Fridge - Montana Owners Club

Broome101 · 04-16-2006, 02:10 PM

This has happened twice know at the beginning of camping season. Fire up fridge runs fine stock up make first camping trip. First couple days keeps everything in around 33 degrees. Camping this weekend had to turn second AC on since it got hot here this weekend. Left and went for several hours, came back to camper fridge was about 55 degrees. Cranked up the thermostat to 5, nothing still around 5o degrees after couple hours. Turned AC's off stared working again. Got everything cooled back down cranked up AC's worked fine ever since, not sure why this happens. I thought at first last year it was due to voltage drops which I did have, that's why I upgraded to 50 amp service at home with bigger wiring. This camp ground just put in 50 amp service watched volt meter all looked great around 125 volts with both AC going and all. What it was while we were gone I have no idea, but when I looked when we noticed the problem it was still around 125 VAC. Cannot figure out why this happens each year on first trip???

G McCall · 04-17-2006, 10:28 AM

55 degrees of course is bad.
I too used my Frig for the first time camping and had different but disturbing results.
I had the unit on AC at level 3 for about a day before we left. The frig temp. was about 45 degrees. So when I was about to pull away from the house, I discovered the Frig temp was about 41 degrees.
I then turned the Frig on gas and up to Max at level 5. The Frig temp stayed about 35 degrees from that point all weekend. Air temp outside was about 65 at night and 94 degrees during the day.
The new Frig worked okay but The Frig in my other trailer would freeze (stay between 30-32 degrees) at those settings.

sreigle · 04-20-2006, 04:58 PM

Broome, do you know if it does the same thing when on propane? It does sound like a voltage problem. Or maybe a converter problem with that circuit?

This is an extreme longshot. I'm stretching here... our Montana has the fridge on the GFCI circuit, the one with the breaker on the wall switch in the bathroom. If that breaker were tripped, the fridge wouldn't be getting any 110v and would auto switch to propane. On our fridge it just shows it is on Auto. It does not say it's on gas. (the Gas light is just when you force it to gas). Yours has sat all winter. Spiders and other crawly critters like propane and tend to get into the orifice on the burner. Possibly you have one there that eventually burns out. If your GFCI is tripped and the fridge is really on propane and the orifice is partially plugged.... well, you see where I'm going.

Sorry for such a longshot...

The fridge plugs into an outlet behind the outside panel behind the fridge. You could check there to see if you're getting 110 to that outlet. But I'd think you'd notice other outlets and/or lights not working if the GFCI were tripped. Or maybe the outlet for the fridge is defective.

Broome101 · 04-23-2006, 01:48 PM

Thought about that as well Steve, switched it over to propane it fired up but did not get cool. the coil outside was hot not sure if that means its going bad or something just messed up. Been working fine since then, I checked it today it as 31 degrees inside of fridge. I think it must be a voltage issue, if I cut the AC off it starts working again then runs fine from that point on, done the same thing last year. All the orifices were clear and clean etc, not sure what causes it but sure makes you second guess if it is going to go out on us or not.

sreigle · 05-08-2006, 05:38 PM

My understanding is a warm or hot coil means it is working. You are beyond my knowledge on this one but I'd bet on either a voltage problem or possibly a bad control board. Yours is still in warranty so I think I'd call Dometic. I don't recall the phone number but they are located in Elkhart, IN. We went through them when we had the crack in the freezer and they were very easy to work with.

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