Newbie ? about Fridge operation(I checked the other thrd)

[jb1rd73]

I just got my 94 B190 home late Sunday, spent yesterday yanking out the toilet and Shower and forgot all about testing the fridge, I tried it at the PO's house but it would not start, then I read that it needed to be level which it def was not, the van sat for at least 8 months prior. So I went out today and tried to run it on 120 shore power and could not tell if it was running could not hear anything, so I switched it over to LP and finally got it to ignite, it is now getting cold. Is there anyway of knowing if the Shore Power mode is working other than just setting the dials and letting it sit for awhile? Appreciate the help, would hate to take it to and RV service for nothing

[Keystone]

My fridge doesn't make any noise when operating on any of the three fuel sources. Put some beverages in the main compartment, an ice cube tray full of water in the freezer, set the dials and let it chill for a while. I'll bet it works fine on shore power. Glad to hear you got it started on propane. Mine's a pain to get started, but persistence usually pays off. 12-V mode is only useful on the highway--pretty wimpy otherwise. As soon as I arrive someplace, I switch to propane.

Sounds like you are having fun customizing your new van--enjoy!

[jb1rd73]

Thanks Keystone, I will do that. Now that I know it is working on propane I will turn that off and set it to 120 and see what happens. Just doing little things at the moment, but yes, definitely enjoying it and going on our first trip Friday for a weekend shakedown in the Ocala National Forest! Talked with Chris at Ujoint and he has me pointed in the right direction for the conversion, going axle hunting tomorrow or Thursday!!!

[Mgittrich]

I purchased a wireless refrigerator thermometer to keep track of whats happening inside the fridge without constantly opening up the door. This is what I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QJ ... UTF8&psc=1

It works well and I have the digital display velcro'd to the dash but you could place it anywhere in the B190. I wanted to monitor my fridge while traveling thru warm locations and it works well for this purpose.

Mike

[jb1rd73]

Success, the fridge works on both propane and 120 and now I have to figure out the 12v. One of the previous owners had the house battery moved from the engine compartment to under the sofa. It is currently unhooked and the neg side terminal has this weird looking connector, going to monkey with it this afternoon. Mike, its funny you mentioned that as it is exactly what I told my wife we needed

[Mgittrich]

You may not know it but the 12v does not work unless the engine ignition is in the "on" position. The engine does not need to actually be running but be aware that the 12v operation will draw between 8-10 amps per hour and will drain the battery quickly if the engine is not running.

There is a relay under the couch behind the converter that is tripped only when the ignition is "on". There is also a 30amp auto reset circuit breaker before the relay and the power for the 12v circuit is drawn directly from the battery so you might want to check these as well with an multimeter.

One last bit of information. The 12v operation is designed only to maintain the temp in the fridge while driving down the road. It is not designed to actually cool down a warm fridge. If you want to cool down a warm fridge while driving you have 2 choices. You can run on propane but this is not recommended and poses a fire risk. The second approach is to start the generator while driving and run in "elec" operation mode.

If you should need to replace the actual 12v element this is fairly pricey. The actual part cost about $175 and the service center will probably charge for an hour labor to install which will drive the cost upto nearly $300.

Good luck!

Mike

[jb1rd73]

Thanks Mike, I will have to dig into this when I have a little more time.

[jb1rd73]

Now it is acting weird, it froze my test cup solid, I unplugged it for a few hours, and it seemed to lose all its cold, and now it does not seem to be cooling at all. (on 120v shore power) Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks

[skater]

Now it is acting weird, it froze my test cup solid, I unplugged it for a few hours, and it seemed to lose all its cold, and now it does not seem to be cooling at all. (on 120v shore power) Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks

Thermostat, perhaps? Very strange.

[lido14co]

The switch on mine is a little finicky and the 120 needs to be centered for it to work so maybe it's as simple as that.


Cliff