We purchased our 2009 Bighorn 3385 RL six weeks ago and so far using it has not been a very pleasant experience. All the water leaks are now fixed, the plumbing vacuum breakers have been replaced, the converter has been replaced, and we only had kitchen faucet replacement left on our fix-it list. This morning we heard a new sound. The sound of some device venting has been intermittently coming from the vent under the Dometic refrigerator. The refrigerator seems to be operating normally. I can't find anything pertinent in the owners manuals. Please provide some clues as to what I should be looking for?
ATF: Bighorn - venting noise under refrigerator
- Thread starter nol
- Start date
Hi nol, and welcome to the forum. Was your 2009 BH a new leftover model or did you get it used? I am surprised that the seller did not check the system for leaks before it was handed to you.
As far as the noise you hear from the refer, what model do you have? We have the RM1350 four door. There cooling fans in the back of the refer to help the system work properly. Much like the fans on the coils on a refer in a house. I suspect that is what you hear. You could also take of the vent panel on the outside of the rig and have a look back there. The fans are mounted about half way up.
Let us know if this is the case for you.
On edit, you may also be hearing the cooling fan on the converter. I do not know where it is mounted in your rig. You will have to look around.
Peace
Dave
As far as the noise you hear from the refer, what model do you have? We have the RM1350 four door. There cooling fans in the back of the refer to help the system work properly. Much like the fans on the coils on a refer in a house. I suspect that is what you hear. You could also take of the vent panel on the outside of the rig and have a look back there. The fans are mounted about half way up.
Let us know if this is the case for you.
On edit, you may also be hearing the cooling fan on the converter. I do not know where it is mounted in your rig. You will have to look around.
Peace
Dave
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branson4020
Icantre Member
There is nothing under the refrigerator. It's just empty space behind that grill. It's sort of an air return for the furnace. Maybe that is what you are hearing.
Just a quick FYI for those that provided feedback. We filed a formal complaint with Camping World @ Katy and were contacted by them within days. At their request we sent them invoices for the repairs for the water leaks (and related repairs) that we had done. We received a check from them within two weeks for the entire amount listed on all the invoices. Thanks again for all the feedback.
Thank you both for the feedback. We purchased the pre-owned rig from the RV dealer at the Katy TX Camping World. Before we left the lot the Camping World RV repair shop manager assured us that the water systems and tank sensors had been tested and everything worked well. The toilet flush valve started leaking badly right after we hooked up to city water the first time. From the number of leaks we can only conclude that Camping World technicians are incompetent or we were lied to. The dealership stopped returning our phone calls so our opinion of that RV dealer and Camping World in general is pretty **** low.
I wasn’t descriptive enough about the sound made when the venting noise occurs. I’ve heard similar noises coming from the spit valve of a truck air brake system and old style air compressors as they shut off. My first impression was that the noise was coming from a pressure relief valve on an air compressor tank. Believing the only compressed gas on the rig to be propane, I checked that first but everything appeared normal. As I was inspecting the outside of the rig I heard the noise again coming from underneath the rig near the drivers side basement door. I’m aware that the area under the refrigerator is empty and I’m sure it makes a good conduit for sound waves.
We heard the venting noise for the first time yesterday morning; we’ve had the rig for six weeks. We heard it about eight times in a period of three or four hours and haven’t heard it since. I’m perplexed as to the cause and then of course we start second-guessing, did we buy someone else’s lemon?
Thank you both for the feedback. We purchased the pre-owned rig from the RV dealer at the Katy TX Camping World. Before we left the lot the Camping World RV repair shop manager assured us that the water systems and tank sensors had been tested and everything worked well. The toilet flush valve started leaking badly right after we hooked up to city water the first time. From the number of leaks we can only conclude that Camping World technicians are incompetent or we were lied to. The dealership stopped returning our phone calls so our opinion of that RV dealer and Camping World in general is pretty **** low.
I wasn’t descriptive enough about the sound made when the venting noise occurs. I’ve heard similar noises coming from the spit valve of a truck air brake system and old style air compressors as they shut off. My first impression was that the noise was coming from a pressure relief valve on an air compressor tank. Believing the only compressed gas on the rig to be propane, I checked that first but everything appeared normal. As I was inspecting the outside of the rig I heard the noise again coming from underneath the rig near the drivers side basement door. I’m aware that the area under the refrigerator is empty and I’m sure it makes a good conduit for sound waves.
We heard the venting noise for the first time yesterday morning; we’ve had the rig for six weeks. We heard it about eight times in a period of three or four hours and haven’t heard it since. I’m perplexed as to the cause and then of course we start second-guessing, did we buy someone else’s lemon?
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Glad to hear that you have all the water leaks taken care of. CW in Katy, heard of that place...
As far as tank sensors, don't count on them being accurate. You will learn the know when they need to be drained without looking at the guage.
One thing comes to mind when you told of the frequency of the noise. Maybe you had some critter moved in under there. You never know.
Let us know how it all works out.
Peace
Dave
As far as tank sensors, don't count on them being accurate. You will learn the know when they need to be drained without looking at the guage.
One thing comes to mind when you told of the frequency of the noise. Maybe you had some critter moved in under there. You never know.
Let us know how it all works out.
Peace
Dave
Mystery solved, I'm blaming the dog. The venting noise occurred again this morning and often enough for me to track it down. It was the installed vacuum system. Emma de Mutt has taken to lying down at the foot of the stairs leading to the bedroom. On one occasion she must have jostled the vacuum cover on the side of the stairs just enough to cause an intermittent electrical contact that turned the vacuum on. Critters was the right answer, just not in the way I expected. Thanks to all for the feedback.
A quick update, I received a call from someone at the factory the other day inquiring about the issue. The call quality at first was poor and I didn't catch a name. I was very surprised to say the least. Looks like there's an owners club membership in our future.
A quick update, I received a call from someone at the factory the other day inquiring about the issue. The call quality at first was poor and I didn't catch a name. I was very surprised to say the least. Looks like there's an owners club membership in our future.
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