Fridge doesn't work on AC

[dmar]

Hi all. We just spent two months in our 2010 Cougar 276RLS. At some point we noticed that the Dometic 2652 fridge only works on propane. We did fine but now that we're home I want to fix it.
There's 120v to the plug, the DC power supply is new and puts out 13.6v. The fridge lights work. The in line fuse and the 3a fuse are ok. The 5a slo-blo fuse was blown. I replaced that but it didn't make a difference, but didn't blow. There's no powder residue in the compartment. I suspect all this means I need to replace the control board, but I'd like to know if there's anything else to check before I replace the board.

[chuckster57]

Check the heating element. Pull the leads off the board and test resistance.

[dmar]

I'll do that tomorrow. Thanks.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by dmar

I'll do that tomorrow. Thanks.

If the heating element is good, you should get somewhere between 30 and 40 ohms. If you get 0 ohms you have a shorted (bad) heating element or the wiring going to the element. If you get something greater than about 40 ohms, you have an open heating element (bad). If you get "infinity" you have an open heating element or a broken wire going to the heating element. If you can find the wire break, maybe you can fix it.

That said, chasing a broken wire usually means wasted time. Spending more time than the cost of a heating element means "your labor goes up" (when it starts cutting into "happy hour" time to quit and replace the element).....

[Sandy1]

Where is the fuse located on a 366rds?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Sandy1

Where is the fuse located on a 366rds?

The 3 amp and 5 amp fuses discussed in the original post are located on the refrigerator control board which is behind the black plastic cover on the back, lower corner of the refrigerator (behind the lower vent opening)...

[Sandy1]

I have a residential refrigerator

[Sandy1]

I had trouble with the Dometic fridge and bought a residential refrigerator from Lowes. I used for a year plugged into the electric outlet behind the fridge. I had stored the 5th wheel for a year. I moved back into my RV but now the refrigerator won’t come on. A friend told me to look at the fuses so I did. There is nothing labeled refrigerator in the fuse compartment.

[JRTJH]

If you have a 120 VAC refrigerator, it won't have a fuse. It will be on one of the circuit breakers. Probably on the REC/CON breaker. If you're using the OEM refrigerator outlet to plug into, it probably is on the GFCI circuit. With shore power on the trailer, trip and reset the GFCI in the bathroom. It will only reset if there is power on the trailer and on that circuit.

[dmar]

Zero ohms on my new multimeter, so I'll order up a new heater unit. Any suggestions on a particular brand? Also, is there a trick or special tool to open up the metal tube it's in?

[chuckster57]

No brand preference. The chimney cover should have a tab that locks through a slot. IIRC the part that covers the element lifts up and out.

[dmar]

I've watched several videos that show the tab but I can't find one on mine. I'll go back and look some more. Thx

[dmar]

This is our chimney. We've been all the way around ìt and can't find a way to open it, unless we just pry out the little cover around the heater tube. Any advice is appreciated. Thx

[chuckster57]

Squeeze it together, lifting the left side and pushing in on the right.

[dmar]

That's what it took. Turns out there's no removable cover on this one, just the tube that's kind of crimped together. Coincidentally, a few minutes ago we found a video by a guy with an identical rig to ours. He took the whole fridge out to make it easier.
Here's what it looks like when you do it the hard way. I sure hope the replacement works for a long time. I don't want to do this again. Thanks all.