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Topic ClosedDometic Refrigerator 2012 Rpod

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mcarter View Drop Down
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Joined: 07 Apr 2016
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Dometic Refrigerator 2012 Rpod
    Posted: 01 Mar 2021 at 6:49pm
Run an extension cord to back of fridge and plug into 120, see if the fridge works, if it does, you know the outlet is problem.
Mike Carter
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Bob@Zion View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2021 at 6:06pm
Thanks for the extension cord suggestion.  It proved that the problem is the plug or wire to the plug.  Good news is that the refrigerator is fine.  
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2021 at 6:18pm
Yippee - now we just need to figure out what happened to those two outlets.  Bet it's a common issue to them, I'd start by looking for good wiring on them, no loose wires.  The first one in the chain is  suspect.  I think you're on it.  As I recall there is a CKT BRKR for the fridge 120.
Mike Carter
2015 178
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 2021 at 9:30pm
We had a friend come over to try to help us find the electrical problem.  We and he are more perplexed.
1.  When the trailer is plugged in there seems to be some level of electric voltage running through the frame of the trailer even when nothing is on (no lights, etc.).
2.  GFI plug is not tripped.  
3.  Looking from the underside of the trailer, all the wires appear to be in good shape and well grounded.

Our friend theorizes that the refrig. doesn't work in AC mode due to power draining somewhere so maybe not enough power to allow the frig to properly function in that mode.  Does that sound reasonable?  

Any other ideas what might be happening?  Or how to locate where the electricity is being transferred to the trailer frame?
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 2021 at 9:54pm
Sounds like you have a wire that is shorted to the frame. That is dangerous. Wires may look okay on the surface or in the areas you see, but in an area you can't see may be damaged. It may be time to bring in a professional if you don't have a friend that is knowledgeable.
StephenH
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 2021 at 5:20am
Agree, it can be dangerous.  Do you have a multimeter?  With power disconnected you can measure plugs to ground/frame.  With power on you can measure voltages on plugs, if you are below 120, then your friend could be right.  I'm still of the opinion the issue is with the two plugs and or wiring to them.  It's not all the plugs.  You may be best served to have a pro look at it.  Not to say you're not doing well.
Mike Carter
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 2021 at 6:19am
It can’t be that there isn’t enough power available to both run the fridge on a/c and feed a fault to the frame of the trailer. That would trip your home circuit breaker.

I am assuming that the way you noticed that you have a short to the frame is because you are getting shocked when you touch something. Voltages are always relative, meaning that you measure or feel the difference in voltage between two points. Were you were standing on the ground and touched the frame when you felt the shock? That would mean that the frame of the trailer is getting energized by your household circuit and you are completing that circuit by creating a path to earth via your body, which in turn is connected to the ground rod back at your service panel.

That can be extremely dangerous. GFCI’s trip at about 5 milliamps which is a tiny current. 100 mA which is still not much current can be fatal. Don’t mess with it. Disconnect from shore power and do the rest of your testing by measuring resistance between the circuit and frame. You will need a multimeter for that. If you don’t have one or don’t feel comfortable working around electric circuits then take the trailer to a professional.

The other possibility is that you might have an open ground on your shore power receptacle. That would leave the trailer frame ungrounded because it gets its ground connection from that receptacle. If you have either a meter or an outlet tester you can check and eliminate that possibility.


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