RV Refrigerator Troubleshooting: Refrigerator Shelves
Dave SolbergWhat’s better than a refrigerator that goes wherever you go? The RV refrigerator is arguably the most important appliance in your RV, and it can help us to live comfortably in our RV. With that being said, many RVers find that there are some small frustrations that can come along with having an RV refrigerator, and may have to resort to some RV refrigerator troubleshooting.
Many times the wire shelving inside of an RV refrigerator can be a bit uneven and at times cause a rattling sound that irritates some RVers. In this video, the solution that many RVers have to this RV refrigerator troubleshooting problem is discussed. It is important to know, however, that the common solution to this problem may actually be causing more serious issues with your RV refrigerator, and lead to even worse problems involving refrigerator temperature.
Learn how to preserve the proper temperature in your RV refrigerator and what NOT to do in order to maintain proper air flow inside of the refrigerating unit. This will ensure efficiency in your RV Refrigerator. Learn more about RV refrigerator troubleshooting today in this informational RV video clip.
I don’t think the lower fridge is working
Ticket 35799 My refrigerator at the lowest setting is freezing everything in the refrigerator. I defrosted the refrigerator but it is still freezing everything including the eggs. Do you think I need a new thermostat??
Hi Karen!
Here’s what our expert had to say about this: It sounds like the cooling unit isn’t shutting off which would be an indication of a bad thermistor. We do have a video showing how to test the thermistor and troubleshooting tips as well. This is a common issue and usually replacing the thermistor is the fix.
https://www.rvrepairclub.com/video/rv-refrigerator-temperature-testing-thermistor-007885/
https://www.rvrepairclub.com/video/rv-refrigerator-troubleshooting-thermistor-007888/
Sincerely, Dan RV Repair Club Technical Expert
Very Best,
Codi
RV Repair Club Video Membership
on my RV the refrigerator quits working I cold temp. 20 deg or lower . We put a light bulb in the compartment and covered all but the lower vent in the outside door did not help. asking for more suggestions .
Hello Kent,
What is the year, make, and model of your RV?
If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-706-3536, or chat with us on our site.
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Sincerely,
Lindsay
RV Repair Club Video Membership
What is the best way to clean the outside rear panel of the fridge. Dust, cobwebs from being storages. If using an compress air compressor would said dust enter cabin area.
Dear Terry,
Thank you for your patience. In response to your question-
The cabinet is actually sealed off from the interior of the RV so nothing on the outside will work it’s way in. You do want to be careful and not cover the fins on the back of the fridge near the top. This is where the heat is released from the inside of the fridge and if it gets covered it won’t cool as well. I always recommend using a shop vac to suck everything out and use a duster to get the tighter areas.
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Sincerely,
Dan
RV Repair Club Technical Expert
Have a Dometic Fridge and it works properly on propane but will not work on AC. Took my shop vac and made sure I was getting ac to plug
My rv fridge will not work on propane but works fine on electricity. How can I troubleshoot?
Hello Loren,
There are several videos on the site regarding refrigerator
troubleshooting starting with a quick reference to the code you should be
getting on the monitor panel inside? If the refrigerator works on
120-volt power and will not light on LP, start by verifying you have good
LP pressure by trying the stove top. Next, turn the refrigerator
off, then on to the LP or Gas setting. Standing outside, listen for
the clicking sound of the spark probe trying to light the LP in the burner
assembly. It will try to light for a specific time, then stop for a
short time and try again. It will try for 3 attempts typically then
fault out giving a code at the monitor panel. If this is the case,
you may have a plugged or dirty orifice that isn’t allowing gas to the
burner assembly in which case you can blow it out with an air
compressor. Check out the video on this operation. It could
also be a cracked ceramic probe assembly in which case the spark is
traveling down the crack rather than to the burner assembly known as
carbon tracking. You can verify this by removing the cover to the
assembly and watching the spark travel. It could also be a
misaligned spark probe. If it is not clicking or attempting to
spark, then it could be a blown 12-volt fuse in the module board which you
would to remove the cover and verify 12-volt power to the fuse and
beyond. There is also a good video on this procedure. After
that, it could be a defective gas valve or even a closed valve in the
line?
Hope this helps,
David RVRC Video Membership
We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first year membership.
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Hi, I’m new to RVing. I have a small truck camper I bought used, it’s a 2013 and the problem I’m having is that it seems to take a long time for the fridge to cool down. I took the camper out last weekend and so turned the fridge on early Thursday am. and it still was not to temp by Sunday, the freezer had just barely begun to freeze by Sunday. The fridge is a Dometic and operates on propane and electricity it also has a cooling fan. I live in the mountains off the coast of California so the ambient temp was in the 70’s. Is this typical for an RV fridge? or is it in need of charging? Any advice/help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time George
Hello George,
Welcome to the wonderful world of RVing George! It does take longer
for an absorption refrigerator or RV fridge to cool down, but not three
days? There are several great videos on the site showing the
operation and even cooling tips. First, understand that it’s very
difficult to start with a warm or hot refrigerator and warm food and get
it to cool down quickly as the absorption refrigerator heats a solution
that vaporizes, travels up the cooling unit and turns back to a liquid and
uses heat obtained from the inside of the refrigerator to change back to a
vapor which creates cold inside the refrigerator. Starting with warm
everything takes a long time to cool down. It’s best to let the
refrigerator cool empty first and cool or freeze items in a residential
refrigerator if possible, or buy cold food? That’s not always
possible I know, so here are a couple other tips. Make sure the back
of the refrigerator is not facing the heat of the sun during the hot
portions of the day. Check your thermistor inside on the fins to
make sure it’s not frosted over or frozen then move it a little higher on
the fins towards the warm air rising. Get a circulation fan for the
inside. Turn everything off and use an air compressor with nozzle to
clean off the coils in the back vent as well as the burner assembly and
flue. Make sure you wear safety glasses as there will be soot and
dust flying. The system is a closed system so it can not be
“charged” like typical Freon based systems. If you still have
issues, take it to a dealer to have the cooling unit checked.
Thanks,
David RVRC Video Membership