Fridge won't stay burning in hot sun

[RJsfishin]

Fridge works perfectly until the hot sun get on the outside grill, usually starts going out (F code) about 2 pm. It will lite back up no problem, but will burn only 10-15 minutes. At about 6 pm, it work like a new one again.
I'm sure it must be electrical shutting off the gas valve,.....pointing to a control board over heating ???

Think a small fan moving some air in the outside compartment mite help ?.
It really isn't a problem as long as I remember to relite it, but if it mite be a simple fix, such as a small fan, I'd try it.

[RJsfishin]

I was warned of that terminal on the board when I bought the sensor cable, I did check it, appeared to be tight, and a good connection.
For now, its in "not broke so don't fix it" mode, I'll leave the fan there, except I should put a switch on it,......except what is .3 amp gonna hurt when ya have solar ??:)
Thanks for all the info,......I'm learning more about fridges, if nothing else.

dougrainer wrote:

RJsfishin wrote:
Doug,
I replaced the spark sensor wire a while back when I first got here. It had trouble lighting at times, sometimes going into failure mode after several tries. That fixed it now never fails to light,.....well after I got the gap adjusted right that is.

This is a whole nother problem, and not a very serious one at that. And one it may have had since new

Thanks.

Long shot would be the Piezo ignitor tower on the control board is loose. I find this on 1200 models when the spark electrode spade is removed and you do NOT use a back up screwdriver to hold the piezo tower tight on the board to pull the spade terminal loose. If you pull the spade without securing the tower, you pull the tower solder pins loose. The fix is to either replace the board or pull the board and resolder the 4 solder pins on the tower on the board. This type problem will allow the Piezo to spark, but NOT allow the return AC flame signal to get to the board for processing that there is a flame. So, you may indeed need a new board. Doug

[dougrainer]

RJsfishin wrote:
Doug,
I replaced the spark sensor wire a while back when I first got here. It had trouble lighting at times, sometimes going into failure mode after several tries. That fixed it now never fails to light,.....well after I got the gap adjusted right that is.

This is a whole nother problem, and not a very serious one at that. And one it may have had since new

Thanks.

Long shot would be the Piezo ignitor tower on the control board is loose. I find this on 1200 models when the spark electrode spade is removed and you do NOT use a back up screwdriver to hold the piezo tower tight on the board to pull the spade terminal loose. If you pull the spade without securing the tower, you pull the tower solder pins loose. The fix is to either replace the board or pull the board and resolder the 4 solder pins on the tower on the board. This type problem will allow the Piezo to spark, but NOT allow the return AC flame signal to get to the board for processing that there is a flame. So, you may indeed need a new board. Doug

[RJsfishin]

Doug,
I replaced the spark sensor wire a while back when I first got here. It had trouble lighting at times, sometimes going into failure mode after several tries. That fixed it now never fails to light,.....well after I got the gap adjusted right that is.

This is a whole nother problem, and not a very serious one at that. And one it may have had since new

Thanks.

[dougrainer]

RJsfishin wrote:
I am going on 21 days now w/ no flame out. I'm now wondering if is really isn't a control board overheating problem that the little fan is maybe helping it. More time, more summer will tell. Trouble is, after this AZ trip, I am not into hot weather camping, so may never know.

dougrainer wrote:

RJsfishin wrote:
This is a normal updraft thru the roof vent, no fans anywhere,.....until today,....I installed one 4" at the bottom of the vent cover. Then, a catastrophic event happened. I had the fan running, and was tightening the last screw, when my screwdriver slipped, went into the fan,....2 blades gone instantly, and very out of balance !!!!@#$%^
Back to the vendor for another fan, 4 bucks down the tubes !
New fan working perfectly, except I picked up the 12 volts off the gas valve, so the fan only runs when the fire is lit. I mite have to change that. The good news is, no F code all day. Bad news, the sun was not as hot as it has been the last 3 days, so while I mite have improved the situation, I won't know till it gets hotter here.
No, no low voltage problems,....14.6 at the gas valve when burning.
Thanks for all the ideas.

While you have found a work around(until the sun gets hot again), you still have a problem. You ONLY need rear fan/s to help with cooling, NOT to keep a refer from completely shutting down. Remember, you have a Flame out code. Doug

For kicks, I would replace the Spark electrode/wire. Cheap and IF the porcelain has microscopic cracks will cause the ac return flame signal to NOT make it to the control board. That is what I would do if you had the unit at our facility. As to HEAT overheating the control board. Except for suburban furnaces built 1976 to 1985, I have NEVER seen heat cause a failure of a control board, especially on a refer. Here in Texas, we experience at least 100 days of 100 plus temps and if heat were a factor on a Refer control board, I would have seen such a failure. Doug

[JohnG3]

I installed that Camco vent cover with the solar panel and a small fan. Referig now stays cool all the time. Installed a switch on the lower outside panel so I can shut the fan off during winter camping.

[RJsfishin]

I am going on 21 days now w/ no flame out. I'm now wondering if is really isn't a control board overheating problem that the little fan is maybe helping it. More time, more summer will tell. Trouble is, after this AZ trip, I am not into hot weather camping, so may never know.

dougrainer wrote:

RJsfishin wrote:
This is a normal updraft thru the roof vent, no fans anywhere,.....until today,....I installed one 4" at the bottom of the vent cover. Then, a catastrophic event happened. I had the fan running, and was tightening the last screw, when my screwdriver slipped, went into the fan,....2 blades gone instantly, and very out of balance !!!!@#$%^
Back to the vendor for another fan, 4 bucks down the tubes !
New fan working perfectly, except I picked up the 12 volts off the gas valve, so the fan only runs when the fire is lit. I mite have to change that. The good news is, no F code all day. Bad news, the sun was not as hot as it has been the last 3 days, so while I mite have improved the situation, I won't know till it gets hotter here.
No, no low voltage problems,....14.6 at the gas valve when burning.
Thanks for all the ideas.

While you have found a work around(until the sun gets hot again), you still have a problem. You ONLY need rear fan/s to help with cooling, NOT to keep a refer from completely shutting down. Remember, you have a Flame out code. Doug

[NMDriver]

I guess the Refrigerator is not where the awning can shade that part of the RV wall to test if it is the sun heat causing the problem.

I have a similar issue and during the hottest part of the year I put a piece of reflective insulation, similar to a car windshield cover, over the sunny side windows and the ref. outside wall. Sort of like a mini awning. Couple of small C-clamps at the gutter and bottom with two clothes hangers to get it to stand out from the grill. May not look pretty but it is my property so I do not have any neighbors to complain. I also do not move the RV for 2-5 months at that location so maybe not a good solution for a frequent traveler.

[j-d]

I use two 92mm fans. Most recently from CompUSA/Tiger Direct $6 each, then I found this WalMart Four-Pack for $6

Here's the Link
Yeah they're cheap, not Ball Bearing, yada yada. Still they run 3-4 seasons including lots of salt air near the beach. The wiring corrodes off the board before the bearings fail.
I was glad to go 92mm. I ZipTie two side by side and the "assembly" lodges into a spot in the coils with no further mounting. Got a PC Power Supply Cable from RatShack and spliced into the fridge's power wiring. Fans plug together and plug into that Cable.

[dougrainer]

RJsfishin wrote:
This is a normal updraft thru the roof vent, no fans anywhere,.....until today,....I installed one 4" at the bottom of the vent cover. Then, a catastrophic event happened. I had the fan running, and was tightening the last screw, when my screwdriver slipped, went into the fan,....2 blades gone instantly, and very out of balance !!!!@#$%^
Back to the vendor for another fan, 4 bucks down the tubes !
New fan working perfectly, except I picked up the 12 volts off the gas valve, so the fan only runs when the fire is lit. I mite have to change that. The good news is, no F code all day. Bad news, the sun was not as hot as it has been the last 3 days, so while I mite have improved the situation, I won't know till it gets hotter here.
No, no low voltage problems,....14.6 at the gas valve when burning.
Thanks for all the ideas.

While you have found a work around(until the sun gets hot again), you still have a problem. You ONLY need rear fan/s to help with cooling, NOT to keep a refer from completely shutting down. Remember, you have a Flame out code. Doug

[RJsfishin]

This is a normal updraft thru the roof vent, no fans anywhere,.....until today,....I installed one 4" at the bottom of the vent cover. Then, a catastrophic event happened. I had the fan running, and was tightening the last screw, when my screwdriver slipped, went into the fan,....2 blades gone instantly, and very out of balance !!!!@#$%^
Back to the vendor for another fan, 4 bucks down the tubes !
New fan working perfectly, except I picked up the 12 volts off the gas valve, so the fan only runs when the fire is lit. I mite have to change that. The good news is, no F code all day. Bad news, the sun was not as hot as it has been the last 3 days, so while I mite have improved the situation, I won't know till it gets hotter here.
No, no low voltage problems,....14.6 at the gas valve when burning.
Thanks for all the ideas.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

Is your fridge in a slide and vented out the side instead of the roof? If so it has 2 fans blowing air up to the cooler behind the top vent.

Are those fans running?

There is a thermistor that turns the fans on, located behind the top vent on the cooler fins.

It could be a thermistor problem, a fan problem (though there are two) OR, in the case that Dougrainer diagnosed for us (Once I listened to his advice :S ) a corroded connection that acted like the thermistor was bad.

I'm thinking that perhaps the cooler is working without the fans (or perhaps with just one fan) until the ambient temp up at the top gets too high. A degree or two could make a difference.

[Fishinghat]

From your description, it appears your frig's cooler coils are overheating. I'd suggest installing several small computer type fans to the inside of the lower vent cover, using nylon ties. Connect the fans to a switch and to the 12 volt supply. You can turn the fans on during the day and off at night.

You could also install two of the larger fans on top of your cooling coils on the back of the frig and connect them to a thermal couple to automatically turn the fans on and off. This would require removing the frig into the coach to access the coils on the top. However, many newer coaches have these fans installed during assembly, and it probably would be the preferred method for you or others updating their coaches.

[Raften]

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:
It's extremely difficult to troubleshoot your problem over the internet when we don't know what year, make, model of trailer with or without slides, etc.

His question seems pretty straight forward enough so an extensive DNA report might no be needed. A small fan should fix it or a shade for the grill.

[newman_fulltime]

dougrainer wrote:

newman fulltimer wrote:
If in a hot climant running the ac its pulling alot of amprage your converter or basttery is not keeping up for the smount needed. Once the temp cools of the demand goes down voltage goes up and fridge comes on.
Check wiring connectoins for corrosion and tightness battery for proper voltage

I want you to read your post again and think about what you stated.
1. The Roof AC is pulling AC amps
2. The refer is on LP and the 12 volt controls pull milliamps
3. The Converter only supplies 12 volt current to the RV and would NOT be affected by the Roof AC 120 volt amp draw.
4. Remember , he is on LP on the refer not 120 and even if he was on 120 on the refer, the amps would be 2.6 and the refer would not throw a LP code(F). Doug

doug my fault imeant voltage drop is what he is experiancing