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Old 12-04-2013, 05:55 AM   #1
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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-15 degrees and fridge just quit: UPDATE!

UPDATE 2, 12/18: Plugged in the fridge tonight and it started working again. Magic! We went from no panel lights/no cooling to a working unit again. Good thing the local Dometic-certified techs wouldn't come out in the sub-zero temperatures to see what the problem was 2 weeks ago. No doubt we saved an expensive "troubleshooting bill."

UPDATE: You guys have given us some really good suggestions, and we are trying them one by one. Dometic seems to think the compressor has frozen. Whatever it is, 3 of our neighbors at the KOA also lost their refigerators by noon today. Oh, we did get that access door off by using a little hot water.
************************************************** *********
Our refrigerator has been working fine during the ultra-cold snap we've been having (2 to 8 degrees during midday, -2 to -15 late afternoon, night, early morning). However, it stopped working when the temperature hit -18 this morning. No control panel lights are on, and the interior light won't come on.

Is this something the extended low temperatures could have caused? We've checked the power to the refrigerator and the GFI that's also on the same circuit. Everything else on that circuit is working. We tried to get the door off of the RV where the refrigerator is, but so far have been unable to budge it because it apparently has been frozen on for weeks.

Any ideas or suggestions? We're skirted and iced/snowed in for the winter, so taking the rig to a dealer isn't a possibility.

Carolyn
 
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Old 12-04-2013, 06:07 AM   #2
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I think I'd start with a call into Keystone. I've called them a couple times with questions and their customer service is really good. They answered my questions, I felt with a smile on their face. If it is the fridge you will have to talk with the fridge company but I would think that the wiring would be a Keystone issue.
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Old 12-04-2013, 06:26 AM   #3
K0LCB
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If you can get the door off, you to be certain you have power to the refridge. Sounds like a power issue, do you have 12 volts?
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Old 12-04-2013, 06:36 AM   #4
Icehouse
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Carolyn, our frig died the week before Thanksgiving. It's our cooling unit. Thankfully, we have 2 frig's and a lot of snow.
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Old 12-04-2013, 06:39 AM   #5
bncinwv
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Does it work on propane, or neither? If neither, it has to be the DC feed for the control board. I can't remember if there is a fuse in the fuse panel for the fridge, but it would be worth pulling and visually inspecting if there is. I also second the recommendation of calling Dometic or Norcold for troubleshooting advice depending on which fridge you have.
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Old 12-04-2013, 07:41 AM   #6
dieselguy
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Pour hot water around the access door and see if that will allow you to remove it. It works on car doors and tool box covers.
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Old 12-04-2013, 08:09 AM   #7
Bigboomer
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I know maybe silly but do you have 12v off the battery. Extreme cold will the battery and frig works off 12v. How about fuses from converter?



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Old 12-04-2013, 08:15 AM   #8
K0LCB
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If it below 0, I think hot water will freeze pretty quick
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Old 12-04-2013, 08:57 AM   #9
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I would think you have lost 12V to the fridge somehow. 12V is required to operate the fridge on both propane and 115V as it runs the control module.
If you have no lights on the control panel and do not get any when you push the "on" button then there is either no 12V or the module is gone.

If you can get the bottom door off, you can check for both 115V and 12V, check the outlet for 115V, and there are black and white wires going into a black box on the back of the fridge, the black wire should have 12 - 13V on it, if you have no 12V, you will have to backtrack the wiring to most likely a fuse in the main panel.

If I am not mistaken (could be) the lights will not come on in the fridge unless the fridge is on and operational. I do not think it is related to the 115V. Allows you to leave the fridge doors open when not in use.

I use hot water often to thaw doors and windows but you could take your wife's hair dryer out there with an extension cord and use that rather than water.





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Old 12-04-2013, 09:09 AM   #10
K0LCB
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I do have a fuse in fuse panel for Fridge. If you decide to out with hair dryer, be sure you have a good GFCI!
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Old 12-04-2013, 01:36 PM   #11
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I'm going from memory on this from when I put mine back together a couple of months ago. The only thing that uses 110vac on the fridge is the electric heater when you have it set for AC. Evderything else is controlled by 12vdc. The light, the control panel,and the propane igniter. I don't recall an inline fuse nor a fuse on the control board itself. I know if you had the recall done on the dometic fridge there is a thermal reset disc on the sheetmetal around the boiler pack as well as a lead/solder safety link in the wire from that disc back to the control board. It's all pretty easy to see once you get the access panel off. Follow your 12 volt wires once you get in there and check for voltage at each location. If the disc or lead/solder link are open I don't think it will give you a light in your 12 volt fuse panel because it won't realize a load as that is before the control board. Hope this makes sense. If not ask away as I'm not always good putting thoughts into words. Good luck, Jim
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Old 12-04-2013, 02:02 PM   #12
TLightning
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Me too, from memory, but I think there a small fuse for the refer. If so, it must be okay for anything in the refer to work...on gas or electric.
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Old 12-04-2013, 02:41 PM   #13
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I used a hair dryer in freezing weather to get the slide valve to work on the sewer. Might work for the fridge access. I notice you said you fridge interior light is not working. That would indicate 12 volt failure.
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Old 12-04-2013, 03:07 PM   #14
Irlpguy
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by HOOK

I used a hair dryer in freezing weather to get the slide valve to work on the sewer. Might work for the fridge access. I notice you said you fridge interior light is not working. That would indicate 12 volt failure.
Everything points toward the lack of 12V. Since everything else within the Monty has a 12V fuse one would think the fridge would also have one at the fuse panel. I don't think there is any question it is due to no 12V, just a matter of finding the missing link.

I did confirm today on my Dometic fridge the interior light will not come on even with 12V and 115V present unless the fridge is operating. The light of course is 12V as well.

There is also a schematic diagram of the circuitry when you get that bottom door off which helps a great deal. As Jim said the 115V is only used for the heat element.





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Old 12-05-2013, 01:37 AM   #15
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Carolyn, Not sure what they are suggesting but there is no compressor in an ammonia absorption refrig. Might want to get some clarification from Dometic. Find it interesting that four refers have quit so I'm really interested in the solution. Jim
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Wayne and Carolyn Mathews



UPDATE: You guys have given us some really good suggestions, and we are trying them one by one. Dometic seems to think the compressor has frozen. Whatever it is, 3 of our neighbors at the KOA also lost their refigerators by noon today. Oh, we did get that access door off by using a little hot water.
************************************************** *********
Our refrigerator has been working fine during the ultra-cold snap we've been having (2 to 8 degrees during midday, -2 to -15 late afternoon, night, early morning). However, it stopped working when the temperature hit -18 this morning. No control panel lights are on, and the interior light won't come on.

Is this something the extended low temperatures could have caused? We've checked the power to the refrigerator and the GFI that's also on the same circuit. Everything else on that circuit is working. We tried to get the door off of the RV where the refrigerator is, but so far have been unable to budge it because it apparently has been frozen on for weeks.

Any ideas or suggestions? We're skirted and iced/snowed in for the winter, so taking the rig to a dealer isn't a possibility.

Carolyn
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Old 12-05-2013, 02:03 AM   #16
bncinwv
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According to online research an ammonia absorption type refrigerator should work to -52 degrees F. Even though this may be radical, you may try a heat source at the rear of the fridge to see if it helps, for example a high wattage incandescent bulb or a small heater (Mr. Buddy or similar) just to see if it comes back on (do not leave heater in the compartment). It still sounds like you do not have DC power to the unit, but it could be temperature related as well. Did Dometic give you a troubleshooting guide for verifying that the fridge is receiving DC power to the control board. Just trying to help here.
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Old 12-05-2013, 04:12 AM   #17
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This from experience! The ammonia jells when it gets too cold. I tape off the vents on the top and bottom covers, I leave one row open on each and this retains the heat, learned after I had fridge quit same as yours, as did others in the park. I built a tent around the bottom cover area and used a 1500W heater blowing into back of fridge, fridge turned OFF. Did this for a full 24 hrs. and fridge restarted and has not been a problem since. It was -15 when the freezing of fridge happened. Goin to put the tape on today!! It did get to 0 last night......good luck!!
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Old 12-05-2013, 05:07 AM   #18
Irlpguy
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Wayne and Carolyn I must apologize if I may have let you astray a bit, my fridge is a Norcold so will be somewhat different than yours. The principle of operation is the same and your fridge will also need 12V to operate.

The fact that the same has happened to others in the park would lead me to believe it is something common to those fridges during cold weather, providing of course they were all Dometic.

I am still having problems understanding why there is no indication of power at your control panel on the fridge because the fridge will not run without it.

The model# of your fridge would be helpful in troubleshooting.





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Old 12-05-2013, 05:55 AM   #19
Irlpguy
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The Dometic fridge uses a Power Module similar to what the Norcold uses. In the schematic diagram it shows the 12V coming in to a terminal block then through a "thermofuse" before going to the board. If this fuse is not passing 12V then the fridge will not operate. It may have a reset button on it.

I am wondering if due to the cold weather the heating element overheated the ammonia before it could properly circulate and caused this thermofuse to kick out.

I would confirm you have 12V at the terminal block then trace the wire from there to this thermofuse, wire may be Red.


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Old 12-05-2013, 06:00 AM   #20
Art-n-Marge
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You could uproot and head to warmer temps. Sorry, couldn't resist. It's just me but temps that cold for long periods are just not my lifestyle so I'm impressed you even tried.

I think Nunya has some good ideas to keep the fridge warm enough to operate. Too bad those temps are so low you couldn't just remove the contents and store them outside. Even my fridge freezer stops at 0 degrees, so minus anything would be too cold.
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