Fridge Fan quit

[csevel]

On a trip and the fridge fan quit.  The interior switch lights but the fan doesn't run.  It worked earlier today. Is this just an easy replaceable computer fan? 

[John E Davies]

Your setup has a manual switch, so this recent post is appropriate. You can read the rest of the thread further up but it doesn’t apply to your Hull.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3296-how-to-dometic-refrigerator-cooling-fan-noisy-disconnect-the-power-wire/?tab=comments#comment-59902

It should be quite easy to replace, just remove the upper louvered cover. I would not use a computer fan, that is a very hot , dirty and harsh environment, so it needs to have sealed bearings and be waterproof too. Please post some comments on that thread.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

 

 

[csevel]

I guess I'm not following about the manual switch in that thread.  I can replace the fan if necessary with the exact model but I want to troubleshoot this one as it was just working yesterday!

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, csevel said:

I guess I'm not following about the manual switch in that thread.  I can replace the fan if necessary with the exact model but I want to troubleshoot this one as it was just working yesterday!

I thought yours had the manual switch? If so the power wire will be a direct run from there to the fan motor. The power to the switch will come from a fuse. It is super easy to check this stuff, if the fuse is OK you will need a cheap volt/ ohm test meter to do some simple electrical checks of the wires.

The later hulls did away with the manual switch entirely. Unfortunately.... The earlier hulls had the fan sitting up high where it can be reached easily from outside, without having to remove the entire fridge.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[csevel]

Husband is an electrical engineer..I'm pretty sure he can troubleshoot it.   He's just not with me this trip.  My trailer has the fan held on by rubber bumpers in the upper outside fridge compartment.  I know because I replaced the washers holding it in with stainless.  Maybe I bumped something when replacing although it worked yesterday.   I will have him look at the thread you sent.  Maybe it's a bad fuse.?  We had a ton of rain here so maybe something shorted?

[SeaDawg]

Just saying, we never had a fridge vent fan, when we had three ways. If you're only out for a few days, and your temps are moderate, you'll probably be fine. 

I think the fan is a good idea in side exhaust vent 3 ways, like the Casitas and Olivers. Especially necessary with high temp desert camping. Probably not so much for us ordinary mortals in the east. Imo.

If you have a multimeter, you could check to see if you have power to the fan. Other than that, I'd personally relax, and enjoy your trip. Especially if fridge is working fine.

[csevel]

Yeah, I don't stress this kind of stuff unless it's a major appliance.  I'm just working the bugs out as this is only my second trip in ILOVHER.  I will say this fridge doesn't stay as cold as my old 2007 Dometic (although same model).   I never had a fan for it in my Casita and never needed one, even in the desert.   I usually would take the vent covers off in hot weather, maybe clip a small electric fan on it and call it a day!

[SeaDawg]

On ours, there was a rubber material (like mud flap) baffle that should be pushed in toward the inner hull. 

I don't know what the newer installs look like, but the baffle on ours was accidentally flipped outboard, one time, and made things very hot. 

The rm2454 fridge had a couple iterations, resulting in different control boards, and a few other parts. Just don't expect everything to be the same as 2007, even though the same model number. 

[mossemi]

On 6/21/2021 at 9:53 PM, csevel said:

On a trip and the fridge fan quit.  The interior switch lights but the fan doesn't run.  It worked earlier today. Is this just an easy replaceable computer fan? 

While I was troubleshooting my external refrigerator fan failure last year I found that the temperature switch was the point of failure.  So I would suggest checking the voltage going to the fan first.  If there isn’t any voltage at the fan, try by-passing the temperature switch before replacing the fan.

I did replace my fan while I was replacing the temperature switch because it had become noisy.  I didn’t use the same brand/model of fan.  The fan I used had a higher RPM rating the original and it was also very noisy and required a PWM speed controller to slow it down to make it’s noise level adjustable.

These are the replacement parts I used.

https://www.amazon.com/Coolerguys-120mm-120X120X38-Airflow-Waterproof/dp/B07P46D62Q/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=coolerguys&qid=1624465017&sr=8-17

 

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Thermostat-Normally-Temperature-Controller/dp/B07PGZL1LF/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1O604LDEM081U&dchild=1&keywords=uxcell+ksd9700&qid=1624465214&sprefix=uxcel+ksd9700,aps,206&sr=8-6

 

https://www.amazon.com/CHENBO-Controller-Adjustable-Regulator-Control/dp/B07XC5J4GL/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=chenbo+pwm&qid=1624465878&sr=8-3
 

Questions,

Mossey

[csevel]

1 hour ago, mossemi said:

While I was troubleshooting my external refrigerator fan failure last year I found that the temperature switch was the point of failure.  So I would suggest checking the voltage going to the fan first.  If there isn’t any voltage at the fan, try by-passing the temperature switch before replacing the fan.

I did replace my fan while I was replacing the temperature switch because it had become noisy.  I didn’t use the same brand/model of fan.  The fan I used had a higher RPM rating the original and it was also very noisy and required a PWM speed controller to slow it down to make it’s noise level adjustable.

These are the replacement parts I used.

https://www.amazon.com/Coolerguys-120mm-120X120X38-Airflow-Waterproof/dp/B07P46D62Q/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=coolerguys&qid=1624465017&sr=8-17

 

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Thermostat-Normally-Temperature-Controller/dp/B07PGZL1LF/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1O604LDEM081U&dchild=1&keywords=uxcell+ksd9700&qid=1624465214&sprefix=uxcel+ksd9700,aps,206&sr=8-6

 

https://www.amazon.com/CHENBO-Controller-Adjustable-Regulator-Control/dp/B07XC5J4GL/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=chenbo+pwm&qid=1624465878&sr=8-3
 

Questions,

Mossey

Thank you so much!  I think my husband already bought the fan so I'll have him look at the rest of this..thanx again!