Fridge stopped working.. Any Thoughts?

[dinnyberry]

I have a 19 on order and my build sheet is due in a couple of weeks. I currently have selected the 6 ft3 fridge but may switch to the 5 if there is no resolution to this issue. Does anyone know if the external fridge fan mitigates the problem?


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[Linda G]

Originally Posted by dinnyberry

I have a 19 on order and my build sheet is due in a couple of weeks. I currently have selected the 6 ft3 fridge but may switch to the 5 if there is no resolution to this issue. Does anyone know if the external fridge fan mitigates the problem?


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The fan did not in our situation. We have the fan and it was on both times the fuse blew.




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[Calbal]

Getting ready for weekend camping. Plugged camper in at home and turned fridge on. Panel lights come on and light comes on inside fridge. Automatically goes to DC. Will not go to AC. Also will work if we switch to gas. Can't figure out why fridge will not run on AC with the camper plugged in to electric. Any suggestions?

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Calbal

Getting ready for weekend camping. Plugged camper in at home and turned fridge on. Panel lights come on and light comes on inside fridge. Automatically goes to DC. Will not go to AC. Also will work if we switch to gas. Can't figure out why fridge will not run on AC with the camper plugged in to electric. Any suggestions?

Make it is plugged in at the back, remove the panel and look for the outlet and make sure there is power with a meter check.

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by Calbal

Getting ready for weekend camping. Plugged camper in at home and turned fridge on. Panel lights come on and light comes on inside fridge. Automatically goes to DC. Will not go to AC. Also will work if we switch to gas. Can't figure out why fridge will not run on AC with the camper plugged in to electric. Any suggestions?

Checked the breaker under the bench?
Are you sure the 120 V is connected? I was without 120 V power once and it was because my power cable was not screwed in far enough.

[Beaver]

We had our control panel and fridge shut down while traveling this w/e for the 2nd straight trip. This was after having the thermal fuse (which blew, and that was the problem) relocated from the heat stack to a cooler place, as per the Dometic recall kit instructions. Spoke to Tammy this a.m. at Escape. They were contacted by Dometic on Friday and advised that the problem is that people are traveling with the external fan turned on, which is pulling heat into the fuse and causing it to blow. They advised that the external fan (the switch for it is just inside the cover on the outside back of the trailer, if you have the fan) should only be used if the outside temperature exceeds 100 degrees farenheit, and never when on the road. However, we used it all last winter in Florida with no problem, although not while traveling unless we were running on DC (from the car battery), in which case we used it with no problem. If this is indeed the solution to this problem, it's certainly an easy one. Make sure that fan is off when you are on the road. We will see...

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by Beaver

We had our control panel and fridge shut down while traveling this w/e for the 2nd straight trip. This was after having the thermal fuse (which blew, and that was the problem) relocated from the heat stack to a cooler place, as per the Dometic recall kit instructions. Spoke to Tammy this a.m. at Escape. They were contacted by Dometic on Friday and advised that the problem is that people are traveling with the external fan turned on, which is pulling heat into the fuse and causing it to blow. They advised that the external fan (the switch for it is just inside the cover on the outside back of the trailer, if you have the fan) should only be used if the outside temperature exceeds 100 degrees farenheit, and never when on the road. However, we used it all last winter in Florida with no problem, although not while traveling unless we were running on DC (from the car battery), in which case we used it with no problem. If this is indeed the solution to this problem, it's certainly an easy one. Make sure that fan is off when you are on the road. We will see...

Is this a too good to be true moment? I just checked and my switch was on, now off.
Having said that, perhaps a Forum engineer could explain how and why all of this actually happens.

[Greg A]

So I'm assuming this is the optional fan that you could have ETI add and not part of the Dometic fridge? That would be a simple solution if that is the problem.

[Miguezc]

My fan comes on when the temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius. At night if it's cool, it turns itself off.

[cpaharley2008]

This fan, aka Texas Fan option is an optional auxiliary fan installed by Escape with an on/off switch in the lower rear refer compartment. Once activated, it is thermostatically controlled, on and off at something like 90/70 F. Here is the link to the manual Escape Trailer Owners Community - Downloads - Auxiliary Fan manual

[Jubal]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

This fan, aka Texas Fan option is an optional auxiliary fan installed by Escape with an on/off switch in the lower rear refer compartment. Once activated, it is thermostatically controlled, on and off at something like 90/70 F. Here is the link to the manual Escape Trailer Owners Community - Downloads - Auxiliary Fan manual

Is this the same fan that Dometic is referring too ? Dometic may not be aware of auxiliary fans installed by trailer builders on some trailers. How can the fan draw heat into the fuse causing it to fail when it should be drawing cooler air across the fuse if it mounted above it ?

[Fox hunt]

I was contacted by Escape too i decided to omit the fan. I rarely use my trailer in very hot conditions and i don't want to be bothered turning it on and off.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Jubal

Is this the same fan that Dometic is referring too ? Dometic may not be aware of auxiliary fans installed by trailer builders on some trailers. How can the fan draw heat into the fuse causing it to fail when it should be drawing cooler air across the fuse if it mounted above it ?

It is a Dometic auxiliary fan kit. I got the manual from Dometic.

[twotwinpeaks]

I have ordered the External Fan for 21 and I just received this from Escape:
******************************
Escape Trailer Industries has been working very closely with Dometic regarding the significantly high failure rate of the Fusible Link in the 6cuft fridge. It has been determined customers are using the External Fridge Fan while the trailer is in transit and running the fridge on propane. Unfortunately, the combination of the fan, and air flowing through the top vent during travel is creating a negative air flow within the back side of the fridge causing the Fusible Link to Fail resulting in the fridge failure until a new Fusible Link is installed.

The DM2663LB Dometic fridge is a very efficient model and does not require the assistance of an External Fridge Fan. However, for those customers who are in temperatures exceeding 100F they may wish to use the external fan while the trailer is NOT in transit.
**************************
So the problem seems be using the Fan in transit. Since I will be roaming the South West full time I have opted (assuming there is a switch) to turn off fan when in transit.

[War Eagle]

Perhaps Dometic has the air flow data that I was curious about back in post #90 of this thread:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post209585
Air flow can do some pretty crazy things when going down the road at 60+ mph including over-powering the efforts of a little (small amp) fan. "I think I can, I think I can." Nope, you can't!

[Miguezc]

Whether to travel with the fan on or off should have been mentioned during orientation. I specifically asked if I could travel with the fridge on gas, the answer was yes, but no mention of the external fan. This would have saved a nasty surprise while traveling through the Rockies. Since the failure occurred on a Friday evening, we did not have an operational fridge for a couple of days. All the frozen food thawed and had to be disposed of.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Miguezc

Whether to travel with the fan on or off should have been mentioned during orientation. I specifically asked if I could travel with the fridge on gas, the answer was yes, but no mention of the external fan. This would have saved a nasty surprise while traveling through the Rockies. Since the failure occurred on a Friday evening, we did not have an operational fridge for a couple of days. All the frozen food thawed and had to be disposed of.

Hi: Miguezc... So sorry about your "Nasty surprise". I'm sure it has been for ETI too!!! If Reace hadn't had so much trouble with Dometic fridges... he wouldn't be installing the Dometic fan kits. IMHO I'm not so sure the solution is as simple as Dometic states it to be.
I'm sure if ETI knew about the "Turn off the fan while in motion" they would have told you at orientation. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[padlin]

ETI couldn't warn you about something they didn't know at the time. Sounds like Dometic didn't know it either, which is no big surprise.

I know, I'm being negative.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

It would obviously take some specialized equipment and expertise to set everything up properly, but it would be interesting to monitor the refrigerator's exhaust air rate of flow and temperature while driving down the road with the refrigerator operating on propane - which is when a lot of the problems seem to be happening. Perhaps the fusible link is actually working as designed, and the problem is that the air flow gets all messed up while traveling, such that the hot exhaust gas from the burning propane doesn't leave the burn chamber quickly enough, resulting in the fusible link doing its assigned job. Just a thought....

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Perhaps Dometic has the air flow data that I was curious about back in post #90 of this thread:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post209585
Air flow can do some pretty crazy things when going down the road at 60+ mph including over-powering the efforts of a little (small amp) fan. "I think I can, I think I can." Nope, you can't!

When I read your original post I was thinking that you are on to something. Unfortunately every trailer installation and the dynamics of the airflow at different speeds are going to be different. The bottom line is if airflow across the condenser is not adequate to condense the ammonia vapor to a liquid there are going to be problems. I hate to be a pessimist on this one, but I don't think the auxiliary fan is the real issue here.

This brings up other questions. Are the older "manual" refrigerators like the RM2510 that have a history of being more reliable (at least based on my experience and other posts) getting just as hot but there is just no thermal fuse to open? Or since both the intake and exhaust vents are on the sidewall is the airflow across the condenser better while traveling than those with a rooftop vent?

[Beaver]

Well, for me, my fridge is 3 way, and I had no problem traveling around Florida last winter with the fridge set on DC power. Nor did I have any problem when stationary running the fridge either on propane or AC, with the fan on. I have only had problems running on propane while driving. So I'll just use the DC power while traveling. The only reason I used propane while on the road was that it seems to cool the fridge better than DC. But I will be tempted to try propane on the road with the fan off once I get myself an extra fuse!