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Old 02-26-2016, 09:52 PM   #1
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Fridge not working

We are on our very first trip and can't get our fridge to work. Yes we should have made sure before we left. We tho Get it was working but turns out it wasn't. We are boon docking so using propane and it keeps getting the red alarm. We have limited wifi so I can't search the forum. I know we have propane because the furnace works. The manual says to open the shut off valve for gas supply to the fridge but can't find where it is. Any ideas?
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:19 PM   #2
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Just to clarify the controls light up but I don't hear anything running and it isn't cooling down and after a while the red alarm light comes on.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:31 PM   #3
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Jill, sorry you are having problems with the fridge. I double checked and we don't have an additional valve for the propane on our fridge. Here's what I would do if I were you:

1) Double check and make sure the propane is working by lighting in the stove and making sure you have a good blue flame. I think you can also see/hear the burner at the back of the stove and see whether or not it is lighting.

2) Make sure you have adequate 12 volt power -- the fridge requires 12volts to operate, even on propane. If the furnace is running, I am pretty sure you have 12 volts, but just to be sure.

3) My vague recollection is that there is a reset procedure for the fridge after it alarms. I think you have to turn it off, wait a minute or so and then turn it on again. This is the RV Dr's take on the old "Reboot your computer trick.".

4) Make sure door is closing properly -- all shelves properly secured, etc. It will alarm if the door is open for too long.

5) RBryan4 and Carl in Florida had problems with the alarm sounding even though nothing was wrong. the ultimate solution was a control board replacement, but they kept temporary sanity by unplugging the light. You can find out more in this thread

6) There is a fuse associated with the fridge. If you are getting the alarm I assume it isn't blown, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

I hope you find a fix!
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:33 PM   #4
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I checked mine & can't find a valve on the back of my fridge either Jill.
You won't hear anything when its operating normally... I'd suggest checking if the chimney was getting warm, but the red light means its not firing.
Sorry...
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:37 PM   #5
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There is a fuse back there that might've blown - that might prevent ignition ?
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:49 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jill View Post
Just to clarify the controls light up but I don't hear anything running and it isn't cooling down and after a while the red alarm light comes on.
Because the fridges are absorption fridges, you won't hear anything, except for if the burner is lit (and you typically have to go outside to hear that). There aren't any moving parts. Kind of like me when I wake up in the morning
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:50 PM   #7
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Thanks we will look for fuses. The good news it that it's cold out tonight so we put the food in the truck and can leave it until tomorrow to worry about. So excited to be camping for the first time!
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:42 AM   #8
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There is a reset spot in the refrigerator on the panel at far right of all of the settings. At least, I think so.
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Old 02-27-2016, 06:27 AM   #9
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Actually, I didn't replace a board. My alarm sounded the first night and I messed around with the latching mechanism (essentially jiggled it a few times) and it hasn't gone off since. And although it has been stated in several threads, absorption refrigerators do not cool off as fast as compressor refrigerators (the ones in our homes are cooled with compressors). Are you sure it is not cooling or is it just a "false" alarm.
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Old 02-27-2016, 07:29 AM   #10
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Yes, it is the door not closing, read the manual on operating the door and the keeping it tight. Try it on 12v also if you have solar.
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Old 02-27-2016, 09:07 AM   #11
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We had the same problem on our maiden voyage with our new Escape 15B last year. In our case, the igniter for the fridge was not producing enough spark to light the propane. We made sure there was propane to the stove and furnace and they both worked fine so we knew there was propane coming in; we did not think there was a propane shutoff for the fridge so thought it should be getting propane too. Turn the fridge to propane selection and then hold in the mode button long enough to turn it off; then have one person listen outside at the bac of the fridge while the other person turns it back on. You should hear a series of ticking sounds as the igniter attempts to light the propane followed by a "poof" noise when the propane lights. If you don't hear any ticking noises the igniter is not engaging, but if you hear lots of ticks but no "poof" then it may be the igniter is failing to produce enough spark to light the propane - this was the case for us and we had to have the igniter replaced. Also, you can take the panel cover off the back of the fridge and try to see the igniter sparking when it ticks. You should also be able to see a blue flame if it does ignite the propane. Good luck.
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Old 02-27-2016, 09:19 AM   #12
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A couple of other things to try for the fridge not working on propane.
We found if it's cold in the trailer (and fridge) you may have to chose a colder setting to get it to start, although it doesn't sound like the case for you.
The other thing to do is remove the outside panel behind the fridge and see if there might be any spider webs or dust in the igniter area because this can cause problems with igniting the propane too. This could be the case if the trailer has been sitting a while and it's the first time out for a while. You'll want to be very careful if you decide to clean that area though.
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Old 02-27-2016, 09:55 AM   #13
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We had this problem when we had the new frig installed. There could be air in the lines. After we were sure we had enough 12 v and gas to the trailer we followed the directions in the manual (see troubleshooting) which said to turn the appliance off and back on 3 to 4 times until it worked. This solved the problem. There is also a gas reset button, it's the farthest button on the right - check the manual.

Good luck, happy trails,
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:37 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JabberwockJazzy View Post
We had the same problem on our maiden voyage with our new Escape 15B last year. In our case, the igniter for the fridge was not producing enough spark to light the propane. We made sure there was propane to the stove and furnace and they both worked fine so we knew there was propane coming in; we did not think there was a propane shutoff for the fridge so thought it should be getting propane too. Turn the fridge to propane selection and then hold in the mode button long enough to turn it off; then have one person listen outside at the bac of the fridge while the other person turns it back on. You should hear a series of ticking sounds as the igniter attempts to light the propane followed by a "poof" noise when the propane lights. If you don't hear any ticking noises the igniter is not engaging, but if you hear lots of ticks but no "poof" then it may be the igniter is failing to produce enough spark to light the propane - this was the case for us and we had to have the igniter replaced. Also, you can take the panel cover off the back of the fridge and try to see the igniter sparking when it ticks. You should also be able to see a blue flame if it does ignite the propane. Good luck.
Not sure if that was it or not but we tried again this morning using your method and it worked! It's cooling down nicely. Now we get to enjoy our day. Thank you so much for the help from all of you!
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Old 02-28-2016, 12:44 AM   #15
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Good to hear. The red alarm is related to gas - which wasn't our issue at all. We had the 20 second alarm every two minutes - which is the door ajar alarm. Fix was a new fridge light.
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Old 02-28-2016, 10:17 PM   #16
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Yes, it is the door not closing, read the manual on operating the door and the keeping it tight. Try it on 12v also if you have solar.
It turns out that we had the same problem several times over the weekend. I was sure to shut the door tightly but that didn't seem to prevent the problem. The fridge would work for a while, an hour sometimes 3 hours, then the alarm would sound and the red light came on. I opened the fridge, pushed the red button and it stopped. Restarted the fridge and it would work again for a few more hours.

We are back home now but unfortunately I won't have time to trouble shoot the problem for another week or so. We also had a problem with the inverter alarm sounding when I made coffee even though our battery level was at 2/3 full. Fortunately we were traveling with another couple so we were able to get our morning coffee!

All in all, it was a great trip to try out the features of the trailer. Sure we had a couple glitches but still was a great trip!
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Old 02-02-2017, 08:15 PM   #17
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Well it turns out that we had not resolved the problem. The fridge has been totally flaky when on propane. Finally I called Escape and Tammy promptly and patiently walked us through how to fix it. Turns out that the igniter was too far from the propane feed. Yay our fridge now works consistently on propane! Oh and to fix it we need to unscrew a screw that had a Robertson (or was it Robinson?) head. So you might want to add that kind of screwdriver to your tool box. Fortunately a fellow camper had a special kind of pliers that was able to remove the screw.


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Old 02-02-2017, 08:19 PM   #18
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Oh and to fix it we need to unscrew a screw that had a Robertson (or was it Robinson?) head. So you might want to add that kind of screwdriver to your tool box. Fortunately a fellow camper had a special kind of pliers that was able to remove the screw.
You had it right the first time, Robertson. Glad to hear you got it up and running. That Tammy is more than just a pretty face.
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Old 02-02-2017, 08:30 PM   #19
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Jill- ours was flaky too for well over a year. We went to ETI for warranty work last year and had them R & R the fridge, so I know they checked it out. Lastly they pulled the thermistor and left it dangle. Since then it has performed as we expect. Not stellar (no 36 temps), but in par with an absorbtion rv fridge.
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Old 02-02-2017, 08:53 PM   #20
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Jill- ours was flaky too for well over a year. We went to ETI for warranty work last year and had them R & R the fridge, so I know they checked it out. Lastly they pulled the thermistor and left it dangle. Since then it has performed as we expect. Not stellar (no 36 temps), but in par with an absorbtion rv fridge.
I think it would be helpful to specify the fridge model when discussing issues. Same with any other discussion. We lack pertinent information - the particular trailer or appliance in question.
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