Refrigerator not cooling

How long are you leaving it run before checking it? Absorbation refers require 12-24 hour cool down period before you add food. That can be sped up a bit by adding ice, but Im not ever in that big of a hurry.

In my experience some refrigerators are more forgiving than others. As the units do not have a compressor and rely on heat for circulation of the ammonia, having the unit level insures maximum performance. My advice is start by leveling your RV and see what happens! If it still does not work on AC or LP have it checked by your RV dealer. Just my 2 cents! :D

donn0128 wrote:
How long are you leaving it run before checking it? Absorbation refers require 12-24 hour cool down period before you add food. That can be sped up a bit by adding ice, but Im not ever in that big of a hurry.

8 hours and nothing in it even feels cool. Guess I'm going to go and give it a shot. Fingers crossed.

The older ones had issues being level but the newer ones, not so much. Yours is 11 years old so I am not sure but age could be factor. If it's not cool in a day, you have a mechanical issue.

TNGW1500SE wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
How long are you leaving it run before checking it? Absorbation refers require 12-24 hour cool down period before you add food. That can be sped up a bit by adding ice, but Im not ever in that big of a hurry.

8 hours and nothing in it even feels cool. Guess I'm going to go and give it a shot. Fingers crossed.

When we turn our frig on readying for a trip, I will fill the ice trays and watch for ice to determine when the frig is cold enough.

TNGW1500SE wrote:


8 hours and nothing in it even feels cool. Guess I'm going to go and give it a shot. Fingers crossed.

8 hours and not even cool, I think that I would take an ice chest and have the refrigerator checked when I returned from my trip. JMO

I would take a small fridge from walmart with me in a lower bay. Also I would look at a residential when you come back. But that is another whole thread. It should be cool in 8 hours maybe not cold but cool, yes.

I once parked in an unlevel parking lot (12 yr-old fridge) and left the fridge running all night. Decidedly less cool the next day. Took a day of driving around (ammonia sloshing?) for it to recover. Never did that again.

If it's not cool at all, there's likely an issue.

The general rule of thumb is if you're comfortable walking in the rig, you're level enough. My Norcold manual says 3 degrees side to side and 6 degrees front to rear. Remember, on absorption fridges the freezer cools first, then the box. I'd put a thermometer in the freezer and see what it's doing.

Above is the simple answer. Since you're getting ready for a trip, you might want to verify the fridge is operating at all. To do so, you'll need to provide the brand and model number of your fridge. If Norcold, has the recall been done? Is the red light on? Do you see any codes on the eyebrow? Provide more information..there's lots of smart people on this forum.....Dennis

If your freezer is working and the fridge is around 50 degrees sometimes a small fan in the fridge will help it circulate and bring down temperature hope this helps.

2003 Airstream Land Yacht