Freezer is cold, fridge isn't

[John Z]

Sorry for the delay in getting back. I had to work a couple days and then get packed to go to the Bemidji get together, and then on to a week long trip to a family reunion in the Red River Valley in NW Minnesota.

I am parked in the WalMart lot at Bemidji this morning. I was hoping the rocking horse road i was on las night would have shook something loose in the fridge but it looks like there is no improvement in it.

For an old unit,,, and i do mean old,, the seals are not too bad. I am sure they are not the culprit. As mentioned earlier, it has not run long enough to become over iced.

I just checked the temps with my ir gun, and the freezer is 17.5, and the fridge is 68. This has been lit and running for a week now, so it doesn't look like it is getting any better.

My thoughts now are if i have to pull it out, i may as well replace it. I am getting to the point where my use of the bus will be going up, and i don't want to have problems with this. All my stuff is in a cooler under ice, so i am good for now. But that is not how i want to travel.

Next big decision is whether to go with a household electric one, or a new propane rv unit. Plus of the elec route, is i could get rid of that vent on the roof,,, don't care for the looks of that at all. Also could seal up the hole in the wall where the burner is. Neg side of elec is i would need more battery power in the house bank. Have 4 6v golf cart batteries now. I would also probably need a new inverter to go that route, , now i am using an old trusty 1000 watt Heart Freedom. The new inverter will also be justified by the need to power some sort of OTR air.

Are you guys happy with propane units? Do they keep the ice cream and popscicles hard during the summer heat?

Thanks all for your tips and help... they are all appreciated!

[Lin]

I've got to say that I have been happy with both using a residential unit and an RV unit.  We presently have an RV frig.  We do not run it on propane much yet, but I like the option.  When we had a residential unit, we had no problems surviving since we really did not boondock much.  You really just have to sort out how you will be using your bus and pick the unit that supports your plan with the least hassle.

[JohnEd]

John,

I liked my gas unit over a elect house fridge.  a couple months betwen gas fills.  I like the flexability.  Cost of gas unit is the cutter but I would sure try for gas if it was me.

Did you ever have it looked at by a qual repairman?

You get a lot of heat off of a house unit and it definately NEEDS to breath out the back.  Might want to rethink sealing up all the "holes".  Nice benifit in the winter though.

John

[Sam 4106]

Hi John Z,
Have you cleaned the burner in your frig? The reason I ask is that at the June Midwest Busnuts rally a member thought his frig was shot and had planed to buy a new one. I checked it and found that the electric heating element was burned out. He switched to gas and had the same problem you are having. I checked the burner and it was burning but very weakly so I blew out the burner area with compressed air and the flame increased somewhat. He tried it overnight and the freezer was down to ten degrees and the frig was in the fourties. After the rally he ordered a new electric element and removed the unit to install it. He also took the burner out and cleaned it better. He called me later and told me his frig is working fine now. So, before you throw away your frig you may want to try cleaning your burner if you haven't already done so.

Also, you could be using your frig as an ice box.  When our frig failed last fall (it had that expensive ammonia smell) we used it as an ice box sucessfully for four days without having to add ice. We used blocks of ice in a plastic container on the top shelf. We had a cooler too but found it more convienient to use the frig. Then last winter I replaced the cooling unit in our 18 year old frig with a rebuilt one. The cost of the rebuilt cooling unit was $420 including shipping to me and me shipping my old one back. That was about 1/3 the cost of a new RV frig of equal size.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide. Thanks Sam4106

[JohnEd]

And the source of your rebuilt cooling unit was??? 

Thanks,

John

[gus]

My Norcold propane/elec frige works so well on propane that I no longer bother to hook up the electrics when visiting friends and such.

I use it on electric only when cooling it down before a long trip, it is propane after that except during the infrequent stay at an RV park.

[Sam 4106]

Hi JohEd,

I got my rebuilt cooling unit from RV Refrigeration Service, 14 Custom Street, Calais ME 04619 Phone 888-782-6665. A good company to deal with and the service was great.

Thanks, Sam 4106

[Don Fairchild]

Sam;

what model refer do you have and what did you pay for the cooling unit.

Thanks

Don

[luvrbus]

Don, go to www.rvmobile.com type your model # and it will give a price. If you can wait till Sept the guy in Quartzsite replaces about all model for 600 bucks parts and labor   OT here but are you busy the guys at S&S set my 8v92 at 475 hp factory setting and they want to charge me to change it if I have to pay rather pay you

[Don Fairchild]

Clifford,

I have to go the Seattle the second week of Sept. Then back again the week before thanksgiving, then I go to new Orleans the first week of Dec. I was wanting to go to Yellowstone for a week in Sept and go fishing but that will have to Wait till next year.

What do you want done, how much hp do you want, and what is your schedule looking like.I am sure we can work something out.

Don

[DrivingMissLazy]

I had a unit rebuilt several years ago, but can not remember the name. It was in the greater Los Angeles area and possibly in Pomona.

Richard

[Lin]

I also remember a place in the LA area.  I think it was around El Monte.  Whether that one is still around or not, Google has others.

[JohnEd]

Lin,

Not often I come up short on imagination....but what would you Google to find a shop that rebuilds gas refers?

I heard it cost 6 or 8 hundred to get that done.  I hope I am wrong.

John

[kingfa39]

i have a norcold i bought 20 yrs agao from salvage, was brand new with only some minor bends in the trim , 250.00. the freezer gets really cold but the fridge dont until i get going down the road then its ok for the rest of the trip, we use propane a lot of the time and it works about the same as elec. been pleased overall with the performace.
Frank allen

[Sam 4106]

Hi Don,

I have a Norcold Model 863 refrigerator. The price for my rebuilt cooling unit was $420 including shipping to me and me shipping my old unit back. That was just for the rebuilt cooling unit, not any labor. I changed the unit myself. A friend, who told me about RV Refrigeration Services, paid the same for his rebuilt unit for a different brand and size.

Good luck, Sam 4106