Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

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Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

July 24, 2018, 09:11:58 pm

We are Newbies, just got a 1991 22’ Lazy Daze ....... I am hoping you can help us troubleshoot this problem.

We can get the frig and freezer to cool down to good temperatures when set on propane, but not at all when set on electric and plugged into my house current. The man in my life is very mechanically adept and willing to get in there and find a solution. Can you suggest anything he might try? We downloaded a pdf of the Dometic model but it is a pretty lengthy manual full of schematics. ... not easy to know where to start troubleshooting Thank you again for your help here. I really appreciate it.

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #1 – July 24, 2018, 11:51:23 pm

That year has an automatic fridge, right? I believe that is what the manual in my 1989 says (somebody swapped the fridge in mine with a cheaper manual model).

My manual should run on 12V, 120V, and propane, but the 12V heating element is bad. If you have a multimeter, I would say the easiest thing to check is whether the heating element is getting power. If you get 120V at the heating element but no heat, you have a bad heating element. If no power there, possibly bad control board.

This is ignoring obvious but sometimes overlooked stuff like the circuit breaker for your fridge being tripped or your fridge not being plugged in!

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #2 – July 25, 2018, 09:52:30 am

Quote from: Carrie.Atune - July 24, 2018, 09:11:58 pm

We are Newbies, just got a 1991 22’ Lazy Daze ....... I am hoping you can help us troubleshoot this problem.

We can get the frig and freezer to cool down to good temperatures when set on propane, but not at all when set on electric and plugged into my house current. The man in my life is very mechanically adept and willing to get in there and find a solution. Can you suggest anything he might try? We downloaded a pdf of the Dometic model but it is a pretty lengthy manual full of schematics. ... not easy to know where to start troubleshooting Thank you again for your help here. I really appreciate it.

I had this happen except in reverse, gas worked but not electric. I was told there are different thermostats for each setting and my electric one had gone out

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #3 – July 25, 2018, 10:04:50 am

Quote from: Carrie.Atune - July 24, 2018, 09:11:58 pm

We are Newbies, just got a 1991 22’ Lazy Daze ....... I am hoping you can help us troubleshoot this problem.

We can get the frig and freezer to cool down to good temperatures when set on propane, but not at all when set on electric and plugged into my house current. The man in my life is very mechanically adept and willing to get in there and find a solution. Can you suggest anything he might try? We downloaded a pdf of the Dometic model but it is a pretty lengthy manual full of schematics. ... not easy to know where to start troubleshooting Thank you again for your help here. I really appreciate it.

Carrie, check this older thread out: Electrical questions 1991 LD 23.5FL

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #4 – July 25, 2018, 10:11:50 am

"...the easiest thing to check is whether the heating element is getting power. If you get 120V at the heating element but no heat, you have a bad heating element. If no power there, possibly bad control board."
----
Jeff's ideas sound accurate to me!

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #5 – July 25, 2018, 10:26:34 am

Quote from: JCT - July 25, 2018, 10:11:50 am

"...the easiest thing to check is whether the heating element is getting power. If you get 120V at the heating element but no heat, you have a bad heating element. If no power there, possibly bad control board."
----
Jeff's ideas sound accurate to me!

Also the circuit breaker tip - the controls are all 12V, so a lack of 120VAC may not be obvious. Check the outlet where the fridge is plugged in behind the access panel.

Steve

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #6 – July 25, 2018, 11:02:14 am

"Check the outlet where the fridge is plugged in behind the access panel."
----
I have always wondered why the plug "default" placement is in the top outlet, making the lower outlet inaccessible?

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #7 – July 25, 2018, 11:24:08 am

Quote from: JCT - July 25, 2018, 11:02:14 am

"Check the outlet where the fridge is plugged in behind the access panel."
----
I have always wondered why the plug "default" placement is in the top outlet, making the lower outlet inaccessible?

"making the lower outlet inaccessible"

How so? My LD is not here and I can't go out and look.

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #8 – July 25, 2018, 11:39:25 am

More info on my earlier post.

"A Combination thermostat, sometimes referred to as a Dual Thermostat, is merely a gas thermostat and an electric thermostat incorporated into one component and sharing one capillary tube. The end of the capillary tube is mounted inside the refrigerator and senses its temperature. To better understand the graphic below, see the Electric Thermostat and Gas Thermostat pages. If the combination thermostat you are working with is the Sourdillon control, read this page and then go to Sourdillon Control.
The fact that two functions are combined into one component can create some confusion when troubleshooting. It's possible for one side of the thermostat to go bad independently of the other. It's also possible, if there is a problem with the thermostat mechanics, for both the gas and electric modes not to function, resulting in no cooling. Keep this in mind and don't jump directly to the cooling unit as the problem, if there is no cooling. Hot wiring the heat element will tell you a lot."

Dave's Place - Combination Thermostats

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #9 – July 25, 2018, 12:43:08 pm

"How so?"

The bulky plug and thick cord block the other outlet.

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #10 – July 25, 2018, 01:51:56 pm

Hi, on my rig the single wide duplex box is mounted high enough to plug the right angle plug into the lower half of the two outlets. That leaves the upper half free for whatever you want to plug in. That's why LD doesn't provide an outside plug like it does on the MidBath and other floorplans. If your box is mounted too low, you could change the plug on the refrigerator's cord to a straight in plug. I've never plugged anything in there, but I have stolen power from the refrigerator +12v (it was runnng on propane) for a string of very low power LED 12v. lights on the awning. RonB

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #11 – July 25, 2018, 02:07:37 pm

Quote from: Andy Baird - July 25, 2018, 12:43:08 pm

"How so?"

The bulky plug and thick cord block the other outlet.

Can't the bottom plug be used for the refer? Joan said "default", but does that mean "have to use"?

It's the small stuff.

Chris

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #12 – July 25, 2018, 02:13:40 pm

"...on my rig the single wide duplex box is mounted high enough to plug the right angle plug into the lower half of the two outlets. That leaves the upper half free for whatever you want to plug in."
---
Ron, I can do this (and have done) as a temporary measure, but I usually have a brain melt and plug the thing right back into the top outlet!

I just went out and changed the plug placement; no worries!

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #13 – July 25, 2018, 02:22:28 pm

Quote from: RonB - July 25, 2018, 01:51:56 pm

Hi, on my rig the single wide duplex box is mounted high enough to plug the right angle plug into the lower half of the two outlets. That leaves the upper half free for whatever you want to plug in. That's why LD doesn't provide an outside plug like it does on the MidBath and other floorplans. If your box is mounted too low, you could change the plug on the refrigerator's cord to a straight in plug. I've never plugged anything in there, but I have stolen power from the refrigerator +12v (it was runnng on propane) for a string of very low power LED 12v. lights on the awning. RonB

I didn't know that and it's good info. I wondered why I had no outside outlet

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #14 – July 25, 2018, 02:28:10 pm

Hi Chris; while duplex sockets can be split to have half of it operated by a switch, (a common residential occurrence) . In this case the outlet is a common ordinary one where both sockets are identical except for location. I have a plastic child proof cap in my open outlet to keep some water, dirt and bugs out of it. I could see some instance of rain at 65 mph, or car washing, penetrating the louvered door and outlet and upsetting the GFCI. LD should have used a weatherproof 'Bell' box with individual sealed flaps, to keep contacts cleaner. But it is protected by the GFCI.
5839-6 | Brand | Bell
RonB

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #15 – July 25, 2018, 02:29:32 pm

"I have a plastic child proof cap in my open outlet to keep some water, dirt and bugs out of it."
----
Good idea; thanks for that!

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #16 – July 25, 2018, 02:46:34 pm

Quote from: Sawyer - July 25, 2018, 11:39:25 am

Keep this in mind and don't jump directly to the cooling unit as the problem, if there is no cooling. Hot wiring the heat element will tell you a lot."
Dave's Place - Combination Thermostats

While this is a good test, I hesitate to make such recommendations, due the high voltage risk, without adding it should only done by those highly experience in working with high voltage. It's easy to make a mistake.
Many here do not have sufficient knowledge and experience to do this safely, 120-VAC can easily kill.

A safer way to test the heating element is to read the element's resistance, with the power off. It should be between 40 and 80 ohms.
The 120-VAC heater gets its power from the control board, remove its two push-on connectors and then read the resistance.
Infinite resistance indicates a burnt element.

Larry

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #17 – July 25, 2018, 05:27:53 pm

Quote from: Larry W - July 25, 2018, 02:46:34 pm

While this is a good test, I hesitate to make such recommendations, due the high voltage risk, without adding it should only done by those highly experience in working with high voltage. It's easy to make a mistake.
Many here do not have sufficient knowledge and experience to do this safely, 120-VAC can easily kill.

A safer way to test the heating element is to read the element's resistance, with the power off. It should be between 40 and 80 ohms.
The 120-VAC heater gets its power from the control board, remove its two push-on connectors and then read the resistance.
Infinite resistance indicates a burnt element.

Larry

No guts no glory. LOL

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #18 – July 26, 2018, 04:22:54 am

Hi Larry, Zero resistance would be a dead short. Open or infinite resistance would be a burned out heater element. I know you know that. RonB

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #19 – July 26, 2018, 11:10:13 am

Quote from: RonB - July 26, 2018, 04:22:54 am

Hi Larry, Zero resistance would be a dead short. Open or infinite resistance would be a burned out heater element. I know you know that. RonB
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Whoops, got that backwards. If the element is burned , it will have infinite resistance .
Thanks for the correction, it has been fixed.

Larry

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #20 – July 27, 2018, 01:51:05 pm

He didn’t get it fixed yet but I really do appreciate everyone throwing in their two cents here. I’ll let you know what happens next.

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #21 – July 28, 2018, 02:41:13 pm

Good news! My BF fixed the fridge by putting in a new heating element. Freezer got down to 2° last night and the fridge was cool also. Now we will move onto fixing the fantastic vent fan.
And then we will go on vacation, woo hoo,,, 👍🏻🎈🚐

I celebrated by buying an ice cube tray at the $.99 store! :-)

Thank you all for your help! : )

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #22 – July 28, 2018, 04:57:19 pm

"...the fridge was cool also."

Carrie

Glad to hear of your luck. If you look inside the fridge (not the freezer) you will see a set of cooling fins. Near the right side there should be a device that can be slid up or down the fin it's attached to. This is called a 'Thermistor' and controls the temperature of the fridge box. Slide it up for more cooling (lower temp) or down for less cooling. Lots of folks don't know this.

2 degrees in the freezer is a good temp.

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #23 – July 29, 2018, 05:57:10 pm

Yes, I’ve read about the thermistor online and noticed there isn’t one in the frig. There is a temperature setting knob though. I am attaching a photo. There was also a little piece of plastic laying there..., (next photo).... don’t know what that is. I think thermistors are bigger than this thing.

Got any idea what this is?

Re: Refrigerator works on gas but not electric.

Reply #24 – July 29, 2018, 06:14:24 pm

Hi Carrie. That piece of plastic doesn't appear to be anything I recognize. If that 'fridge is a Dometic, it looks like it could be original to the coach, 27 years or so! Good performance for one that old. RonB

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