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Old 04-02-2014, 08:23 AM   #1
thundercat
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4 door refrigerator

Over the last week our refrigerator has reduced its efficiency dramatically. We can no longer make ice cubes and things are on the verge of thawing out. It doesn't make any difference if I use propane or electric. I have shut every thing down and reset including the 12v. I have checked the evaporator coils for dirt or obstructions but everything look like new. I have also defrosted it. It is working but not very well. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Old 04-02-2014, 10:02 AM   #2
napria
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Don't know if this will help at all, but same thing just happened with our home fridge. Sears repair came out and replaced a faulty temperature sensor. All is working properly now.

Good luck!
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Old 04-02-2014, 10:46 AM   #3
bethandkevin
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Happened to us at the Fall Rally. Take a good look at what I believe is called the thermister. It is under the white cover inside and on top of the fridge with the the light I think. Check connections-give them a slight tug to make sure they are good and tight. Has to be connected or everything thaws.
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Old 04-02-2014, 10:50 AM   #4
WaltBennett
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If yours can use propane, it's an ammonia type. Biggest problem that's not electronic is something blocking the vent tube for the heater/flame, or something blocking air circulation over the coils - possibly a blocked vent. Also, if you've just defrosted it, they can take a day or more to get cold again.
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Old 04-02-2014, 12:52 PM   #5
Carl n Susan
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Most likely you have a thermistor problem. It cools but not very much implies the guts work but are shutting down prematurely. The thermistor monitors the inside temp. It clips on the cooling fins. Moving it up (North) makes things colder. Moving down (south) makes things warmer. Check that it is clipped onto the fins and towards the top. If it is, a replacement is relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
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Old 04-02-2014, 03:51 PM   #6
K0LCB
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I had to replace the cooling fan in my old mh because the refridge didn't get very cold
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Old 04-02-2014, 04:08 PM   #7
thundercat
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Thanks everyone. It sounds like the thermistor to me to. We leaving Tennessee Friday headed for Maine so will try to pick one up on the way.
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Old 04-06-2014, 09:42 AM   #8
JacknBetsy
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Well we have what might be an unusual fix to this problem. A refrigerator repairman told us to take the fridge out and turn it upside down for 24 hours. Something about remixing the chemicals? We did it and it works great!
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Old 04-06-2014, 10:37 AM   #9
jlb27537
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You do not say what brand you have, If a Norcold the thermister is about a $15 deal. I carry a spare. It is clipped to the fins. Remove it and place in a glass of ICE WATER. It should read 30-32 K ohms @ 32 degrees.

You say it is the same on both elec and Lp, that points to a thermister. To test the cooling unit, locate the 2 wires that go to the elec heaters. You may have 2 elec heaters. (4 wires) They will be plugged into the control board. Remove from the board and hard wire them to 120vac. Let it sit overnight. In the morning the frig part should be around 25 degrees on the middle shelf. If not the cooling unit is bad.

On a '11 model frig you probably should not need to "burp" it, but if everything else checks out, it does not cost anything to "burp" it. When you turn it upside down, let sit over night and when you rotate it back 90 degrees have the boiler side down for a few hours and then back upright. Let sit 6-8 hours upright before turning it back on. You can re-install it, just don't turn it on.

Since your frig is in a slide the 2 fans on the back must be working.

When looking into the back if you see any yellow power residue or smell ammonia, you need a cooling unit and do NOT use it on LP.

You can download a service manual here:
http://bryantrv.com/docs.html

You can buy a cooling unit here:
http://www.rvcoolingunit.net/servlet...%3E/Categories

Jim
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Old 04-13-2014, 09:37 PM   #10
Jimmer
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If it is a Norcold check to see if there is a recall on your model. I read in Trailer Life that some Norcolds were recalled? You probably could Google Norcold recall.

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