Troubleshooting An RV Refrigerator That Works On LP But Not On Electric 

Man I learn a lot from every one of your videos. I want to say "THANKS" for taking the time to teach me and others how to diagnose and figure out what could be the problem.

WoW!! am I ever so glad I stumbled across this one. You, my man, knows exactly what your doing after watching a couple of your informative vids here and my utmost respect goes out for that alone! I guess I'm an RV owner now, if a 1980 Fleetwood Sunset counts? I bought it on Sunday July 4th. It's been well preserved, 36,000 original, and put away (improperly, somebody shrink-wrapped the entire thing and stuck it out under an out buildings eve.) for a long time. Now after getting it home, the fun begins!! I service consumer electronics and I'm also not a bad mechanic (only on my stuff) Amazingly, the elderly folks who owned this thing kept up everything interior wise, and in the glove is every Owners manual for everthing from the generator, refidge, microwave, 9" color tv w/ VCR, down to the aftermarket cruise control, and even the _Kraco_ AM/FM/Cassette radio w/ locking FF!! lolz (which works fine & wired to 4 factory Fleetwood coaxial spkrs)...The Kraco just got replaced today w/ a 7" touchscreen GPS/Stereo/MP3 system, But now down in the basement...lol, they neglected any of the maintainence other than having the fluids, tires changed. I spent almost 90 minutes in the basement (on the ground) with a steam pressure washer wand knocking out 1/2 inch of grease buildup all over everything down under. I bet that RV lost 100lbs. Mud daubers nests, hornets nests, spider webs, dirt, oil and gawd knows what else Well worth the effort, looks 100% better today, I can even read signs, ID plates, and stickers again. has an "Onan 4.0 BFA" 4kv generator under there (starter relay needs replaced, or it's froze), also a propane tank, water tank, sewage tank and 2 thirty-sum-gallon gasoline tanks ...SO I guess It's really a tank?? somebody bought a lot of options with it I think. I'll say 97% of it all works, I have a couple issues, and my refrigerator is one of them, it's one of those gas or electric one's (No "Auto" on switch, just "gas" or "elec").... when first plugged into 30 amp@ my houses breaker box, could have swore the fridge light worked when I opened at first, I thought that the freezer part was starting to cool, but not the bottom yet...I may be hasty on that thought. But now I have nothing @ the fridge. I'm great with troubleshooting, but I have to see the layout, never messed with RV's so finding locations for things right now is the mission. Letting ya know now my friend, I may be bugging ya with inane questions, SO thanks in advance ;) Already at your Manuals site.... fookin Genius right there now ~PeaasOut PS: Still have know idea what motor is in this, I'm leaning towards a 440, I do know it's all Chrylser under there (theres a Model plate), and I may have to replace the transmissions pan gasket, and still no idea what transmission they put in it either. I'll figure it out....All in due time... Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!

Great video! Thanks! I'll be digging into my RV refrigerator this evening, and I'm sure this tutorial on what to look for will be very helpful.

Darren thanks for all your help, and great guidance that you give us on our RVs. Please keep up with the good work, it is very much appreciated

This was a wonderful tutorial. My husband and I do not know much about propane appliances except of course for our bbq. Last week our dometic propane fridge in the rv stopped working on propane. We left it on electric power for the week and thought we would have to get the rv company to travel to our campground to service it. After watching your video, we tapped the silver cylinder then used our air compressor to clear out the debris, now it is working fine. Thank you sooooo much!

Just a quick note to say, "Thank You." Your troubleshooting techniques were spot on. My Norcold had been giving me issues from the moment I purchased the RV. Your expertise narrowed the area I needed to troubleshoot. Turns out I had a bad board. Ordered up a new boards and installed. My fridge is working like a champ on AC now....no problem. Many thanks!!

Thanks for this video. Very clearly done. I had an electrical problem and I followed the steps you show. It lead to the conclusion that the heating element was bad. I replaced the heating element and all is well. I knew nothing about refrigeration before watching your video. Thank you so much.

This video along with a few of your others taught me how to troubleshoot my issue. I wanted to thank you for the needed help. My refrigerator was running on LP gas only. Your video showed me how to trace the power and it turned out to be a fuse on the board.

Finally. In depth analysis for my refrigerator. Awesome work. Thanks for making the effort Darren. It is appreciated more than you know.

hey Darren, thanks for the time and effort you put into your video's. I live in my RV full time (many many hundreds of miles away from your mobile service, I might add) - having a pro walk me thru these troubleshooting processes is just amazing. I've learned so much!

Love the video. Thanks for taking the time. Excellent explanation of the diagnostic steps. I will now go and tackle my own malfunctioning fridge.

This is the best rv systems diagnostic channel on RU-vid! No guessing, no parts swapping in hopes it's fixed. Clear and simple diagnostics that lead to the failed component. Great job, keep'em coming!

Thank you Darrel, I'm just starting to learn how to fix my Norcold frig and this was a great help! Keep up the good work! Dave WRVX

Thank you very much for your video. We have an Atwood frig. We had a power outage a couple of days ago. We noticed frozen food starting to thaw. The control box you show and mine are similar. I did all the tests and was very frustrated as we live in our rv and I couldn’t figure out what to do. I opened the control box and low and behold I found the 3 amp fuse had blown. I work away from home and luckily I decided to come home for Father’s Day and noticed a problem. My lovely wife did not suspect anything wrong and definitely would not have figured out what to do. I would have had to call a technician for how many hundreds to find out it was just a fuse. Thank you again for your video.

I had a RARE problem but thanks for the video in help figuring it out. My refrigerator would work on power sometimes then it would stop only to minutes later switch back. Mine was the receptacle with the slice termination blades. Where you lay the wire between to pinch blades. I would get power until a jolt of some kind would knock something lose in the receptacle. I wouldn't have power so I'd unplug the cord and check the receptacle and then have power. I guess everytime I touched it it would trigger the fault off or on. I scratched my head and tested for 2 days until I figured it out. I changed the cheap receptacle to a standard one now everything is fine. I have never seen a receptacle like it really. I wonder what village in China they found it in !! Thanks a bunch for the video though. You are very kind to show people for free on here so I liked and subscribed. Least I could do.

Thanks for the lessons. Almost brand new Dometic refrigerator had the lower board out per your diagnostic instruction. Replaced it and it works great!! Thank you😊

Thank you so much for putting this video up. Now I know what to check and more importantly how to check. Invaluable information!!

You are the man. Mahalo for your very informative trouble shooting steps to take. Very customer friendly RU-vid Video. My RV is rather OLD 1993 and I try to tackle troubles DIY.

I greatly appreciate you sharing your knowledge and tips with us. You save us a fortune.

Thanks for your videos of instruction. Had that same problem. Ordered the heating element and installed it. Works flawlessly now.. Greatly appreciated. Saved me alot of money...

Thank you for doing these videos! I am new to this. My 5th wheel is still under warranty but I'm out of town and needed a quick fix.

Loved the step-by-step process ... not too technical ... good job.

Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing. Took the mystery out of my fridge for me. Now at least I know what to check. Thanks again!!

A great instructional video! I used to think when I was going to use my University Physics I & II while I was in college. Well, here I am beginning to remember all those classes by watching the video. This is so much better than calling useless RV repair guys who charge you so much for not accomplishing much and show up totally unprepared. I really like the outline, the breakdown of potential issues and a great summary in the end.

I watch your converter replacement and the problems with the refrigerator not running on 110. It was the heating element, replaced it after watching your videos. We are up and running and mommy’s happy. Lol thanks for the videos they were great help.

Absolutely the best videos on U-Tube...

Wow, this guy is good. Thank you, Darren!

Thanks for a great video. I now know what to look for. PS I live in graham and go to sequim about once a month so I know where I’ll be going if I have problems over my head. Thanks

Excellent video ! I mark the connectors and take a picture of the connectors/board before disconnecting anything in case I forget how it was hooked up, or if I have to delay reassembling it for some reason. I work in electronics too and appreciate the details. Thanks again !

Very helpful video, thank you! I recently bought a RV which needs a little bit of tlc, this videos will come in handy!

What a great video. Very complete And understandable. Thank you so much for your time. I also just enjoyed watching

Great explanation! Thank you.

Very helpful diagnostics for me being a rookie camper! Thank you!

This is a great video. Succinct, thorough, and kind, Thank you. exactly what I was looking for.

Great video for trouble shooting electrical of the RV refrigerator. Thumb up! Thanks Darren.

Thanks for a concise video for trouble shooting.

Agian thank you so much for your videos you explain everything in detail and it helps so much I'm a first time rv owner and we live full time in our coachman and we are blue collar so it helps so much to know how to try and fix what we can. Thank you.

Awesome, D. Thanks and keep them coming.

eallygreat video.. I have similar model...... older than dirt and you have already giving a good path to start on. thank you

Used your trouble shooting on my fridge.got a new board.works fine now.thanks from Indiana

Great video! One suggestion, use the system neutral, rather than ground, for testing, it's the return for the system, not ground. You can have an open neutral and still read 120 volts to ground.

Thanks, Daren! Very helpful!

Thanks for a very good video. Helped me with making sure I was testing the correct leads, etc.

These videos have been extremely helpful to me. I have learned quite a bit about my RV fridge as a result. I think I have successfully diagnosed my fridge issue (heating element) but I won't know for sure until the part arrives...

Thank you! I just had to work on something like this today!

Wow! Outstanding video... clear, logical and articulate. Subscribing. Oh and I have meter envy.. Haven't picked up a current sensing meter.... yet.

Excellent and patient explanations.

Thanks Darin, Really helpful video. Appreciate all your videos!

Fantastic video. I have been trying to figure out how to fix my RM2611 Dometic unit. Now thanks to you, I have something to look for. BTW, looked on your website and did not find my manual. Bummer, but I will keep looking for one in line. Thanks again!!!!

Thorough video abs easy to follow. I employed all your tests and found no power output from board. However before replacing the $100+ lower/outside board I bought the upper/inside board and boom; problem resolved for under $30. Just wanted to comment since it wasn’t mentioned in your video and I read online lots of people replace lower board and it doesn’t resolve issue.

Your detailed videos are awesome. Well done.

You got a good thing going. Keep it up and will pay off!

Thanks for the info,I had my fridge rebuilt and it only worked on lp,I called the company back bit no answer after paying 2700. This was 1 year ago, so today I started thinking it's gotta be something easy so I found your video and it walked me step by step and I found a blown fuse. Thank you very much for helping me out and saving me a butt load of money.hopefully this fuse fixes my problem

Thank you so much for posting this video. I followed everything you said, so I thought. I pulled off the cover and checked the fuse. Fuse is good. I started following wires to see if something was disconnected. There was the culprit- it was not plugged in. Ok so I missed one of the first steps. Thanks again!

This video was great and very easy to understand.

Great video, super easy to follow. I hope you may be able to help me with my issue as my Dometic NDR 1292 now works only on propane but not on electric. I followed your steps and believed that the heat element was bad and ordered replacement, but when testing the Ohm resistance I get 33 from the new ones and 33 from the old as well. My issue actually is the fuse keeps blowing when I switch fridge to power. It is the fuse you show in this video. I have correct current on left side but obviously no current on the right as the fuse blows instantly when I turn the fridge on to A/C instead of propane. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

I like your presentations, Thank you! I may have an intermittent issue because it works on AC then it doesn't. I have a new element but haven't put it in because all the sudden it stopped working. I disconnected all AC & DC and let it sit for an hour for a factory reset. I reconnected and low and behold its on. Propane or AC it hits 34 degrees. I recently did install an extra fan in the chimney and one on the interior box that attaches to the fins with alligator clips. Are the alligator clips causing any interference???

Thanks so much for the in depth instructions! Very interesting!

fantastic explanation !! ty well said

You saved hunting camp. Bad heating element played hell finding the right one got one on order thanks for your help

Thank you very very much after watching this video i did exactly like in your drawing and now my fride is working perfect , my fridge had a big ventilation problem , thank youu☺

Love your videos! Your detailed explanations are extremely helpful. My 4 year old Dometic RM1350SL was working perfectly staying between 34-40 degrees F (depending on outside temps) for the first 2 wks of our summer trip. Suddenly the other day, the fridge started warming up even though the operation seemed normal (heat source on, 4 fans working, cycling on-off as usual, etc.). By the end of the day, it was up to 60 degrees in fridge and 45 in freezer. I reset it several times. Changed it to LP. Checked power to all components. RV is level. No smell or yellow leaks. Everything seems to be as it should, but it is actively warming up the freezer and fridge instead of cooling them. Called Dometic and they said I probably need a new cooling unit. Question: How could a 4 year old fridge go from working exceptionally well to needing a cooling unit in 1 day? Is there something else I could try first before spending $2500 on a new colling unit? We are currently in MA where the weather only gets up to 80 degrees and the fridge is in the shade all day. Any advice would be appreciated.

That was an awesome video. So much information explained in such a clear way! Good job! Gonna go check out all your other vids!

Excellent video Bud !! Thank You. Joe.

Darren, great video and troubleshooting. Any chance you have done a video on the other failure mode? (works on electric but not propane)? I have checked all the basics, have 12 VDC, have a nice blue flame front with no startup issues, blown out rust from the flue and burner tube, but still have weak cooling on propane. You do great work on RU-vid, please keep it up!

Another excellent presentation. Very informative. Nicely done Darren!

Thanks for this! Was a little confusing at first, but I learned that I was only get 4v to the element wires. Obviously had to be 120v. Got a new Dinosaur Electronics board in & electric works on the fridge again! Thank you 👍🏻

Great video! Thanks for making it.

Excellent video! Thanks!

Thank you for your helpful video! 👍

This is the video that helped me out used the reset button cuz I wasn't getting AC or propane thanks a lot for posting this video

YAAAA !!!! I worked one step at a time up until the step where I pulled the heater cables off the board and read 120 volts. Then i plugged the cables back in and now the fridge works !!!! Just a loose connection Im guessing

AWSOME! BIG THANKS FROM ARIZONA

great video, thanks darrin

Very well done video!

Learning more about RV Fridge,, Thank you

Hey Darren awesome thank you

Thanks for sharing you knowledge with us.

Awesome troubleshooting! Wished I saw this when I was full time RVing. Thanks for keeping it simple, when your on the road it feels good that you have the capability to keep the family going. Hoorah! Go Navy!

Awesome video!

Great walk through.

Great in depth video!!! Thank you!!! I thought it was the mother board because I'm not getting 120v from the other side of the mother board.. Thank you I'll let you know in 2 weeks if that was the issue 😉

Great video on diagnostics. I'm looking to see if you did one on a Norcold but I got the basics from this which I'm guessing applies to all or most RV fridges. Our's worked fine on both AC & LP until we put it in storage for 3 weeks. After that the AC mode didn't work. Luckily the LP mode is.

Great vid, thanks my fuse looked good but was bad, checked good only on one side, back working AC now...

Yes. That was VERY helpful. Thanks.

That helped me understand how to troubleshoot. Thaks

Great Job! Keep it up!

Another excellent video Darren. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and wisdom with us.

Awsome job! Very informative

clear and concise, thanks bud!!

Darren - great video. My Norcold 1200 series just got a new cooling unit installed 6 weeks ago, and was working great, but now my temps show FRZ: 25 and FRIG: 52 just in the last couple days. AND I no longer hear the cooling fans running, and the ice-maker isn't making any ice. Unit runs only on LP and when on AUTO will only go to LP, and not AC. So no run on AC and no cooling fans running. I suspect a popped fuse but until I can check it out, I need to cool down the fridge/food! I put a fan blower into the outdoor service access with a bungee cord. Will check in the morning. Any tips..........? Tks

Thank you for the info

Hey Darren Thank you for your technical knowledge my RV refrigerator now works on both electric and propane as well. Quick note my wiring diagram on the recall panel and on another label mentions 12volt too. Does this mean it will work on my house battery’s.

Great video. Do you have one that covers a fridge situation where the freezer is cold but the fridge isn't?

Another great job!

I am not a the leave a comment kind at all up to this point. this will be the first. Ever! Your video is a life saver, you put out great information. thank you

Hey darin what would you suggest causes the fuse to blow ? My suspect would be the heating element but that would show up in the ohms test maybe ? There is a backstory lol

Great information. I suspected my Refrigerator not working on AC power.

Hi Darren checked all ur diagnostics as per ur video not working on AC but OK on LPG, great stuff...all my tests gave me ur results but still not working on AC. ps was working fine last week lol....I have it set on auto & have power ect. what am I still miising??

Great and awesome video. I have the same refrigerator 3862 and same problem. Followed step by step instructions My heating element is good, So I wondering about the video to determine from the lower or upper circuit board ? Again Thanks for the videos