New Atwood Helium refrigerator - not working?

[Mag1234]

Hi all,

New Passport 2910BH travel trailer owner here. I'm not sure but I don't think the fridge is working. After taking delivery, I plugged it in at home, turned it to AC and put the temp to max (5 lights lit up) .. I do not hear anything "turn on" - cant believe the fridge is slient? Also doesnt feel cooler although its only been on for a couple hours with me opening it multiple times. I put a thermo in the freezer and will leave it shut to see if anything happens. None of the "check" lights light up - the fridge display suggested everything is in order. The refer owners manual is not good but it does suggest there is some sort of anti tilt detection. Could this be permanently engaged? My trailer is only off by 1/2 inch at my house - I think this should be level enough to work. When I did my PDI the dealer said they left the fridge on overnight but that it struggled with the non-levelness of the shop drive (which I can attest to) so they had turned it off. Since they do PDIs in this spot I figured it was expected and they knew what they were doing but now I'm wondering if this masked a broken fridge.. Or by being non-level it kicked in some circuit to shutoff the cooling mechanism permanently. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

[x96mnn]

It can take a while for the fridge to cool,(24hrs is common), and you do not hear anything running on them so that is normal.

Leave it for the 24hrs and if it does not get colder you have something wrong with it.

[Festus2]

Mag1234 -
Not sure about that particular fridge make and model but most RV fridges will function when the unit is not perfectly level. In this respect, the RV fridge is quite "forgiving" and if your TT is off by 1/2" that would not be enough to prevent the fridge from operating. There has to be some other cause. As suggested above, leave the fridge on for at least 12 hours - you may not be letting it cool enough before checking.

Our Dometic fridge will work even when we are travelling and the unit is subject to a bit of roll and bounce.

Perhaps someone with a similar type fridge will chime in and offer some suggestions.
If not, try contacting the customer service department at Atwood.

[hankpage]

I don't think the "Off level" feature of you fridge is the problem. This is from your manual and the feature is only after prolonged off level use:

TILT SENSOR TECHNOLOGY
This refrigerator control incorporates a patent pending tilt sensor which enables the control to constantly monitor the angle at which the refrigerator is operated. This feature protects the user from potential hazards attributed to prolonged operation at severe angles of inclination. This monitoring function is completely invisible to the user and only becomes apparent to the user in the rare event that the refrigerator has been operated for prolonged periods of time at severe tilt angles. Normal care in leveling of your vehicle will prevent this feature from ever being noticed.

I would give it more time to cool down. I usually start my Dometic fridge on gas. It is much more efficient and cools quicker and colder. Good luck and keep us informed of the outcome, Hank

[Mag1234]

Yes I saw that section and wondered if the dealer let it run all night not level perhaps that could trigger it. I'm going to give it the night to run and then will check temp tomorrow. Hope it's cold then! Thanks

Mag

[Mag1234]

Hi all, its working fine. Just me overreacting!! Thanks

[hankpage]

Mag1234, Glad to hear all is well. Nice to see that manufacturers are making safety improvements over the old anhydrous ammonia systems that have been used in boats and rvs for as long as I can remember. (no comments from the rest of you old timers either) Now go out and enjoy that new trailer, Hank ............ PS: I do still slip and call it the "Ice Box" on occasion.