Atwood refrigerator noise?

[Julie n Kevin]

Is it common for these to make a humming noise? I thought they are normally quiet since there are no moving parts. The noise cycles on/off maybe 5 min intervals. I had it set in "auto" mode since we've turned it on a few weeks ago, plugged into shore power. We've been using LP for the furnace and water heater. I assume the fridge runs on AC when in auto mode even though the LP tank is open?? I have since switched mode to AC. Will see if that stops the noise when we go back to the campsite.

Kevin

 

[Big Mike]

Most likely what you are hearing is the ventilation fan that is installed in the rear of the refrigerator to keep air circulating in a slide out installation. With a non slide out installation and a roof vent, you usually do not get the fan(s).

Hope this helps.

Big Mike

 

[TucsonJim]

That is normal for our reefers. BTW, if you're plugged into shore power, why not save your propane and run the water heater on shore power? Or, if you want faster recovery rates, you can use both propane AND shore power.

 

[GDRV Service]

Is it common for these to make a humming noise? I thought they are normally quiet since there are no moving parts. The noise cycles on/off maybe 5 min intervals. I had it set in "auto" mode since we've turned it on a few weeks ago, plugged into shore power. We've been using LP for the furnace and water heater. I assume the fridge runs on AC when in auto mode even though the LP tank is open?? I have since switched mode to AC. Will see if that stops the noise when we go back to the campsite.

Kevin

Hi Kevin (@Julie n Kevin),

@Big Mike is correct (thanks Mike!). What you are hearing is the cooling fan which is used on side ventilation applications. If the noise becomes excessively loud it should be looked at by your dealer.

Best regards,
~ Janice

 

[Julie n Kevin]

Ok Grand Design, we went to our seasonal this weekend and the refrigerator is still on the blink. I'm in a bit of a dilemma, our camper is setup on a seasonal site and really do not want to tow it 5hr to our dealer we made the purchase from. I see there is an Atwood service facility in Rochester, MN that makes house calls. I may go this route and seek reimbursement. Or, there is a dealer in Bloomington, MN.

Needless to say, I'm disappointed. But I said it anyway.

I'm quite capable of doing the swap myself. I just need to acquire the needed parts.

I'll be calling my selling dealer Monday to see how they may be able to help.

 

[GDRV Service]

Ok Grand Design, we went to our seasonal this weekend and the refrigerator is still on the blink. I'm in a bit of a dilemma, our camper is setup on a seasonal site and really do not want to tow it 5hr to our dealer we made the purchase from. I see there is an Atwood service facility in Rochester, MN that makes house calls. I may go this route and seek reimbursement. Or, there is a dealer in Bloomington, MN.

Needless to say, I'm disappointed. But I said it anyway.

I'm quite capable of doing the swap myself. I just need to acquire the needed parts.

I'll be calling my selling dealer Monday to see how they may be able to help.

Hi Julie and Kevin (@Julie n Kevin),

We recommend that you contact the local Atwood Service Center and arrange for an on-site inspection. Please contact our Customer Service team at (574) 825-8000 if you encounter any difficulties or are charged for this service.

Best regards,
~ Janice

 

[Julie n Kevin]

Hi Julie and Kevin (@Julie n Kevin),

We recommend that you contact the local Atwood Service Center and arrange for an on-site inspection. Please contact our Customer Service team at (574) 825-8000 if you encounter any difficulties or are charged for this service.

Best regards,
~ Janice

We contacted a dealer who handles Atwood and does on site calls. They are about 30 miles away from our camper. This is what the GD tech i talked to recommended as well. We'll get to the bottom of this soon!

Thank you!

 

[Julie n Kevin]

Kelly at Camp-site RV, http://www.campsiterv.com/ just called and they did an on site check on the refrigerator and the tech says the cooling unit is going bad. It's cooling a little but no where near cool as it should be.

 

[TucsonJim]

That's a little crazy on such a new unit! Hope it's a fluke.

 

[Tucsontraveler]

My Atwood frig is driving me crazy with that constant hum/buzz. It is a joy when it switches off which happens rarely. I spoke with Atwood and checked other forums. It may be the fan---the fan used is not a quiet fan. Today I am installing a 12 v computer fan to see if it makes a difference. I will let you know if the noise vanishes.

Well I just returned from getting the new computer fan. I was lead to believe it was easy to install. Very wrong. Called Grand Design and was told the fan is behind the top ventilation panel. My husband got a tall ladder and looked inside---can't see the fan anywhere. There are some black coils and then a piece of wood covering what is below. I am waiting for customer service to call me back. So much for an easy fix. I wish they included diagrams of these systems to make it easier.

 

[Bill Fenech]

Hi Tucsontravelor

Did you get a call back from customer service?

Bill Fenech

 

[Tucsontraveler]

I did not receive a call back. I had to call them. I was told by the tech that he would give me the precise location of the fan---but haven't heard back. So I called Atwood and my husband experimented and after some tricky maneuvering was able to remove the fan. He will attempt to connect the new fan as soon as the heat of the day dissipates. The Atwood rep told us the wrong connection for the new fan so my husband had to modify it. What should have been an easy fix has become complicated. I will report the results tomorrow. I'm hoping the fan noise will be gone.

 

[Bill Fenech]

Now I understand a little better. I thought you were referring to Grand Design Customer Service not calling you back. I would have been able to get that handled quickly. Regarding Atwood, is there anything we can do help the situation?

Regards,

Bill

 

[Tucsontraveler]

Bill, Are you with Grand Design? I was referring to GD not calling me back----I still haven't heard back. My husband believes he solved the problem but he did it on his own. The design of the vent on the outside of the slide should be modified. The frig fan should be readily accessible and it is not. Those fans fail and get dirt in the ball bearings which can cause noise. I would be happy to discuss this with you. Atwood called me back when I first contacted them----but when we were up on a ladder and needed their help they didn't call back either.

Thanks

 

[LostinCanada]

Bill, Are you with Grand Design? I was referring to GD not calling me back----I still haven't heard back. My husband believes he solved the problem but he did it on his own. The design of the vent on the outside of the slide should be modified. The frig fan should be readily accessible and it is not. Those fans fail and get dirt in the ball bearings which can cause noise. I would be happy to discuss this with you. Atwood called me back when I first contacted them----but when we were up on a ladder and needed their help they didn't call back either.

Thanks

FYI,,, Bill Fenech, one of the three owners of Grand Design, you are talking to the top! And what a great job they are doing!

 

[Tucsontraveler]

Thanks for letting me know----I hope I get to talk with him.

 

[Bill Fenech]

Hi Tucson travelor

I'm so sorry about that. I misread your post (twice). First off, I can have customer service call you if you still need help and I apologize you did not get a return call. Secondly, you can send me your contact information and I will call you if you want to talk. Please thank your husband for solving the problem.

Regards,

Bill

 

[ACDW-Ottawa]

I did not receive a call back. I had to call them. I was told by the tech that he would give me the precise location of the fan---but haven't heard back. So I called Atwood and my husband experimented and after some tricky maneuvering was able to remove the fan. He will attempt to connect the new fan as soon as the heat of the day dissipates. The Atwood rep told us the wrong connection for the new fan so my husband had to modify it. What should have been an easy fix has become complicated. I will report the results tomorrow. I'm hoping the fan noise will be gone.

Hi Tucsontravelor.

Happy to hear you fixed your fridge. FYI, Bill Fenech helped me with my trailer so make sure to call him if you need help. He is easy to talk to and really cares about his clients and his company.

I was wondering how I would have to fix my fridge if I had that problem. I have a Norcold fridge installed in the slide-out in my Solitude with 2 fans located somewhere near the bottom exhaust port. I'm not sure if they are readily accessible from the bottom port or the fridge would need to be pulled to service them. The 2 fans are near the bottom of the picture I attached. I took it looking down behind the fridge from the upper exhaust port. What does yours look like?

Happy travels!

View attachment 764

 

[PS_Diesel]

Vent fan

Bill, Are you with Grand Design? I was referring to GD not calling me back----I still haven't heard back. My husband believes he solved the problem but he did it on his own. The design of the vent on the outside of the slide should be modified. The frig fan should be readily accessible and it is not. Those fans fail and get dirt in the ball bearings which can cause noise. I would be happy to discuss this with you. Atwood called me back when I first contacted them----but when we were up on a ladder and needed their help they didn't call back either.

Thanks

Tucsontravelor, could you provide more details on your fix please. Dealer just tells me it's normal. Did you replace with a fan that was quiet? Did you have the load propane howl when the water heater lights on propane?

Thanks for any info

 

[Tucsontraveler]

Hi everyone, I am not getting notified when someone responds to my post----so I apologize for not answering your questions. The frig is still not fixed but we may have a solution. I have a call into Bill Fenech and am waiting to hear back. As soon as I have more information I will post it. But feel free to contact me at mirdc50 @ gmail .com I put in spaces in my email address to prevent spam----just eliminate the spaces in my email address.

Thanks,
Miriam