Refrigator Problems

[patkvm]

Hello all,

I would like to bounce something off of this group. Kind of long...

I have a 2013 Jayco 185RB Swift SLX trailer. This trailer is back in the shop after 1 use this year for refrigerator issues. Well not exactly issues with the refer itself. Every time I turn on the A/C the refer box warms up to about 70 degrees, turn off the A/C and the refer works fine. Jayco, Norcold and the dealer are still trying to figure out why this happens. Norcold has replaced the refer. Jayco and dealer have reinstalled the refer and replaced all baffles. So now Jayco is talking about picking up the unit and transporting it back to Middlebury to figure out what is going on.

My question to the groups is, has anyone heard of this? Does anyone have this problem?

Thank you for your time and your responses.

[kmccart]

We have brought our TT back from the lake and it is now at our dealer and they are testing it to see what can be done. I showed them this thread and others so they would know it is an issue with TT like ours......will update as soon as we see what is done. 🙂

[xteacher]

I will be following this thread closely. We recently got our Starcraft AR-ONE 14RB (same a/c configuration as a Jayco, I think, since they're both owned by Jayco, right?) back from the dealer, who said they couldn't find an issue, and got the refrigerator to cool down fine when they moved the sensor probe up a little. If we have problems again, I'm going to show them this thread. We haven't taken the camper out since we got it back home.

[kmccart]

We also have a 2014 Jayco 185rb with the same problem and from all of my research the problem with the ac is that it is a window unit that they have used as a wall unit. The vents on the sides and top of the window units are designed to hang outside and draw the condenser air from outside. These units are drawing the air from inside the trailer because they vents are inside, which is disrupting the air flow and causing the fridge not to cool. Our trailer is currently in storage at the lake, but we will be bringing it back home in 3 weeks and it will be going back to our dealer for a solution. Although, I have learned the only way to properly fix this is to have roof mount air. This is a serious design flaw and we are hopeful that Jayco will step up and correct the wrong for all of us that bought these trailers.

[kmccart]

Hello......I am new to the group, but joined because of the specific reason you were talking about. We have a 2014 Jayco 185 Swift SLX with the exact same refer problem, works great if the A/C is not running. Ours is still under warranty and we plan to take it back to the dealer, but noticed you said you put foam around your ac and it fixed the problem. Where did you put it exactly? Around the front of the ac? Inside the cabinet? Could you post a pic? Lot's of questions I know, but this is such an aggravating problem!! Any help would be appreciated!

[wwest]

Pictures of the way yours is installed..?

[patkvm]

wwest wrote:

patkvm wrote:
Hello all,

I would like to bounce something off of this group. Kind of long...

I have a 2013 Jayco 185RB Swift SLX trailer. This trailer is back in the shop after 1 use this year for refrigerator issues. Well not exactly issues with the refer itself. Every time I turn on the A/C the refer box warms up to about 70 degrees, turn off the A/C and the refer works fine. Jayco, Norcold and the dealer are still trying to figure out why this happens. Norcold has replaced the refer. Jayco and dealer have reinstalled the refer and replaced all baffles. So now Jayco is talking about picking up the unit and transporting it back to Middlebury to figure out what is going on.

My question to the groups is, has anyone heard of this? Does anyone have this problem?

Thank you for your time and your responses.

Oh, I see, the blind man said when the goose kicked him....

Looking at the Jayco online pictures of the 185RB it appears to me that the supplied A/C is simply a standard window unit that you might purchase at Costco. In standard operation most of the enclosure sets OUTSIDE the living space. In that configuration the condenser cooling airflow is drawn into the condenser/fan plenum area through the louvers in the side/top of the A/C and exhausted out the back.

In the Jayco the entire condenser airflow intake is INSIDE the TT.

So it wouldn't take very much of a leakage path for the slight vacuum in the condenser plenum area to draw in airflow from the living space.

And it wouldn't take much airflow diversion to overcome the meager 150 watts of AC/(DC?) absorption cycle HEAT..

I went outside to the trailer and put foam around the air conditioner to seal the gap in the cabinet PRESTO the refer is cooling great with the air conditioner running. Now that I know what the problem is I have been looking at pictures from dealers online that are selling the 2014 and 2015 models, I have noticed a couple of things. The A/C is of a different model and it looks like a thru the wall A/C.

Thank you again for all the help.

[wwest]

patkvm wrote:
Hello all,

I would like to bounce something off of this group. Kind of long...

I have a 2013 Jayco 185RB Swift SLX trailer. This trailer is back in the shop after 1 use this year for refrigerator issues. Well not exactly issues with the refer itself. Every time I turn on the A/C the refer box warms up to about 70 degrees, turn off the A/C and the refer works fine. Jayco, Norcold and the dealer are still trying to figure out why this happens. Norcold has replaced the refer. Jayco and dealer have reinstalled the refer and replaced all baffles. So now Jayco is talking about picking up the unit and transporting it back to Middlebury to figure out what is going on.

My question to the groups is, has anyone heard of this? Does anyone have this problem?

Thank you for your time and your responses.

Oh, I see, the blind man said when the goose kicked him....

Looking at the Jayco online pictures of the 185RB it appears to me that the supplied A/C is simply a standard window unit that you might purchase at Costco. In standard operation most of the enclosure sets OUTSIDE the living space. In that configuration the condenser cooling airflow is drawn into the condenser/fan plenum area through the louvers in the side/top of the A/C and exhausted out the back.

In the Jayco the entire condenser airflow intake is INSIDE the TT.

So it wouldn't take very much of a leakage path for the slight vacuum in the condenser plenum area to draw in airflow from the living space.

And it wouldn't take much airflow diversion to overcome the meager 150 watts of AC/(DC?) absorption cycle HEAT..

[patkvm]

Thank you all for your replies. The final answer from Jayco and the dealer is. Jayco will send a transport to come and pick up the trailer and bring it back to the factory. Jayco is being very understanding and coopertive with us. They also went as far as telling us, go ahead and use the trailer for the 4th of July holiday, let us know when you return and we will send the transport.

I also have to give credit to the dealer he has involved everyone that he could including other dealers to try to fix this problem.

My only fear is that they will say the trailer is unfixable and then we are out upgrades that we installed on the trailer.

[wwest]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

wwest wrote:
Are you saying that the heated air from the burner/element is being diverted by the A/C draft, the absorption manifold above the burner/element is not being heated when the A/C is on?

Electric element is only 150 watts....

Something about the A/C is WRONG!

The A/C should NOT be causing that much of a "vacuum" inside the trailer.

The only thing that comes to mind is the possibility that the evaporator blower is somehow forcing airflow into the wild blue yonder.

Think what OP is saying...
Fridge is not properly sealed so that when his A/C Unit comes on is it pulling air in around the fridge..this is causing a disruption in the natural draft across the backside of fridge cooling coils. Hence instead of the air flowing in thru lower fridge vent and then up across coils and out top vent it is being pulling in around fridge.
No flow up and out.......loss of cooling effect.....fridge temps rise.

My point was/is, why would the A/C running result in enough of a vacuum in the living space to "pull" airflow pass the fridge and into the living space?

The A/C evaporator/blower system, if anything, should be bringing ~5% FRESH outside airflow INTO the living space, creating a slight positive pressure, NEVER a vacuum.

Is there by chance an exhaust fan wired to operate in conjunction with the A/C?

Should NOT be, but...

[opnspaces]

All I can say is that if you are in a position of deciding if you want your trailer to go back to Jayco, by all means let them. Every post I've read on here about a trailer going back to the factory has been that the trailer came back better than new with free upgrades.

[Old-Biscuit]

wwest wrote:
Are you saying that the heated air from the burner/element is being diverted by the A/C draft, the absorption manifold above the burner/element is not being heated when the A/C is on?

Electric element is only 150 watts....

Something about the A/C is WRONG!

The A/C should NOT be causing that much of a "vacuum" inside the trailer.

The only thing that comes to mind is the possibility that the evaporator blower is somehow forcing airflow into the wild blue yonder.

Think what OP is saying...
Fridge is not properly sealed so that when his A/C Unit comes on is it pulling air in around the fridge..this is causing a disruption in the natural draft across the backside of fridge cooling coils. Hence instead of the air flowing in thru lower fridge vent and then up across coils and out top vent it is being pulling in around fridge.
No flow up and out.......loss of cooling effect.....fridge temps rise.

[beemerphile1]

When the refrigerator stops working and warms, is the chimney still hot in the back? If so it is an airflow problem. Looking at pictures the AC unit and refrigerator are fairly close in proximity.

It is an installation problem, they can install 100 refrigerators and the result will be the same. They need to fix the installation that is causing an airflow issue.

Edit;
I looked back at your old posts and see that I told you in August of last year that you had an installation problem.

[wwest]

Are you saying that the heated air from the burner/element is being diverted by the A/C draft, the absorption manifold above the burner/element is not being heated when the A/C is on?

Electric element is only 150 watts....

Something about the A/C is WRONG!

The A/C should NOT be causing that much of a "vacuum" inside the trailer.

The only thing that comes to mind is the possibility that the evaporator blower is somehow forcing airflow into the wild blue yonder.

[patkvm]

Well here is the update from Jayco & Norcold. The natural draft is being broken when the air conditioner is turned on, they can feel the warm air being pulled into the trailer around the cabinet and the fridge. Now we are waiting for a fix from Jayco. After measurements where taken of the cabinet, intake vent, exhaust vent, and all baffles Norcold has stepped away from the problem. Now lets see what Jayco comes up with.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and comments.