fridge problem on my 95 starcraft starliner

[lam1317]

only had it a week getting ready to go to ft wilderness this weekend for
maiden voyage but the other night sitting in my driveway i realized the fridge
wasnt working. it does have a outside panal i will open tomorrow.i dont know if it runs on gas or not. how do i figure this out it wasnt running when everything else was on. the seller told me everything worked. is there a easy way to figure this out? i dont want to be fooling around with it when we camp . thanks

[wavery]

only had it a week getting ready to go to ft wilderness this weekend for
maiden voyage but the other night sitting in my driveway i realized the fridge
wasnt working. it does have a outside panal i will open tomorrow.i dont know if it runs on gas or not. how do i figure this out it wasnt running when everything else was on. the seller told me everything worked. is there a easy way to figure this out? i dont want to be fooling around with it when we camp . thanks

What year and model is your camper??

[austinado16]

If you have the owner's manual, it's time to read it.

If you don't, you can order it from Starcraft RV.

Your fridge will likely be a 3-way fridge.  In otherwords, it can run on propane(when camping) 12 volts (when towing to and from the campsite), and 120 volts when sitting in your driveway ready to be loaded, or when at a campsite that has hook ups.

The method for use is:
1) Level the trailer front-to-back and left-to-right, within half a bubble of perfect using a real level like a contractor uses.  If you don't the refrigerator will be damaged internally, permanently.

2) Plug the 120 volt extension cord from the fridge into your house's current, switch the 120v switch "on," and leave the fridge on for 24hrs before you leave on your trip.

3) Just prior to leaving, load the fridge with pre-cooled food.  Don't put in anything room temp.

4) Hook the trailer up to the tow vehicle and switch the 120v off and switch the 12v "on."  Drive to campsite.  While driving, it doesn't need to be level because the trailer is bouncing around.

5) At campsite level the trailer and then turn off the 12v.

6) If there are hookups, simply plug the fridge in like you did at your house and switch on the 120v switch.

7) If there are no hookups, turn both the 12v and 120v switches "off" and turn the gas valve to "on" or "light" or "pilot" or whatever the instruction plate tells you to do.  Push down the gas valve knob, or the safety valve knob(whichever yours has) and hold it down for a minute while you start depressing the ignitor button.  The burner should light and there should be an inspection door/window so you can see the flame.  Continue holding down the safety button for about 15-30sec until it can be released and the burner's flame still stays lit.

Adjust the temp setting somewhere in the middle or the high side of middle.

All these controls will likely be inside the lower louvered door on the outside of the camper.

We've been talking about fridge's a lot lately, so earch the archives of this forum and you'll find all kinds of info.

[lam1317]

everything you said was right on i dont have the battery setup
but have the box up from for one.
i opened the side panel and everything was there.there was a instructional
sticker which i read i understood everything except where i should be
seeing the polit light couldnt find that.
but what i want to do now is plug in shore power and switch on 110v
i guess that would turn on fridge. my pop up is down at the moment.
do you suggest plugging it in the night before i leave to cool it down?
iam only traveling about 3 hours to disney and once there plug in again
would it be cool by the time i arrive?
thanks again austinado i appriciate it.

[austinado16]

Below the vertical tube that's about 3" in diameter will be the propane burner.  It's hidden inside a metal box, but typically, there is a little round swivel door that you can slide out of the way for viewing the flame.  On mine (much older fridge) it's right there facing me on the bottom right.  On yours, it may be more hidden or obscured.

Remember, if the camper isn't level within half a bubble (on a carpenter's level) you'll damage the fridge internally by operating it.

Regarding your question, yes, you fire it up 24hrs before leaving.  I live in coastal southern Cal, so I can fire mine up in the late afternoon/early evening and by 8am or so the next morning it's down to the high 30's.  But it gets into the mid 50's here during the night, so that makes it easier for the fridge to make cold.

There's a cool "Acu-rite" digital weather thermometer at Walmart for $28 that comes with a remote temp sensor.  You can put the remote in your fridge, place the base unit on the table our counter in the camper and see what the fridge is doing inside without having to open the door.  You can also bring the base unit with you in the tow vehicle and monitor what the fridge is doing while you travel.  Really cool.  

Also, spend the $16 or so and buy the D-cell battery powered fridge cube fan that RV stores sell.  That will run for days and days on a pair of batteries and because it keeps the air stirred up inside the fridge, it makes the fridge work much better inside.

[lam1317]

i got it all figued out thanks to you.
only the leveling part what does that have to do with fidge operation?
i only set it up once and i had to tilt the camper up some where
the door is so the water from the a/c drains on the back side of the camper
and not by the front door. i just tilted it enough to drain the water to the back
would that affect the fridge operation while on gas?
the seller had installed the levels on the back side i dont know how accurite
they are.what do you suggest?

[wavery]

i got it all figued out thanks to you.
only the leveling part what does that have to do with fidge operation?
i only set it up once and i had to tilt the camper up some where
the door is so the water from the a/c drains on the back side of the camper
and not by the front door. i just tilted it enough to drain the water to the back
would that affect the fridge operation while on gas?
the seller had installed the levels on the back side i dont know how accurite
they are.what do you suggest?

Actually, you have to be quite a bit off level (Half a bubble is the general rule) to effect the operation of the fridge.

To check the levels mounted on your camper, put a carpenters level on the floor of the trailer to level it perfectly, then check the reading on the levels on your trailer. If they are out of whack, you can unscrew them and screw them back in correctly. Just make sure that you fill the old holes with some sort of sealer.

[austinado16]

These fridges operate on the passive flow of gas and liquid through their coils that you see exposed on the back.  There's no "pump" that mechanically pumps some sort of refrigerant from the evaporator (fins inside the fridge) to the condensor (fins on the outside of the fridge) like on a houshold fridge, A/C unit, or automotive A/C system.

If the fridge isn't level within half a bubble, as I mentioned in my first post, you don't get good movement of the ammonia and hydrogen, they puddle up in places in the coils and then crystals form which block the orifaces inside the tubes.  The result initially is a fridge that doesn't cool like it should because it becomes less efficient and the long term effect if operation out of level continues or is repeated, is the fridge just stops working because the ammonia and hydrogen don't flow any more.

As I mentioned, use a carpenter's level to check the trailer.  If you don't have one, they are inexpensive at places like Home Deep Hole.  A 24" level would be nice and help you be accurate.

As Wavery says, check the levels that have been installed on the trailer once you have it perfect using the carpenter's level.  Double sided tape makes a great permanent mount for them, and keeps you from running screws into the side of the camper which can be a leak source.

Now that you're getting the hang of it, consider buying a 12v Deep Cycle/Marine battery.  There's thread either here or in the "General" forum about which is the best to buy, so find that and follow the lead.  Seems like the size "Group 31" was mentioned as being about the biggest that typically fits and it has great reserve capacity which is what you want to spend money on.  I think it's kinda fun not to be hooked up, and just let the camper do what it was designed to do using propane, 12v and the water that you've stored onboard.

[lam1317]

one last question when iam leveled properly and everythings working
how do i keep the water running from the a/c from not draining
by the front door? this happened before when i was leveled and i slightly
tilted the camper toward the back to solve this but know your saying
it must be perfectly leveled for the fridge to work. maybe i an run a drain hose
from the a/c to the back side. any suggestions. too bad you dont live near
me i would take you out to lunch for all the great advice.

[austinado16]

Might be worth calling Technical Assistance at Starcraft RV: (260)593-2550

Maybe your camper is missing something that helps it drain a certain way?  

I guess if all else fails you could come up with a way to keep the water from coming off that certain area, like a line of caulk, or maybe a lenght of closed cell foam weather strip taped down, etc.?