big horn 3580rl fridge problems resolved?

[houg301]

Hello,
I posted this on another forum but no response.

The issue is that an owner of Big Horn 5th wheel 3580 rl (2009) had some major issues with fridge not working and after numerous attempts to have fixed finally had the "Heartland people"added some sheet metal and possibly and additional fan to make it work.

My question is ...is there a way to see if this issue has been addressed.We are very strongly considering buying a 2010 3580 rl and certainly do not want to deal with the many problems the owner mentioned.He did not say the unit had bad parts ...just that it appeared to be a design flaw .If Heartland did not solve the problem on the next years models then I assume that we are certainly at risk to face same issues.By the way the issue was fridge (in slide) apparently cannot seem to keep cold when whether outside is hot.

Thanks...hope someone can elp or should I contact Heartland direct??

As I said i posted this question on the general forum but no one respnded.

I am new to forums so maybe I could get some assistance on ow better to get a response.

 

[2010augusta]

This is not a problem limited to Heartland products, It is an issue for any RV with a refer in a slideout. The slideout vent system does not allow for proper air flow in many cases, so people/dealer/service center can turn to fans to run all the time and/or add a bit of sheet metal to deflect air to the upper coils on the unit. I just turned the fans on to run 24/7 and it kept the refer at 35-39 degrees for a south Texas summer with 104 degree days for 8 weeks straight.

 

[houg301]

3580rl fridge issues

thanks for response....so please excuse me because new to Rvs...so sorry if this is a dumb question..exactly what do you do to eliminate the problem...how do you keep the fan running continuously.Is there a setting you use to make the fan run all the time.
Thanks again

 

[Drew]

There is a thermal fuse on the cooling fins. You can remove it and wire in a auto type fuse to run all the time. Maybe you dont need this in Washington, but like Augusta said in real hot climates like Tx it is needed.

 

[houg301]

3580 fridge issues

Thanks Drew,
Believe it or not...the Eastern part of our state can get very hot...plus we plan on some good travelling to Arizona..Texas and maybe even Georgia.My brother lives in Atlanta.
Is that fuse easy to change?
Thanks again,
Vern

 

[2010augusta]

Vern, it is not really a fuse, but rather a thermo switch that is pre-set at 115 degrees, but that may not even be right as I could barely touch the area when adding the switch to my unit. It is very easy to bypass the thermo-switch, but as best as I have been told there is no lower tempature replacement. According to the Nov/Dec issue of Highways the rocker switch is an advised work-around for the dometic unit in a slide-out.

 

[wdk450]

Refrig Venting Resource

Gang:
This discussion reminded me of a informational webpage on RV refrigerator venting I saw before. Of particular interest is the advice to put baffles (restrictions) close to the refrigeration units at certain points. The dual side vent type that we use on the slideouts is shown in the last 2 illustrations at the bottom of the page. Here is the link:
http://www.fridge-and-solar.net/fridge_vent.htm

 

[irvin56]

great link and info

I book marked it for now, and will print in morning

I will do the same to mine. the fan only runs once in a while.
I would like it to run steady