Help! 3 Way Fridge Won’t Cool on 12V

AldebaranJill

Am camping. My 3 way 10 year old fridge has been harder and harder to light on propane with each passing year and after 4 hours of trying I just finally gave up (level, had propane, know the procedure, etc). Do not have shore power. Figured I would use 12V for an hour just to cool down fridge so food doesnt go above 40F before I can get more ice inside it - but alas it is refusing to cool. It draws the normal 10A so looks like it is working BUT no change to internal temp (stayed at 37.4F for 30 min). Because it is hard to light I always precool and fill with ice before departing. But have always been able to coax it to eventually light. I will take in for service when I get home but would like to cool using 12V off and on. I have enough battery capacity.

Ideas? (Other than pack it with more ice?)

Grumpy_G

The 12V heating element is the weakest heat source of the three and is not intended to be used for day-to-day cooling. It's supposed to hold the temperature when traveling and it doesn't do that very well either. Plus at 8-10 A constant power draw it will drain typical battery setups in half a day or less. Switching it off and on is not an option because 12V DC cooling is so weak to begin with. 

Bags of ice is a common emergency measure. 

MuttonChops

First thought, 30-minutes is just too short a time to see much or any temperature change even with the more reliable 120VAC or propane heat sources.

Second, as for 12VDC heat source.  The few times I have used the 12V while towing it seemed the fridge could just maintain or most often see a couple degree temperature increase over several hours of 12V heating operation.  So in addition to really loading the battery while on 12V the 12V heaters just don't seem to heat the cooling fluid very well. IMHO

Now for the propane:  Suggest you try to directly light the burner using your stove lighter.  The burner 'sparker' could be bad.   This would be easier if you are a party of two, one with lighter while other presses in the gas "safety" control knob Button.  Just a thought.

pthomas745

I get a bit lost on the fridge controls on my 3163.  Right now, on propane, my fridge will stay 30 degrees below the ambient temperature. Works fine if it is 45 outside, but at 75 degrees, it is 45 degrees inside the fridge.  I've noodled around a lot, and this "gas valve" may be the issue.  It seems to me this is the only part that is attached to the actual temperature sensor inside the fridge, mounted to the fridge vanes.  I have a 3163. 

This video explained it for me.  (PS: I just realized I have not tried my fridge on shore power since this problem popped up for me last summer, so...more testing needed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl0X8-5z5Qk

https://thenorcoldguy.com/norcold-gas-valve-617944-fits-many-models/

AldebaranJill

@MuttonChops @Grumpy_G

Okay - so at least this answers one question which is why the fridge did not cool even 0.1F in 30 min of 12V.  That at least resolves one question, so thank you for that! 

I tried again this morning, nope wouldnt stay lit. Planned to go get ice.

Then new site opened up and I moved trailer maybe 1 min on paved road. Set up in new site. Didnt light burners. And in one last attempt before leaving to get ice - it lit and stayed lit. First try. I guess the fridge likes the better view? Seriously, unless I am still asleep and this is a dream, what could explain this behavior?

Denny16

Trailer wasn’t level side to side at the old site?  A 3-way needs to be level side to side to work correctly.
 Cheers 

AldebaranJill

Denny16 said:

Trailer wasn’t level side to side at the old site?  A 3-way needs to be level side to side to work correctly.
 Cheers 

Both sites were equally level - levelers read identical.