RV Refrigerator Cooling Performance Issues - Cooling Unit Blockage & Ice Dam issues
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2021
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In this video, Certified RV Technician, Darren Koepp, discusses performance issues with RV absorption refrigerators. Topics include cooling unit blockages and a breach in the cooling unit which creates an ice dam. He then performs a field repair of an ice dam issue.
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Thank you for the shout-outs, Darren! I absolutely love your cooking! It was not only your cooking gifts but all your gifts that hooked me to marry you. I married my best friend. I love you!
That's great you just gave me chills best wishes to a long happy life together...
😢😢🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😢🎉😅😢😢t😮🎉😢😮🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😮😮🎉🎉
Your diagnosis was right on Darren it’s been almost 6 months since the repair everything working as it should. Thank you.
Thanks Jeffrey, it is so good to hear. Hope you're a happy camper now!
Thank you, glad to see you back.
Darren, love the information you provide us in addition to your ability to break down the information into simple terms makes you an outstanding instructor. You have taught me so much about my class A Winnebago. As an additional benefit, your added humor really makes watching your videos fun. Don't change a thing and keep up the good work!!! Thanks again!!!
Thank you.
These videos are so helpful. I have no one to come out to fix things in my area, so I have to do these things myself. So far I’ve fixed and replaced waterlines, furnace, water heater, electrical, and DC system. Waiting on fridge and AC to go south and then fix them. 2012 Heartland Big Country keeps me busy.
Glad to see your making videos again. You have the most informative channel on RV repair 👍👍
Thank you. ☺️
I'm just getting started in RV repair. Your videos are great, thanks for the invaluable information.
Think thru the problem and the sequence of operation then get the tools. Good diagnostics.
Thank you.
Great video! As a technician I appreciate your way of explaining the complex in simple terms. Thanks for taking your time to explain the function of these types of refrigerators. Question. Any concerns about ice or water being trapped in the “cat box” by sealing it up before letting it dry?
Had problems with my refrigerator from day one !watched a few of your videos and it's becoming very clear , very clear the RV/caravan manufacturers don't give a damn !!!
Thank you so much Darren, keep the amazing work you're doing👍👍👍
Andy the Canadian Yorkshireman residing in Dover Kent
Wow you were right on I have looked at more videos than you can believe you had the answer no one else had! I have now become a member of My RV Works Thanks
I have the same issue and will try defrosting and dry out before removing. I replaced the CU a few years ago put probably did not foam it. I did use new tape though. It usually runs a looong time between heating up. Freezer stay solid frozen.
Thanks for the VID. Another repairman calls it saturation.
Thanks for another information video, Darren!
This is another awesome one. Thanks so much for taking your own time to freely add value to all of us - in the most literal sense. Your willingness to grow our knowledge (our value) by taking lots of your own time and expertise is so great. I had one question but one of the other comments here make it click for me (“thermal short”!). Thanks again Darren! Do you have any means for people to financially support you or donate to you given all of the time and effort and value you’ve freely given to the community?
Hi Joe! Thank you for watching the video, and we're glad you were able to get an answer with the comments section. That is what it should be for, each of us helping each other! We do have a way that people can support us through a monthly pledge on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=27484408. Check it out to see if it would be a good fit for you. Thank you!
I love it. Turn it upside down and bang on it. I wish I could tell you how many times I have heard that in the last 25 years. What is up with RUclips and audio and video not being synced? One of my videos was like that last week.
Hopefully I don’t have these problems but these videos are very helpful thank you so much
Love your videos. Full of great information
As a service professional, have you noticed a reliability difference between Dometic and Norcold? Wondering which brand you would recommend.
First, I would like to thank you, Darren for your very clear and repeatedly emphasized important points on your educational videos.
I have learned a lot about absorption refrigerators in the past weeks just watching your videos. The whole time, I have been trying to diagnose cooling issues with my Dometic RM2350 (which I still could not find a service manual for more detailed componentry specs).
At this point, I am still unable to confirm where the issue(s) is/are without getting replacement parts (expensive) to figure them out. If you don't mind and can please advise me, I would like to detail what I have found out so far from monitoring the situation.
Condition:
1. Refrigerator is level.
2. Gas burner works boiler to hot but outer jacket still touchable with hand without being burned.
3. 240v AC electricity mode does not get the boiler hot but rather warm only to the touch.
4. 3 x extractor fan installed with baffle to vent the upper fins.
5. The lower absorption "coil" is hardly warm to the touch.
6. RV has not traveled during this period so ruling out any knocking around.
7. Ambient temperature outside between 80F and 90F (summer in Australia).
8. No visible blockages behind the unit. Quite clean and no sign of ammonia leaks. Unit appears to be in very good condition visibly.
Current situation:
1. Freezer (still) gets cold down to around 19 F but a few weeks ago it was down to 5 F. Food compartment does not cool below 60 F when it had before gone down to 40 F several weeks ago.
2. Adjusting the thermostat does not seem to affect the temperature in the fridge.
If you get great stuff on your hands, slather lotion on (I prefer O'keefes) and the grease will help you pick it off. This works with adhesives like super glue too.
Where is a good place to get a new power cord for your refrigerator mine is electric 12 V and LP
A little trick so you can get the foam deeper into the crack, find a drinking straw the same size as the foam tube and slide it over the tube. The straw will collapse down allowing you to go deep into the crack.
Great video! Probably what's wrong with my Norcold (nevercold enough) unit that came factory installed in my 2020 Keystone Fuzion 427. I've had it back to the dealer so many times I've lost count to no avail. Tomorrow I'm pulling the Norcold and installing a Samsung French Door w/ dual icemakers exactly like my residence for around $2,000.00. Maybe I can figure out how to sell the Norcold after I repair it or put it in the deer hunting cabin. LOL . I'm totally wore out with the absorption systems. My 2015 Montana Mountaineer with Dometic was even worse! We've thrown out enough food over the past few years to pay for the residential Samsung. Now that we have an onboard generator and 60 gallons of fuel I just don't have a need for LP. Again, I really appreciate your video!
Hey Darren, seems like too many things to deal with on these absorption fridges, (must be level, needs air circulation, be careful of "yellow" residue). What do you think about changing to a 12v fridge? Will you do a follow up in a month with results of your fix?
Great video, lots of info. I have a Norcold n821 and the fridge is not as cold as it should be. The freezer appears to be working fine. I tested the thermistor ohms and they are ok. Can a control board cause this? Also the fridge will not turn off. I was going to buy a control board because it will not turn off. I also reset the panel and it did not fix it. The fridge may be original the 5th wheel, year 2002.
I have a drip tube from the inside of the fridge. Where should I tie it. should the tube be level to the bottom of the subfloor? Great video, Thanks.
Great video. Let's hope the Norcold engineers watch this video and take your recommendation of getting rid of the duct tape.
Praying they do! ;)
Thank you for your video I watched it and bought a brand new RV and had the duct tape on it and I did what you did on that repair so maybe I'll get plenty of years out of it it of years out of it By the way there's nothing wrong with the refrigerator I just figured I would prevent the problem by fixing it early Like you did
Good information, Good Job
I got a Norcold 1200 first year it was great that was 2017 have had it worked on 4 times 3 times at the dealership where I bought it and one time on a trip from a mobile tech still have the same problem fridge cools but doesn’t get cold any suggestions
Thank for you video is excellent I’m looking to resolve issues with my refrigerator 1210 , my RV is only 3 mounts old 2021 and we programming weekend my surprise was in middle of the park my refrigerator don’t start we try LP and same , I’m try to comunícate with service department and is imposible I was for more of 4 hours final they disconnect my call my question is the unit has any fuse in the electronic box I can check? Thank you for your answer.
Very informative 👍👍
Been watching you for a while. My question, I have a build up of ice inside my fridge that has to be defrosted once a month on my dometic with freezer on the left side. The cooling unit was replaced. I believe that my problem maybe similar. Seems to cool ok. Ice cream in the freezer doesn't seem to freeze hard. Going to look at the air flow. What do you recommend?
Thanks for your videos
This is another symptom of an ice dam. So it may be worth pulling out your unit and looking at that void around the cat box.
Darren , I have a dometic 6062 it's been sitting idle for at least ten years. When I plugged it in o 110 volts I heard it boiling when I checked it the next day it was hot inside the fridge and freezer any thoughts . I did not try it on propane . Thanks
Thanks for this video on RV Refrigerator---Cooling Unit. In reference to damming, not blocking. Without watching the video again or searching for others videos. I have a question on my Dometic unit: Is the icing happening on the inside of the Refrigerator fins or on the outside coils. My inside aluminum fins ice up after about a month. I have not pulled the Refrigerator out of the hole. After removing the outside cover, I don't see any water marks. The unit is about 5 years old, since new there have been issues with the auto changing from electric to gas. This has to be done manually with the control buttons every time we hit the road. Again, main question is about inside icing. Thanks, have a great day.
The icing on the inside fins and the icing we see in the cat box are totally different unrelated issues.
@@MyRVWorks Thanks
great video.
Hi Darren,
I full time in Alberta and just had a wonderful cold snap dropping below -30°C. A couple days after we hit the low my fridge just stopped cooling. Found the 15a 12v fuse in the panel was blown but replacing did not correct the issue. Everything seems to be working but just not making the cold, gas or electric.
Am I likely having the same issue? My RV is a new 2021 model purchased in May with a dometic single door.
Crafting table lol. Thanks a bunch very insightful video
Love your videos. Silly question. Can you put too much spray foam in the gap?
Good stuff as always. Can't you just use butyl putty tape then install the foil back tape?
If the freezer is still very cold but the fridge will not cool, would that likely be a blockage situation? On LP or electric the freezer only works. Your videos have been very helpful on reviving my RV.
I recently purchased a camper and the vents are laying in the fridge. How do I put them back up or is my fridge a lost cause?
You saved me 1200 bucks on a cooling unit. My 2017 1210 has the same issue, ice damming. I thought I had a moving blockage. Inspected it and it's just as you show in this video. Lots of water stains, loose tape and open seams. Thanks for saving me some cash and work! I appreciate it!
WD-40 does a great job cleaning that stuff off your hands and other things. Including that tube on the can if you have any left over.
Telford N112 fridge is working on gas but not on electricity neither 230v or 12v, both heating coils are working as they get hot but not cooling inside. Any idea what could it be? Thank you
HELP!!! I have a dometic rm2551 never installed in a camper, used for 1week at a deer camp then sat in a garage for about 3 years, looks absolutely brand new. Sitting in carport it will start to get cold then stops cooling both ways 110v or gas. Tube coming out of boiler almost too hot to touch, cooling fins cool,1rst section of coils tube coming out of fridge is cool/coldish, rest of coils warm. Tried thermistor plugged in and unplugged no difference.
These units require that chimney on the back side around the cooling unit. You really need to build that. You can use cardboard box or something like that and some fans to channel that air directly over those cooling units and out. In this link to video around the 15-minute mark I draw a diagram. Study that and build that and then see what happens. ruclips.net/video/IT_5HGe4q-k/видео.html
@@MyRVWorks ok I’ll try that with this unit. I have 2 more also sitting in garage, 1 is 25 yrs old and the other 15 yrs old and they both get ice cold just sitting in the open with no chimney or fans
Am having problems with my dometic refrigerator it stop cooling all together I lost all of are food been checking stuff from your videos but haven't found problem yet someone told me the cooling system but none of the stuff I have tried to check that but it don't smell no yellow stuff so any other things it could be
Good to know
My issue is an over cooled freezer and warm fridge. Got any tips for that?
When I see that situation the first thing that I look for is the proper airflow and baffling up the backside Cooling unit. If you cannot properly shed the heat off that cooling unit, then you will have performance issues, and it usually shows up in the refrigerator section first. On our website we have many refrigerator manuals so see if you can find yours and study how the ventilation is supposed to work up the back and make sure it is that way. myrvworks.com/manuals/
Love the station
Ever heard th term rabbit trail
Another great vidio
I bought a sun Voyager by gulfstream it's a 99 with a v10 I started driving it and remembered to be sure I released the E brake when I did I caused two wires to short killing the heater in the dash and the front fans any help would sure would be appreciated by a single father of 3 boys who I think are about to throw their dad overboard lol. Love your videos been watching them all day...
Our fridge is cooling fine but the freezer is not getting below 22 degrees. It had only been on for 5 days. Do you still think damming could be an issue? Norcold 1210...we are in CO so not much humidity or high heat...averaged in the 80's
Love it nice job god bless
Hi , Darren do have a question for you , i do have a Dometic fridge , model RM1350SLMX 4 doors type , would it make sens to ADD fans in the lower portion of the rear fridge ( air intake grill) to make more air to flow inside from the bottom ??? Thank's or if that would cause a issue
@Al Gau, after watching Darren's vid, I think you only want to add the fans under the Upper Heat Fins to scrub the heat off them, so they can absorb more heat from the Heat Exchange process. I believe adding fans at the Air Intake Grill will cool the Boiler area, where you want it to be hot for the Boil mixture.
I'm no expert in Refrigeration, but I think this is the case.
Hi. Great videos! I just had the cooling unit replaced in a 2018 forest River fr3 (norcold 2118) and camping world says that we cannot turn the fridge on for 24 hrs because the cooling unit needs to be “stood up” for 24 hrs before applying power to it. Does that sound right? Is there a good way to test the new cooling unit before we leave? For example is a few hours on gas followed by a few hours on electric sufficient to ensure it is working properly? Thanks!
I have the same unit 1210 and the fridge is staying warm. My left door has three buttons, the bottom one gets extremely hot and shows some melting. The freezer works great but won't freeze ice cream. I saw your other video on the thermistor inside. What are the odds that is my problem? I hope it is that simple.
I have a 1200 Norcold that sounds like the same thing. The upper metal cap that receives the spring pin is hot and burnt, my freezer is 9 degrees and fridge is 58
Have you had any experience with Fridge Defend? Do you think it is a good investment?
Does old control panel work with the new2118 cooling unit?
How long did it take you to do that? From start to finish?
If I didn't make a video of it and I got busy I could have diagnosed it in about 5-10 minutes and then it's just a matter of pulling the refrigerator and taping it up. Maybe 1 - 1. 5 hour actual task time. Having said that. I've literally worked on hundreds of refrigerator repair jobs so I've had a lot of time in the saddle for these types of repairs.
@@MyRVWorks your skill never ceases to amaze me, both an actual maintenance work and in the ability to communicate it. Your videos are an awesome watch for a budding tech like myself.
Darren- Brilliant on the waterproofing of the gloves! I love the tips that are also inexpensive! Thanks for sharing! It's unfortunate that the manufactures are not taking this step that you are using yourself with expanding foam and HVAC tape. You seemed to answer the question as to why the manufacturers are not using the expanding foam since it makes it extremely difficult to service/replace in the future. But the cost-saving measure of low-quality duct-tape over the metal tape is really sad to see by these manufacturers and even the companies putting these RVs/Campers togther- they could reinforce and simply pass the cost onto the consumer, I'm sure most people would pay for that samll upgrade. Well, at least now we all know what to look for (failing tape, water marks gradual decline in performance) as well as how to fix this! Like you said, this video coupled with your damper videos should have us creating a system like it should come from the factory! Is the regular expanding foam or low expansion foam better for this purpose? And lastly, since this was shot back in Feb/Mar, do you know if it worked? These are awesome videos- thank you for doing all that you, your family and team do for the RV community! Cheers!
He doesn’t even look in the back 😂
I waved from Victoria back but you turned around too soon and didn’t see me
Give us the short version. Haven’t got all day to hear you waffling on
That's not how we do things on this channel. Sorry, but you'll have to find another channel that is more suitable to you.
They should really just use that foil tape instead of duct tape 🤦♂️
Good video. I would like to make a suggestion. The name "ice Dam" may not be the best term. Looking at your videos on the cat box, and the ice in it, and thinking about the engineering , would indicate that the ice is forming a thermally conductive path inside the cat box to the warmer edges. Ice has a thermal conductivty of 2.5 (W/mK) which is some 80 times greater than the foam insulation. It might be more helpful to call it an Ice thermal short or a heat leak. Filling the gap with foam would block the leak, and the tape would stop the water vapor from getting in.
Huh. Yeah ‘heat leak’ or ‘thermal short’ makes a lot of sense. I was trying to figure out what the actual ramifications of the ice buildup were - why that ice build up caused the freezer to warm up exactly. “Thermal short” totally makes sense. All of the thermal absorption is happening via the seal gaps and results in ice around the edges rather than happening inside the freezer compartment. E.g. ‘thermal short’. Nice!
🤙🏼🙏🏼
See you in 30 days, right.
No Godly willing weekly. 😍
Yea.. it’s the shirt and hat!!
Shame it’s my beer that got warm and not the original installers bloody beer .Man pays shit loads of money and gets sub standard product .Thankfully some folks have a Conscience 💁
As you said your all over the place. The thermo sensor can be blocked has fallen off Evaporator and temp thinks it warm so unit doesn't cycle off. Do t quit your Real job
Minecraft beef stew? Focus man! You’re awesome outside of the rhetoric
Hah! Gotta love him
Glad to see you making videos again.. Great video and lots of great information. FYI your video and audio are out of sync on this video.
You look 10 years younger in this video.
I’ll stick with my 12 volt fridge.
Well the ice damn issue is not only observed on absorption refrigerators, we've seen this on 12 volt refrigerators as well!
So loooooonnnnngggggg winded
Agreed, to much talk. Just explain the thingamajig is not working with the frasmus.
Why do people mess with these terrible absorption refrigerators it's a 200-year-old refrigeration concept obviously it doesn't work very well
LOL, I get your point but it's actually closer to 169 year old technology... The space station and ice skating rinks still rely on this absorption process so maybe there's something 'newer' they can consider that is not so Antiquated... LOL. Have you seen this other video I did on the process and why it is still used in RV's? ruclips.net/video/9B7XTk0FyCU/видео.html
@@MyRVWorks no I have not I will be sure to watch it. Your videos are great and has taught me a lot I'm just "venting" my heat on this refrigerator 😉
Toooooooo much talking!
Less chatter, more clatter!
Stay on one subject. You're going to lose viewers.
Too much time being repetative and referencing your other videos, far too much waffle. I gave up.
YOU get lost too much, you do not remember where you were, talk about your kid and eagles etc. I am sure you know what you are talking about but you have no continuity. Just teach or do a video of your jokes to get them out of your system and then come back and try again to teach us what you want to. You are ALL over the place.