# Refrigerator switching on and off



## naturesher (May 20, 2005)

Okay, on last question, and I will quit bugging you good people for awhile.  My fridge (1995 Wilderness) has started not cooling sometimes.  It will be on, but it is not getting cold.  The all of the sudden, it starts cooling again.  I read on instruction book and it says it will do that if the RV is not level, so I did some leveling yesterday but it again switched off during the night.  It has an automatic mode, where it can choose gas or AC and I has it on the AC mode, so I know it is not a gas problem.  And when it starts cooling again, it cools just fine.  Does anyone know how I can stop this intermittent problem?

Thank you all so much!
Sherry


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## C Nash (May 20, 2005)

Refrigerator switching on and off

does this problem also happen when running on propane


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## naturesher (May 20, 2005)

Refrigerator switching on and off

I don't think it ever runs on propane.  I have tried to keep it on AC as I didn't have much propane in the tanks through the winter, and I wasn't even sure if the gas would light automatically or if I needed to do something.  By the way, while I have your attention for a second, can you tell me if it is cheaper to run the fridge on propane?  Thank you so much for replying! :blush:


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## Kirk (May 20, 2005)

Refrigerator switching on and off

First, if the refrigerator has an automatic setting, all that you need do to operate on propane is to turn off the 120V power. 

It seems to me that there are two possibilities that could cause what you seem to be experiencing. Neither are good, so lets hope that I am wrong. The first is that the ammonia/water solution that is coolant for your refrigerator has begun to solidify and is at times blocking one of the passages of the cooling unit. The other is that some of the ammonia may have leaked from it and it is low on coolant. Either of these problems would likely work better on propane than on AC power as the propane is a better heat source. 

One other thing that could cause your problem is a temporary loss of 12V-DC power. Modern refrigerators must have 12V-DC at all times to operate as the controls are powered from it. That is the reason that it can choose between the other two power sources.

There may be other possabilities, but that is all that I think of for now. Two questions that might help us to help you. First, when it stops cooling, does it display any error condition? And second, what make and model of refrigerator do you have?


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## naturesher (May 21, 2005)

Refrigerator switching on and off

Okay, my battery seemed to be low last time I checked, so I need to check on that and make sure it is hooked up! I had to have the RV moved to Alabama last September, as my daughter has moved there and she was very ill, and then moved back to Texas the end of March.  Everything SEEMED to work okay, but I guess I need to do some real checking out stuff.  Yesterday I finally found the panel on the outside to the fridge and got a wasp nest out of there. Today I will check the DC connection.  The "check light" does come on sometimes, and I have just been turning it off and then back on, and it goes out.  Sooooo, I will check on the things you mentioned and write back later.  Thank you again for your time and advice.  Sherry :bleh:


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## C Nash (May 21, 2005)

Refrigerator switching on and off

Know it sounds crazy but there were some units that the florescent lights would interfer with the ac on some refrigerators. you had to iinstall a filter on the light to fix the problem. The light had to be on to interfer.  Just another thought


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