I have read some post that  say the fridge needs to be turned on a few days in advance. 

  I have left my Pod connected to my 110 house current for a couple of weeks now since my first test weekend.   The fridge is cool enough I think to keep food but the freezer is not  frozen by any means.

Is this normal.? 

  Does the freezer actually freeze on 30 amp service? 

 or on Propane?

I did find a push button on the inside rear wall that I pushed but have no idea what it does. Anyone out their know?

I also turned on the propane and will recheck it tomorrow night when I get in.

Anyone know what the push button switch does on the inner back wall.  I was looking for the reset switch as their is a sticker on the door in German about reset switch but the picture looks nothing like anything I can find on fridge.

First, put a thermometer inside and see what the actual temperature reading is. 24 hours is more than enuf time, except maybe on hot summer days, to get to working temperatures. Then if it is not at least about 40 degrees, adjust the temperature setting down and see if the refer temperature reacts. If it doesn't improve, I'm afraid you've got a problem. The technology in travel trailer refers is not the same as in our home refers and in my experience it is, unfortunately, sometimes very temperamental (spider webs, wasps nest, ?phase of the moon?). 

The refer should be able to keep things frozen for quite a long time.  In our 8+ years of owning our 177 we have had frozen meat (pre-frozen when put in freezer) stay frozen for 4 days with no sign of thawing out.  The only reason we haven't done longer is that we eat a lot of meat and that is the longest we can go w/o shopping and purchasing more.  Another possibility is that maybe the two muffin fans on the rear side of your refer are not working.  We had this problem years ago when we noticed the refer was not very cold.  My brother, an electrical engineer, and RV expert in these matters isolated our problems within 5 minutes.  Problem was the di-electric switch was located way too low on the coils, by repositioning it near the top, pretty close to the exhaust pipe for the propane, the fans turned on almost immediately.  I told my brother, "I never heard that sound before."  He only laughed and told me he had seen this same thing on many other refers. 

We precool only 1 day in advance before heading out, this is plenty of time for the refer to cool down, especially if you put in a few frozen items like an ice block or something similar during the process.

If you have manually turned the temperature down as far as possible and still not cold enough there is another option--try adjusting your thermister.  Look it up in the search function or google.  It is a small module in the interior of the fridge, at the back and probably up high on the fins.  there is a bulb on the lower end and a wire coming from the top. It is held onto the fins by a clip.  Try gently moving the thermister up higher on the fin and this will also change the temperature.

the freezer will definitely get cold enough to keep pre-frozen items frozen. We have used the freezer for ice cream and meats without defrosting. I would not expect it to freeze items that were not already frozen.

Vann

Your freezer should freeze stuff if the temperature is set to the coldest or near coldest settings.  On our fridge, there is a little bar graph on the control panel above the door where you adjust the cold setting.  There are buttons at the coldest and warmest ends of the lighted bar graph to raise or lower the temperature.  

If you are running it on 110 ac you should be able to get it cold enough to freeze unless you are in extraordinarily hot weather.  If it isn't freezing, then there may be an issue with the unit that you will want to have a refrigeration tech look at.  You should have about 40℉ in the fridge, and about 0℉ in the freezer.  Check with a thermometer.  

You may also want to fire up the gas system in the fridge.  If  you haven't used your propane system in a while,  you may need to bleed the air out.  Just light the stove until you can sustain a flame then turn it off.  Then turn on the fridge and choose gas operation on the control panel.  It may give you an error a couple times if there is air in the line, but once it lights, then leave it over night and check the temperatures in your fridge and freezer.  If it's still not cold, then you may have an issue in the burner unit that you'll need to have a tech look at.  

We camped last year at Lee's Ferry along the Colorado River and it was hotter than #%$@&*!, certainly over 100 and our fridge did fine keeping everything cold and frozen in the freezer while running on gas.  Since then, I've put in a couple extra pancake fans to keep the air moving in the area behind the fridge which should make it even more efficient.  

There are a couple of things that are not mentioned. Is this a new RPod with a new refrigerator? If so, get your dealer to check it out under warranty.

Given that it is a 2017 model and it is 2019, did you purchase it used? If so, then there are a couple of things you can check.

First is that the door shuts tightly. These absorption refrigerators are more sensitive to air leaks.

Second is that if it is not cooling on propane, the burner and flue of the refrigerator may need to be cleaned. If they are clean, is your propane regulator providing adequate gas pressure? Regulators can go bad, especially if the quality of the propane allows for an oily liquid build-up in your regulator and propane lines. You may need to blow that out with some air pressure and then purge the system and try again. If you are not comfortable with doing this, you should have your RV Dealer's service department clean everything and check the gas flow/pressure.

Third, adding a second muffin fan in the outside compartment may help.

Last, running it empty is probably the worst way to test it. It does need contents to help stabilize the temperatures. Water bottles are okay and cheap.

I use a wireless sender from an indoor/outdoor thermometer placed inside the refrigerator to help me monitor what is going on in there without having to open the door more than necessary. That may help also.

You might want to check out Costco.  When I was in our local Costco last week, they had a bunch of propane tanks that come with gauges for for about $25.  That's a pretty good deal.  

As for bleeding the air out of your gas lines, the lighting the stove usually works well, but the line to the water heater, furnace, and fridge may need a little help.  Turn on your hot water heater with the gas operation switch on the face of the galley cabinet or turn on your furnace.  They may try to light a couple times before firing up, but if they have gas, your fridge should too.  

The tanks with the gauges work, but they are also a relative reading. Full is pretty much so when you first get it filled. However, at the bottom of the gauge where you would think it would register empty, it is actually registering low. You may have a few hours or days worth of gas left depending on the temperature.

The are a few truly accurate ways to tell how much gas is in there. The cheapest is to heat some water. Pour that over the tank. Wait a few seconds and then feel the tank. You will feel a distinct change in temperature from the part of the tank above the liquid level (warmer) than the part at and below the liquid level (colder). You can also purchase electronic gauges that use a small scale on which the tank sits. It is measuring the weight of the tank and propane. Deduct the weight of the tank and you have the weight of the propane. It is easy to convert the weight of the propane to determine the level. One gallon of liquified propane weighs 4.23 pounds. The average 20 lb tank contains about 4.75 gallons when full.

If you have a luggage scale, you could take the tank out an weigh it, but that is quite inconvenient.

The reason why you bleed from the stove in a 180 is its the farthest gas operated appliance downstream from your LP tank. Think of propane as water or even in your analogy of brake fluid with bleeding brakes. Just turn on your stove and let it run for a bit and soon the air will be out of the whole system.

Mopeka makes a sensor that sits under and attached to the tank bottom by magnets that sends a signal threw the LP tank and then receives this signal. It then sends this information to your Bluetooth device (iPhone, ect.) and with their app it gives you a fairly accurate indication of your tank level.  

 

In case you don't know this about absorption refrigerators, they have to be level to work well.

Make sure the pod is as level as you can get it during operation of the fridge while the pod is setup and on shore power for the fridge, or using LP while camped.

+1 The refrigerator must be relatively level (+/- 3 degrees generally). From a Dometic manual:

"For optimal cooling performance, an absorption refrigerator must be level. If the refrigerator operates
in a noticeable out-of-level condition for several hours, loss of cooling performance will occur.
When RV is parked and absorption system is operating, the RV must be level enough to live in and
feel comfortable."

Also, Dometic states that altitude affects how the refrigerator performs. The recommendation is to run on electricity if above 5,000 ft.

Dont feel bad, I had the same thoughts when I first got mine. I had to actually adjust it up and down, then go outside and watch the burner, to see which end of the scale was cold, and which end was COLDER, by the action of the burner. I'm like you, at first I thought that a lower bar meant a lower temp. 

Ooops, wrong! More bars, and higher bars, means COLDER. 

It's not as simple as it would seem with just rising bars like the bars for signal strength on a cell phone. 

You're not the only one who had to figure it out!

It seems to be a 'euro thing'.....

I might do this when away from the trailer for hours, especially when boondocking and on cloudy days when solar input will be in short supply, or I have secured the portable panel inside to deter theft.

The propane detector pulls about 100 ma or so, and yeah I could put that on a switch, and wire the USB power socket on a switch, and the stereo parasitic drain on a switch, etc etc, so that the ONLY thing pulling any DC would be the fridge control board. If I'm away for a few hours, the propane detector is useless if I'm not there to hear it anyway. All the other parasitic drains are also useless when I'm away. 

So, in my case, the simple answer might be to have a battery backup in the fridge, after all, the fridge has that option, and all I need is the little battery holder. But where to buy? And how many hours or days will the 8 AA batteries last? No one seems to know. I would like to find out!

Originally posted by podwerkz That's a valid point but not relevant for me. I wanted a 'backup' so that I can flip the main DC power off and still have the fridge control power working. So, in my case, the simple answer might be to have a battery backup in the fridge, after all, the fridge has that option, and all I need is the little battery holder. But where to buy? And how many hours or days will the 8 AA batteries last? No one seems to know. I would like to find out!

podwekz I don't know the model year of your Pod but if its the same age as mine or older check out the refrigerator control board and I'll bet you it doesn't have battery back up for its control board. Believe me its not that hard to deplete your battery when the converter goes out and you don't know. Being plugged into shore power is no help then which it wise to carry a dumb portable battery charger. If I had a schematic of this control board I think I could figure out where to add this back up and what voltage it would take. It probably is allot less then what you think. If you can figure out how to get an emergency battery backup to the frig please let us all know. Its a shame that the manufacture doesn't make a upgrade kit (or didn't when I talked to them last year) or that FR is still putting in the bottom line refrigerator instead of one they make which does have battery backup.

The fridge has the compartment for the battery holder, but no battery holder is in there. The battery holder is referred to as an 'accessory' in the manual. I googled around but that is a wild goose chase, every time I put in search terms like 'dometic refrigerator' and 'battery holder' I get a slew of responses related to battery powered 12 volt fridges.

Dometic's webpage itself has no information about this that I can find, they want me to contact my dealer. Well I don't want to drive 150 miles for a $5 battery holder, but it may come to that. 

 

podwekz, you can drive around the world for this battery holder and find no dealer has it. Why, because your refrigerator control board was made NOT to have this battery backup. Please, don't you or anyone else believe me, instead go ahead and call Dometic tech support. Give them the model number of your refrigerator like I did and then I bet you will also find out that your refrigerator control board is made NOT to have this backup and there is NO add on battery holder you can get. Sorry to say but FR went on the cheap to maximize profit on our refrigerators with buying Dometic's bottom line frig.

Or a 'concept' that was there for marketing but no solid implentation. That would explain a lot. 

I looked in the compartment and there is a connector, but no battery holder so that had me thinking I just need a $5 part, or maybe it's $50, who knows. But as you say, maybe it's made of 'un-obtanium' so I can't afford one at any price, unless I owned a plastics molding plant in China.

Maybe, just maybe, I can 'fool' the fridge into thinking that it has that battery holder full of 8 AA batteries. A small rechargeable 12v sealed battery might work....hmmmm.....

podwerkz, please do yourself a favor and go and copy your model and serial number for your frig down and then call Dometic to see if or if not your model has this battery add on capability. When I contacted them last year about my model frigerator and getting this battery backup power supply add on they sent me the following message:

David,

Hello and good morning.  This part is not available for your American model refrigerator.   I have attached the parts list for you above.

Sincerely,

Carrie

Dometic Retail Customer Service

1-800-544-4881 Opt.2, Opt.2

Dometic Corporation

1120 N Main St.

Elkhart, Indiana 46514

http://www.dometic.com/ - Hopefully you find out your model frig is different and this back up battery is available for it. Best of luck!

https://www.amazon.com/CO-RODE-Battery-Holder-Switch/dp/B00VE7HBMS

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Holder-Snap-Connector-Corpco/dp/B01N91OF9H

Or go crazy cutting edge and wire this in...

https://www.amazon.com/TalentCell-Rechargeable-12000mAh-Multi-led-indicator/dp/B00ME3ZH7C/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_23_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CWWS9V5996KQR99E5VCH

Originally posted by furpod Look.. it takes 8 AA batteries. It ain't rocket science. If it has the capability to run on AA's, then the control board has to have connection points for leads... Go get ANY "8 AA battery Holder" and go to it. As long as they are the right format to fit the space, and honestly I have only ever seen a couple formats, will fit...

furpod, may I ask how do you even know IF his refrigerator control board has battery backup? Mine sure doesn't which I confirmed with Dometic and visually by me when I removing the board. This is why I "suggested" he called them with his model and serial number of his refrigerator to confirm if indeed has this back up. If it does then great he can order the part direct from Dometic. Also this board may just run on 5Vdc as allot of control boards do and not 12Vdc. Its best to check out first wouldn't you agree?

Turning off the gas leak detector is a bad idea if you have the gas to your trailer turned on at the tank.  You never know when a leak may develop, which is the reason those leak detectors are required, I suspect.  You may head out to do something on a cloudy day and on entering the trailer with cigarette in hand or making a tiny spark with the door latch, you may experience a rather unpleasant hot flash.  At least if you hear the alarm screeching away, you will be alerted to turn the gas and battery off before entering.  

There is a safety reason to have the operation of gas appliances linked with the operation of the leak detector via the house battery.  If you are going to bypass that important safety feature, please park your Pod well away from ours.  Maybe FR had motivations other than getting the cheapest refrigerator they could find.

Here is a link to the pictures of the interior of the dometic fridge 'eyebrow', with the battery compartment and the header that I would assume the battery holder will plug into. Until I dig into it further, I wont know if the pins are marked for polarity.

(I dont know if this link will work)

http://photos.app.goo.gl/NDQ5b57aMp3PS5Jr9 - https://photos.app.goo.gl/NDQ5b57aMp3PS5Jr9

Also, I performed a check on the current draw to the electronics of just the fridge when running on propane: 57 milliamps. Pretty low. I would assume that number will be even lower on 8 AA batteries, since the manual says the fridge goes into power saving mode when on these batteries.

There is no customer service number on the Dometic webpage that I could find, only an email form. If I get to the point where all my other mods are done and I want to persue this, I will make more efforts in that direction.  

Be careful about using just any battery holder for this. The way the picture is, it is possible that this is only supplying 6V to the refrigerator given that the polarity of the batteries on one side of the case are both positive toward one end and on the other side of the case, they are negative toward the same end.  You would really need to verify the voltage before you plug anything in.

Well that clears up allot podwerkz, it does seem your refrigerator has battery backup for the control board, lucky you!

Just call them at:

Dometic Retail Customer Service

1-800-544-4881 Opt.2, Opt.2

You can order the battery holder direct and receive any additional instructions you may need.

Fred, the reason why you may want to have this battery backup to the control board is really simple. Lets suppose your hooked up to shore power and unbeknown to you the converter is dead. So you go on your happy way camping and the whole time all DC systems, such as the control board for your refrigerator, is slowly drawing down power from your camper battery. Until out of the blue and much to your surprise it drains so much power that the control board dies then guess what? Yep, no refrigerator, the gas will not ignite and all controls to it go dead. Unfortunately for me I found this out the hard way and even more unfortunate I found out that FR put in the bottom line Dometic refrigerator that doesn't even have the option for this control board. Luckily for me when it happened I also carry a dumb 6/12V battery charger so I was able to clip its leads onto the camper battery and all was good so we were able to continue our trip.

One thing I thought of: Inside the lower fridge outside service vent, are the hookups for 12v electronic, and 12v heater. They are clearly marked.

I'm now referring to the 12v electronic supply, NOT the 12v heater supply.

I measured the 57 ma current at that point. I see there is ample room under there for a small deep cycle sealed lead acid battery. One could wire up a switch or connector to feed the control circuits with that small SLA battery, and install a small solar panel and controller to keep that battery charged. 

Hmmm....the 'wheels' are turning!

Just as a note.. with dual T-105's installed we routinely went 10 days off grid, no battery switching or worries.The heater fan was the one and only thing that could shorten our stay without a recharge.

How long do you hope to stay off grid?  

I was going by the fact that the OP stated he had leads and a connector for the battery box...

Yes, trust me on this: I will NOT be randomly applying 6 or 12 volts to any of these pins on an expensive, brand new fridge.

These electronic gizmos always seem to work better if you dont let the magic smoke out. 

From my days when I had a TR3

Lucas electrics-reminds me of the '56 MGA that we restored. the fuel pump was electric-it ticked when sitting still.  I had parked it on a city street and  a lady called the cops thinking I had a bomb in my car.

Lucas electrics-also in my old BSA motorcylces and Truimphs.

Vann