reefer not cooling

[colopaul1]

I have a basic dometic reefer in my TT, working fine before having to move to a new site (100 yds) now it's not cooling. I've turned it off and on, gone from electric to gas back and forth....any ideas for me to get the thing to cool again?

[OldWEB]

You left us hanging with yer WH problem....

[colopaul1]

I'm new to this so I'm not sure what you mean. Did what was suggested and the water heater works fine now. I guess that's what you meant concerning I left you hanging. Have any suggestions for how to get the reefer to cool again? While you're at it do you have any suggestions for why the furnace shuts down before it fire's up?

[Lt Dan]

It's always nice to come back and post what your final outcome and solution is when you post a problem. That's a help to other members who may be having the same issue and searching for a solution. There are others on here that can give you advice on things to check with your fridge and furnace. How long did you wait after turning the fridge back on? It can take hours for an absorption fridge to start cooling.

[Old-Biscuit]

When you relocated you valved out your propane supply....correct?

When you set back up you valved your propane supply back in...correct?

You may have valved it in too fast and trip the Excess Flow Device which limits the amount of propane flow to appliances


Valve the propane back out......wait 30 seconds then SLOWLY open te propane valve full open
Turn on/Light off each stove top burner on HIGH allowing the propane regulator to establish flow and control the system pressure
With ALL burners on HIGH they should look the same and have nice bluish flames

Then light off WH.........could take several attempts to establish flow/pressure at the WH
Then light off Furnace...could take several attempts to establish flow/pressure at the furnace
SAME for FRIDGE

IF the above doesn't solve the problem..........

Post Brand/MODEL of Fridge, Furnace etc and what each is Doing/NOT Doing (error codes etc)

[colopaul1]

Got everything running fine but the furnace and I think it's the sail switch by what I have seen. Thank you for all your help.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Hi Paul -

The other bit Lt Dan didn't directly mention: when you come back and post the outcome of trying the advice given, your "yes THAT worked!" or "nope, tried that and it didn't solve my problem" is valuable to those who find your post months down the line. That can cut a bunch of trouble shooting and back-and-forth posting and get RVers back to RVing...

Gas heat is the same in the RV as it is at home, at least from a logical perspective. Combustion air, flame proving, blower operation, etc (and not in order). You can probably find any thread about propane furnace failings and Old Biscuit will have all manner of questions and responses (he's really good at this stuff!) guiding the owner.

Good luck in your heat quest.

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by colopaul1

Got everything running fine but the furnace and I think it's the sail switch by what I have seen. Thank you for all your help.

Thermostat set to HEAT
Set Point ABOVE RV Temp....thermostat goes CLICK
Furnace Fan Starts.....purge cycle

Sail Switch closes when fan motor comes up to 75% ---sufficient airflow to toggle the paddle on sail switch

DC goes to circuit board for Trial for Ignition sequence
Spark Electrode fires (CLICK, CLICK, CLICK)
Gas Valve opened...propane flows/Ingites and PROVES it lit

How far into sequence do you get?
Airflow......intake/exhaust Clear---no mud dabbers etc
Airflow.....return air for furnace not obstructed (stuff stowed blocking return air path)
Airflow.....fan motor slow/low DC

[colopaul1]

I checked the unit thoroughly for mud daubers, dead mice, dead pack rats, intake exhaust clear etc to no avail. Ended up calling a repairman and it turns out it was the temp limiter. Thanks again for your advice and help.

[Fridge Defend]

Originally Posted by colopaul1

I have a basic dometic reefer in my TT, working fine before having to move to a new site (100 yds) now it's not cooling. I've turned it off and on, gone from electric to gas back and forth....any ideas for me to get the thing to cool again?

We are here to help, I see by reading more posts that you have other problems with appliances in your RV. This may be a clue?

1) How long did you try the respective fridge power sources (shore power and LP gas)?

2) There may be an issue associated with all your appliances that affect the fridge. Fix one appliance at a time, once fixed, move on to the next one.

3) Your fridge requires a minimum of around 10.5VDC for it to run, if you have a Fridge Defend use the center Display button to view your system voltage at the fridge.

4) What model of fridge do you have?

Happy New Year.

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by Fridge Defend

We are here to help, I see by reading more posts that you have other problems with appliances in your RV. This may be a clue?

1) How long did you try the respective fridge power sources (shore power and LP gas)?

2) There may be an issue associated with all your appliances that affect the fridge. Fix one appliance at a time, once fixed, move on to the next one.

3) Your fridge requires a minimum of around 10.5VDC for it to run, if you have a Fridge Defend use the center Display button to view your system voltage at the fridge.

4) What model of fridge do you have?

Happy New Year.

Yesterday Post #6....OP reported fridge working but now has furnace issue

[colopaul1]

To simplify things, the furnace turned out to be a shot temp limiter (original 12 yrs old) and the issue with the reefer was -25 temps freezing up the ammonia/water. Upon returning to "warmer" weather in AZ, it is working fine. I thank everyone for their advice and help, and I hope that through all of this, I have learned how to properly seek advice about problems encountered with my TT.
Happy New Year to all, praying for a better 2023.

[Old-Biscuit]

Thanks for the update and resolutions.

Glad to hear you are here in warm AZ!!

Best wishes and 2023 is going to be better!
Happy New Year