How to Fix an Old RV Refrigerator that Doesn't Get Cold
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2017
- I show how I fixed my Class C RV Refrigerator that wasn't getting cold on hot days. I made a few easy fixes and gained ten degrees colder. RV Refrigerator repairs made easy.
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Carolyn's RV Life and Carolyn Higgins share her experiences, thoughts, opinions and ideas in this video for entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, instruction or guidance. Viewers should consult with professionals before pursing any actions or behaviors exhibited in this video. Carolyn's RV Life or Carolyn Higgins can not be held liable in the event of any accident or injury that may occur as a result of application of procedures and information provided in this video. #RVLife
Carolyn Higgins of Carolyn's RV Life is living her Best Life as a Solo Woman traveling with her Dog!
i have fixed many refrigerators in rv parks when i find my baffled neighbours playing with their unit. If you get that screw out and get the burner tube out, you can pour rust out of it. Peoples eyes get wide. so then put the cover back on. Next go on the roof and take the plastic cover off. Inspect the screen to be sure air can move thru it. After the flame, moving the transported heat away from the condenser coil is equally important. Clean the screen and if you want here is where you would add a cooling fan to draw more air thru. Carolyn, you are exactly on the right track. Keep up the great work.
Jacqueline,
Mechanic and Refrigeration Technician
Good on you Carolyn for taking this as far as you did. I had a very similar experience with my 2014 Tioga Class C a few year ago in Key West FL. It worked great on shore power, not so good on gas. All the RV techs, told me to buy a new unit…I knew the problem was in the gas. I fooled around with it for days cleaning this and that and nothing changed. Everyone was going to dinner and beach parties and I couldn’t go and stayed to work on my RV for days.
I finally talked the local RV shop to sell me a USED, jet they didn't have any new one available. I switched out the jet and bam…it worked just like being on shore power. It was my problem all along. I then took a magnified picture of my old jet (which I tried many times to clean with lots of products, like alcohol or break cleaner and nothing worked) and I could see what looked like salt deposits in the jet almost closing off the orifice. I still have it and will try to send you the pics of the close-up.
I suggest buying a new jet, mine is a 58, you can see the number printed on the side when you take it out. Its on the end of the tubing coming from the gas supply just before the burner. Here’s a link on a Dometic Orifice #58 Burner Jet www.dyersonline.com/dometic-orifice-58-burner-jet.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwuITNBRBFEiwA9N9YENGT1jvMbvak4THks2c27ObhI4d3vfCmLuOEYvwUi8NClKWwR9wbkBoCiRYQAvD_BwE
I found out you also need to clean the flue (burner tube) from above with a wire brush. You can order one on-line from Dometic or I was going to buy a 3/4” pipe cleaning brush from Home Depot and rig it to make it long enough to clean the whole pipe from above, but I ended up taking the whole thing out and it really wasn't that bad.
One more thing, on that condensate drain hose, instead of running it straight out the vent cover, first insure there is a drip loop in the hose before it goes outside. This drip loop will act like a pee-trap on a sink and seal the outside air from inside your refrigerator. Just make it go down first then back up high on the vent cover. The outside air can migrate up the tube and raise the temperature as much as 10 degrees….and that burner cover should be tight, or could blow out from the wind when your driving.
Let me know if you try this…Terry
You are becoming very skilled with your RV repairs Carolyn.
You do your research and have a go and do well.
I had a neighbour who bought a manual for the type of car she owned and would do all kinds of jobs by following the manual.
Ah yes, I remember using a Chilton manual for my '69 Pontiac convertible Custom S I restored.
You did well yourself by restoring such a classic car using only a manual.
Epic achievement.
Hi Carolyn. I am glad you are not afraid to troubleshoot! You are so intelligent because you do your research and take precautions! Keep it up!
Great video, Carolyn. So happy to see you are still out and about, and things appear to be going well for you. Bless you, girl!
We had a problem once with ours. Found the problem by chance. I broke the rooftop cover and when I pulled it off to replace it we found that the insulation above the fridge came loose from the sidewall and was blocking the air flow up through the roof. Made all the difference just by securing it back in place. Safe Travels!
I admire your tenacity in research and repair work. Keep up the good fight!
Love when a DIY project works! Congrats on 42k subscribers!
Good for you, being a lone since my hub died 17 years ago I do things myself and wear myself out and IF I cant fix it then I call someone. Saved a lot of money doing it and Plus you learn.
Carolyn, the shield is to keep the wind from blowing out the flame, so install it correctly. after the pipe cleaner blow out with a can of keyboard air. And good job!
Greetings Carolyn, a couple other tips that will help, make sure your vent on the roof for your fridge is clear of debris. Good air circulation is a must for an RV fridge. Also, I've seen people mount a computer fan on the coils which makes a big difference. There are several how to You tube videos on this topic. Lastly, the easiest fix is to park your RV so the fridge side in not in the direct sun.
Take my 30 some years of experience and chalk it up to weather. You can use the pipe cleaners to clean that drain as well as baking soda with vinegar. I also set the thing on fire. Learning through experience! LOVE YOU, Carolyn.
Really excellent! That was so smart of you to do. Sometimes, regardless of what we're willing to pay to just get a problem fixed for us, what actually does the job is our own smarts and intuition. So the seal isn't such a problem after all. Way to go. Seriously, Metilda seems to always come thru.
You keep this up I will have to start showing your vids to my RV Techs lol. Good job!
"Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I break shit."
We need THAT on a tee! lol
Everybody else is asking about your tank top, I want to know about your back tats!
Propane scares the crap out of me.
Janet, propane takes some getting used to. I used to make glass figurines and beads using propane tank and a torch. I had all sorts of safety re; propane only outside, flashback arrestors, always tested for leaks, etc., but still felt nervous every time I lit the torch. Then again nothing ever happened to the thousands of people who also make lamps-work like me. Or grill out. :)
Cheers!
HAHAHA I'll Buy That!!!!
So would I buy a T with
Sometimes I get lucky
Other times I break shit
Love it
True words! I'd love to have that on a shirt too!
Love how you troubleshoot and GO FOR IT to fix a problem... keep inspiring!
I love it! You're also a handy woman not afraid of tackling problems yourself! Keep up the great videos!
It's amazing what one can do when one puts their mind, knowledge and common sense nto it. A job well done Carolyn. Really enjoyed this video. Thank you for sharing.
Consider soaking the cover in vinegar to neutralize rust. Paint cover with Zithron 900 1235 degree extreme temp paint. To restore corrosion protection.
Another thing you might try is putting an "S" in the condesate drain tube to form a p-trap, like under your sink. Make sure it has enough water in it to make it air tight. I've heard (but haven't tried it myself) that this can get you another 10 degrees of cold, especially in warm humid climates. Makes sense to me since that tube is basically a 1/2 in diameter hole between your fridge interior and the warm outside.
PERSISTENCE! GREAT VIDEO CAROLYN!. Wow! THANK you .Pipe cleaners, don't be without . That long pipe is full of rust,suet. Vacuum Inside also. Same happened to my brother's 90's Dometic 3 way Have SAFE travels and cold frig. 😁
You did the exact same service you would get from a RV repair place, lol, great job. Only this time the work carries a warranty from Carolyn! Keep up the good work.
Carolyn a air compressor may be helpful to clean the burner and the exhaust pipe of that system . If there is no air compressor available you may want to try the cans of air that people buy to clean dust off their computer keys boards It's fun at times to watch your videos and I imagine the fun interaction I could have with you⚓
Thanks for the ideas, I'm glad that you found a way to get the refer colder. Nothing worse than having a refrigerator that doesn't give you full service. I'm thinking of pulling the vent pipe out and having a sheet metal shop replicate it with stainless steel. It would never be the source of crap in the burner again.
You're on the right track and you've given me some ideas. I've seen guys with air compressors blowing out the burner. A great alternative would be to use a can of "Keyboard Air Cleaner". They come with a small tube that can be used to focus the air directly down the burners and up the burner in the same direction as the gas is blown.
Further thought is the heat has to get into the flue and be there long enough to get the ammonia heated. Removing the baffle is probably allowing more heat into the vent pipe. I suspect my problem may be at the top of the vent or on the fins of the upper 'radiator'.
That's one of the secrets of life.... When you have a problem, at least look at it. I can't tell you how many times I've fixed computers or cars that the owner could easily have done had they just carefully poked around the way you did. Excellent lesson, Carolyn. Thank you for sharing. Aloha.
Great information! Thank you. Glad your refrigerator is working better!!
Every time I turn on the camera too I get company. Funny how that works! Your fridge might be fine in these cooler temps but what are you going to do when it's back into the 90's? For food safety, refrigerators should always be under 40 degrees.
Carolyn! God Bless your hootinany! Save your money! Run Matilda as long as. It's comfortable to do so & then get what you want! They'r always gonna be problems! But you're a very intelligent woman, & I give you ,lots of credit! Esther from N.Y
I'm glad you were able to fix it. I saw a video on Bob's channel I think, that showed a guy putting reflectix inside his fridge and a small battery fan too to help cool things down. I forget which video, but it's something to try to help cool things off in there.
Thank you ma'am for sharing! I'm glad you got it working normal again! Happy Trails! :-)
COOL! I was told the same thing. A good clean blue flame. I really liked watching this video. Science & Tech always fascinate me. Very informative and educational. These are great things to know and look for. Something so simple and 10 degrees colder. AWESOME JOB!
Peace! 🌈🌈
Love the bloopers at the end of the video! Should do that more often, so cute!
Thanks for this tip. I've heard everything regarding old rv's is clean and clean it some more. Gonna try this.
Get one of those little mechanic's inspection mirrors and look up thru the 'chimney'...you might have a blockage...also check the roof vent over the fridge, make sure its not blocked.
Great vid, and yes, propane takes getting used to. I'm still learning at my 60+ years. I love the tee, and those tats. Have a full back tat myself. Hopefully someday we can share!
Than you Diana. Yes, this is my first hot and humid summer.. I learn as I go. Thanks for the kind words! :-)
Hey friendly. I don't know if you couldn't get the screw out because it was too tight, or if the head was stripped. If the head is stripped, laying a wide rubber band over the hole and then inserting your screwdriver usually works. Just an FYI. Fun video.....
Thank you Linda!
Don’t ever use a drill on a stripped screw
compressed air in a can like you use to clean the inside of computers and keyboards could get more rust out than the pipe cleaner.
Wud recommend covering gas orifice so debris doesn't get lodged in it causing problems with lp flow to burner tube- The RV Repair Guy, llc
I didn't know that could be or needed to be done! There's still so much I need to learn!
Great work. Showing us that it's fine and dandy to at least research and TRY!
love the tank top !!
"NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED" , Carolyn that suits you perfectly. Great video.
Captain, yes, that's why I HAD to have the shirt!! thank you! *hugs
Good for you,smart woman! Love all your videos, and Capone,
Your doing good, learning by doing. Make sure you have a carbon monoxide alarm in the living quarters and I'd say your good to go. Appreciate the time you took to show us all what you did. And to be very clear on safety issues that could arise. Thanks Carolyn.
Carolyn, I'm such an avid fan of yours, now I've watched ALL of your videos and I'm lost. No more videos to watch! What is a person to do? I need my Carolyn fix! Well take care, i love what your doing and don't stop! Keep your head and chin up amongst all these cyber meanies! Love love love you!
Amazing! You have the courage to take apart the refrigerator and I would most likely never do that. My solution: Buy dry ice and put it in a container in the frig and call it a day.
Does dry ice cool food or freeze food??
You go. Good for you for teaching yourself and kicking butt. Thank you for the video.
I love the message on your shirt! You are a genius, Peppermint Patty.
😯 wow great job gently troubleshooting! Hoping I may be as brave one day! Thanks for the advice!
You rock Girl! Get in there & get 'er done!
Gas/Elec./Propane scares me too!! GREAT JOB Carolyn!!!!! So glad you fixed it!!! AWESOME JOB GIRL!!!!
Pippi Peterson has great RV tips !Great job, pretty frustrating tweeking old things all the time I bet?Hugs
Be Happy, be Smart, Be PROUD. And Celebrate!! With a big smile on your face you beat the professionals. Yehhh!!
Did you have issues with the freezer temperature too? I am having the same issue you were having but no issues with the freezer. I am going to try this next spring before my first trip. Thank you for the information
Happy for you! Glad you went exploring and "fixed" it lol.....I too like the saying sometimes I get lucky, sometimes i break shit...it is definitely at tee topic!
I think you do really well on trying to/and fixing things. Some people just throw away things soon as it doesn't work like new.I suppose rving or camping wouldn't work for those that give up sooo easily.
Install a small 12 volt circulation fan up facing towards the refrigerator chimney o the roof. I put an on/switch on the circuit. On hot days it increases the air circulation and gives me great cooling.
Good job, Carolyn!! 😘
I am so glad that you were able to fix that....go girl go...
Hey Carolyn i see that your frig does not have the protected shields around the burner assembly. These models were recalled and dealers had to retrofit around burner. Not that it had anything to do with cooling just a big fire hazard. Please look into it. Great vid . And a side note inside the flue there is a flue cleaner it's a long rod with a loop on top and a spiral piece on bottom that when pulled up and down cleans the lining of the flue. The problem is accessing it. I take off the cover of the roof vent and with a coat hanger i can hook the rod and take care of business . Not many people Know this and it will help with cooling.
That's not a cleaner it controls the exhaust speed needs to be there .
@@peterstencell804 I try to keep it simple on my replies if i would have told everyone it was a flue baffle that would have been a whole new topic, but if used the way I said it will remove wasp nest ,dirt daubers and rust that prevents flue efficiency.
Thanks for the info, good job!
That metal cover is just a draft shield, just cut the top bit off (the bit with the rusty curve) with some wire snips and reinstall it with screw, Be aware with it just pushed in with no screw like you have it now will result in it coming loose and dislodge which will let the flame easily be blown out by the wind.
I was going to suggest this too. The fact that its super rusty on top & not everywhere else suggests to me that its been colliding with the flame, resulting in that part of the housing heating more than normal, hence all the rust there. I wonder also if there isnt an obstruction in that flue, maybe a wasp nest or something.
rick, thanks!
Good info! Thanks 😊
I put heat shield on any pipes that get hot back there and I put an exaust fan on the vent door. My temperature dropped 15 degrees.
Lol! "At least that's what I think, I'm no expert!" You are the best! Thank you.
A lot of those refrigerator are downperforming because of their chimney. Have you been thinking at some sort of chimney sweeping ? With a vacuum cleaner and a brush inside the chimney. I've see people solving that very same problem you had that way.(although they expressed their problem in Celsius i.p.o. Farenheit :-)
Sorry if this is a. Repeat post, but would canned air work for cleaning out the burner
Awesome glad you got it working again
Gonna try it today !!! Ty
Very informative. Thanks!
Great Job!
Great job in getting the fridge to perform better! I would put the screw back in place so it won't get lost even though the cover is not on. If someone has some sheet metal shears, maybe cut the hole out a little larger. If none available, use a hack saw and make small cuts around the hole then take pliers to remove the small bits to enlarge the hole then you can replace the cover and monitor the temp to see if that helped. Also, does the condensation hose fit into a hole to completely drain out and away from the RV or at least our of the refrigerator compartment? Keep up the good work!
It always pays to try to do these things yourself when you can, and with the slogan on your shirt you've gotta succeed!!!!
I have an old road ranger rv .. No paperwork to see what year. The frig doesn't work on electric. Will it work on propane? And how do I light pilot in back of frig?
Great video thanks
Great how to Diy. Pretty good shape for 25 yrs most houses would need more work lol.
RV simple sweet to work on.....cheap living...
I put reflectix inside my door where condiments go... Stays cooler less energy
i had same experience in Brewster county Texas . cured problem with wall mart deep freeze and solar panel. UN believable , hot summers make more ice . i love NASA inventions
Good for you Carolyn! Next learning about the generator.
Great video!
Good for you I admire you never the less u persisted :-)
Great, never thought about cleaning that gas line, to the burner ,Thanks
Super...a need to know, good one👍👍. Thx, 😘!
Good info. Thx
Very clever! Way to go!!!
way to go girl GOOD JOB.
Hi Carolyn, I think it would be best to put the baffle plate back in place properly as it is designed to stop the flame from blowing out in high winds or when travelling, well that's my two cents worth anyway, ;-)
One more challenge passed with an A+ Bless you my friend
I want all 3. The tank info,tat,and love that phase!!!!
You go girl!
Maybe the flue is clogged and it can't exhaust properly !! By removing that cover the exhaust fumes are traveling inside the compartment !!
What should the temperature differential be, normally?
You are soo brave Carolyn'😊 wish i was brave to try fixing stuff in my truck camper... to afraid i might break something..
Good job!
Truly amazingkts ...😁
To add to the cooling power of our RV fridge we try to park our rig with the fridge away from the afternoon sun. It helps.
Glad you're getting your frig to work better big thumbs up. Hey what does your tank say? Keep the great videos coming. Be safe.
Well done.
do you have a manual fro your fridge i have the same 1
I enjoy your videos, your heart is beautiful. Thanks for sharing and not getting discouraged.
Thank you Juli! I'm so glad you're here on this adventure with me!
If that large pipe is a vent pipe do you think that hole left could cause gas fumes to permeate into the living area. I know nothing about gas so was just asking.
Don't you feel accomplished when you do something like this? I do. Happy for you!
Hey. My bumper sticker matches your shirt. Love it.