AMAZING, refrigerator fix

[Ruffus]

It's totally amazing what a good cleaning will fix. I have been fighting a refrigerator that would not cool properly even though the freezer worked and a new cooling unit was installed for a year and a half. The refrigerator cooled sorta good on electric but not on gas. After arriving in Kansas for a month long visit my freezer went on the blink and food started to thaw. Yesterday with tools in hand, (screw drivers, pliers, flue brush and air compressor) I started removing covers and shields and found the following:

Upper vent area: CW had built a vent damn to direct the hot air over the upper heat coil, works great but the mice found a way to climb up and leave droppings every where. Cleaned with bleach and water and air.

Lower vent area: Found a white residue in the gas flue area and also on the outside of the electric heating element. Cleaned the electric element with a soft brush so not to scratch it and then went back to the upper vent area and ran my flue brush down from the top of the flue until it bottomed out. I did this procedure several times then blew everything out with compressed air several times to insure it was clean. Put everything back together and added a couple screws to the lower shrouds and covers where the screw holes had enlarged and turned the unit back on.

Results: Freezer is at -8 degrees F and refrigerator is at 28 degrees F this morning and it even works on gas now. Now all I have to do is fine tune the temps. Had to share this so if anyone else has this problem it only takes about an hour of your time and maybe a few scraped knuckles.

[Firecapt]

So many people have trouble with their refrigerators, water heaters, and furnaces and think a part or control board must have failed when all they need is a little preventative maintenance. The outside "works" of our refrigerators, water heaters, and in some cases, furnaces, are exposed to weather, bugs, and dust/dirt. It stands to reason that periodic cleaning and adjustment is necessary to keep things running smoothly.

At the beginning and end of every season you should clean and service your refrigerator, furnace, and water heater to keep them free of problems. I don't think most people understand how much time and trouble these simple procedures can save

These, and other systems in any RV, are subjected to forces that our home appliances will never encounter. It only makes sense to inspect, clean, and adjust them on a regular basis to keep them operating at their peak.

Good for you for doing the simple things first before assuming that a part or control board had failed