A common problem with RV refrigerators is owner’s running the refrigerator while the RV is uneven. This condition traps the heated liquid in pockets inside the cooling unit rather than allowing it to flow by gravity back to the boiler assembly. If the unit runs for a period of time in this condition, the liquid will start to flake and become blocked resulting in insufficient cooling even during level operation.
To verify a properly working RV refrigerator cooling unit, it is recommended to do a 24 hour hard test bypassing all other components such as the monitor panel, thermistor and eyebrow board.
Dave walks you through each step of this RV refrigerator troubleshooting process, demonstrating how to connect the unit to a 120 volt source and use a heat gauge to measure temperature throughout the entire system, from the lower coils to spots in front of and behind the evaporator fins. RV refrigerator troubleshooting experts suggest letting the cooling unit run for 24 hours to find blockages and get an accurate reading on the system’s efficiency. If the cooling unit isn’t running at it’s peak performance, there’s little point to moving on to cleaning the other components.
So what would be recommended if there was a blockage? Tap it out or complete replacement?
Hello Jeffrey,
Great question, here is the experts reply:
If there is a blockage in the cooling unit it is best to replace it. Once there is a blockage it can’t be removed, only shifted around. Eventually it will make its way to creating a blockage again and could happen during a trip which wouldn’t be good. It is always best to replace when there is a blockage. Some people like to burp the cooling unit by removing the fridge and turning it upside down for 24 hours and then re installing. Again, this could free it up but the blockage will most likely return as the piece of rust (usually what it is) won’t go anywhere except back around again.
Sincerely,
Dan
RV Repair Club Technical Expert
thank you