Help me Trouble Shoot my 2 Way ISOTHERM Fridge Problem!

[paddlesurf.net]

Greetings FWC folks, I've got a small glitch going on with my 7 month old Hawk. I ordered the camper with the 2 way ISOTHERM large sized refrigerator. It's been working great for 16,000 miles of travels BUT just today a week after our last Yellowstone trip, the refrigerator has stopped working. Here's what I've checked so far:

1. 12volt battery bank: I'm at 100% according to my Victron BVM - better yet, my exterior fridge is an ARB 50qt unit wired to the same battery bank, it's still functioning and maintaining ice cold beers. All other electrical components in the camper are functioning on 12volt as well.

2. The fridge is ON: I've checked the knob - I know where OFF is on the knob - we are definitely in the ON position.

3. The 15 amp fuse is not blown. Just to be careful, I replaced the 15 volt fuse with a brand new one. We're all good in the fuse department.

4. INTERESTING PIECE OF INFORMATION: The refrigerator DOES turn ON when I plug the camper into shore power!

So I'm thinking there may be some type of voltage reset button or procedure. My guess is that for some reason my refrigerator thinks that my 12volt battery bank is too low.

Any ideas?

 

[paddlesurf.net]

Been thinking it's prob a good idea to check the 12volt supply at the refer to see if there's any voltage drop there - this might indicate some type of short in the 12v supply between the battery source and the refer. - am I right?

Anybody know how I access the 12v supply behind the refer on a Hawk flatbed - there seems to be a screwed in vent/access port above the swing open ventilation port on that side - I'm assuming I can unscrew it and it's back there.

Anybody know what I'm looking for (12volt supply wires, color, location?)?

 

[longhorn1]

I would contact FWC on Monday. It is still under warranty. Put the responsibility on FWC.

 

[paddlesurf.net]

I would contact FWC on Monday. It is still under warranty. Put the responsibility on FWC.

Thanks for the response - I read the warranty book and it says they warranty the camper but the warranty for the components is provided by the individual manufacturers. But I do think they should bear some responsibility for helping me out... anybody have any experience with this? j

 

[longhorn1]

Thanks for the response - I read the warranty book and it says they warranty the camper but the warranty for the components is provided by the individual manufacturers. But I do think they should bear some responsibility for helping me out... anybody have any experience with this? j

Start with FWC and if FWC says to call the fridge Mfg., then that is the next step.

 

[longhorn1]

What does the troubleshoot page in the fridge manual say? I wouldn't tear anything apart since the camper is under warranty.

 

[paddlesurf.net]

What does the troubleshoot page in the fridge manual say? I wouldn't tear anything apart since the camper is under warranty.

Pg. 53 of the manual - basically could be: No electrical power, battery in poor condition, faulty thermostat, defective electronic control unit.

However - my compressor does function and the refer does work - just only on AC power. My battery bank is fine - it's powering up my ARB fridge (I have a second fridge in an outside accessible cabinet of my flatbed) - I really think there's a loss of power between the battery bank and the refer - or - the switch that turns off the fridge at low voltage is faulty.

Yeah - I'm not feeling like I want to tear into this thing at all. I'll contact FWC on Monday and see what they say to do.

Thanks for your feedback - lemme know if anything else comes to mind regarding my fridge.

 

[longhorn1]

Pg. 53 of the manual - basically could be: No electrical power, battery in poor condition, faulty thermostat, defective electronic control unit.

However - my compressor does function and the refer does work - just only on AC power. My battery bank is fine - it's powering up my ARB fridge (I have a second fridge in an outside accessible cabinet of my flatbed) - I really think there's a loss of power between the battery bank and the refer - or - the switch that turns off the fridge at low voltage is faulty.

Yeah - I'm not feeling like I want to tear into this thing at all. I'll contact FWC on Monday and see what they say to do.

Thanks for your feedback - lemme know if anything else comes to mind regarding my fridge.

We just had our issue on our trip to Utah. Discovered fridge was at 48. 2014 Grandby, 2 AGM batteries (on year 5). There was a red light blinking once every 4 seconds. The code in the manual said low voltage. Sunny day with my 100W solar. Drove from Chicago to Rocky Mountain FWC. They checked the batteries and replaced them. Started noticing a problem on day 4-5. Had portable solar panel plugged in for 6 hours and the Zamp controller said 13.3. Unplugged it and it immediately dropped to 12.5 and 2 hour later it was down to 12.3. Only thing going was the Dometic compressor fridge, 80L. The next 4 mornings the controller read 12.1 and by the last day 11.8. Bad weather, heavy rains we're forcast, so we call RMFWC and they were waiting for us. They did a complete system and battery check. The Zamp controller was shot, batteries weren't getting any solar charge. They replaced the controller and all has been fine.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Is there a FWC supplied DC circuit for the refrigerator. It’s been a while since I had my Grandby, but I think I remember one. If so, you might check to see if it has tripped. Sometimes they aren’t obvious, so try cycling it if that’s the case.

 

[paddlesurf.net]

We just had our issue on our trip to Utah. Discovered fridge was at 48. 2014 Grandby, 2 AGM batteries (on year 5). There was a red light blinking once every 4 seconds. The code in the manual said low voltage. Sunny day with my 100W solar. Drove from Chicago to Rocky Mountain FWC. They checked the batteries and replaced them. Started noticing a problem on day 4-5. Had portable solar panel plugged in for 6 hours and the Zamp controller said 13.3. Unplugged it and it immediately dropped to 12.5 and 2 hour later it was down to 12.3. Only thing going was the Dometic compressor fridge, 80L. The next 4 mornings the controller read 12.1 and by the last day 11.8. Bad weather, heavy rains we're forcast, so we call RMFWC and they were waiting for us. They did a complete system and battery check. The Zamp controller was shot, batteries weren't getting any solar charge. They replaced the controller and all has been fine.

Glad to hear you're problem was solved - sounds like an even better reason for me to contact the factory. We don't have a dealer here in San Diego but there is one within an hour and a half or so from here. I'll report back.

 

[paddlesurf.net]

Is there a FWC supplied DC circuit for the refrigerator. It’s been a while since I had my Grandby, but I think I remember one. If so, you might check to see if it has tripped. Sometimes they aren’t obvious, so try cycling it if that’s the case.

Yes there's a 15amp circuit breaker in the Blue Sea box in the electrical cabinet - I've checked the fuse and replaced it. I'll have another look today to see if there's anything loose in there.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Is there another fuse in the reefer, accessible through the back panel? (What a pain!) My ARB has a fuse found near the power center in the back of the unit.

 

[Timothy McGowen]

Is there another fuse in the reefer, accessible through the back panel? (What a pain!) My ARB has a fuse found near the power center in the back of the unit.

From what I see in the manual, no there isn't one.

 

[paddlesurf.net]

Is there another fuse in the reefer, accessible through the back panel? (What a pain!) My ARB has a fuse found near the power center in the back of the unit.

Man - that would make it easy! I'll check to see.

 

[paddlesurf.net]

From what I see in the manual, no there isn't one.

Hey Timothy is that for the Isotherm? I had mistakenly first posted that it was a Dometic.

 

[MotoDave]

I had something similar to this happen due to a bad battery that wasn't holding a charge. During the day the solar panel was supplying enough power the fridge was fine, but it would shut down every night. Finally diagnosed it by letting the batter charge fully with the fridge off, then turning the fridge on after dark. Battery dropped below 12v within a few minutes, causing the fridge to shut down due to low voltage. New battery solved the issue so far.

I suspect the ARB may have better wiring, or have a lower voltage cutoff?

 

[paddlesurf.net]

I had something similar to this happen due to a bad battery that wasn't holding a charge. During the day the solar panel was supplying enough power the fridge was fine, but it would shut down every night. Finally diagnosed it by letting the batter charge fully with the fridge off, then turning the fridge on after dark. Battery dropped below 12v within a few minutes, causing the fridge to shut down due to low voltage. New battery solved the issue so far.

I suspect the ARB may have better wiring, or have a lower voltage cutoff?

Thanks MotoDave - I'll check that out. I can say that it now, at this point, it won't run on 12v even during the middle of a bright sunny day. Also - the interior light of the fridge doesn't even light - it almost seems like the 12v circuit from the camper is compromised. I did check voltage right at the fuse box and it read 12.67 volts so it would seem I'm good from the battery to the fuse box. I've found where the 12v wires run into the refer from the camper but I don't want to cut them to test the voltage - I'll let them do that under warranty repair.