Camper fridge problem

[CRHardie]

I have a norcool fridge in my horse trailer that wont operate on ac You turn the switch to auto and it instantly goes to gas The ac light only flickers then the gas light comes on Any sugestions?

 

[GAmes]

Have you checked to make sure there is AC power to the plug? Other than that, about all that is left is the circuit board.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Here's a web site with a lot of helpful information on solving problems with absorption type fridges:



RV Mobile, RV and Gas Refrigerators



They also have a forum where you can ask questions and receive advice about your fridge problem.



Bill

 

[icman95]

When you do figure it out, even if it's from the other site, please post results here. I haven't had an issue with mine yet, but it would be nice to know what you come up with just for future use.

 

[mickeyblueyes]

refrig fix

I think you need a new circuit board. These folks have the best around. It should be about $100 or so and a 10 min fix with one screw driver. good luck

Dinosaur Electronics Home. High quality circuit boards for RV appliances.

 

[B.G. Smith]

I have a norcool fridge in my horse trailer that wont operate on ac You turn the switch to auto and it instantly goes to gas The ac light only flickers then the gas light comes on Any sugestions?

Could be the circuit board but before you go to the expense of changing it you should check the heating element that the unit uses in AC mode. Look on the back of the unit and you should be able to trace the wires to the heater, it will be mounted near the gas burner and is a small tube (about 3/8" in diameter) inserted into another tube, usually in vertical position. Caution: Unplug the AC to the refrig before messing with the heater. bg

 

[AClayton]

Could be the circuit board but before you go to the expense of changing it you should check the heating element that the unit uses in AC mode. Look on the back of the unit and you should be able to trace the wires to the heater, it will be mounted near the gas burner and is a small tube (about 3/8" in diameter) inserted into another tube, usually in vertical position. Caution: Unplug the AC to the refrig before messing with the heater. bg

My . 02 as well,however,be sure to check the fuses on the board... . usually an 8 amp slow-blow. These fuses blow due to corrosion on the terminals but many times also blow due to shorted elements as posted previously by BG Smith. I'm certain by now that you eliminated all the simple stuff before I posted such as confirming the plug had power,circuit breakers not tripped in panel and the vent on the roof clear of debris. Let us know what you find.





Alan

 

[CRHardie]

This afternoon before i had achance to read the above reply,i decided to remove the cover that said "To be removed by qualified technician" They callme a diesel technician at work so i figured i was qualified. Anyway the lower buss fuse was blown I only had a regular 5amp fuse at home no sloblow so thats what i used. I cleaned all the wire conections and reassembled. It ran all afternoon and didnt blow the fuse I will get the correct fuse this week. Once again thank you for your help

 

[THoltz]

This afternoon before i had achance to read the above reply,i decided to remove the cover that said "To be removed by qualified technician" They callme a diesel technician at work so i figured i was qualified. Anyway the lower buss fuse was blown I only had a regular 5amp fuse at home no sloblow so thats what i used. I cleaned all the wire conections and reassembled. It ran all afternoon and didnt blow the fuse I will get the correct fuse this week. Once again thank you for your help

Excellent.



Good call AClayton.

 

[RVTRKN]

Have you towed your trailer in the rain or on wet roads? It seems to me that is why the fuse was blown. The system does not have a compressor like a normal fridge, it is only an electric heater element, so if it didn't short due to failure, which if that was the case it would continue to blow, then it was a temporary condition that caused the fuse to blow. If it does blow again the element is not hard to replace. You can PM me if you continue to have a problem. I am an HVAC contractor and have a little knowledge on absorbtion systems. I had a simular problem, but without a blown fuse once it dried out every thing worked normal, I was just about to get my tools and troubleshoot, but everything worked again and never had another problem.

 

[AClayton]

Have you towed your trailer in the rain or on wet roads? It seems to me that is why the fuse was blown. The system does not have a compressor like a normal fridge, it is only an electric heater element, so if it didn't short due to failure, which if that was the case it would continue to blow, then it was a temporary condition that caused the fuse to blow. If it does blow again the element is not hard to replace. You can PM me if you continue to have a problem. I am an HVAC contractor and have a little knowledge on absorbtion systems. I had a simular problem, but without a blown fuse once it dried out every thing worked normal, I was just about to get my tools and troubleshoot, but everything worked again and never had another problem.

Many times the fuse itself just goes south due to age... . the material in the fuse that causes the 'delay break' breaks down and overheats which in turn,causes a blown fuse.



To the OR... . glad things worked out for you and keep us all informed if the problem persists.





Alan

 

[RVTRKN]

Many times the fuse itself just goes south due to age... . the material in the fuse that causes the 'delay break' breaks down and overheats which in turn,causes a blown fuse.



To the OR... . glad things worked out for you and keep us all informed if the problem persists.





Alan

That is a true statement, however the odds are low that is what caused it. We don't know the age or how much vibration the trailer has gone through, being that it is a horse trailer which would tell me he has had it off road a lot. Many times I go on a service call and just have to replace a fuse, but there is no way of knowing if it will blow again until it does or doesn't. You can check out the system, and at that moment in time, every thing is OK, and then later the problems back. For this reason it is a good idea to try and find out why, but he may never know this. One way you can tell, is if it was a short, is if the fuse has a clear view of the element, where it will show a mini explosion in the glass rather just being open. I know time delay type fuses can be an issue.

 

[CRHardie]

Just to let you know, the fuse was a clean blow no explosion. The trailer doesnt see any more off road use than a normal rv It just happens that this can haul horses too I think what happened was part of a large mistake on my part. Last summer my wife was very pregnet so we did no camping,but I had prepared the trailer early last spring. In other word the water system was full and I forgot. Fortunatly I did drain the hot water tank but I didnt blow out the lines Its been a very cold winter here in NY and yes there are water lines near the area those fuses are in I just spent most of last weekend repairing water lines. I'll never forget again!!

 

[medleyml]

***PLEASE check out this link or just do a search as there is a significant recall on this brand of rv refrigerators that can involve a fire and as a fire investigator I would hate to see you loose everything in your trailer from a fire.

ODI - Office of Defects Investigation then do an equipment search. Also this site seems to have some good info as well: http://www.azrvinc.com/Dometic Recall.asp