Getting rv ready: Fridge doesn"t work!!!

[Donna]

Got the rv inspected today, passed with no problem so we bring it back to the house to check a few things and to load a few things and in checking the fridge, the CHECK light is coming on in both gas and electric mode. Not sure why this is happening, it worked fine when it was stored for the winter.

Anybody have any clues or ideas as to why this is happening. It's a Dometic but of course without a manual, i have no idea what model - RV is a 2000 Coachmen Leprechaun. I've had trouble since we got it, with the light coming on but it always seemed to correct itself eventually. Can't really afford a large repair/replacement bill! HELLLLP!

[becky1960]

I would first make sure its on Elec only and then check fuse and ours has an outside access panel and you can see where the 110 plug is plugged into an outlet, its just like outlet you have at home but yours could be different.

[Donna]

First time i tried it, was with generator running, tried it again, nothing. then we turned on propane and light still came on. thats what worries me, it works in neither mode. have not tried with shore power yet though. the manual i found online mentions try a few times if it sat unused for a long time which it did AND also if LP was just refilled, and we just topped off LP yesterday. So who knows. My gut feeling is it's something minor since it worked so well the end of last summer, i just have to figure out what it is and correct it. trying not to panic, lol.:goodvibes

we do have the panel on the outside also. i thought when i first turned it on, something popped somewhere.

[abbiesmomma]

Newbie RV-er here so not sure if this advice will be helpful-- but-- when we started up the RV fridge for the first time this spring, we didn't know we had to turn on the "LP detector" first (I'm sure that is not the proper name for it-- it's like a smoke detector but for propane)-- the fridge would light would go on but it wouldn't stay on until we turned that detector on... I'm guessing that's a safety feature... This may not be your solution but it's something easy (& free!) to double check...

[Donna]

Newbie RV-er here so not sure if this advice will be helpful-- but-- when we started up the RV fridge for the first time this spring, we didn't know we had to turn on the "LP detector" first (I'm sure that is not the proper name for it-- it's like a smoke detector but for propane)-- the fridge would light would go on but it wouldn't stay on until we turned that detector on... I'm guessing that's a safety feature... This may not be your solution but it's something easy (& free!) to double check...

i SO hope it is something that simple! we will check that to be sure, thanks! i posted on some other RV forums to see if anyone there has any ideas. i researched it first but i've not seen the problem of it not working in neither mode, usually someone has a problem with AC or gas, not both. my luck!:rolleyes:

hey, in 29 days, i am going to the fort, i don't care if i have to take a soft sided cooler with ice and eat out every night, I"M GOING! :cool1:

[Tiggntaz]

hey, in 29 days, i am going to the fort, i don't care if i have to take a soft sided cooler with ice and eat out every night, I"M GOING! :cool1:


Spoken like a true Fort Fiend !!!! :woohoo:

[Donna]

Spoken like a true Fort Fiend !!!! :woohoo:


LOL, i am already planning "workarounds" for this problem in my head. Not even sure i can get it in for service at this late date. My dealer is very busy and there's usually a month wait to get in. Guess i better be going to walmart for ice chests. I can always use the empty non working fridge for cabinet space, lol.

[Tigger1966]

Try it on shore power but remember it takes several hours to get cold. If you open the outside access door the tubes should get warm to the touch. The burner may need cleaning since little spiders like to build a nest there. Unless you smell Amonia or see a green residue in the back it should be a simple fix. I would call your dealer and tell them you are leaving on a trip they may work you in. I know we will work someone in for an emergency repair without a problem.

[team bradfield]

I would first make sure its on Elec only and then check fuse and ours has an outside access panel and you can see where the 110 plug is plugged into an outlet, its just like outlet you have at home but yours could be different.

I had a similar problem last year, I too thought plug, wire or fuse issue. I took the outside access panel off, and started, lightly tugging on wires and sure enough, a wire came out of a plastic socket. when I pushed it back in, I could here a distinct "click" sound. I had DS stand inside and he confirmed when the "click" sounded the lights came on.

I unclipped the socket and inserted the wire and re-crimped it, couple pulls on it for reassurance, plugged the socket back in no more problems.

I hope you have the same luck, if not, the cooler at the Fort will suffice....

[dfchelbay]

This won't solve the RV fridge issue, but we keep a second small dorm sized fridge in the cargo bin of our RV for just drinks. Maybe you could pick up a cheap 2nd fridge to leave in your RV. Colleges will be letting out and I'm sure one of them would be happy to take your cash for something their parents bought for them. If that's not in your budget, you could participate in the fridge swap on the budget boards here on Disboards...that's free.

Maybe you could post here what area you live in, and perhaps someone would loan a mini fridge to you for your trip, and you could repay them with perhaps a little something from the Fort or WDW.

[Donna]

Thanks! we're going over in an hour or so to try it again. I didn't notice the panel on the outside as to what tool takes it off? screwdriver? i thought i saw little black clips but that doesn't seem like enough to hold it on! i think i'll watch tv and take a nap while i'm waiting to see if it gets cold, lol.

i don't even think if the a/c broke, it'd be enough to keep me from the fort!

[bigdisneydaddy]

Thanks! we're going over in an hour or so to try it again. I didn't notice the panel on the outside as to what tool takes it off? screwdriver? i thought i saw little black clips but that doesn't seem like enough to hold it on! i think i'll watch tv and take a nap while i'm waiting to see if it gets cold, lol.

i don't even think if the a/c broke, it'd be enough to keep me from the fort!

the top should have tabs that hold it in place, the clips on the bottom typically have a center part that turns 90 degrees with a screwdriver to release. Pop the bottom out and then slide the panel out and down.
I agree with the others, I bet its something simple that can be fix easy.

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I had a similar problem last year, I too thought plug, wire or fuse issue. I took the outside access panel off, and started, lightly tugging on wires and sure enough, a wire came out of a plastic socket. when I pushed it back in, I could here a distinct "click" sound. I had DS stand inside and he confirmed when the "click" sounded the lights came on.

I unclipped the socket and inserted the wire and re-crimped it, couple pulls on it for reassurance, plugged the socket back in no more problems.

I hope you have the same luck, if not, the cooler at the Fort will suffice....

Asked DH what it ended up being when the same thing happened to us (that OP described) a couple of years ago. He said he replaced the fuse- still didn't work- and then basically did the same thing you did- found a wire loose that fell out of the socket when he barely touched it- fixed that back in and it's worked fine since (knocking on wood!)

[Donna]

Well, we just got back from trying it again. Looks like we have a working fridge again!

We started the gen and flipped the battery disconnect to ON and then turned the fridge on, first turned on the LP and put it in gas mode. waited a few minutes, no CHECK light. So we waited about 45 mins., checked the freezer and it felt somewhat cold. So we switched over to AUTO by turning gas off on the panel and waited and waited and NO CHECK light again! I DID jiggle a few wires in the panel outside but everything looked to be ok in there.

Anyways, we waited about half an hour and it was getting colder. we DID just top off the LP this week so maybe that was the problem with the LP, not sure if that working helped the AC or not, but all i know is i'm back in business with the fridge and I"M GOING TO THE FORT IN 4 WEEKS!!!!

thanks everyone!

[Minnie&Mickey]

I'm glad that your fridge is working now. It's great that you checked it out in advance. We just got back from camping in Savannah, and when we got down there, our steps to get in and out of the RV stopped working. Toby played around with everything and read every manual, but we couldn't get the steps out. It wouldn't have been too bad except for the fact that I have a broken foot, so jumping out of the RV was kind of out of the question. Toby ended up calling an RV repair guy who came out to the campground and told us the motor was burned out. UGH!!! At least he was able to get the steps out and then we just tied them up when it was time to drive home. What a pain...and now we have to put the RV in the shop! Thank goodness we don't have any trips planned for a few months.

[Donna]

I'm glad that your fridge is working now. It's great that you checked it out in advance. We just got back from camping in Savannah, and when we got down there, our steps to get in and out of the RV stopped working. Toby played around with everything and read every manual, but we couldn't get the steps out. It wouldn't have been too bad except for the fact that I have a broken foot, so jumping out of the RV was kind of out of the question. Toby ended up calling an RV repair guy who came out to the campground and told us the motor was burned out. UGH!!! At least he was able to get the steps out and then we just tied them up when it was time to drive home. What a pain...and now we have to put the RV in the shop! Thank goodness we don't have any trips planned for a few months.


oh holly, what a pITA! i didn't know you broke your foot too. I just saw someone's post about a broken step on a tech board i found:
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/board,3.0.html
lots of pages to go through on that site but it's helpful.

We looked at some new RVs when we picked ours up from the inspection at the dealer. Some nice models out there. We saw a C with an island kitchen and wraparound booth seating that extended the entire living area with two tables , even had barstools for the island!

[Minnie&Mickey]

oh holly, what a pITA! i didn't know you broke your foot too. I just saw someone's post about a broken step on a tech board i found:
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/board,3.0.html
lots of pages to go through on that site but it's helpful.

We looked at some new RVs when we picked ours up from the inspection at the dealer. Some nice models out there. We saw a C with an island kitchen and wraparound booth seating that extended the entire living area with two tables , even had barstools for the island!

Yeah, I broke it a few weeks ago, but walked around on it for a week and a half before I decided to get it x-rayed. I'll be in a boot for 5 weeks! It definitely didn't stop me from going on our little trip though!

I'm going to check that forum when I get home from work today. I hope that repairing the motor for the step doesn't end up costing too much. We are supposed to get our driveway repoured and an extra pad for the RV done this week. I don't need any other expenses!!!

So after checking out the new Class Cs, are you and Joe in the market for another one??? I love looking at new ones, I just hate seeing the price. It always makes me appreciate how much we paid for ours though!

[Donna]

Yeah, I broke it a few weeks ago, but walked around on it for a week and a half before I decided to get it x-rayed. I'll be in a boot for 5 weeks! It definitely didn't stop me from going on our little trip though!

I'm going to check that forum when I get home from work today. I hope that repairing the motor for the step doesn't end up costing too much. We are supposed to get our driveway repoured and an extra pad for the RV done this week. I don't need any other expenses!!!

So after checking out the new Class Cs, are you and Joe in the market for another one??? I love looking at new ones, I just hate seeing the price. It always makes me appreciate how much we paid for ours though!

no, i still like mine more than new ones. i love the layout and the color scheme. i sometimes wish we had a slide but with the swivel chairs and drop leaf table, we are wider than most no-slide C's. you can easily fit two people standing broadside between table and couch and when couch is in bed mode, you can still walk between table and couch. i told joe, i'd sell the house before selling our RV, lol.:lovestruc