Refrigerator Repair/Replacement

[Grey_Mountain]

Looks like our fridge is belly up. Getting a code "cooling unit" problem.
Taking it in for repairs next week.
A replacement runs from $3000/$4000. If just the cooling unit is bad, replacement is around $1200 or so.
If I have to replace the entire thing, I am considering going back with a residential refrigerator of the same size. What are the pros and cons of this? Of course, I would have nor refrigertor unless on shore power or genertor.

GM

[Grey_Mountain]

OK. I'll check that. Turned the unit on this AM, cooling fans are working. When I open the door, they shut off.

My nephew if a police sergeant with the Carrollton Police Department. I checked with him and he told me that if you ever get stopped by the Carrollton Police, he will ensure that you get one free phone call.

GM

[dougrainer]

On the main rear circuit Board in the middle bottom of the board, there are 2 heavy duty wires. 1 Black and 1 White. THOSE are the Fan circuit wiring. The WHITE should be on your left. If they are reversed the only thing that happens is, the cooling cans will not operate. This miswiring happens all the time when people that do not know what they are doing pull the wires off the circuit board and then connect those 2 wires backwards. Verify the WHITE is on the left. Doug

[Grey_Mountain]

OK, thanks. I've heard those fans before. Fan was cycling on/off every few seconds before - reason I had them replaced. I'll double check.

GM

[dougrainer]

The fans should be running in 90 ambient. If you have everything QUIET in the RV. You can hear the fans. IF you open either lower refer doors the fans will shut OFF until the doors close. Then you will hear the hum of the fans. If you do not hear the fans, they are NOT running and should be. Doug

[Grey_Mountain]

Just got the coach back yesteday. Ambient temp here is high 90s. The cooling fan was replaced a few months back. I'll monitor it and see what happens. RV place said it did what it was supposed to do for about a week.
Thanks for your help.

Lonnie

[dougrainer]

Grey Mountain wrote:
Doug - I bow to your superior knowledge. Is the scenario above possible?

GM

There is nothing you can do with the controls to cause a lock out. The only thing to cause a lock out is a unsafe operating parameter, like unlevel or lack of ventilation. I still think you have a cooling fan issue. Can you hear the fans? What is the ambient temp you are in right now? Doug

[Grey_Mountain]

Doug - I bow to your superior knowledge. Is the scenario above possible?

GM

[Grey_Mountain]

UPDATE!!

Took the coach to my local RV repair place, tech unlocked the codes, turned the unit on, it is working perfectly. After five days, it's still working perfectly. He says it may be, as has been suggested there, that I had been trying to use the unit when the coach was not level. Hard to believe, since we haven't been anyhere we haven't been before - but whatever.
My own not so educated guess - when we were at the Offutt AFB Base Lake Fam Camp we had problems with the electrical pedastal. This was off season, so there wasn't much help around. My power source was fluctuating, charging was fluctuating. I may have accidentally done the "reset" function while trying to get the unit to work. If that is so, the second time I did it, it would have locked me out. Just a guess on my part; however, it is now working.f
As I mentioned before, when it comes to electrical things, I am a very good carpenter.

GM

[C_B_]

Grey Mountain wrote:

C.B. wrote:
I have a working Dometic french door that came out of my Cedar Creek.

If interested PM me.


C.B.

Good idea, escept you are 1032.1 miles north/northeast of me. 🙂

Pack some coolers and make a road trip!!!!!!!:E:):)

[Grey_Mountain]

Sorry about that. The refer is in the front area of the RV, next to the slide. It is stationary.

[dougrainer]

Grey Mountain wrote:

dougrainer wrote:
Odds are your problem is the rear cooling fans are NOT working. Most common cause of NO CO on a 1200 refer. Especially if the refer is in a slide room. Doug

Thanks, Doug. The unit is in a slide room; however, it does not go out with the slide. Guess I'll find out Monday when I take it in.
I'm just trying to stay ahead of the game, exploring options "just in case.'
Had a fridge go out on me in my previous coach - in Canada, 2500 miies from home. Bought a small chest unit which got us home. On that, I had the ammonia smell and the yellow peril.

GM

The refer is in a slide room. You state it does NOT go out when the slide extends???????? That makes no sense. EVERYTHING in a slide room goes out when it extends, otherwise it is NOT in a slide room. Doug

[Grey_Mountain]

Thanks much for all the responses. Yes, we do have an inverter. And we never boondock. I have never used the inverter for power. Did not have an inverter on my previous 34' gasser. Probably time to find out how to use it, don'tcha think?

My Discovery is a 2006, bought it in 2010. It had a combo washer and dryer; however, I took it out and put a chest freezer in it's place. When we visited Canada, my British Bride would stock up on foods she cannot get in the US. We used that secondary freezer a lot.
We just cancelled our annual trip to Vancouver Island, which would most likely have been our last trip there anyway. We'll be doing 10 to 15-day trips now instead of the usual 3-month summer trip.

GM

[Grey_Mountain]

dougrainer wrote:
Odds are your problem is the rear cooling fans are NOT working. Most common cause of NO CO on a 1200 refer. Especially if the refer is in a slide room. Doug

Thanks, Doug. The unit is in a slide room; however, it does not go out with the slide. Guess I'll find out Monday when I take it in.
I'm just trying to stay ahead of the game, exploring options "just in case.'
Had a fridge go out on me in my previous coach - in Canada, 2500 miies from home. Bought a small chest unit which got us home. On that, I had the ammonia smell and the yellow peril.

GM

[dougrainer]

Odds are your problem is the rear cooling fans are NOT working. Most common cause of NO CO on a 1200 refer. Especially if the refer is in a slide room. Doug