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Old 10-02-2014, 07:41 PM   #1
Mpmaes
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Refrigerator Alpine Not Working

i live on a little hill and have my RV plugged in to electricity. I have the switch on auto and also have my propane on. But the Fridg is not working? does it have to be completely level?
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Old 10-02-2014, 07:57 PM   #2
chuckster57
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Absolute "level" is ideal, but you can be slightly off. How much out of level are you?
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Old 10-02-2014, 08:02 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpmaes View Post
i live on a little hill and have my RV plugged in to electricity. I have the switch on auto and also have my propane on. But the Fridg is not working? does it have to be completely level?
There was a time when RV fridges had to be pretty much level before they would function properly. That is not the case in today's RV fridges as they will still operate and the level is not as crucial as it once was.

Having said that, the fridge should be "reasonably level". I realize that may not be specific enough but I don't think that there is a definitive degree +/- off center before we can say "it won't work at this angle".

From your description, it would seem that you have your fridge settings set correctly. Have you checked your battery to make sure it is charged since the fridge does require 12v DC to function.
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Old 10-02-2014, 08:23 PM   #4
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I can hear the fridge turn on but doesn't stay on. I have it plugged in and I had a battery charger also on the battery.


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Old 10-02-2014, 08:31 PM   #5
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Here's the instructions from the Dometic owner's manual:

LEVELING THE REFRIGERATOR
Leveling is one of the requirements for proper operation
with absorption refrigerators. To ensure proper leveling the
vehicle needs to be leveled so it is comfortable to live in
(no noticeable sloping of floor or walls).
Any time the vehicle is parked for several hours with the
refrigerator operating, the vehicle should be leveled to allow
proper cooling.
When the vehicle is moving, the leveling is not critical, as
the rolling and pitching movement of the vehicle will pass
to either side of level, keeping the liquid ammonia from
accumulating in the evaporator tubing.


The Norelco owner's manual states:

CAUTION: The refrigerator is made to operate within 3* off
level side-to-side and 6* off level front-to-back (as looking
at the front of the refrigerator). Operating it at more than
these limits can cause damage to the cooling system and
create a risk of personal injury or property damage. Make
sure the vehicle is level before you operate the refrigerator.


Generally speaking, we use the rule that if we can "fry an egg" on the stove, the trailer is level enough to operate the refrigerator. If you have one of the round bubble levels, if the bubble is half inside the black ring, you're OK.

The damage that can happen when operating off level is that the ammonia/sulfur mixture won't drain properly through the rear coils. If it happens to pool, the sulfur (which is corrosive) will drop out of the solution and create a solid blockage in the coils preventing the refrigerator from operating. There is no "cure for" or "fix" for that damage other than to rebuild or replace the cooling unit. So, not even turning the refrigerator on if you're "not fairly level" can be an expensive situation.
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Old 10-02-2014, 08:35 PM   #6
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What do you hear "turn on"? RV fridges don't have compressor motors.
They "cool" with either a heating element (on A/C) or a flame (on gas). Like Festus said, you do need 12VDC for the control panel to work.

If your plugged into shore power the convertor should be supplying the needed DC voltage to the control panel.

I would start by disconnecting the battery charger, and then check the battery(s) for voltage. If your not seeing 13+ volts, then it's time to check the convertor. Usually behind the fuse panel. There will be two fuses and a large gauge white and black wire attached.
If your comfortable with testing low voltages, test at the white/black leads. Again should see 13+ VDC. If not then check the fuses on the convertor. If they test good then you probably need a new convertor.
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Old 10-02-2014, 08:35 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpmaes View Post
I can hear the fridge turn on but doesn't stay on. I have it plugged in and I had a battery charger also on the battery.


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Have you recently disconnected a gas line or refilled the propane tanks? It sounds like the refrigerator is operating and trying to light the burner, but there isn't any propane getting to the burner. It is a very small flame, not much bigger than a "pilot light flame" so it takes a while to purge the air out of the lines. I've had people say they tried 5 or 6 times and it won't light, and I tell them to try 5 or 6 more. Sometimes it helps to turn on all the propane appliances one at a time to purge the lines, Light a stovetop burner, llight the furnace, then try to turn on the refrigerator. Stay at it, it'll take more times than you'd think before the air will purge.
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Old 10-04-2014, 10:25 AM   #8
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Just my latest issue also. I went outside and opened the panel to check the AC recepticle with my volt meter. No power. I used an extension cord from the house to plug in the refridg. Worked perfectly. Therefore, why didn't the AC work at the refridge plug? The GFI inside the rig was tripped. Now, I understand that the GFI may not be your issure, however, you might want to try plugging in the refridg to outside source for further diagnosis. Good Luck.
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Old 10-06-2014, 07:52 AM   #9
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First off how long has it been since it ran? My side by side got too cold last winter and died. You can't remove it from the 5th wheel without disassembling, a major job.

I remembered somewhere I read to turn it upside down for 24 hours so I pulled it out of the hole and stood it on it's top for 24 hours. It is dang heavy

It's still is working fine and I saved a bunch of money. The replacement cooling pack is about $1000 delivered

It worked so don't laugh too hard.
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Old 10-31-2014, 12:39 PM   #10
Jerry Roberts
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I have a 2014 alpine that is in the shop as we speak. It has been traced to the refrigerator food compartment temperature control (little pill looking item attached near cooling fins)

If you Freezer work but food department does not, it may not be a leveling issue.

My 2 cents, hope this helps someone.

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Old 11-02-2014, 04:59 AM   #11
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Might be low shore power I seem to recall reading the fridg takes like 300 watts when plugged in
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Old 03-30-2015, 01:51 PM   #12
Ridd
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Alpine refrigerator problems

I hope some one on here can help me out. I have an 2010 Alpine 3450 RL. We bought it brand new and have never had a problem with the frig before. Last summer around Labor day, the frig would stop for no apparent reason. I would go out and the temp was 60 degrees. I would take everything out & the next day it would work just fine. It did this a couple of times. We were finished camping for the season so I put it into storage, planning on trouble shooting when I got it out this spring.I got it home this weekend & took off the top vent cover. I found a sheet of paneling covering 75% of the opening. I'm guessing that is not supposed to be there, is that right? I attached a picture of the vent opening.
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Old 03-31-2015, 01:09 PM   #13
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Not sure what the temperature is where you're at but if the temperature inside the box is below the set point, say 40 degrees, then the refrigerator will not run. Just thinking out loud here. Just saw this on another forum where a trailer in storage, and cold, would not freeze in the freezer compartment and owner could not figure out why.
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Old 03-31-2015, 04:23 PM   #14
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Ridd, Howdy;

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridd View Post
I hope some one on here can help me out. I have an 2010 Alpine 3450 RL. We bought it brand new and have never had a problem with the frig before. Last summer around Labor day, the frig would stop for no apparent reason. I would go out and the temp was 60 degrees. I would take everything out & the next day it would work just fine. It did this a couple of times. We were finished camping for the season so I put it into storage, planning on trouble shooting when I got it out this spring.I got it home this weekend & took off the top vent cover. I found a sheet of paneling covering 75% of the opening. I'm guessing that is not supposed to be there, is that right? I attached a picture of the vent opening.
Welcome to the wonderful world or RV's ...

If you don't have an owner's manual for the fridge in question, you can
find one online, just google the make and model number and you should
be able to find a PDF or some sort of document you can print out.
Look for the installation diagrams and they should show you what needs
to be where and the dimensions between all of the this's and that's.

hankaye
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Old 03-31-2015, 04:53 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridd View Post
I found a sheet of paneling covering 75% of the opening. I'm guessing that is not supposed to be there, is that right? I attached a picture of the vent opening.
That panel IS supposed to be there.

The cooler air from the lower vent moves up and passes over the coils. If you remove that panel, the cooler air will exit the lower part of the upper vent before passing over the coils. And your refrigerator will over heat.
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Old 04-01-2015, 05:45 AM   #16
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Refrigerator Alpine Not Working

Quote:
Originally Posted by Road-King View Post
That panel IS supposed to be there.



The cooler air from the lower vent moves up and passes over the coils. If you remove that panel, the cooler air will exit the lower part of the upper vent before passing over the coils. And your refrigerator will over heat.

Yup! Quite common to see that panel if the cooling unit is high up in the cabinet. Tiffen even installs two fans to that panel for more air flow.
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