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crcr's avatar
crcr
Explorer
Jun 01, 2018

Refrigerator Working on 110v but not on Propane -- Solved!

I had an issue with the refrigerator on our TT that it took me some months to solve, so I thought I would share my saga here in the hope that sometime perhaps it might help someone else with the same fridge problem to find the solution.

Since we bought our 2011 TT in 2014, the fridge had worked perfectly on either 110v or propane, until about 6 months ago, when suddenly it still worked fine on 110v, but would not cool when on propane, even though I still had a flame in the fridge propane burner.

I do all my own maintenance, so I did a lot of research online. The common cause of this problem seemed to be that the propane regulator at the tanks might be bad, since those do apparently wear out, or the propane burner in the fridge might need to be replaced. I replaced both of those items, but it didn't solve the problem. Finally I replaced a small propane regulator/valve inside the fridge at the base, but that didn't fix the problem either.

I was out of ideas, so I consulted two different mobile RV repair men, and neither one could figure it out! After months of no solution, I finally found the problem. The fridge is in the slide, and I found that the rubber hose that supplies the fridge was kinked in two places. The worst kink was at a propane fitting on the end of a hard supply pipe on the undercarriage that the rubber propane supply hose in the slide connected to. The fitting was pointed 180 degrees the opposite direction it should have been, forcing a tight 180 degree bend in the hose, thus the kink -- a sloppy mistake at the factory when the TT was built.

The rubber propane hose in the slide was 8' long and is attached to an accordion type mechanism, so to speak, that folds up as the slide is retracted. I had a custom hose made up at a local company that will make any type of custom hose for you. So if your fridge is in a slide, and it ever quits working on propane, the supply hose should probably be one of the first things you check.

10 Replies

  • Thanks for getting back to us.
    I read something along the same lines a couple of weeks ago. Must be a fairly normal situation.
  • dougrainer wrote:
    dougrainer wrote:
    The difference between a "Mobile Tech" and a qualified RV tech would have found the problem.
    1. IF you have a problem cooling on LP and all other causes have been checked and the refer is in a slide room, The hose routing is always checked.
    2. A KNOWLEDGABLE qualified RV tech would have connected the Manometer at the refer valve and checked the LP pressure at the refer. THIS would have indicated a supply problem. And if knowledgeable, would have suspected the hose routing as this is a common problem on RV's with refers in slide rooms. Doug


    Sorry, He is NOT qualified. You CANNOT check LP pressure at a Range/Stove. PERIOD. RV Range/Stoves have a built in LP regulator set at 10 inches W/C. Working pressure of a LP system is 11.5 inches W/C. The reason he did not have the part on board is because the Refer LP valve RARELY fails. I cannot remember the last time I changed a refer LP valve. That means YEARS ago. I work on hundreds of refers every year. Doug


    Come on Doug, your first post was spot on and was exactly what I was thinking. Put a manometer on it rather than throwing parts at it.

    However your second post is misleading, I've tested at the stove many times, the line needs disconnected and the pressure checked prior to the stove regulator.
  • crcr wrote:
    dougrainer wrote:
    The difference between a "Mobile Tech" and a qualified RV tech would have found the problem.
    1. IF you have a problem cooling on LP and all other causes have been checked and the refer is in a slide room, The hose routing is always checked.
    2. A KNOWLEDGABLE qualified RV tech would have connected the Manometer at the refer valve and checked the LP pressure at the refer. THIS would have indicated a supply problem. And if knowledgeable, would have suspected the hose routing as this is a common problem on RV's with refers in slide rooms. Doug


    I didn't give details earlier because I didn't want to in any way besmirch the rep of a RV repair guy trying to make a living -- everyone makes mistakes. But here's what happened. One of the RV mobile repair guys I used for sure is a qualified RV tech (not sure about the other one). He checked the LP pressure with a manometer, but not at the fridge, he checked it at the stove! Then he concluded and told me the valve/regulator at the base of the fridge was bad.

    He didn't have the part on board, so suggested I order it and replace it and that would fix the problem. I did, it didn't. When I later called and notified him that I did exactly as he said and it didn't fix it, to his credit, he did refund me his service call charge, though I was still out of pocket for the cost of the part and my time.


    Sorry, He is NOT qualified. You CANNOT check LP pressure at a Range/Stove. PERIOD. RV Range/Stoves have a built in LP regulator set at 10 inches W/C. Working pressure of a LP system is 11.5 inches W/C. The reason he did not have the part on board is because the Refer LP valve RARELY fails. I cannot remember the last time I changed a refer LP valve. That means YEARS ago. I work on hundreds of refers every year. Doug
  • coolmom42 wrote:
    Good info.

    I'm not a fan of plumbing and propane connections in a slide. Too much opportunity for things like that to happen.


    I now agree! Going forward, I will be regularly checking that LP rubber supply hose in the slide and make sure it is not kinked!
  • dougrainer wrote:
    The difference between a "Mobile Tech" and a qualified RV tech would have found the problem.
    1. IF you have a problem cooling on LP and all other causes have been checked and the refer is in a slide room, The hose routing is always checked.
    2. A KNOWLEDGABLE qualified RV tech would have connected the Manometer at the refer valve and checked the LP pressure at the refer. THIS would have indicated a supply problem. And if knowledgeable, would have suspected the hose routing as this is a common problem on RV's with refers in slide rooms. Doug


    I didn't give details earlier because I didn't want to in any way besmirch the rep of a RV repair guy trying to make a living -- everyone makes mistakes. But here's what happened. One of the RV mobile repair guys I used for sure is a qualified RV tech (not sure about the other one). He checked the LP pressure with a manometer, but not at the fridge, he checked it at the stove! Then he concluded and told me the valve/regulator at the base of the fridge was bad.

    He didn't have the part on board, so suggested I order it and replace it and that would fix the problem. I did, it didn't. When I later called and notified him that I did exactly as he said and it didn't fix it, to his credit, he did refund me his service call charge, though I was still out of pocket for the cost of the part and my time.
  • The difference between a "Mobile Tech" and a qualified RV tech would have found the problem.
    1. IF you have a problem cooling on LP and all other causes have been checked and the refer is in a slide room, The hose routing is always checked.
    2. A KNOWLEDGABLE qualified RV tech would have connected the Manometer at the refer valve and checked the LP pressure at the refer. THIS would have indicated a supply problem. And if knowledgeable, would have suspected the hose routing as this is a common problem on RV's with refers in slide rooms. Doug
  • Good info.

    I'm not a fan of plumbing and propane connections in a slide. Too much opportunity for things like that to happen.
  • cool! Well written. Thanks for the factoid.
  • Thanks for sharing your find. Diagnosing issues with RV's can really be puzzling sometime. I do all my own repairs too, so I'm always on the lookout for good info.