Dometic Fridge & Check light

[tedontario]

Hello Fellow campers;

We are getting our 2499 ready for a much anticipated trip to Florida. We leave a week from Sun the 17th or maybe not until the 19th. While preparing the trailer today when we turned on the fridge the "Check" light comes on and stays on. I was wondering if because it is cold out it does this? We have never used to fridge at this cold a temp. I switched it to gas and there was not any improvement.

Thanks for the help
Ted and Judy

[JohnB]

Ted

Tell us how you started the fridge? On electric or on gas? How long did it take for the check light to come on? Instant or a minute or two?

Did the fridge work for a while then stop or did it never come on at all once you started it and had not used it on for months?

In order to reset the safety you have to turn the fridge off then back on. On your floor plan it takes a good look time to prime the LP gas. Start the furnace, it will purge the gas and when it starts heating then go try the fridge on LP. It may take a time or 2 thru the safety time out on the fridge to prime the LP line.

The fridge will work when it is cold out. I have camped in 19 F weather and the fridge still works.

If you are starting on electric only, and make sure the silly push buttons are correct for electric, they are really confusing which way is which, then the check light means something different as there is no LP gas.

I am assuming you have 120 VAC plugged in and the 12 volts are up? Yes/no?

Also for a sanity check make sure the Ground Fault protector in the bath room is reset and there is power coming out of the bath plug. Sunline did switch the fridge electric to not be on the GFI "but" ,maybe yours didn't get switched. If the 120VAC to the fridge is on that GFI and it is tripped then the element will not come on.

To rule all this out, go out and pull the white cover off the side. On your left hand side is a normal looking 120 volt black plug in a white single receptacle. Pull the black plug out and check to 120 VAC. Plug a light or anything in it to see if it has power.

You can see the plug to the left in this pic


I'll start digging in the service manual. The check light for sure on gas is the ignition failure/safety. But on electric that entire LP circuit does not work.

Hope this helps

John

PS. Did you have the Dometic safety recall done? There is a resetable saftey switch installed as part of the recall. I look in the service manual and report back. I thought the check light only worked in LP mode

[JohnB]

Ted

I looked quick and I do not see anything on the check light to do with the electric element, at least yet. Only LP gas.

See this

Dometic Wrote

Auto Mode
Press the AUTO/GAS button 2 (Auto Thermostat) or button 3 (Adjustable Thermostat) to the DOWN position. The AUTO mode indicator lamp (A auto or D adjustable thermostat) will illuminate. If 120 volts AC is available, the control system will select AC operation. If 120 volts AC is not available, the control system will automatically switch to GAS operation. Within 45 seconds the burner should be ignited and operating normally. If the CHECK indicator lamp (B auto or E adjustable thermostat) illuminates, the control has failed to ignite the burner on GAS. To reset when the CHECK indicator lamp, press the main power ON/OFF button (1) to the OFF then ON position. Systems with the new lower control board are a three (3) try system on gas. On the initial refrigerator start-up on gas (120 volts AC is not available), it may take longer than 45 seconds to allow air to be purged from the gas line. If the refrigerator has not been used for a long time or the LP tanks have just been refilled, air may be trapped in the supply lines. To purge the air from the lines may require resetting the main power ON/OFF button (1) three or four times. If repeated attempts fail to start the LP gas operation, check to make sure that the LP gas supply tanks are not empty and all manual shutoff valves in the lines are open.

What may have happened is:

For some reason there is no 120 Volts going to the fridge plug in the outside vent area receptacle. When the fridge is turned on Auto it goes to 120 VAC mode first, if it does not sense 120 VAC then it flips to gas mode automatically. If the LP lines are not charged it will go out on flame sense safety and the check light comes on. This could trick you that you think it is on AC but it tried and could not find AC so it went to Gas mode and gas mode tripped the check light.

You need to make sure that plug in the back has 120VAC on it. If not, then start hunting that down as to why. Tripped breaker?

When on gas mode, do you hear it clicking trying to start? Outside you can hear the ignition clicking once it try's to fire. If you turn it on and there is no clicks, And inside the fridge is warm enough to call for cooling.... then it should start the ignition sequence.

If the temp inside the fridge is at 34F or lower, it may not start at all. But you will also not get the check light. The check light means it tried to start on LP and did not ignite.

If you are trouble shooting the DC side of this, the grounds are the normal issues. See that all the ground wires are not corroded.

Good luck and hope this helps

John

[JohnB]

Ted

See this it may help. I uploaded the service manual. This one geos pretty deep into it.

Sunline Coach Owner's Club - Sunline Owner's Files - Dometic Fridge Service Manual

Here is also a simpler one. This may get you there faster
Sunline Coach Owner's Club - Sunline Owner's Files - Dometic Fridge Service Tips

[tedontario]

Thank you so much John for doing all the work you do in this forum! I went back out last night and turned it back on and today it is still working fine and 120. I will switch over to LP gas when I am done my current job. See new post!!

Ted