Two appliance failures at once (and a knee)...

[Second Chance]

OK - one is an appliance (frig) and the other electronics (TCL TV). No - neither is related to bad power. We have a PI HW50 EMS installed and both of these situations have come on over time - though the frig developed over a week or two and the TV has been circling the drain for several months.

Frig: There is power to the heating element and the control board and all controls are functioning as they should. When switched to propane, I can hear the burner light up and continue to burn. The cooling fans in the back will cycle, although not nearly as often as they used to and more often on propane than on AC. The frig will only maintain about 48 degrees in the frig section and 31 - 32 in the freezer. We've contacted a mobile tech here in Augusta, GA, who can get to us Monday or Tuesday (and who teaches seminars on RV refrigeration) and has worked with Route 66 (our extended warranty plan). In the meantime, we've plugged in and cooled down an AC/DC portable cooler for meat, milk, and the critical stuff.

TV: I've never been a big fan of the 40" TCL TV that came in the RV. The picture is OK, but instead of being able to go directly to a specific input, one has to cycle through all the inputs like a motorcycle transmission to get to the desired input. This makes it difficult to manage everything with a universal remote such as the Logitec Harmony that we use to control all components. That's just an annoyance, though. For a couple of months, now, the TV will sometimes refuse to boot up completely. When I use either the remote or hit the physical power button, the little red light in the front will go out and I can tell there is power to the backlights, but the TCL logo doesn't come up to continue with the boot-up process. I have to unplug the TV from the AC outlet and start over. It has taken up to four cycles doing this before the TV will come on. I suspect they don't use relays any more and there's a bad switching diode somewhere - but not worth fixing on this TV. The local Best Buy has the Samsung in stock that I want (and $20 less than Amazon), so guess where I'm going in a little while. I guess I'll go ahead and replace my 10 year old Logitech Harmony, too, since the markings have worn off some of the buttons and I have to press some of them extra hard to get them to work.

Wife's knee: OK, this isn't an appliance or electronics, but all this is happening a week after Laura had knee surgery (lateral and medial meniscus tears in her left knee) and she just started PT yesterday. As the old saying goes, "Plans are what we make before life intervenes."

Happy camping!

Rob

[D2Reid]

Goods news, troubles always come in three's. Your done with troubles for the rest of the year.

[LV Naturist]

Best of luck to Laura and her recovery. My wife had shoulder surgery a few months back (rotator cuff) so we can relate...

John

[Canyonlight]

Rob- I guess thus the saying "when it rains it pours".......hope Laura recovers well and you take good care of her. Carol tore her medial many years ago as well had it scoped and then had the knee replaced about 3 years ago.

Dan

[Second Chance]

Thanks for the good wishes for Laura, everyone. Her PT is going well.

Update on the frig: turns out to be the cooling unit (the infamous Norcold 1210 four-door). The cooling unit and labor to replace it add up to $2,400. Fortunately, our Route 66 plan will cover all but the $100 deductible. The best part is that, besides being very competent and super-nice guy, the technician we're using keeps two high-end Dometic chest refrigerator/freezer units to loan people while they're waiting on parts, etc. Right now, it's keeping our frozen food and the cold pack for Laura's knee at 10 degrees!

Rob

[orbiker]

Thanks for the good wishes for Laura, everyone. Her PT is going well.

Update on the frig: turns out to be the cooling unit (the infamous Norcold 1210 four-door). The cooling unit and labor to replace it add up to $2,400. Fortunately, our Route 66 plan will cover all but the $100 deductible. The best part is that, besides being very competent and super-nice guy, the technician we're using keeps two high-end Dometic chest refrigerator/freezer units to loan people while they're waiting on parts, etc. Right now, it's keeping our frozen food and the cold pack for Laura's knee at 10 degrees!

Rob

Our refrigerator did not even make it through the first year. GD went to bat for us when the dealer and Norcold were dragging their feet. There was talk of just replacing the cooling unit. GD had the complete unit replaced.

Very cool the you have the extended warranty Ron. What's the eta on the replacement? Would the tech give you an option for the complete unit?

Good luck with all the issues in one month, KEN

[Second Chance]

Our refrigerator did not even make it through the first year. GD went to bat for us when the dealer and Norcold were dragging their feet. There was talk of just replacing the cooling unit. GD had the complete unit replaced.

Very cool the you have the extended warranty Ron. What's the eta on the replacement? Would the tech give you an option for the complete unit?

Good luck with all the issues in one month, KEN

The cooling unit should be here tomorrow or Friday. The tech wants to get it installed no later than Saturday. That works really well for us since the earliest we can head west is the 8th. It's not the tech's decision on repair or replace - it's Route 66's. If the unit is repairable, it has to be repaired rather than replaced. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the rest of the frig, so I'm OK with that.

The tech said that the most common cause of failure of these absorption refrigerators - especially those installed in a slide as in our 337 - is improper installation with inadequate ventilation and cooling. He said that Grand Design has paid attention to those factors and that the frig installation is one of the better ones. He also said that, with the Norcold 1210, usually once you replace the cooling unit the first time, they are likely to go a long time without any further problems. This guy has been doing this for at least 30 years and teaches seminars on RV refrigeration... I hope he's right!

Rob

[gbkims]

Rob,
Is the "cooling unit" the coils with the the heat transfer chemicals?

Thanks,

Gene

[Second Chance]

Rob,
Is the "cooling unit" the coils with the the heat transfer chemicals?

Thanks,

Gene

Yes:



Rob

[orbiker]

The cooling unit should be here tomorrow or Friday. The tech wants to get it installed no later than Saturday. That works really well for us since the earliest we can head west is the 8th. It's not the tech's decision on repair or replace - it's Route 66's. If the unit is repairable, it has to be repaired rather than replaced. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the rest of the frig, so I'm OK with that.

The tech said that the most common cause of failure of these absorption refrigerators - especially those installed in a slide as in our 337 - is improper installation with inadequate ventilation and cooling. He said that Grand Design has paid attention to those factors and that the frig installation is one of the better ones. He also said that, with the Norcold 1210, usually once you replace the cooling unit the first time, they are likely to go a long time without any further problems. This guy has been doing this for at least 30 years and teaches seminars on RV refrigeration... I hope he's right!

Rob

It sounds like you got the right tech for the job Rob. I have done 2 cooling units, but it was 30 years ago, when they were smaller.

The new larger RV refrigerators are right on the boarder, as far as size and the ability to get rid of the heat out the back. 1 fan, 2 fans, 3 fans more.