# camper refridgerator problem



## mattp (Jul 15, 2015)

The fridge in my camper has always worked great but now it will only operate on gas and not electric, I checked and it's getting power. Any suggestions on what to check next?


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## 660griz (Jul 15, 2015)

mattp said:


> The fridge in my camper has always worked great but now it will only operate on gas and not electric, I checked and it's getting power. Any suggestions on what to check next?



Switch? Auto/Gas/Electric

If voltage is present and all indicator lights seem to operate, the next item to test is the electric heating element. A multimeter is the proper tool for this.The wires leading to the heating element come down from the tin enclosure where it rests along the cooling unit. In most instances, you can access the wires with only minor removal of shielding. Test for voltage while the element is hooked up. If you have voltage at one wire but not the second, most likely the element is burned out creating a break in the voltage path.
If you have no voltage at the element, your problem may lie in the circuit boards of the refrigerator.


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## riprap (Jul 15, 2015)

You could get lucky like my old camper. A squirrel had gotten in the fridge area and chewed the wire leading to the plug where it plugs in. That fridge didn't have a circuit board and only worked on 110 or gas. No 12 volt went to the fridge.


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## 660griz (Jul 16, 2015)

riprap said:


> You could get lucky like my old camper. A squirrel had gotten in the fridge area and chewed the wire leading to the plug where it plugs in. That fridge didn't have a circuit board and only worked on 110 or gas. No 12 volt went to the fridge.



That is strange. My fridge only works on 110 or Gas but, it has s circuit board. No 12 volts and the gas shuts off.


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## mattp (Jul 16, 2015)

Thanks for the advice. It does have the gas/auto/electric switch. I'll check the heating element next time I go down.


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## Greene728 (Jul 16, 2015)

Also check to make sure the fridge isn't hooked up on a circuit with a GFCI is tripped. Mine stopped on electric and an outlet under the kitchen cabinet we hardly ever used had a GFCI and it was tripped. Reset it and all was fine.


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## 660griz (Jul 17, 2015)

Greene728 said:


> Also check to make sure the fridge isn't hooked up on a circuit with a GFCI is tripped. Mine stopped on electric and an outlet under the kitchen cabinet we hardly ever used had a GFCI and it was tripped. Reset it and all was fine.



I believe he stated it was getting power.


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## Greene728 (Jul 17, 2015)

660griz said:


> I believe he stated it was getting power.



Oops! Should have read it a little better...


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## riprap (Jul 19, 2015)

660griz said:


> That is strange. My fridge only works on 110 or Gas but, it has s circuit board. No 12 volts and the gas shuts off.



I have had three campers with these type of fridges. From a 70's scotty to mid 80's wilderness. I wish the campers now days didn't have them. If your dry camping and your battery dies, at least your fridge would still work.

I have a 2011 5th wheel and an 86 wilderness that the fridge has been replaced on. Both require 12 volt.


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## Confederate_Jay (Dec 23, 2015)

The heating element should be hot to the touch. If not then it is probably bad.   If the event you lose power, if turned on the gasthe gas kicks on to create heat needed to make ammonia system cool the fridge.


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## gahunter33 (Jan 11, 2016)

Not sure if you've already fixed it, but this happened to mine a few months back while camping. Just happened to go grab a coke from the fridge and noticed it had changed from electric to gas all by itself sometime the first day after we had set up. Took off the vent cover outside to investigate, and found a blown 5 amp fuse on the circuit board. Made a quick trip to a local store to get a new fuse, then came back and installed it. Not sure what caused it to blow in the first place, but it's been working fine ever since then. Oh, and another heads up in case yours may be this way. My circuit board was hidden behind a small plastic cover that had electrical connections stabbed on it. The fuse attached right onto the circuit board itself.


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