good idea, too, to have the two systems checked.
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Old 05-05-2015, 09:09 AM   #3
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bianco, I don't know what you mean by a short period of time but when boondocking you will need to monitor your house batteries and charge accordingly with your generator. How frequently you recharge your house batts depends on your usage.
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Old 05-05-2015, 11:06 AM   #4
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You did end up using your Propane for the frig right ?
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Old 05-05-2015, 11:15 AM   #5
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Yes I did.
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Old 05-27-2015, 01:27 PM   #6
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If you are running the refrigerator on DC power from the coach, it will not take long to run the coach battery down below where the refrigerator will work. I never use the coach battery for the fridge for that reason. If you are traveling, then it works fine as the batteries are being charged while driving. I would put the fridge on propane if you cannot hook up to shore power.
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Old 05-27-2015, 02:33 PM   #7
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Newer RV refrigerators use little current (power) when operating on 12 volts. It operates the controls, light(s), and sometimes the moisture heaters that keep condensation from forming around the door area.

But the actual heat source to drive the cooling process is either a 110-volt heater OR a propane flame. This is considered a "2-way" refrigerator (110-volts and propane). Some of you may remember when they made 3-way units that could use 12-volts, 110-volts, or propane to operate the cooling unit. When on 12-volts the 3-way units consumed a tremendous amount of battery current to operate.

With most newer refrigerators you still must supply 12-volts to the unit to operate EVEN if the heat source for the cooling is supplied by the 110-volt heating element. If I don't turn on my house circuits in my Seneca the refrigerator will not work even if I have 110-volt power from the shoreline or the generator.

The Seneca does not yet use a 110-volt (only) residential refrigerator where you must use batteries and an inverter when not plugged into shore power or running your generator. Units that do have residential refrigerators (the newer Thor medium-duty units) use a lot of current when on the batteries
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Old 05-27-2015, 02:49 PM   #8
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Just a a follow-up - I have operated my refrigerator (2014 Seneca) for DAYS not hooked up to shore power or running the generator. Newer Senecas have 4 coach batteries that feed the coach items including the refrigerator controls. The two Freightliner batteries (under the cab) do not contribute anything when parked.

If you truly have low voltage in your coach batteries after being plugged in for a while you may have a wiring issue, a bad converter/charger, or bad batteries. The issue could also be isolated to the refrigerator wiring which could be a bad connection, wire, or ground. The dealer should be able to narrow this down pretty quickly.
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Old 05-27-2015, 02:57 PM   #9
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Contact NORCOLD to see what triggers the Lo Dc code. That way you know what to tell the dealer since it would make the repair that much faster. I don't put a lot of faith in most Techs at dealerships and that is from experience.
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Old 05-27-2015, 11:54 PM   #10
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My 12 cu foot 4-door Norcold, only a few months old, has done the same thing since day 1, flashing the Lo DC warning sometimes after a very short period of time on the batteries. However, the batteries have a full charge registered. I noticed that several items run off one fuse from the converter/inverter/12 volt distribution panel, including the fridge. I'm wondering if the light isn't triggered by a brief drop in voltage after another dc demand is placed on that circuit. Perhaps the Norcold doesn't reset after the light is triggered, unless of course you switch to AC power. One thing is for certain, I have never had any issues with the fridge cooling while on propane, regardless if the message is flashing or not.
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Old 05-28-2015, 11:20 PM   #11
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The fridge does continue to work after flashing the lo dc code, it may very well be what you mentioned in your post.
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