Forum Discussion

fullhouse10's avatar
fullhouse10
Explorer
Jun 07, 2015

Atwood Helium Fridge not working on Gas, NO Check Light

Hi We have a 2015 keystone bullet, when we picked it up the fridge was fine as it was plugged into AC so was nice and cold. We took it out a month later and switched it to gas and was at full strength (5 bars) and was cool, not cold (after 24hrs of being on gas), the next time we took the trailer out the fridge warmed up completely, checked the pilot light and gas which were all working properly. Took to the dealership and they checked it over, as the tech was new to the Helium fridges, said it was fine and got it cooling at the dealership (not the same dealership we bought from, as we bought in Indiana and live in Washington). Worked mediocre for the summer, ice cream was mushy in the freezer and nothing really "froze solid" but we lived with it. AC on full strength doesn't get that cold either.
This summer we took out of storage plugged into our home, fridge cooled slowly on AC, switched to gas and the fridge warmed up, NO CHECK lights, pilot light is on, gas is plentiful. ANY BODY KNOW THE CAUSE, called Atwood and he's never heard of the fridges doing this, thinking its something with the chimney or gas check valve, pilot light on and strong, works mediocre on electric???????

Need help, thanks in advance

16 Replies

Show More
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Jun 09, 2015
    fullhouse10 wrote:
    Thanks, I have it into the dealership right now and will talk to the tech once he gets to the unit, the fridge is not in a slide room. Will keep this updated as to what they say, its a big help to hear your opinions as i didn't want to spent shop rate per hour for him to trouble shoot every possibility, now i can give him specifics


    2015 model........fridge not cooling
    Should be warranty repair. No cost to you!

    You did have dealership contact RV mfg. for authorization....correct?
  • fullhouse10's avatar
    fullhouse10
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2015
    Thanks, I have it into the dealership right now and will talk to the tech once he gets to the unit, the fridge is not in a slide room. Will keep this updated as to what they say, its a big help to hear your opinions as i didn't want to spent shop rate per hour for him to trouble shoot every possibility, now i can give him specifics
  • Chris_Bryant's avatar
    Chris_Bryant
    Explorer II
    Jun 08, 2015
    Short answer- find a better dealer- you shouldn't have to fight to get this working.
    There seem to be 2 issues here- overall performance is poor, LP performance is bad. It's hard to tell if you've really tested on electric though.
    The basic LP check is clean burner, orifice and *check LP pressure*- something that Atwood has no control over.
    Poor overall performance would be installation, usually. Could be marginal cooling unit- I've only worked on a few, but they gave worked OK.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Jun 08, 2015
    5. Atwood 'helium' fridge is just an absorption fridge that uses helium vs hydrogen gas in the cooling unit.
    Otherwise it is the same as nay other absorption fridge....same troubleshooting methods/same lack of cooling issues

    Do like Doug suggested to 'test' cooling capabilities and check that backside of fridge for obstructions/lack of fans etc.

    Wouldn't be surprised if issue is with installation my rv mfg. IF they did not follow fridge mfg. installation/clearances then fridge will not have sufficient air flow (draft) to cool properly..especially of there are dead air spaces
  • dougrainer's avatar
    dougrainer
    Nomad
    Jun 08, 2015
    1. There is NO pilot light. The Flame is all you have
    2. The check for ANY RV absorbsion is to bypass the controls, connect the 120 element direct to 120 and run the refer on 120 for 24 hours. IF, after that time the refer does not get below 40 degrees and the freezer below 10 degrees the cooling unit is probably bad.
    3. Before condemning the Cooling unit, verify that the ventilation is clear and IF the unit is in a slide room the rear ventilation fan is running. If the refer is in a slide room and there is NO rear ventilation fan, that would be the cause of the cooling problem as refers in slide rooms need that fan.
    4. The reason that Atwood has not heard of this is simple. Atwood just started building and supplying refers to the RV industry and I doubt their people have any real knowledge of all types of problems unlike Dometic and Norcold that have been in the business 40 plus years. Doug

About Technical Issues

Having RV issues? Connect with others who have been in your shoes.24,370 PostsLatest Activity: Mar 17, 2026