Help with fuse for refrigerator, keeps blowing fuses.

[greenbaypack66]

Hi, we have a Heartland Big Horn 3970RD 2018. Norcold 2118 refrigerator. It just stopped working so my husband tried to change the fuse, 5 times and it keeps popping the fuse, sparking and popping. Can someone point us to what we need to do please? Obviously there is no power to the fridge at this point, he just went to buy more 15amp fuses but 5 of them already blew out. What can we do? Thank you so much for your help in advance.

Tim/Christine

 

[danemayer]

The wiring between fuse box and refrigerator comes out through the frame and goes up into the bottom of the slide. There's a flexible carrier that protects the wires and the slide goes in and out. The refrigerator 12V wires are probably shorted to ground somewhere in that area. So first thing to do would be to inspect those wires for any damage to the insulation.

If you don't find anything, the next thing would be to remove the lower vent cover outside and look for the wire nuts where the wires from the fuse box attach to the refrigerator wires. Remove the wire nuts and separate the wires. If the fuse still blows, that would confirm the problem is in the wire coming from the fuse box. If the fuse doesn't blow, the problem is somewhere in the refrigerator wiring.

 

[wdk450]

I had this same intermittent fuse blowing problem on my refrigerator. I finally found the +12 volts wire to the refrigerator incoming power terminal strip was pulled tightly against the metal (grounded) refrigerator base corner, causing the wire insulation to wear through with road vibration and intermittently blow the 12 volt fuse for the refrigerator (and over stove light and fan). Loosening the tight wire and insulating it at this point took care of this problem.

 

[greenbaypack66]

Thank you I will have my husband check that out!

I had this same intermittent fuse blowing problem on my refrigerator. I finally found the +12 volts wire to the refrigerator incoming power terminal strip was pulled tightly against the metal (grounded) refrigerator base corner, causing the wire insulation to wear through with road vibration and intermittently blow the 12 volt fuse for the refrigerator (and over stove light and fan). Loosening the tight wire and insulating it at this point took care of this problem.

 

[ParkIt]

Am having that problem intermittently and been troubleshooting as I go along. There were some wires that were grounding it out, fixed those, still no working fridge but it hasn't blown a fuse.
I still have other stuff to check, just hoping it isn't the circuit board though that tested as good input and output. Condenser? Fans? still working on those.

 

[greenbaypack66]

How do you test if the circuit board is good or not? Someone has mentioned changing it out because it's probably bad but how do we know if it's the circuit board? We can't get a tech to look at it for 2 weeks and we can't really go without a fridge that long. Thanks for the input.

Am having that problem intermittently and been troubleshooting as I go along. There were some wires that were grounding it out, fixed those, still no working fridge but it hasn't blown a fuse.
I still have other stuff to check, just hoping it isn't the circuit board though that tested as good input and output. Condenser? Fans? still working on those.

 

[ParkIt]

How do you test if the circuit board is good or not? Someone has mentioned changing it out because it's probably bad but how do we know if it's the circuit board? We can't get a tech to look at it for 2 weeks and we can't really go without a fridge that long. Thanks for the input.

I'm a retired nerd who still builds computers for fun, I have tools to check every point in any board. Sorry about that one as it doesn't help you - though the hold up with a tech is probably because they are also doing cars or computers. Might be worth it to call a laptop/computer repair shop and ask them? If they have a parking lot big enough they might do it since these boards are the same (more or less).

 

[danemayer]

If you've been blowing fuses, I wouldn't assume the board is damaged. After fixing the problem that's blowing fuses, if the refrigerator doesn't work, you could have a blown fuse on or near the control boards. I think the Norcold 2118 has 3 fuses.

But take it one step at a time.

 

[greenbaypack66]

Hi, thank you. Where would you suggest he start with trying to figure out what the problem is with the fuses blowing? He's checked all the wires and they seem to be fine.

If you've been blowing fuses, I wouldn't assume the board is damaged. After fixing the problem that's blowing fuses, if the refrigerator doesn't work, you could have a blown fuse on or near the control boards. I think the Norcold 2118 has 3 fuses.

But take it one step at a time.

 

[Flick]

Hi, thank you. Where would you suggest he start with trying to figure out what the problem is with the fuses blowing? He's checked all the wires and they seem to be fine.

If the 12v hot has gone to ground where it’s blowing fuses, you simply have to trace where they go. If nothing else, disconnect the hot at the circuit board and run a fused hot wire directly to the circuit board and see if it functions. If it blows the inline fuse, the short is at the refrigerator.

 

[carl.swoyer]

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