Freezer works…fridge does not

[Eggscape]

Freezer is at -8c or 18f and the fridge is not working at 20c or 68f.

Came home from Vancouver Island yesterday where the fridge was 2c or 36f before I had to turn the gas off for the ferry. 3 hours later I was able to stop once off the ferry and turn it back on. The temp was 4c or 39f in the fridge and the temp kept rising as we drove home via the mountain passes.

Turned the fridge off over night and restarted on ac this morning to find the freezer is working great but the fridge is not. Trailer is in the shade, level and never had this problem before. Usually takes a few hours but can see the temp drop…not today.

Any suggestions appreciated.


Also the thermistor is in place but understand these could go bad and would like to have a spare.

We have a single door 2018 but I have not been able to find the part number for the thermistor.

[tractors1]

Just disconnect the thermistor for a test. Often the fridge will drop much lower (possibly below freezing given long enough.)

[Eggscape]

I looked at few more videos yesterday and decided to slide my thermistor up the fin to the top.

Some fridges even have a scale on the side wall indicating that the higher the thermistor is on the fin…the colder the fridge.

This morning the fridge was at freezing so it is still capable of getting cold. Now to slide it back down to a reasonable temperature.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Freezer is at -8c or 18f and the fridge is not working at 20c or 68f.

Came home from Vancouver Island yesterday where the fridge was 2c or 36f before I had to turn the gas off for the ferry. 3 hours later I was able to stop once off the ferry and turn it back on. The temp was 4c or 39f in the fridge and the temp kept rising as we drove home via the mountain passes.

Turned the fridge off over night and restarted on ac this morning to find the freezer is working great but the fridge is not. Trailer is in the shade, level and never had this problem before. Usually takes a few hours but can see the temp drop…not today.

Any suggestions appreciated.


Also the thermistor is in place but understand these could go bad and would like to have a spare.

We have a single door 2018 but I have not been able to find the part number for the thermistor.

Hi: Eggscape... As well as this adjustment I'd clean the orifice in the propane line!!! Soak it in Vodka and resist the temptation to poke something in the hole!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Ron in BC]

I've never touched the thermistor in a fridge. Is there any chance that continued road bumps caused it to slide slightly down and therefore warmer?

Ron

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I've never touched the thermistor in a fridge. Is there any chance that continued road bumps caused it to slide slightly down and therefore warmer?

Ron

Hi: Ron in BC... I took mine off the fins all together. It works great where it is now until a pop can gets under it. That will affect the temp of the fridge. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie.

[Eggscape]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I've never touched the thermistor in a fridge. Is there any chance that continued road bumps caused it to slide slightly down and therefore warmer?

Ron

It must have Ron. Some say the thermistor can slide in the plastic holder as well. I did not know the placement was so critical or I would have noted the exact level before I inspected it.

[splitting_lanes]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Vodka and resist the temptation to poke something in the hole!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Hi Alf, usually Vodka makes me want to poke a hole.

I’ll see myself out now.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

It must have Ron. Some say the thermistor can slide in the plastic holder as well. I did not know the placement was so critical or I would have noted the exact level before I inspected it.

I didn't either and the arrow near it isn't all that accurate so I put a reference mark on it so I'll know if it moves.

Have to say that this has been the best fridge ever.

Ron

[2Travelers]

I have the same refrigerator and a similar problem--the freezer is always very cold (usually below 0* F) and the fridge has been variable (sometimes in the upper 30s F and sometimes in the upper 40s F). I can't confidently say that I have a solution. The behavior is the same whether on propane or electric (AC--I don't run on 12v DC).

On our first outing this year, the fridge was cooling fine (upper 30s F) at our first two locations but after we moved to our third location (running on propane in between) the fridge temps began registering in the upper 40s F and wouldn't come down. At that time I was leaving the thermistor to dangle in the compartment as that seemed to work best in my previous attempts to regulate temps.

When I got home I disconnected tested the thermistor with a multimeter and container of ice water and the reading was as it should be so the thermistor was working properly. So, back to basics. I reattached the themistor to the fin clip, leaving about 1/8" of the tip exposed at the very top, and placed the clip on the rightmost evaporator fin. I pulled a little more themistor wire into the fridge so I could slide the clip to the very top. [My fridge also has a blue triangle on the right fridge wall with no other marking. I'm ignoring that for now.] I placed the remote temp sensor in the drip tray so it had a fixed location and didn't get moved around and placed a small fridge fan (that I had been using) on the top shelf, left side, to help circulate air over the evaporator fins.

On our second trip this summer, with ambient temps slightly higher, the fridge performed just fine. Temps always in the 30s F and sometimes approaching freezing. I can't say what it was that I did but it worked well on this trip, even after moving to different campgrounds and consistently kept things cold. I hope it continues.

A slight aside... From my reading, I now understand that the thermistor senses temperature and sends that information to the control board. So a thermistor placed higher on the fin will read a warmer temp and lower will read cooler. The 1-5 settings on the eyebrow panel instruct the control board how long to keep the burner on and how often to check the signal from the thermistor. I presume that a longer interval (at a setting of 1?) works best when ambient temps are low and shorter intervals when ambient temps are higher. This is not how I initially thought the eyebrow control buttons worked. I thought they set the temp but they don't. Temp is controlled by the placement of the thermistor.

Our third trip is coming up and I hope (expect?) the fridge will continue to work. Meantime, I'll be following this thread so that I can learn more about living with these sometimes finicky absorbtion units. I don't know if any of this helps and hope you are able to resolve the problem with your fridge.

[Ooshkaboo]

I have no clue on the propane fridges, but on the home compression fridges the troubleshooting starts with looking into the defrosting cycle.
I’ve had a circulation fan go bad at times, but usually it’s in the defrosting system.

[Eggscape]

John that sounds exactly what happened to us with the temp rising even though the freezer was colder than required.

I have heard of using a fan inside for efficiency and will keep that in mind.

Going camping again shortly and will see what happens. At least the freezer can freeze ice packs which I will take along as well.

[cpaharley2008]

I have always had good luck with a battery operated fan inside my absorption refrigerators.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

I have no clue on the propane fridges, but on the home compression fridges the troubleshooting starts with looking into the defrosting cycle.
I’ve had a circulation fan go bad at times, but usually it’s in the defrosting system.

Home compressor type fridges are a whole other ball game. Yes, failure of the defrost timer is a common type of failure.

Originally Posted by Eggscape

I have heard of using a fan inside for efficiency and will keep that in mind.

During the bad old days of previous models folks were trying everything under to sun to get better performance. Internal fans were one. But the new models are just so good most of that stuff wouldn't be necessary now.

Ron

[brroberts]

My experience, and efforts have been similar to 2Travelers, except my fridge temps still randomly rise. I’ll have to pull the fridge and insulate at some point.

[2Travelers]

Funny, I thought everyone used a small fan to circulate air in the fridge. This is the one I have: https://www.campingworld.com/fridgec...tch-38134.html Granted, this D cell powered fan doesn't move much air but maybe enough? Or, maybe it doesn't do anything. Either way, it can't hurt.

I use the remote temperature sensors that I purchased in the Escape customer store when I picked up the trailer. Its this one, and I use it with two sensors--one in the freezer and one in the fridge: https://www.rvpartscountry.com/Temp-...r-Station.html

I assume the fridge to be one of the newer designs as it is a current Dometic model (RM2554). And it is rated at a climate class of T, Tropical, for ambient temps between +16 and +43 degrees C, so it is designed to handle the warmer summertime temps we have in Virginia.

I am still working to understand this unit and how to get it to perform at its best.

[2Travelers]

Originally Posted by brroberts

My experience, and efforts have been similar to 2Travelers, except my fridge temps still randomly rise. I’ll have to pull the fridge and insulate at some point.

Yes, I have thought about checking on insulation and installation clearances but don't yet feel quite up to pulling it. I understand that the clearance between the rear coils and the outside wall of the trailer is particularly important to ensure sufficient airflow "over" the coils and not "around." I've reached up into the cavity and tried to peek up there, and it is too tight for me to reach or see very far. And that's a good thing as clearance is supposed to be somewhere around 1".

If it has trouble staying cool again I'll need to pull it and check those things. Or, I'll just find a work around as some do.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by 2Travelers

If it has trouble staying cool again I'll need to pull it and check those things. Or, I'll just find a work around as some do.

No need to check, many of us have pulled our fridges and know what's there.

ETI has improved their installations over the years. At one time there was no insulation between the exterior f.g. skin and the interior baffle. Many of us did install insulation in that cavity to mitigate the effects of direct sunlight on the fridge side of the trailer.

To put it in perspective, my old fridge was heavily modified, with insulation etc. and even a ducted baffle isolating the hot exhaust gases from the other areas on the back of the fridge. Even so it could be temperamental and I didn't expect that I could head off on extended trips and keep food frozen the whole time. My newer model hasn't had any modifications whatsoever and performs perfectly.

Ron

[2Travelers]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

My newer model hasn't had any modifications whatsoever and performs perfectly.

Ron

Ron,

On the chance that it will fit in a 19, what model fridge do you have? I don't expect to have to replace mine, but you never know.

I have sometimes wondered (especially given my experience with Dometic) if reliable performance within a model line isn't sometimes simply the luck-of-the-draw. I don't know how much variability there in the composition and volume of the coolant mix from one fridge to the next, or how much care is taken by the manufacturer in ensuring a consistent mix. Some assert that the Amish have the optimal blend and a recommend replacing a failed stock cooling unit with one rebuilt by an Amish outfit. Again, I don't expect to have to replace mine anytime soon, but it is an option I will consider.

[Ron in BC]

My fridge is the two door DM2663L BX. Two things made me notice how well it worked. One, we came back from a long trip, Baja and back, and my wife commented that the ice cream was still frozen. The second thing was me wondering how it escaped me eating it somewhere along the line.

I'm pretty sure that adding refrigerant is pretty consistent. Production lines tend to be setup for this sort of application. The label says it uses 11.3 oz. of Refrigerant 717. I don't know how long they've been using that or if they still do.

I have to say, with no disrespect to the Amish, that I'm a little suspicious that the Amish have been able to do what other major companies have been unable to do. This is partly influenced by seeing ads for the Amish made electric heaters. All sorts of wonderful claims are made about their almost miraculous heating capabilities. I look at them and see an infrared heater in a "handmade" box. I don't think their infrared heater puts out any more heat than one that you could buy from Amazon. Could be wrong but the laws of thermodynamics apply universally and aren't affected by religion.

Ron