Happy end of 2020 all,
I turned on the fridge in prep for our New Years camping trip 2 days ago (on electric). I found yesterday refrigerator was not cooling at all, but the freezer plate was cold (not sub-freezing as normal). I switched over to gas to check operation. Everything is clean and seems to run with a nice tiny blue flame. It does not seem to be a control issue since the burner is running and trying to cool the unit. No error lights are flashing and the controls seem to work normally.
The coils and tank are warm/hot to the touch and I can hear a small bubble per second or so in there that I know is not normal. I stuck my camera up inside looking for the dreaded yellow crust but could find none. I'll need to remove the roof vent cap to inspect further. I also smelled no ammonia.
Last we used it it was working great. We have had trouble free operation from this fridge for 3 years (It's a 2013 model). I do maintain it- clean the chimney, coils, and gas port, tighten connections, etc.
I am reading that this condition could be caused from running the refrigerator out of level or from a leak. I am careful to always level the trailer, however I DO run it while towing- which includes many steep grades, sharp turns, and rough roads. It's parked level at my house the rest of the time.
Not sure why this issue showed up now after all this time. (Well Yes I do, because its an RV and something is always broken. They are after all a rolling earthquake built by monkeys with hatchets
)
After this trip I will pull the refrigerator out and further inspect the cooling unit for leaks. If none are found, I'll try the upside-down-for-2-days trick before replacing the cooling unit.
Please advise if you've successfully done this and if you know any tricks. I've read it can be successful to restore cooling by getting all the liquids back to where they should be.
Let me know if you think I am missing anything.
As always, thanks for any info!
Chris