Fridge has flame but no cooling...

[UglyScout]

I have been unable to get my fridge to work since I brought home my FWC. This weekend I got the flame to light, got a good solid flame that stayed lite over night -- but it didn't do anything - no cooling at all.

I was also unable to get the 12V side to do anything either.

And the final straw is the adjuster knob on the gas valve appears to do nothing to the size of the flame - and the wire coming out of the adjuster may or may not really be attached (it is loose where it goes into the adjuster).

The whole rear of the fridge is very rusty - I'm pretty sure the guy that owned the camper before me took it to the beach a lot and parked it at the boat docks...

Is this thing worth saving? I will get pics up soon.

 

[BSS]

Is it a 3-way, or just 2? Does it work on 110V?

sounds like a leaking (empty) cooling unit = it's toast.

 

[UglyScout]

Is it a 3-way, or just 2? Does it work on 110V?

sounds like a leaking (empty) cooling unit = it's toast.


2 way only.

I thought it might be leaky or empty - is there a way to test it?

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Is it producing a good "blue" flame ?

Is the camper "LEVEL" ?

If you are parked on any type of a slope the refrigerator probably won't cool.



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[UglyScout]

My driveway is very flat (test location). And the flame is good and blue. The previous owner told me he had the fridge serviced a couple times and it would work for a while and then not work. But it probably hasn't been working in 5 years.

 

[pods8]

My driveway is very flat (test location). And the flame is good and blue. The previous owner told me he had the fridge serviced a couple times and it would work for a while and then not work. But it probably hasn't been working in 5 years.


From the sounds of that I'd lean towards a refrigerant leak but that's just my hunch.

 

[1tonpaulie]

I have a neighbor that repairs rvs. this is going to sound strange, but i have seen
him take the fridge out and turn it upside down and leave it for 24 hrs. put it back in and run on propane only and 1 in 15 units come back to life. its worth i try!

 

[pvstoy]

I have a neighbor that repairs rvs. this is going to sound strange, but i have seen
him take the fridge out and turn it upside down and leave it for 24 hrs. put it back in and run on propane only and 1 in 15 units come back to life. its worth i try!

That is because the stuff inside the tubes settles and packs when you don't use the propane for a very long time. Need to stir it up and unpack it to get circulation. If the refg was sitting for a long time I would give it a try too.

 

[RandR]

I have been unable to get my fridge to work since I brought home my FWC. This weekend I got the flame to light, got a good solid flame that stayed lite over night -- but it didn't do anything - no cooling at all.

I was also unable to get the 12V side to do anything either.

And the final straw is the adjuster knob on the gas valve appears to do nothing to the size of the flame - and the wire coming out of the adjuster may or may not really be attached (it is loose where it goes into the adjuster).

The whole rear of the fridge is very rusty - I'm pretty sure the guy that owned the camper before me took it to the beach a lot and parked it at the boat docks...

Is this thing worth saving? I will get pics up soon.


I'm having the exact same issue with mine. Pilot lites, its blue and the camper is level but wont cool where as the 220 and 12 work fine. I saw the reply about pulling out the fridge and turning it upside down. Did you try this?
Did it work?

Thanks, Randy

 

[UglyScout]

I haven't done anything on it yet. I don't plan to use the camper again for a few months so I have time.

 

[BSS]

I'm having the exact same issue with mine. Pilot lites, its blue and the camper is level but wont cool where as the 220 and 12 work fine. I saw the reply about pulling out the fridge and turning it upside down. Did you try this?
Did it work?

Thanks, Randy


"burping" the fridge is really a last resort, as it has been known to cause damage to otherwise funtional units. There is only one cooling unit, so regardless of how you power it if it works on one or two out of three functions, it works. Generally, units which won't work on propane either have a low/erratic flame (bad/clogged needle), blocked flue, inadequate pressure in the system (defective regulator), or some combination of those things.

I would suggest a basic tune-up if you're handy (there are plenty of web tutorials out there), or have a pro clean it up at an RV shop. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so and you'll be running like new.

 

[RandR]

"burping" the fridge is really a last resort, as it has been known to cause damage to otherwise funtional units. There is only one cooling unit, so regardless of how you power it if it works on one or two out of three functions, it works. Generally, units which won't work on propane either have a low/erratic flame (bad/clogged needle), blocked flue, inadequate pressure in the system (defective regulator), or some combination of those things.

I would suggest a basic tune-up if you're handy (there are plenty of web tutorials out there), or have a pro clean it up at an RV shop. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so and you'll be running like new.


sounds like a plan, thanks for the info. Pulling it out and turning it upside down did sound a little extreme.

Thanks

 

[bsharp007]

I have been unable to get my fridge to work since I brought home my FWC. This weekend I got the flame to light, got a good solid flame that stayed lite over night -- but it didn't do anything - no cooling at all.

I was also unable to get the 12V side to do anything either.

And the final straw is the adjuster knob on the gas valve appears to do nothing to the size of the flame - and the wire coming out of the adjuster may or may not really be attached (it is loose where it goes into the adjuster).

The whole rear of the fridge is very rusty - I'm pretty sure the guy that owned the camper before me took it to the beach a lot and parked it at the boat docks...

Is this thing worth saving? I will get pics up soon.


The refrigerator tubing can also go bad, I just had my less then 2 year old Norcold replaced under warranty. I was told that the the cooling tubing is imported from china and is very thin, they are starting to see failures even in almost new refrigerators. My symptoms were similar to yours it would stay lit all day long without cooling. If you have cleaned the burner box and are getting an efficient flame your refrig may be fried.

 

[Star152]

Remove the tube and clean out the carbon build up clear the slits where the flame come from reinstall and relight and check for cold. worked for me.