Dometic fridge not cooling

[zukeij]

so my father in law bought a "sandcastle" camper, didnt think to check the year of it, "the camper is located a hour away" but it is currently sitting on a piece of private land and is plugged in on 120v, My in laws told me last time they were up at the camper the fridge did work with some tinkering but we went up there this week end and they forgot what they did to get it working as the camper is left unpowered when they are not there. To me it seem like there is a silinoid that is not engaging to switch the fridge from either gas or 12v and put it to 120v. but that is just my opinion, here is some pictures of the fridge and the wiring, to be clear the fridge dowes seem to power up as the inside lights all work and the buttons on top of the fridge work, the freezer seems a little bit cold but not really enough to even have fridge temp. the fridge portion is room temperature.

[crazybill]

From the pictures there is a lot of **** and debris around the flue or heater area. If this were mine I would start by giving this a good cleaning. Start at the top and check the roof vent to make sure it is clean and free of anything that would block air flow. Remove the vent cover and actually look down there with a flashlight.
Remove the covers around the burner area and clean the burner and thermocouple with a brush. There will probably be a pretty good build up around them. Also check the igniter tip. Then blow the area out and power up the fridge and put it on manual to see if the burner lights and stays lit.
Switch over to auto and check that the electric element heats. It will take a while but the flue area should get hot. If these things work then replace the covers and it should get cold in 8 to 24 hours. The freezer floor or rear wall should feel cold in an hour or two.
I know this sounds like a lot to go through but I have had a lot of these fridges and 90% of the problems I have had with them were caused by crud in the burner or flue area and poor ventilation.
Look up the manual for your fridge online. It should help you perform the tasks I mentioned. It sounds like your fridge is trying to work and has worked in the recent past. Cleaning and maintenance should do the trick. -Bill-

[bob213]

I think you need to read Old-Biscuit's post again. (DC=12v)

[zukeij]

Jim@HiTek wrote:
As mentioned, make sure you have BOTH 120 Vac and 12 Vdc. The control circuits need 12 volt and if it was unplugged for a while, the batteries could be too low...in which case, the refer is designed to light up, but not operate. (At least my '02 Norcold booklet says that). So add the time it takes the converter to charge the batteries up to 13 volt (I believe) before it starts working.

Ok so we need to connect 12v power to the camper to get the control circuts to activate. The camper has sat all winter and i dont remember if they told me it worked last summer(after it was hauled to its permanent location) or if it was a few weeks ago so this could be the issue, as i stated in my first post we have no other connections to the trailer at the moment other than 120v AC, that means no gas and no 12v, but i will check into putting 12v to the trailer and see what happens. i may only be at the trailer this weekend before i can check.

[Old-Biscuit]

DBL Post

[Old-Biscuit]

Well it is obvious you have DC cause the 'check' light is working
DC is needed for display, interior light, controls and propane function
(10.5V DC---13.5V DC to function)

AC is strictly for the electric heater element
If you have AC power source available check that the outlet fridge is plugged into works (plug a lamp, drill ect OR Voltmeter/RVs Friend)

In 'Auto' fridge will operate on 120V AC (priority source) and swap to 'gas' if AC Power is not available

'Check' light cmes on when the propane flame doesn't light off OR doesn't prove it light
Common issue when propane is valved out for extended period and then valved back in
A demand has to be placed on LP Regulator to establish flow.....fridge burner is a small demand

Lighting off stove top burners (all on high) will place a controlled demand on LP Reg and establish the flow of propane into system
Then several attempts of lighting propane burner off maybe necessary to get flow to fridge burner

THEN it will take 8-12 hours for freezer and THEN food compartment to finally cool down enough to use (safe food compartment temp of 40*F and below)


Fridge looks like a Dometic Americana

[2012Coleman]

I don't get what your issue is. From the pictures, the check light is on. What are you trying to do? Is the camper plugged in and your operating on electricity?

Or - are you trying to run on gas after an extended period being in the off position? If the later, then most likely, air is in the gas lines and needs to be purged by turning on the stove and igniting until you get solid flames on all burners. Then try the fridge. And as stated, give it a while to cool down once the check light is not longer flashing. If the blades inside the fridge feel cool, then time is most likely all you need.

You want to operate it in Auto mode which means the fridge operates on electricity if available, otherwise it switches to gas.

[Jim]

As mentioned, make sure you have BOTH 120 Vac and 12 Vdc. The control circuits need 12 volt and if it was unplugged for a while, the batteries could be too low...in which case, the refer is designed to light up, but not operate. (At least my '02 Norcold booklet says that). So add the time it takes the converter to charge the batteries up to 13 volt (I believe) before it starts working.

[donn0128]

Rv refers also need strong 12vdc control voltage to work

[DutchmenSport]

An RV refrigerator will take anywhere from 8 to 24 hours to get cold and for things to freeze in the freezer. Some seem to be a little faster at chilling down than others. Ambient heat around the camper can make the initial cool down slower too. Once cool, they stay cool. But the initial cool down takes several hours. That's why we leave ours turned on 24x7x365. We use it too much to turn off and wait for cool down to happen again.

Be patient. Give it 24 hours. Set a cup of water in the freezer section. See if it freezes after 24 hours.