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GKW · 08-08-2021, 05:37 PM

On my previous coach, a 43ft Itasca Ellipse, I had a refrigerator compressor failure in less than a year since new. I had been storing indoors and had power on but always turned off the refrigerator thinking less on time would equate to longer life. Having to replace or try to do a major repair on a domestic 2 door refrigerator crammed into any RV is a major undertaking. Fortunately the Coach had an extra wide entry door and the refrigerator would barely squeeze out and new one in the same way. No pulling out the windshield as usually required on a dead fridge in most coaches with a narrow entry door. The initial repair guy said we probably would have been better off leaving it on since the power requirement is negligible. He said do you turn your refrigerator off at home? Of course not and they usually run for years with no problems. So we are leaving it on in storage in our 2018 Cornerstone now and hope it outlives the coach. Anyone ever had a similar problem?

MrMark52 · 08-08-2021, 06:16 PM

I’m thinking you just got a bad unit, or someone who didn’t know how to correctly diagnose the failure of the original unit.

DX refrigeration systems that are factory built generally have a very, very, low mechanical failure rate - and when they do fail, it’s more likely to be an electrical issue.

Bottom line, turning the unit off doesn’t hurt it - your thinking was right. I would be suspect of your technician.

Cruzer · 08-10-2021, 03:16 PM

We have always left our's on 24/7 with no issues. Some things run best when left on. I tend to think that fridges that are left idle can have other issues, such as dried out compressor seals, etc. It also keeps the electronic circuits warm, preventing condensation or thermal contraction.

I recall our mainframe computer in my business. We used to shut it off every night to save power consumption and wear and tear on the computer. But that was false and I had to replace boards every now and then. When we left it run 24/7 we didn't have those problems.

Thermal contraction is an artifact that happens to any printed circuit board or chips. As it heats up the circuit traces expand. When it cools down they contract. Each time they get a bit weaker, like taking a piece of thin metal and bending it back and forth until it breaks. If you keep it powered up the traces will heat up and stay there without contracting and causing eventual fatigue and failure.