frig on 12v -need help - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

hilltool · 10-17-2015, 06:13 PM

I know this topic is all over on past threads but I cant seem to track down what I need. So- a little help?

Im trying to solve a few more problems before I put the trailer away for a few months. This is not a deal breaker- but I'd like to figure it out. My fridg does not seem to be working on 12v and I think it used to- though looking back I never gave it a thorough test. Does work on Ac and propane the last time I checked. I just found a 15 amp in line fuse (32 volt- really?) in the battery compartment that was really blown and I replaced it, and it seemed to be the wire jack described for the refridgerator when he took pictures and labeled this summer.. Right now I have the fridg on DC in the driveway and shore power disconnected. The problem is with temps in the twenties tonight I may have trouble determining whats "cooling" it , if it cools by morning. I figure if it is drawing power I should be showing a decent power drain on battery by morning. This is half-a***d way of checking this out, I know, but if I am trying to determine if it is getting current -where would I check that in the circuitry? Where in back? and how would I set the multi-meter to read it? just continuity? I know people always mention that they check that but I'm not sure where to start with this trouble shooting. I'd rather admit ignorance and then learn something. Thanks

Rick

JackandJanet · 10-17-2015, 07:17 PM

Hi Rick.

I don't think my refrigerator has the inline fuse in the battery compartment. I know there IS one behind the refrigerator under the vent panel (I think it's the top one that's held on by hundreds

of screws).

But, if you have the refrigerator disconnected from shore power and have it turned on by DC, AND have the ventilation fan blowing, you should be able to feel a "warm air" breeze coming out of the vents in that panel. If you feel it, you'll know the heat exchanger is transferring heat from the inside of the refrigerator. That would tell you the refrigerator is indeed working on DC.

If you wanted to test with a multimeter, you'd need to set it to the 10 Amp scale (which hopefully would go high enough). Then, you'd disconnect the refrigerator wire at the appropriate circuit breaker in the battery compartment. Next, hook your multimeter's positive lead to the CB and the negative lead to the wire you just disconnected. This puts your multmeter in series on that line and you can read the current draw. Hopefully, it won't be so high that you blow an internal fuse in the multimeter. Personally, I'd try the "warm air" test instead.

Hope this helps.

- Jack

hilltool · 10-18-2015, 11:58 AM

Thanks Jack- Last night I decided to chicken-out and test to make sure the fridg was working, anyway, just in case. Yes- indeed, water bottle in freezer was rock solid by this morning. I realized that turning on the "fan" probably would not work because if I remember correctly that cycles on and off if the ambient temperature outside gets above a certain level and I do not believe that "point" is 40 degrees. There IS an inline fuse (7 amp) in the lower compartment on the fridge which I checked and it is ok. WE are getting some sixties and low seventes back next week and I will finish my last window and caulking then----and will pull the "thousand screw" panel off the fridge. I've never looked in there and I might as well. In the meantime- if the 15 amp fuse I replaced was not the DC fridge ----I wonder what it was? Its NOT the electric jack ( a different one) and other than that Im not sure what it would be. However, I am going to stop by my trusty ex-hi lo dealer in the morning and ask them.

As usual- thanks----and congrats on the whole solar panel set-up working for you. This winter I will be working on how I can mount those panels to something I can detach and move around for our nothern lattitudes "shade" problem. I'm thinking of pulling the front cap next spring and I have always thought that would be a clever place to stash some coiled cable to run into the lower part of the trailer for charge controllers and monitors.

Stay warm out there.

rick

R

hilltool · 10-19-2015, 03:05 PM

update

Checked the new inline fuse in batterey compartment this morning and it was blown, again. HMMMM. Stopped by my hi-lo "dealer" and he agrees it is the fuse for 12v fridg. He thinks i should disconnect 12v wires to heating element- but I think I will just leave it for now. It cant hurt anything anyfurther . However, in reading manual it states that on 12v it will pull 15 amps and not to exceed a 20 amp fuse----making me wonder if there is a power surge when I turn it on and a 15 amp fuse is not enough? May be tempted to play with this theory but, again, may leave it for spring. If we pull out and head south in February I doubt I will need more than a cooler for the first few days.

Finally - I cheated on the last window. Pulled all the screws and everything looked fine wall wise. Given how well sealed the other windows were up to this point I decided to put screws back in and just re-caulk with lexel. Why wrestle a sealed window out and scrape off all that old sealant off? Maybe next summer. NOTE: Never hire me to apply Lexel caulk for you. It took me four windows to START to get it half right and looking ok.

cheers everyone!

Rick

JackandJanet · 10-19-2015, 03:26 PM

Rick, I think the refrigerator fan responds to the temperature buildup in the heat exchanger (evaporator?) rather than the ambient temperature.

But, if you keep blowing that 15A fuse, it sounds like there is a wiring problem, or, read on...

In reviewing the wiring diagram that has been posted for 2006 models, I see that the 12DC inline fuse on the blue line for the refrigerator is shown as 30A, not 20 or 15. I think it may be likely that you are using a fuse with too low a capacity rating. What year is your HiLo? I guess more importantly, what year/model is your refrigerator?

And, after going out and looking at my trailer again, I DO think the fuse inside the wall was behind the lower, "easy-off" panel and that it was there for the refrigerator fan. So, I'm not at all sure where the 30A fuse for my refrigerator is. I don't think it's in the battery compartment, and, I haven't noticed it anywhere else either. However, my refrigerator has lights that illuminate showing if the refrigerator is operating on DC, AC or gas. As long as the DC light illuminates, I make the wild assumption that it's working on that power source.

- Jack

hilltool · 10-19-2015, 03:44 PM

Jack

It was your identification of a wire running to the breakers in photo of battery compartment stuff that had me identify the "blue wire" as refrigerator. Tracing it I found an in-line fuse-though it looked like the fuse holder had been spliced in. The manual I referred to reading WAS the Dometic Refrigerator manual- and that is where I got info on fuse size and power draw. There IS a small fuse in lower refrigerator compartment but it is 7 amp and I do believe it it is for the re-igniter. There are two 12v circuits in there- one labled for re-igniter and one labled for heater. The trailer is a 2001 so who knows how they changed wiring etc and, apparently, refrigerator size by the time they made yours. Seeing as you have all that warm weather down there I really think you should pull the "100 screws" sometime and tell all of us whats behind the magic door.

Rick

RichR · 10-19-2015, 05:26 PM

The 2201 manual shows a 15 amp fuse.

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/...2001-hi-lo-23/

JackandJanet · 10-19-2015, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichR

The 2201 manual shows a 15 amp fuse.

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/...2001-hi-lo-23/

A 15A fuse at 12V sounds about right. That would make the 12V DC refrigeration system use about 200 Watts, which is a reasonable power draw.

So, Rick, I'd say there's a wiring fault in your trailer. It could easily be something as simple as frayed insulation on that blue supply wire that produces a short circuit. You might be able to check for this with the power off (and a new fuse inserted) by using an Ohmmeter probing at the start of the blue wire and at any ground in the trailer. Anything other than near infinite resistance would indicate a short.

You can tell I'm not anxious to unscrew that bloody upper panel!

- Jack

hilltool · 10-20-2015, 11:45 AM

Ill give that a go. Thanks.

Rick