refigerator problem

[asmckinl]

I recently bought a used 2003 Casita and have it hooked up to the power at my house. I cannot get the refrigerator to come on. The outlets and microwave are working so I know there is power. I have the control switched to AC and the thermostat is set. I hear nothing running and it is not getting cold. What else should I check? (I haven't tried the LP or DC sources yet.) I did check the fuse and it is not blown. Thanks for any suggestions.

[ZachO]

It won't make any noise.

How long has it been on? It'll take hours to cool down. Make sure it's plugged in; it has its own outlet. There's also usually a separate fuse in the back of the fridge somewhere, but I can't remember if it's only for DC...

[Talia]

Zacho is right. You will not hear it running, because a 3-way fridge is nothing like a compressor-style fridge. One way to tell if it's on is to pull the back vent cover off, and see if you can feel heat on the vent stack which will be the vertical pipe running up on the right side as you're facing the back of the fridge. If you can feel heat, the fridge is running. Be careful, because it can get quite hot.

If the vent stack is NOT hot, then you need to find out what the problem is. My 3-way fridge will not run on gas OR electric unless it's hooked up to a 12-volt battery, because that's what powers the front panel. Yours may be the same. Also, check your ground wire in the back to make sure it's connected properly. If none of these things is faulty, and you still don't have coolness in the fridge after running it *at least* overnight, then try running it on LP and see if it works.

Come back and post your findings, and we'll help you further if need be.

[stevebaz]

The first spot that shows signs of any cooling is inside the freezer compartment. No hint of cooling in a couple of hours means its not getting power. Check to see where the fridge cord is plugged into the trailer outlet. Sometimes during travel they vibrate loose and just get unplugged. Can be difficult on some of these installations just to find the outlet where the fridge is actually plugged in.
Check the outlet and make sure its not a tripped GFI outlet, may just need a reset there too.

[asmckinl]

Thank you for your replies. I had it turned on for two days but no coolness. I will try the LP tonight when I get home. I did take the vent off of the back and saw that it was plugged in but I didn't look for a ground wire. I did not feel any heat however. I will keep you posted.

[steve dunham]

On my Casita the refrigerator receptacle is accessible thru the lower outside vent opening behind the refrigerator . The 120 VAC
for the refrigerator is fed off the load side of the kitchen GFCI in my Casita.

[Gerry]

Hey Check to see if the AC plug outlet has power to it.
Invest in a simple multi-meter for about $19 can answer a lot of Questions.

[asmckinl]

Yes. I think I should invest in a multi meter and test the outlet. Again, I will keep you posted.

[Paul O.]

If the fridge has not been run on propane for a long time, the gas lines leading to it may have only air in them. When starting the fridge pilot light, hold the gas button down for a long time and keep pushing the piezoelectric starter repeatedly. It may even take a few minutes to start. I had this problem testing the systems on my son's iCamp, just last week.

[Glenn Baglo]

I light my propane stove first. Takes a bit, but that gets propane into the lines to the fridge.

[Donna D.]

Glenn is right, start the stove first to bring gas into the line.

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Glenn is right, start the stove first to bring gas into the line.

That definitely helps, but there may still be air in the branch of the copper pipe that feeds the fridge burner. As somebody pointed out here once, the ratio of LP gas to air has to be in a pretty narrow range for ignition to take place.

[Gerry]

Originally Posted by asmckinl

Thank you for your replies. I had it turned on for two days but no coolness. I will try the LP tonight when I get home. I did take the vent off of the back and saw that it was plugged in but I didn't look for a ground wire. I did not feel any heat however. I will keep you posted.

Did I miss something?
Did she say he tried to get it to work on LP?
Last I read was that she was going to buy a multi meter to check voltage on the outlet in back of fridge.

But, I agree to purge some of the air out of gas lines I run my stove top till it lights and that way I know propane has fill most of my lines and they will work as should.

[Borrego Dave]

Just one other thing for LP. We recently had a member having problems with LP lighting.....turned out the bottles were empty.

[floyd]

Why a multi meter? Just unplug the fridge and plug in your hair dryer!

[Gerry]

Hey Ann, Don't leave us hanging....did you ever get it running on:
Electric?
Propane?
Battery?

[asmckinl]

Thank you for your suggestions. I haven't tried the LP yet. I need to level the trailer. I did try the electricity again. Curiously, both times I have tried it I have seen water trickling out across the floor. ( The first time it had rained recently ... so I didn't connect the two but the second time it had not been raining.) Do you think there is any connection? The frig never got cold either time. Where would water come from? I have winterized my camper.

[Jack L]

For the refrigerator to work properly, it must be level. It does not need to be perfectly level, but close. 120 volt, 12 volt or gas does not matter. It still needs to be level.

[asmckinl]

OH. OK. I didn't realize that. Not being level could be the problem. Thank you.

[Gerry]

Originally Posted by Jack L

For the refrigerator to work properly, it must be level. It does not need to be perfectly level, but close. 120 volt, 12 volt or gas does not matter. It still needs to be level.

Glad you pointed that out Jack...
Ann is it water or another substance you find on floor?
Is there or was there ever an odor like vinegar in the trailer.
If so the gas not propane but the gas that gets cold when it's heated up has leaked out.
My original fridge in my Boler spung a leak last summer and the smell would take you breath away at first.
Get things level or close to it is very important to let this gas flow through the tubes without pooling up and stopping the flow.