Warm fridge

[ArCummins]

I purchased a 2017 jayco SLX 287Bh brand new in March 17. The last year that we’ve been camping, the fridge decides to stop working. Unfortunately the dealer who was quick to sell me on the 2 Year warranty refused to fix it since it’s an intermittent issue. So I need help to diagnose this issue.

2 days before the trip, I’ll plug the trailer in to cool down the fridge so we can pack it. Fridge will work and stay cold with the food packed in. When we arrive at camp and get everything setup, the warming process begins. By the next day the fridge is about 55° and the freezer is about 40° no matter if you’re using electric or gas. If the trailer stays unplugged for a few days, the fridge will get cold again. Anyone have this issue with their Jayco?

[RedHorse1]

We were having a similar issue with out fridge. The ventilation fans on the back side had failed in our case. A little more details on the fridge and TT might help. In your pic there appears to be a fridge sitting in the booth area. ???

[ArCummins]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

We were having a similar issue with out fridge. The ventilation fans on the back side had failed in our case. A little more details on the fridge and TT might help. In your pic there appears to be a fridge sitting in the booth area. ???

We actually had to purchase a mini fridge/freezer from Home Depot to put our food in. Usually we camp with a big group but this time it was just us, so I had to improvise LoL. Fridge is a norcold electric/gas unit. We only use it on electric and there is power going to the fridge during the warming process. Backside is clear and power from campground is good, (I’ve been in some campgrounds with lackluster power.)

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by ArCummins

I purchased a 2017 jayco SLX 287Bh brand new in March 17. The last year that we’ve been camping, the fridge decides to stop working. Unfortunately the dealer who was quick to sell me on the 2 Year warranty refused to fix it since it’s an intermittent issue. So I need help to diagnose this issue.

2 days before the trip, I’ll plug the trailer in to cool down the fridge so we can pack it. Fridge will work and stay cold with the food packed in. When we arrive at camp and get everything setup, the warming process begins. By the next day the fridge is about 55° and the freezer is about 40° no matter if you’re using electric or gas. If the trailer stays unplugged for a few days, the fridge will get cold again. Anyone have this issue with their Jayco?

Welcome to the forum.

Hopefully you'll find some help here, but I suggest you contact Jayco directly. They may have helpful information, another dealer, or could 'influence' your dealer to troubleshoot your unit. In any event, Jayco will have a record that your problems began within the warranty period.

[RedHorse1]

Our fridge is a 4 door model and is mounted in a slide. Because of the slide it has 2 vents on the side, if not slide mounted it would have a roof vent instead of the top vent. From the upper vent I was able to use my cell camera to take some pics of the fans and verify they were not turning. If they are working you should be able to hear them from the vent. The fridge depends on the fans to move air over the condenser fins. Feeling the pipes in the back they should be quite warm, if this is the case the fridge is probably working as best as it can. If you suspect the fans are not working put a small room fan in the space behind the lower vent pointed roughly upwards. We did this and the fridge was able to do its “cool” thing and it got us thru the trip. Amazon provided 2 new fans and with my neighbors help we removed the fridge, installed the fans and got it back in place

[ArCummins]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

Our fridge is a 4 door model and is mounted in a slide. Because of the slide it has 2 vents on the side, if not slide mounted it would have a roof vent instead of the top vent. From the upper vent I was able to use my cell camera to take some pics of the fans and verify they were not turning. If they are working you should be able to hear them from the vent. The fridge depends on the fans to move air over the condenser fins. Feeling the pipes in the back they should be quite warm, if this is the case the fridge is probably working as best as it can. If you suspect the fans are not working put a small room fan in the space behind the lower vent pointed roughly upwards. We did this and the fridge was able to do its “cool” thing and it got us thru the trip. Amazon provided 2 new fans and with my neighbors help we removed the fridge, installed the fans and got it back in place

Do you have to pull the fridge out to verify the operation of the fans? I took the back panel off and felt the pipes and tank, both were able to touch and not too hot. I couldn’t hear any fans running either.

[ALJO]

Be sure you are parked level within specifications, many have ruined their absorbsion fridge by incorrect parking.

[JimD]

I have had some experience with these fridges. Had a small one in my Lance camper for 25 years and now my 2017 Greyhawk has a real nice 4 door model.

Since you mention the problem happening at a campground I will assume the site is fairly level. That is important with these things.

The first troubleshooting step would be to see if the unit is trying to cool things. This is easiest done by setting it to run off propane. Then you simply look in the back under the little swing plate to the right to see if the burner is lit.

You may have to turn the thermostat to a colder setting if you haven't already done that. If the burner never comes on then nothing will ever cool down. The thing that tells the fridge to cool down is the thermostat inside. When it gets to whatever temp it is set for, the fridge will turn on whether it be on gas or electric. It is just easier to see a flame rather than electrons flowing.

I'm not sure how the vent fans operate. They may be temperature controlled and only come on when it gets hot behind the fridge. If they are on then it is a good indication that the fridge is trying to cool itself.

Anyway, either gas or electric will cause the ammonia in the piping to boil and circulate resulting in cooling. No Freon here. The ammonia must circulate to get the job done. While circulating the piping will indeed get very hot to the touch.

If the fridge is warming inside and the unit is not trying to cool down, the thermostat is probably faulty. Test both on AC and gas to verify as this is a common item between the two.

If you can tell the service department of this test it may help them diagnose the problem.

If the burner comes on and cools but the AC portion does not work properly, that would indicate a failure in a different section. One again, the more details you can give the service department, the better.

Assuming that your fridge is both AC and propane, the best test you can perform is to test both modes of operation.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by ArCummins

Do you have to pull the fridge out to verify the operation of the fans? I took the back panel off and felt the pipes and tank, both were able to touch and not too hot. I couldn’t hear any fans running either. Attachment 51292Attachment 51293

As I said, I was able to verify the fans were dead by taking pics. Didn’t try pics from the bottom vent but might work. I assume you have a “normal” size 2 door (fridge and freeze). After I put the new fans in I could hear them running. They’re not loud at all, computer fans. I did not have to remove the fridge to verify dead fans.
Concerned you didn’t find the tubes warm. Should be pretty warm, not too hot to touch tho.
There’s a thermal switch on the fins 2nd fin from the right, easy to see on my slide mounted fridge from the top vent. If you can access it try jumping the 2 connections and listen for the fan. My switch was good but I replaced it anyway.
If the tubes are not warm the prob may be with the fridge itself, just a guess but maybe 125 deg or so.
If you are in warranty, I’d still try working thru your dealer. If you get no traction there go directly to Jayco and ask for a local service source (mobile too) that they will authorize.
As I said in earlier post, a fan in the lower vent area may give you the answer.

[RedHorse1]

Dupe post

[ArCummins]

I really appreciate the responses, thank you. After turning the fridge off for a few hours yesterday and turning it back on last night, I woke up this morning to it being cold. It has to be a sensor that has to be reset after the trailer bounces around down the road. I’m going to be in contact with Jayco on Monday since the dealer has been giving me the run around about this.

[RedHorse1]

There is a temp sensor inside the fridge portion of your unit. It’s called a “thermistor”. It should be attached to the aluminum fins with a spring clamp. Verify it’s clamped. Search YouTube for it, I found several.

[ArCummins]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

There is a temp sensor inside the fridge portion of your unit. It’s called a “thermistor”. It should be attached to the aluminum fins with a spring clamp. Verify it’s clamped. Search YouTube for it, I found several.

I’m assuming your talking about this little guy?

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by ArCummins

Attachment 51302 I’m assuming your talking about this little guy?

Yes, that’s him. My service manual specifies it should be attached to the 2nd fin from the right 1 to 1.5” from the top of the fin, but I can’t imagine that would make that big a difference. Keep in mind that my fridge is a 4 door and I’m not sure abt placement on a 2 door.

It’s good to hear that your fridge got cool overnight, without the fans ours would cool off a little but never got down where it should have. I have an IR thermometer (thanks to HF) and it came in handy during this episode.

[ArCummins]

What’s the best way to contact Jayco?

[Chet & Marie]

Jayco Customer Service is 800-283-8267 during business hours. I have always have found them excellent and keep their number on my cell phone just in case/

[Neng]

I had issues with my fridge not cooling but the freezer works fine. My problem was solve by leveling the camper