Troubleshooting An RV Refrigerator That Worked At Home But Not At The Campsite

Question:

Hi, montana mountaineer 2010. Fridge was plugged in at the house and worked. Drove to the campground and turn the fridge on with shore power and it didnt get cold. Took the panel off in back and the pipe and what appears to be a condenser were both pretty warm to the touch. Do they typically get quite warm during operation? This is the first journey. It is a nor cold. Runs on either shore power or natural gas. Before leaving the roof was washed and a lot of water got sprayed not sure if some may have gotten into the electricals somehow. The main fuse panel looks okay. I dont see anything suspicious as far as any of the small LED lights lit indicating blown fuse. We did notice that here at the campground after running for 45 minutes The The freezer had started to get cold. But the refrigerator still had not been cooling down. At that point discovered that the panel in back with the duct pipe and the condenser were pretty warm. And shut off the fridge and decided to investigate. We anxiously await any insight you may have.

asked by: Coby M

Expert Reply:

The first thing to check would be that the fridge is receiving enough power to properly operate. Based on the picture that fridge requires 120v AC so you'll want to check the power at the fridge with a voltmeter # PT89ZR to see if the fridge is actually getting it. If not you'll need to check the circuit breaker and wiring for any damage.

You can also pull the fridge out a bit to give it more room to breathe as it's operating. You'll want to clean out any built up dust as well. If it's getting enough power and breathing room and still giving you issues then it might be a sign that the condenser is going out and would need to be replaced. You could try reaching out to the manufacturer for replacement parts, but will likely have to just replace it entirely.

expert reply by: Kevin C