Interesting Fridge problem solved!

ScottG wrote:
DOES AN ems LOOK AT THE rv side? If not then if it was the "plug" miswired as the OP said then no EMS would have seen it. If it was the receptacle side then yes it would have.

Good point, I hadn't even thought about. A non-hardwired EMS would not have seen this problem. I'm going to buy and install a hardwired EMS just so I don't have to worry about someone stealing a portable one.

Dick_B wrote:
and if you took it to a shop they would not be able to find a problem!

I shudder to think of how much cash a shop would have taken me for to try and find this problem. Luckily when troubleshooting the cooling unit it cooled well so dodged the expensive one. Found out the previous owner replaced it 2 1/2 yrs ago so hopefully won't have to deal with that for quite a while.

Kirk

2oldman wrote:

atckirk wrote:
The coach has a Xantrex Freedom 458 3000w inverter/charger that I was a little surprised to see didn't seem to be phased by the polarity problem.

Pun notwithstanding, the 458 should have thrown an error.. I know my old Prosine 2.0 would have.

I'm still confused as to why a 12v refer board would care about 120v polarity.

I was surprised also, the fridge thought it was working because it wouldn't switch to gas like when you unplug it but the heaters were not getting power. When I bypassed the board by plugging the AC heaters directly into the outlet the fridge started cooling right away.

Does an ems look at the rv side? If not then if it was the "plug" miswired as the OP said then no EMS would have seen it. If it was the receptacle side then yes it would have.

kellertx5er wrote:

nomad297 wrote:
This would never have been an issue if you were using some form of EMS.
Bruce

Sounds like he fixed it for a whole lot less than the cost of an EMS.

Time to me is money. Maybe to you, it's not. I value my time and I try my best not to waste it.

Bruce

and if you took it to a shop they would not be able to find a problem!

atckirk wrote:
The coach has a Xantrex Freedom 458 3000w inverter/charger that I was a little surprised to see didn't seem to be phased by the polarity problem.

Pun notwithstanding, the 458 should have thrown an error.. I know my old Prosine 2.0 would have.

I'm still confused as to why a 12v refer board would care about 120v polarity.

It's AC current so most items won't care about the neutral/hot polarity, I'm sure someone smarter than i can tell us why it can be an issue.

you want an EMS WITH polarity checking (not just surge protection) - Progressive Industries EMS seems to be a favorite, Surge Guard is another one (i think its more popular as a portable/non-hardwire solution).

both have hardwired & portable versions.

I am planning on some kind of surge protector, Amazon has the EMSHW30C for $244, seems reasonable. I wasn't in a rush to get one because so far I've only been plugged into the house with a known good plug and here in SoCal we rarely get lightning or power fluctuations to worry about surges. The coach has a Xantrex Freedom 458 3000w inverter/charger that I was a little surprised to see didn't seem to be phased by the polarity problem.

kellertx5er wrote:

nomad297 wrote:
This would never have been an issue if you were using some form of EMS.
Bruce

Sounds like he fixed it for a whole lot less than the cost of an EMS.

I've run in to the reverse polarity issue before....luckily it was neutral and hot and not the ground.

my EMS prevented power to the coach - the original poster was lucky...this time, i wasn't so lucky w/one outlet prior to buying my EMS.

take your chances....install one after the damage or install one prior (and safe at least that cost of repairing or replacing items).

nomad297 wrote:
This would never have been an issue if you were using some form of EMS.
Bruce

Sounds like he fixed it for a whole lot less than the cost of an EMS.