non working refrigerator

Hi All,
I have a 2010 21FBS North Trail. My refrigerator quit working on 120. It will work on gas. Also my batteries don't seem to charge when plugged in to 120. The awning won't retract very well. I thought if you were plugged in to 120 it would operate all electrical components. Any and all advise would be appreciated. Update. I replaced the converter and batteries. When I turn on the refrigerator it doesn't come on with gas or electric. Also the furnace doesn't work. The new converter shows to be working. Any ideas? Update. The furnace is working but the refrigerator still doesn't work. The eyebrow that shows the status doesn't light up. Power coming in is good. Fuses are good. I'm out of options.

Based on the two items you mentioned, it sounds like you may have problem with shore power (120 volts). Check out the user created manuals on electrical systems HERE. There are trouble shooting block diagrams in the manuals. You can find these and others under the Tools tab at the top of the Owners Forum page.

You can start by verifying you have 120 volts at the refrigerator. I'm not specifically familiar with the North Trail's but you should find a 120 volt outlet inside the refrigerator access cover that supplies AC to the refrigerator. You can test it with a standard wall plug tester.

Low batteries could be the issue with the power awning. It is 12 volt. Start your truck, plug in the trailer for a few minutes and see if that makes a difference.

Be sure to check the 120 volt breakers. Don't rely on a visual. Turn each one off then on.

Peace
Dave

Most refrigerators need 12V DC for the control boards even when set to run on 120V AC. And yes, when plugged into shore power, your Power Converter should provide 12V DC to run those boards and also to power the interior lights and other 12V devices inside, and to charge the battery.

Check the test panel that shows holding tank levels. One of the indicators is for battery charge. When on shore power, you should see 4 lights. If not, your Power Converter may not be working.

You can troubleshoot further with our owner-written 12V Block Diagram and Diagnostic Guide. Also take a look at our Electrical User Guide that provides more comprehensive information.

One other thing to check, I learned this the expensive way. If your fridge is plugged into a GFIC circuit, check the outlet to make sure the GFIC hasn't tripped.

Had that issue about a month ago, fridge was only working on the gas side. I checked everything I could think of & finally called a mobile tech. He couldn't find the issue & checked an outside outlet & it was dead. Then it clicked & I went up & checked the main GFIC outlet & it was thrown. Pushed in the button & the fridge started working & the outside outlet had power. It still cost me $130.00 for the service call.

Hello,

I am having a similar issue with my fridge and 15 amp outlets not working in the kitchen slide, but the fridge is running off of propane. I am curious how you accessed the GFCI outlet for the fridge? Did you have to access it from the outside vent covers?

Thanks in advance!

Nathan
2017 Big Country 3650 SS

Hoop13 said:

Hello,

I am having a similar issue with my fridge and 15 amp outlets not working in the kitchen slide, but the fridge is running off of propane. I am curious how you accessed the GFCI outlet for the fridge? Did you have to access it from the outside vent covers?

Thanks in advance!

Nathan
2017 Big Country 3650 SS

Click to expand...

Try removing the lower vent cover and look for a duplex outlet, maybe on the right. Try plugging a light or something else into that out - something that you know for sure is working.

Hi Dan,

Thank you, you were correct it is inside the vent cover. Using a multi meter I determined there is 84 volts at that outlet. On that same circuit are four other outlets inside and they have the same voltage reading. I confirmed at the junction box under the slide that there is only 84 volts as well. I do have 120 at that Circuit breaker box though so not sure if there is another junction box or component between the box and the junction box on the frame.

Thanks,
Nathan

Hoop13 said:

Hi Dan,

Thank you, you were correct it is inside the vent cover. Using a multi meter I determined there is 84 volts at that outlet. On that same circuit are four other outlets inside and they have the same voltage reading. I confirmed at the junction box under the slide that there is only 84 volts as well. I do have 120 at that Circuit breaker box though so not sure if there is another junction box or component between the box and the junction box on the frame.

Thanks,
Nathan

Click to expand...

Nathan,

I've read once or twice about people finding wire nut connections when they dropped the coroplast. It does sound like you may have to drop a portion of the coroplast underbelly to investigate further. Or you might just run some new wire from circuit breaker to junction box.

Are you on a 30 amp single phase, or 50 amp dual phase shore power feed? If you are on 50 amps, I would start by verifying the voltages at the shore power plug. You might have bad park wiring and a low voltage phase on the 50 amp park power. If shore power measures out OK, do some measurements at the inside breaker box with the surround cover removed. You should see the incoming 2 hot power wires (black and red) at the left bottom of the box, with the green ground going to the ground buss, and the white neutral going to the neutral buss. If things aren't right here after being OK at the park outlet, you could be having problems with the power cable/plug, cord reel, transfer switch, or wiring between these items and the breaker box. If you are on 30 amps, the 2 phases should be connected together inside the 50 amp to 30 amp adapter.
Any wires or components getting hot or showing heat discoloration is a sign of high resistance electrical connections, and should be checked out.