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Old 07-03-2016, 07:30 PM   #1
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Purchased my first travel trailer/refrigerator help

I just bought a 1998 Sunline Saturn model T24A. I have it parked in my driveway and connected to my house with an extension cord. All the lights work inside but the fridge does not. Since I just got it, it didnt come with a battery. Do I need the battery hooked up for the fridge to work? I read somewhere online that some fridges need the battery for the circuit board to work on the fridge? im a newbie so sorry for a simple question. Thanks
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Old 07-03-2016, 07:53 PM   #2
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I just bought a 1998 Sunline Saturn model T24A. I have it parked in my driveway and connected to my house with an extension cord. All the lights work inside but the fridge does not. Since I just got it, it didnt come with a battery. Do I need the battery hooked up for the fridge to work? I read somewhere online that some fridges need the battery for the circuit board to work on the fridge

Do al? im a newbie so sorry for a simple question. Thanks


If you'll pull the make and model number of the fridge from the unit, you may find the manual for it in our files. If not, you can probably find on the manufacturer's website.

Once have model, it's easy to determine the fridge's capability.

Remove the outside wall vent for the fridge. It there's an outlet with a plug in it, your unit runs on 110 and probably propane too. My '99's did.

Do all the basics: check the circuit breaker, is it plugged in and turned on?
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Old 07-03-2016, 07:57 PM   #3
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Yes the fridge is plugged in and circuit breaker is on with a good fuse. I will check the model number in the morning, but do most fridges need the battery connected to work?
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Old 07-03-2016, 08:02 PM   #4
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Yes the fridge is plugged in and circuit breaker is on with a good fuse. I will check the model number in the morning, but do most fridges need the battery connected to work?


Should not, but the convertor needs to be on. Fridge uses 12vdc for control circuits.
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Old 07-04-2016, 04:38 AM   #5
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Fridge diagnostic

You can go on you tube and check out Fords RV refrigerator web site . Usually very helpful .
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Old 07-04-2016, 07:32 AM   #6
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Yes the fridge is plugged in and circuit breaker is on with a good fuse. I will check the model number in the morning, but do most fridges need the battery connected to work?
Some of the older power converters needed a battery to act as a capacitor to work correctly, but the newer converters can run without a battery. Just make sure the battery leads out on the A frame are not crossed or the Positive +, usually red, battery lead is not touching the trailer frame or you will blow the battery charge fuse instantly.

If you can post the model of the fridge that will help.

Does the light inside the fridge or any lights come on the fridge control panel when it is turned on ? Again not knowing the model number, many of the newer ones have a light inside the fridge and or control panel lights. Bottom line, if the control panel lights or the inside light comes on with the door open, then you have 12 volts going to the fridge and it needs 12 volts to run the control system. "If" your model has lights, control panel or inside light are not on, then that is problem 1.

Are you trying to run the fridge on LP gas or 120 volt electric? If you are running it on LP gas, has the camper gas line on, been purged, and the stove, HW heater and the furnace run on gas but the fridge does not?

And how do you know it is not working? Describe what you hear or feel or think it is not doing and how long it was since you turned it on.

It normally takes 8 plus hours to cool down a RV fridge and you are not really going to feel a big rush of cold air coming out. If you put a cup of water inside or a thermometer it will show cold. These RV fridges work very different then a house compressor type of fridge. They extract heat leaving cold left. Where a house fridge pumps in cold. An RV fridge does not make a lot of sounds like a house fridge. It makes very different gentle sounds, more of metal heat expansion, an LP burner running if on gas or the sparking of an igniter if on gas trying to light. Other then that, there are no sounds.

It sounds like this is the first time you have ever turned the fridge on, is this right? If so, part of this is know what "normal" is for a running RV fridge.

Tell us some more on what you heard, saw or did.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 07-04-2016, 05:42 PM   #7
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If the fridge has lights it has to have 12 volts DC to work. Do the lights work? There should be some at the top of the fridge no lights and it won't work it is fused.
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Old 07-05-2016, 02:10 PM   #8
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Heres the info on the fridge: Dometic Americana model 505a The fridge have no lights inside at all.
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Old 07-05-2016, 04:16 PM   #9
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The number is for the cooling unit it should have a panel in the top of the fridge with controls and lights and yes that has to have 12 volts DC to work. If there are no lights I suspect it has no power.
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Old 07-06-2016, 09:22 PM   #10
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Heres the info on the fridge: Dometic Americana model 505a The fridge have no lights inside at all.
That does not appear to be the fridge model number. It may be a cooling coil for the unit.

The model number usually shows up inside the fridge, many times by the hinge side. Most models number start with RM- and then 4 digits. Like RM-2552 or other series of 4 digits. Yours is a 1998 unit and should be new enough it is not the really old RM 2 digit ones.

Need a model number to help know what it is you have to help better.

Worst case if you cannot find a model number, any chance of posting pics of the inside control knobs or push buttons and outside behind the vent cover so we can see what it is you have?

Hope this helps

John
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Old 10-06-2016, 12:20 PM   #11
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1998 Sunline Solaris T-1950 fridge problem

We have a Dometic fridge in our Sunline that works great when plugged in, but doesn't seem to work on just battery power or gas. And Ideas? Any help would be appreciated.
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Old 10-06-2016, 01:45 PM   #12
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We have a Dometic fridge in our Sunline that works great when plugged in, but doesn't seem to work on just battery power or gas. And Ideas? Any help would be appreciated.
It is very rare to see a three way fridge in trailers of that age. Most of them are either 110vac or propane. A 12vdc fridge will draw down a battery in a real hurry if you are dry camping. That's why the manufacturers stopped installing then in RV's.

However, when running on propane, the fridge still must have 12vdc to run the control circuitry. Either a well charged battery, or the convertor's output is necessary.

If you set it for propane, and it is not working properly, you should get a "check" light on the front panel of the fridge.

Check the 12vdc fuses to make sure one is not blown.

Then make sure you have propane in the tanks, the tank or tanks turned on, and the selector valve on the propane regulator pointed at a tank that is on and has propane in it.

The propane flame that drives the fridge is really just a pilot light. It is self igniting, and once lit, stays lit for quite a while. If you pull the vent cover on the outside of the trailer, you can feel the heat in the base of the stack. I think there's even a small removable plate where you can access the burner.

It takes up to 24 hours for the fridge to cool down, especially on propane, so checking it a half hour after you turned it on isn't going to tell you much.

The burner stack in the fridge should be cleaned out every year or so. It can get blocked by bugs, etc.

Also, the fridges of that era were subject to a recall. You can check with any RV dealer that services the brand of fridge you have, probably a Dometic.

There are manuals on these fridges in the FILES section here.

If repairs are really needed, any RV dealer can service the fridge. Just don't emphasize that it is in a Sunline as they usually vapor lock because Sunline is out of business. It's the same fridge as in all the other RV's, but the dealers are not always that understanding.
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Old 10-07-2016, 06:08 PM   #13
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The check light does not come on when running on propane. The tanks are turned on and there is gas in them. The only time the check light came on was when I tried running the fridge on battery while driving. It was working on battery during a trip up north, but stopped working on the way home. So then we tried running it on propane while driving. Not working and no check light on. I will check the fuses and clean the stack and let you know the outcome of that. Thanks for your help!
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Old 10-08-2016, 05:30 AM   #14
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The check light does not come on when running on propane. The tanks are turned on and there is gas in them. The only time the check light came on was when I tried running the fridge on battery while driving. It was working on battery during a trip up north, but stopped working on the way home. So then we tried running it on propane while driving. Not working and no check light on. I will check the fuses and clean the stack and let you know the outcome of that. Thanks for your help!
Please tell us the make and model number of your fridge. That will help a lot.
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Old 10-08-2016, 03:08 PM   #15
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My '98 had a Dometic RM2652.
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Old 10-08-2016, 03:22 PM   #16
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The make is Dometic and model # is RM2652
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Old 10-08-2016, 04:44 PM   #17
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The make is Dometic and model # is RM2652
Which is what I had in my '99 T-2453 that we used for 11 years.

The RM2652 is a two-way fridge meaning that it runs on 110vac OR propane. When running on propane, it needs 12vdc to run the control circuitry. It does not and can not run on 12vdc only.

Here is a link to the diagnostic service manual for the Dometic product line that includes the RM2652: www.fourwh.com/NewDometicRefrigeratorManual.pdf

In the files area, there is a manual for the RM2652 Installation and Operation which I put there back in 2010. There is also a file called the Dometic Fridge Service Manual which is a 2007 manual and may be the same one I linked above. JohnB placed that one and a couple of others there in 2011.

All the available troubleshooting and service information is in those manuals.
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Old 10-09-2016, 01:06 PM   #18
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Thanks for all the help. It seems we were given wrong info by someone. They made us believe the fridge would run off of the alternator of the truck while traveling. After reading the manual, we found that to be untrue and we were doing things all wrong. We tried it the correct way on auto and it is working fine. Leaving it on auto is the best way to run the fridge? Or is there a time when we should have the button on the control panel for gas in the on position? We are very new to this, so am learning little by little!
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Old 10-09-2016, 02:19 PM   #19
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Thanks for all the help. It seems we were given wrong info by someone. They made us believe the fridge would run off of the alternator of the truck while traveling. After reading the manual, we found that to be untrue and we were doing things all wrong. We tried it the correct way on auto and it is working fine. Leaving it on auto is the best way to run the fridge? Or is there a time when we should have the button on the control panel for gas in the on position? We are very new to this, so am learning little by little!
I am glad you got it sorted out.

We leave our fridge on Gas most of the time. Since we dry camp and an only run the generator a few hours at a time, it makes sense to conserve the available 110vac for the microwave, hair dryer, etc.

However, if you camp with hookups most of the time, leaving it on Auto is a better choice unless you prefer to drive the fridge with propane. Some folks feel that propane keeps the fridge colder. Some folks want to save money by conserving propane. That's a personal choice. Dry campers tend not worry about using propane if it conserves their battery life. There's also differing views of running the fridge while on the road and especially when fueling your tow vehicle. Plenty of previous discussion on that, too.

One final point. Your fridge has a heater strip where the gasket contacts the fridge shell. It is designed to prevent condensation and runs on 12vdc. If you dry camp, it's highly recommended to shut the heater strip off as it will draw your battery down quickly. The switch is partially hidden and if you don't know where to look, you'll swear you don't have one. Open the freezer door and look where my finger is pointing.

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