Atwood Refrigerator he-801 (2013) display panel wont turn on

[Redleg]

Good morning all. I am new to this forum but I am having an issue. The control panel on my he-801 Atwood refrigerator (2013) won't come on at all. I have checked all panels. I did have a blown 3A fuse but I replaced it and the panel still will not come on. Any other tech solutions I can try before I need to have the refrigerator replaced? Thanks in advance.

[JRTJH]

Use a voltmeter to check for 12VDC input to the control board in the refrigerator. If you blew the 3A fuse, you may have had a heavy draw on the circuit and might have a blown fuse in the trailer power center 12 volt distribution panel as well. The "blue 15 amp blade fuses are "notorious for looking good" when they actually are blown, so test with a known good fuse or a ohmmeter, not with a "visual check".

[Redleg]

Will do. I replaced the 15A blade with a good fuse already but that is before I discovered the blown 3A fuse. Time to run the list again. Thanks for the reminder. Hoping it works before we head out in a few hours.

[Redleg]

I checked the 15A and it was blown. I replaced that fuse, checked the 3A fuse and it was still good. Checked the outlet and it was at 12v. Not sure what else I can check/fix or is it just tired since it is 7 years old? Thanks

[JRTJH]

I believe there is a thermal cutoff switch mounted on the propane heat stack. It's there to prevent fires. If the heat stack gets too hot, it will open to shut down the system. On Norcold refrigerators, a strong magnet will reset the thermal switch. On some Dometic refrigerators, I believe they used a "one time use switch". I'm sure Atwood installed a "safety thermal switch on the heat chimney. Check your propane stack, you should find a "device with two wires on it, located about half way up the heat stack. If you jumper across the two wires, and the refrigerator starts up, then it's a "activated" thermal switch. You'll need to replace it to prevent a fire if things get too hot, but jumpering it will confirm that the refrigerator is operational.

There's more "troubleshooting" that you can do, I'll try to find the service/troubleshooting manual, in the meantime, check the thermal safety cutoff switch.

[JRTJH]

Here's the link to the Atwood service/diagnostic manual: https://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/atwoodreefer.pdf

[Redleg]

That is some great info. I will try that here shortly. We have never had an issue with the fridge before so this is a new one to me. But I do know it is mechanical. Really appreciate the help.

[JRTJH]

Here is the "thermal safety switch" comments from another manual:

"There is a bimetal thermal cutoff switch which has normally closed contacts located on the metal canister approximately 8” above the burner box. This switch’s contact will open in the unlikely event that the temperature in the generator section of the cooling system (located directly behind the thermal switch) reaches an unsafe temperature. This will turn off +12V to all of the refrigerator outputs – turning them OFF and the display board in the front of the refrigerator will light the CHECK indicator and all of the MODE indicators across the top of the display board. This error code will continue to be displayed until the thermal switch contacts are closed. When the abnormally high, unsafe temperature is returned to a safe operating temperature – the thermal switch can be reset by pressing a pushbutton which extends between the two terminals on the back of the unit. Should this switch’s contacts open a second time – the refrigerator should be turned OFF and an authorized Atwood service technician should be contacted."

That manual is located here and gives a bit more "technical information".
http://techsupport.pdxrvwholesale.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Atwood-Refrigerator-HE-0801-Rev-4.pdf

[Redleg]

Unfortunately the control panel did not come on when I tried the jumper. I will keep tinkering with it while I am out this weekend but I suspect it may be a fatal issue for the fridge. Glad it is under warranty from my RV dealer who has the Warranty Forever program.

[JRTJH]

The "forever warranty" has so many "clauses and exclusions" that it's very hard to get them to cover anything. If you do go that route, please let us know how the claim process works for you. It will be very interesting to see it work for a change. Good Luck !!!!!

[Redleg]

It turns out that the wiring from the battery has been backwards for 7 years and when we changed the battery and hooked it up the same way, obviously the electrical system didn't like it. To top it off, my trailer leg also froze up and had to be replaced. Everything but the leg was covered by the Forever Warranty. Had no issues with that part at all. I asked that if they would have covered and replaced the fridge under the warranty, the answer was yes. Would have been no cost to me for that. I really appreciate everyone help and guidance. I hope I can repay the favor at some point.