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Old 05-02-2019, 12:45 PM   #1
Mroe67
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Fridge at 50

Have a 2019 Keystone Montana 3120. Took it out first time. Left fridge chill several hours and was at 38. Put in food and took off camping. As the day progressed it slowly went to 50. After two days no colder. Door was closed and so was left flap. Freezer worked fine. Then the rear a/c froze up. Little to no air flow. Tried to take a picture of frozen compressor, but factory installed security screws, couldn’t take cover off unit. So was able to drop off at dealer. A few days later got a call. Heeeerrrrrre we go........ so dealer called and said they left the a/c on for two days and nights soild and it’s not freezing up, and the fridge is down to 37 degrees. In other words........ nothing is wrong. I told them to put a load of warm stuff in the fridge, so they are going to try that. I would hate to take it back and have it happen again. Not sure what to do about fridge. But I if the a/c freezes up again I could see it through the side of the unit on the roof. But couldn’t take the main cover off to take a picture to prove it due to them using some type of Phillips screw that seemed to be “tighten” only. Any suggestions how to get these out? Maybe special screwdriver? Thought for sure they were just going to replace both units. Plus now i’m dealing with a pissed off wife!!!!!
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Old 05-02-2019, 01:01 PM   #2
ctbruce
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Where were you and what were the temps? If you restrict airflow or run on low, they tend to freeze up more.
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Old 05-02-2019, 01:04 PM   #3
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Pretty much all the screws in the trailer are #2 Robertson. Must have for a trailer owners.
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Old 05-02-2019, 02:16 PM   #4
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It's not something simple, like the fridge stays cold on shore power, but runs too warm on propane?

The A/C thing can be environmentally related. If you try to bring the RV down too many degrees at once in a humid environment, you can get freezeup. If you can get the unit thawed before the coach regains much heat, the A/C often copes better on its second and subsequent cycles. I used to carry a hair dryer in my old rig just to solve this problem.
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Old 05-02-2019, 04:23 PM   #5
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Did fridge loose cooling on AC or Propane? Had mine at dealer twice for a total of 7 weeks, missed 3 trips. Fridge would not cool while traveling. Dealer installed new board but still didn’t fix it. A member on here suggested checking gas line when slide is closed. Well what do you know, gas line was pinched off when closed. Might check for that if having trouble on propane.
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Old 05-02-2019, 05:55 PM   #6
Mroe67
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Maybe #2 Robertson for Keystone Montana screws, but the Fridge was was a different manufacture.

Complained to the GM at the dealership. They are having the service manager call me. Still waiting.....................
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Old 05-10-2019, 07:55 AM   #7
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Dealer all say their service is the best, what a crock. They still can’t find anything wrong with the fridge. They said they can’t put a load in it as they don’t have anything. Yah right. What about all the cases of water you give out to people!!!!??? Day before yesterday I called to try and pick it up, and they said they have to send paperwork to billing and will call me. BILLING!!! WHAT???? It’s under warranty you idiot!!!! But said there’s still paperwork. Waited two days and just called today, said the same thing and would call me. I said NO!!! I need to pick it up today. I have a trip I need it for on Monday. Lonnnng pause by him....... said he should be able to have it ready by 3pm.
I am done with going to dealerships for warranty work. Someone suggested going to a RV center where they JUST service RV’s, and are authorized but do not sell them. I guess I learned my lesson. Going to get it home and see if it indeed does work fine. I know this though, if we go on our trip Monday and the fridge warms up, i’ll turn my totally pissed off wife o them.
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Old 05-10-2019, 11:07 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mroe67 View Post
Waited two days and just called today, said the same thing and would call me. I said NO!!! I need to pick it up today. I have a trip I need it for on Monday. Lonnnng pause by him....... said he should be able to have it ready by 3pm.
Just a tip: don't bank on your rig having gotten the complimentary wash.
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Old 05-11-2019, 06:36 AM   #9
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Got it home, you’re right no curtesy wash. �� When I arrived home, I plugged it into to power at about 4pm, it is now 7:30 am freezer is working fine, but fridge is only at 52. I know they say it may take up to 24 hours for it to reach set temperature. But I choose this unit vs one that had a domestic (compressor type) vs an RV type with a inverter. Hopefully in the full 24 hour timeframe it will pull down, as we are scheduled for to couple day trip on Monday. If it don’t i’m Not sure I want to take it back to the dealership. They ended up charging me $180.00 for a diagnostic fee since they couldn’t find anything wrong with the fridge. Maybe i’ll try calling the factory. Any suggestions?
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Old 05-11-2019, 06:43 AM   #10
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Late to the tread, what brand and model
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Old 05-11-2019, 07:01 AM   #11
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Norcold mod 2118

Noticed a condenser cooling fan at the bottom access door and two inside the upperaccess door. NONE of them are running. I understand they may be on a stat. But condenser is warm to hot, shouldn’t they be on
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Old 05-11-2019, 07:07 AM   #12
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The fans on the top will only start when the top cooling fins reach temp. There is a thermal switch that is mounted on the left end. If you can jump the wires, it should start the fans. Let it run for a couple hours and check fridge temp.
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Old 05-11-2019, 07:26 AM   #13
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I can’t get to the Therm switch to jumper it, and am not sure what wires they are at the board. The sun is shinning on this side of the unit and live in Arizona, so i’m Thinking if they are going to come on, they should shortly
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Old 05-11-2019, 08:28 AM   #14
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I can’t get to the Therm switch to jumper it, and am not sure what wires they are at the board. The sun is shinning on this side of the unit and live in Arizona, so i’m Thinking if they are going to come on, they should shortly
You can't "bypass" or "jumper" the thermal switch at the control board. It's a device that's electrically located "in the line" near the fan, so you have to bypass it by "jumpering around the thermal switch" on the wires "at the switch".
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Old 05-11-2019, 08:30 AM   #15
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Oh okay, guess i’ll see if the wife will let me use her hair dryer.

But i’ll try again to get to the switch, am wondering if I should bypass it altogether? I suppose that would be quite a draw on the batteries
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Old 05-11-2019, 08:51 AM   #16
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The hair dryer brought the switch to close and fans are running. Will see what happens now

Fans ran for about 15 minutes and the inside temp dropped two degrees, i’m wondering if I should bypass the themo-switch so they run all the time. But worried this would by quite a draw on the 12 volt system. I do have two solar cells on the roof to assist when i’m not plugged into power or have the truck electric connected. Any thoughts? Or should I not be at all worried and just give it 24 plus hours?
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Old 05-11-2019, 09:46 AM   #17
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Rather than "permanently bypassing" the thermal switch, which would cause them to run 24/7, increase the battery drain with no way to control it and cause excessive wear on the fans, why not try relocating the thermal switch an inch or two from its current location?

It's probably something simple with a simple solution, but the "trial and error" of finding that "simple solution" may be daunting......
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Old 05-11-2019, 09:49 AM   #18
Mroe67
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Thought of that too, but it seems to be located in the hottest part of the condenser, on the far left side top of the unit. Not sure where else to try
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Old 05-11-2019, 11:09 AM   #19
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Are you opening the door to check the internal temperature? It will take a couple of hours to recuperate from the open doors. The Norcold 2118 is a slow responder, it does not do well cooling down a 30 pack.

Lets start over. We winter in Florida and have lived with the Norcold 2118 for 2 + years or over 400 days. It is on the south side in a slide. It needs some considerations, it is NOT a residential compressor based refrigerator and it does not act like one, but it will keep your food cold.

1) Purchase a remote thermometer for the freezer and refrigerator. (Amazon)
2) keep the top shelf under the fan empty.
3) leave room around things for air to circulate. There are aftermarket fans available to assist air circulation.
4) The 2118 has a built in defrost function.
5) In the Morning with the unit set on 5 you should see the refer at 36 and the freezer about 10 to 15, these temps will rise a bit during the day.
6) All refrigerators perform better when moderately loaded (More stuff=More Heat Sink)
7) Make sure the drain tube is not plugged and the internal tray is not filling with condensate(water)
8) Check door alignment and seal

When we repackage 10 or so pounds of meat and place in the freezer it takes 2 or 3 days for it to recuperate.

There have been issues with this model and Norcold has replaced a few. Your best option is to get the thermometers, about $30.00 and record the results, keep a log.
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Old 05-11-2019, 11:29 AM   #20
Mroe67
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Yah I totally get it about they not cooling like a compressor type fridge, and no, I am not opening the door, I have a wire sensor probe inside attached to a digital meter on the outside to monitor temp
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