2020 T@B 320S boondock 3 way Norcold fridge not cooling on electric -Resolved

jonyas23

I tried running the fridge for the first time hooked up to electic to cool it for our first trip. The next day I went to check on the temp and noticed it wasn't cold with over 15hrs on electic. When trying to run it on electric i switched the fridge setting to electric (see picture, knobs on left). said forget it and went camping. Once at the site, I turned the propane on and the fridge colded nicely for the next 3 days. I'm assuming something is wrong with the electric to the fridge, maybe a fuse which brings me to my question..  is located under the stove? Based on a previous post I read it appears thats where it might be. Can someone confirm that before I pull the stove off ?? (mine is chauked in) Also, how do you know its a fuse issue?? does it look burnt or something else to indicate thats the issue?

Any help is appreciated as I have no clue what i'm doing.

Thank you!

Sharon_is_SAM

Check your fuse box for the fuse that corresponds to your frig circuit.  They should be labeled.  Also, isn’t there a frig switch to change it to electric vs gas?

jonyas23

@Sharon_is_SAM  I know this is a silly question but where is the fuse box? Or even an online manual for the a 2020 t@B? Ours didnt come with a manual, not sure if that's common, and when i search online all I see is the 2017 and 2020 manuals. I should have added in the original post I did make the switch from electric to gas on the fridge when I was trying to use electirc vs. gas. I'll try to update that.

RFraer

Did you turn on the electric fan when you switched over to 12v. That's the toggle switch with the blue light that's on the wait at the top left side of the fridge?

jonyas23

@RFraer I’m not aware of this switch and couldn’t find it in our fridge when I just went out to check for it. I did add a picture of the settings I used to run it off electric. Maybe I didn’t set these right but I think I did

Sharon_is_SAM

@jonyas23 - Have you looked under Categories on this forum?  You will find a lot of info including User Manuals... near the bottom.  The most recent 320 manual is dated 2017 and it is specific to models from 2017 - 2020.  Here is the page:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6371/t-b-owners-manuals#latest

Fuse box - left of your CO/LPG detector is a panel flush with the Front panel of the bench.  Gently push it in to open the hatch.

pthomas745

Fuses for Newbies has a good look inside the "black box" that is the converter.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/3512/fuses-for-newbies

MuttonChops

@jonyas23;  Might be time to visit your dealership service department.

Yes, there are Fridge Fuses under the stove top.  However, since your "AC Plug" power-on indicator light is working those fuses are OK.

It sounds like there are three possible reasons for no AC Power Cooling:
   + thermostat is bad,
   + AC Heater element is bad (open)
   + loose connection at the terminal block, terminal #5.

You could try turning thermostat full range a few times it could be stuck in bad contact position . . . but that is not very likely.

120VAC wiring in Red. (Fridge owners manual)

B0atguy

Ok, so the fridge did NOT work on electric at your house BEFORE you went camping ? 
Then AT the campsite (and all set-up and leveled for camping) , you put it on propane right from the start and it worked ? Did you try electric at the campsite , or only propane ?

Here is my guess .........
When you were at home, getting ready for the trip, the camper was not "level" (prob hooked up to the tow vehicle , possibly in a driveway that was not perfectly level) , so the fridge did not work on electric (prob would not have worked on propane either) . 
When you got to the campsite destination , and set the camper up to "camp" (nice and level) , the fridge worked ......on propane (prob would have worked on electric too) . 

My guess is the fridge is working fine . If you feel heat coming out of the top outside vent (by the drivers door) , the fridge IS working, even though it may not be cooling . These fridges are NOTORIOUS for not working if they are not PERFECTLY level . The camper must be perfectly level for the fridge to work on ANY setting , 12v -120v or propane . If they are not level it will not cool , even though it may be trying too.  Since the "plug" indicator light is working , it tells me its not an electric problem . 

One other thing to check , and was a common problem on the 2019 320's . Look inside the top fridge vent on the outside (by the door) , to see if the insulation "board" has fallen down from the underside of the counter , and is blocking the top vent , even a little . That will trap the heat transfer . You can also put your hand on the right hand side of the counter top to see if it is warm / hot . If the insulation board has fallen down , it will need to be reglued to the bottom of the counter top . 

Picture of top Fridge vent ........... circled in red . The plastic cover comes off with 2 clips at the top ( just turn them 90 degrees to remove vent cover) . 


Our driveway is not level , and it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to "pre-cool" down the fridge before a trip . We always have to wait until we get to our destination to start up the fridge. Works when its level with no problem, but will NOT work in our driveway that is on a slight slope . 


I hate these fridges, lol . Would love to swap it out ASAP , with a 12v /120v compressor style Isotherm fridge like they use in the 2021 models . 

Hope this info helps you figure it out , and your fridge is not really inoperative while in 120v mode . (I am thinking it will work just fine if the camper is PERFECTLY level). 

Dalehelman

Basic question is the fridg plugged into the outlet located right side under the sink. It may operate on propane even if it is not plugged into 110. I am not sure I have never tried it. Test to see if you have power there if not reset the fridg breaker in the converter box. Be sure to turn it to the off position then to the on.

B0atguy

Dalehelman said:

Basic question is the fridg plugged into the outlet located right side under the sink. It may operate on propane even if it is not plugged into 110. I am not sure I have never tried it. Test to see if you have power there if not reset the fridg breaker in the converter box. Be sure to turn it to the off position then to the on.

The green "electric plug" power light is illuminated on the fridge control panel . 
That pretty much tells me there is electric going to the fridge .......
Unless it is somehow back feeding from 12v and turning on the "electric plug " light (doubtful) , I would say the electric supply to the fridge is fine . 

jonyas23

Thank you all for your help! There's so much useful information on this post now.

We solved the issue!! It was as @B0atguy recommended - our driveway is not flat. I went out to check the vent and it was warm but fridge not cooling. I pushed the trailer a bit to a more level spot and a few hours later it was cool! The dealer told us to level the trailer for propane to work but failed to mention the same for electric. Thankfully it was a simple fix this time! Good to know the fridges are better on the 2021 - maybe I'll luck out and get a new model under warranty if ours fails within the 5 years.  @B0atguy - Thank you for your very detailed post. It has a lot of useful information! 

@Sharon_is_SAM thank you for the link to the manual. I didn't know it covered multiple years. Absolutely printing this out and putting it in the t@b for future reference.