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Old 08-10-2017, 11:46 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fudge_brownie View Post
I guess I am not understanding how you killed it. Since we share many of the same refrigerator miseries I wanted to be sure not to repeat yours. How are the fans a part of the failure? Since I have the fans on a manual switch could I do the same thing by failing to have the switch on or off when starting the refrigerator?
Okay, I'll try to recall in as much detail as I can remember what I've done to the fridge re the fans.

- From mid-March until about two weeks ago the fans were running continuously. I used a short, insulated wire with alligator clips on the ends to connect the terminals from the small round thermocouple (?) that is on the small pipe in the back of the fridge. (Sorry, I don't have a picture but cpaharley and others have posted some.) The wire did not have a switch in it.

- About 2-3 weeks ago in Olympic National Park my trailer batteries were running really low. I was on battery / solar power and wasn't getting much sun at my campsite. So I unclipped one end of my jumper wire and let it hang loose.

- In my next stop in Sedro-Woolley my fridge ran pretty well without the fans so I left the wire disconnected. I run my fridge on propane all the time as it seems to run better that way.

- Driving down to Woodhead Park the fridge cooled okay. But yesterday I noticed it was 46 degrees and climbing, so I turned the fridge off at the panel, then went outside and tried to connect the loose alligator clip again. I was on shore power; I did not turn off the breaker at the campground power connection nor did I flip down the toggle switch that controls 12V power in the trailer. I used a flat blade screwdriver to pry up the existing factory connections to give me room to clip the alligator clip. At some point then the fridge control panel died. I am assuming I shorted something out. I checked the fuses which looked okay, but I replaced them anyway. I reset the breakers in my trailer's breaker box. They had not flipped as far as I could tell. Fridge is dead.
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Old 08-10-2017, 11:49 AM   #22
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Originally Posted by Viajante View Post
Could you please elaborate on what you mean re forgetting to shut off 12v and line voltage? Where would you shut those off? Thanks.
There is a toggle switch at the rear of the Escape 21, near the breaker / fuse panel, that controls 12V power to the trailer. I should have flipped it down; I didn't.

To shut off shore power I should have flipped the breaker that controls the 120V outlet at the power box. I neglected to do this as well.

Note that if you flip the 12V toggle down but don't disconnect shore power, you still have power to the appliances in the trailer, even those on 12V, because of the trailer's AC-to-DC power converter.
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Old 08-10-2017, 11:52 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by MyronL View Post
RE: guide for a manatee...Mike, I know the feeling.
Ha! Manatees are unearthly. I made the comparison because I remembered seeing a diagram of manatee anatomy. I thought-- you've got to be kidding me. That thing evolved on Earth?
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Old 08-10-2017, 12:18 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
If you are on shore power ( 120 VAC) and the refrigerator is not working , I would suggest as others have to check for 12 VDC at the terminal strip at the rear of the refrigerator.
I just checked for voltage at the terminal strips. There are two: one labeled "12V Heating Element" and the other labeled "12V Electronic". Both have 14V going to them, which I assume is normal.
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Old 08-10-2017, 01:49 PM   #25
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I somehow feel responsible for part of our problem Mike, but in honesty I did mention that a switch should be used for that fan bypass I posted about. Again sorry for your problem.
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Old 08-10-2017, 02:17 PM   #26
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both the AES and the MES versions of my fridge have a 1 amp fuse on the end of the circuit board for the control panel of the fridge.
It seems possible to me that this fuse is blown if you have 14 volts at the terminal strip but no lights at all on the control panel
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Old 08-10-2017, 02:30 PM   #27
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That could be a good tip. Where is the circuit board on a RMD 8555?
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Old 08-10-2017, 02:34 PM   #28
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manual I found for RM8xxx

bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/Service%20Manual,%20RM8xxx.pdf

looks like you have to pull the fridge forward to get near the circuit board
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Old 08-10-2017, 04:11 PM   #29
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Nice manual. I thought that plastic cover on top could be pulled off/forward to expose all the electronics, but I have no direct experience in doing that. Might be worth checking on though. It seems like a lot of work pulling the fridge forward to replace a fuse.
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Old 08-10-2017, 04:51 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by Parker View Post
Nice manual. I thought that plastic cover on top could be pulled off/forward to expose all the electronics, but I have no direct experience in doing that. Might be worth checking on though. It seems like a lot of work pulling the fridge forward to replace a fuse.

I think you may be correct. page s17 seems to say that two screws can be removed from the bottom of the control panel when the fridge door is opened.
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Old 08-10-2017, 07:08 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I somehow feel responsible for part of our problem Mike, but in honesty I did mention that a switch should be used for that fan bypass I posted about. Again sorry for your problem.
I'm not blaming you Jim-- I took the risk and for months on end the fridge worked really well, for the first time ever, due to the fans and other "countermeasures" I took, e.g. screens in the vents, letting the inside thermistor hang, etc.

As usual, I actually enjoyed messing with it until I broke something.
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Old 08-10-2017, 07:37 PM   #32
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Hopefully you will figure it out and be on your merry way. Enjoy the eclipse, take pictures....
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Old 08-10-2017, 10:29 PM   #33
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Keep looking - there are several fuses in different places. Can't remember where all of them are but I blew one after changing out a fusible link and remember it was buried somewhere - was several months ago so not much help on remembering other than it was difficult to find.
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