Refrigerator problems

[Roy Boles]

My refrigerator has decided not to cool the refrigerator side. The freezer side is cold. Does anyone know what gone wrong?

[David T. Richelderfer]

First, I am not sure what make/model your fridge is but this link is a good place to start.

https://www.rvingknowhow.com/rv-refrigerator-not-cooling-but-freezer-is/

[Eric Maclean Co-Admin]

Roy
The people at ARP fridge defend have a very good web site with fridge troubleshooting on it here is the link.

https://www.arprv.com/norcold-dometic-troubleshooting.php

( Check for a yellow powder around the cooling unit at the back of the fridge also smell for ammonia gas if you smell ammonia shut down the fridge as it is leaking it refrigerant and as the refrigerant contains hydrogen it is a fire hazard)

Hope this helps
Eric

[Steve Huber]

Roy,
Is it an absorption or residential unit? What make and model?
Steve

[Roy Boles]

It is a Dometic 1200 series, with an Amish cooling unit installed. So I’m thinking of replacing it with a residential unit. Which refrigerator is recommended for a replacement. I want a French door with the freezer on the bottom. How do you add a door latch? Recommendations appreciated.

[Paul Meehan]

We went with a Samsung RF18.  Worked great for us.  You may find yourself in an availability problem.  Not many appliances out there that are ready for pickup due to pandemic impact.  My daughter ordered a specific fridge but does not have a delivery date.

There was a latch I found online that mfg'r and model specific.  Removed four screws installed the latch and reinstalled.  I'll look around to see if I can find it.

Good luck, Roy!

[Fred Brooks]

    Roy,
Which ever model you can find, You want one that is "counter depth" and around 18 cu foot. Make sure the inverter you are going to power it up with is a "pure sine wave" model as current electronics demand it. I recommend a Magnum MS 2000 or larger as they are real dependable. Hope this helps. Fred

[Steve Huber]

We've got the Samsung RF-18. Had a cooling problem in the reefer section and tech replaced the control board (~$400). Then problem re-occurred on next trip (year later due to Covid). Same issue; reefer evap coils froze up. I checked all the defrost components and diagnosed it was caused by drain hole freezing up due to a lousy Samsung design. Replaced the short OEM tab that transfers heat to the  drain port with a long one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B7VST7V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Have not had an issue since and have been in high Rh and rain for last 4 days.
As to latches, we don't use them. Rather we use a short bungie around the reefer doors and a long bungie cord across the freezer. Works great.
Thx to Joel Ashley for IDing the tab. Also a few utube videos on it.
Steve

[Bill Lampkin]

We use the Fridge Fixer on our new 17 cu ft Fisher Paykel french door fridge. Also upgraded our inverter (Xantrex) to pure sine wave. Wife loves the fridge!



https://www.recubed.solutions/

[Paul Meehan]

Yep! What Bill said.  Recubed Solutions!  Worked great for us!  All three doors locked with this solution easy to operate.

[Stan Simpson]

I will 3rd the Fridge Fixer. Great tool that works. Doors never open while going down the road, and it can be easily used to keep the three doors ajar while not traveling, as in storage.

[Roy Boles]

Thanks everyone for your input. The old fridge started working as well as it can for now. I’m going to replace the vent and cover. I think the burner flue is plugged so I will work on that when the vent is off. Going to try to keep it working for now. Some day I will have to up grade to the residential refrigerator. One question about inverters. I was thinking of adding a second one dedicated to the new fridge. Or better to upgrade the inverter at the same time. What do you think.

[Steve Huber]

Roy,
IMHO just upgrade your current inverter to a pure sine wave unit as the motors in all your AC powered equipment will run better. Check the power draw of the intended residential unit to ensure the new inverter can handle it along with the coach's existing load.
BTW, my Samsung RF-18 is running fine after I added the longer evaporator heater drain tab. We've been in rain and high RH for a week so looks like that fix works.
Steve

[Steve Huber]

Ignore what I said about the (IMHO piece of junk) Samsung RF 18. I just finished using a hair dryer to defrost the reefer evap coils. Tried the unit's manual defrost function but no joy. Either it's a bad control board (again) or one if the sensors on the coils, even though I did a resistance check and they seemed to be working before we left on trip. I'll take one more shot at fixing it before scraping since it's a real PIA to replace.
Steve

[Richard Davis]

Steve
I had the same issues with my Samsung RF18.  I replaced the defrost element thinking that it was not defrosting correctly.  No Joy, same problem continued.  The next time I ordered all new parts to go with a new defrost element (defrost sensor element and thermo-fuse).  When I took it apart the second time I carefully examined all the parts.  The thermo-fuse is encased in a clear plastic enclosure and heat-sealed closed.  The seal had failed on mine and it was full of water (problem found).  The new defrost element and thermo-fuse solved my problem.  I also installed the new clip on the defrost element that extends down the drain tube.  So, for the last two years, no problems.
Richard