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RM8501 refrigerator not working on AC
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Posts: 9 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Bungee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: RM8501 refrigerator not working on AC
    Posted: 05 Sep 2022 at 4:55pm
Good day,
Just got back from a 2 week trip and everything worked perfectly.  Got home and plugged into shore power and still all good.  Plugged in a portable shop vac and cleaned things up and noticed the next day that the refrigerator was alarming that AC was not working.  Switched to propane, all good.  Switched to battery, all good. hmm.  

Read the manual and it says check the breaker and fuse and make sure "mains power" is correct.  Did all that.  Even plugged the refrigerator directly into an extension cord and that still didn't work. looked for a tripped GFCI and the only one that I have wasn't tripped.  All outlets have power. 

Followed the wiring thru the two service vent panels and everything looks good. The power at the receptacle is 120 VAC and it goes into the polyswitch along with all the other connections.  I looked for an inline fuse and didn't wee anything.  The manual doesn't say anything about a fuse either.  The manual does say that if the heater element is bad, it would give a different error light sequence.  

Anyone have a similar experience?  Anything left to check?  any recommendations.  I am thinking it is the polyswitch but that is just a guess.  

Thanks
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6288 		Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2022 at 6:57pm
When mine died, everything died. No propane, battery, or AC.

This might help:
StephenH
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Posts: 5290 		Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Sep 2022 at 3:15am
You could try to determine if the ac heating element has failed.

With the fridge disconnected from both 12vdc and 120vac see if you can trace the 2 wires to the 120V element. According to the schematic they are brown and connect to terminals x102 on the control board. Disconnect them and measure the resistance. Should be around 1 ohm I think.

If it shows open then the element is bad. Otherwise it's probably the circuit board, which is exorbitant to replace unless you can find someone with a good one from a fridge they're replacing.

Good luck!
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Posts: 37 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rpod-Couple Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Sep 2022 at 9:11pm
I agree with offgrid’s procedure however the element resistance will be much higher than 1 ohm. At 1 ohm and 120V the fridge heating element will pull 120 amps! It should be around 120 ohms which is 1 amp at 120V which results in 120 watts which matches the specs in the manual.

The manual mentions there is a fuse on the circuit board that can be changed but it doesn’t provide any picture or details. I expect it looks like a small glass tube about 1 inch long with silver end caps in a snap-in holder (guess on my part.) If you find it, pull it out and ohm it out. Fuse should be less than 20 ohms.
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Posts: 5290 		Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Sep 2022 at 11:29am
Whups your right, I was checking the power consumption, which is about 120 watts and would draw about 1 amp, so 120 ohms.   Fuse should be less than an ohm typically, if it's good.
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Posts: 9 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Bungee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2022 at 5:25pm
Hi, thank you both.  Here is the latest.  I was easily able to measure the DC heating element (green outlined connector) and that was 1 ohm.  The AC element (the one that could be an issue) is not going to be easy to measure (yellow outline).  The connector for the AC element is baffling as to how it gets removed.  I do not see any clips and it almost looks like the wires are pressed in.  Any ideas?
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Posts: 9 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Bungee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2022 at 5:29pm
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Posts: 98 		Post Options Post Options   Quote funks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2022 at 10:03am
Like Stephen everything died on my refrigerator so I had to replace it.  I noticed that you are in California.

I am located in Pioneer, Ca and I still have my RM8501. If you are close to my location and want to pick it up you are welcome to it. You might want it for parts.  John
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Posts: 6288 		Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2022 at 10:32am
The circled area shows wires going into a connector. Is the connector something that can be removed? To me, it looks like the top connector in the picture is partially unplugged. That might be the explanation of why it isn't working.
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Posts: 9 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Bungee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2022 at 2:49pm
John, clearly I am interested an about an hour + away.  I will contact you offline.  

On the connector that I was asking about, It may look loose but it is by no means loose.  I have tugged on it, squeezed it, picked at it, etc.  I took a break from it hoping I would find inspiration today Wink

Again, thanks for the assistance
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