Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks: Frustrating RV refrigerator

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Frustrating RV refrigerator

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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13021
Printed Date: 23 Jun 2025 at 10:34pm
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Topic: Frustrating RV refrigerator

Posted By: Happy Tripping
Subject: Frustrating RV refrigerator
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 7:14am

We've had our trailer now for about 5 years and NEVER has the refer been reliable on propane. It works fine on electricity but on propane perhaps 1/5 of the time it works ok on a trip, but only after after fiddling at the beginning after doing simple things like taking the hot chimney off and then putting it back on after a blast of compressed air. Yes, from this forum I know there are various things to do to baby it along and make it work right, but I'm not a good 'babyer', having little electrical/mechanical knowledge or ability.

It has gotten so that I have just given up on the propane option. If there is shore power where we're going, we precool on electricity and pack the ice box, transferring at our destination to the refer. I'm sure it is the technology at fault, the design of rv refers seems to be quite standard and our rv repair place assures me the refer works fine when I ask them to look at it.

So, my question is - Is this performance the usual? (I doubt it, if it were, there'd be no point in having a propane option). ?So therefore maybe I should just replace the refer? (But not if the new one will just do the same thing).

Replies:

Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 8:22am

Literally millions and millions of gas powered fridges out there.. The technology is fine, works well and is "accepted"..

Yours has an issue.

Around a very large part of the world, gas powered fridges are the ONLY option. Hundreds of them in the county I live in and the neighboring county.

Maybe you need a different RV place, or maybe you need to be available to "see" what the shop is doing to run it "just fine"...

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Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 8:54am

Happy, why don't you get a new refrigerator, if your current one doesn't work. It is easy to install yourself and the cost is generally about the same as any complicated repair of the old one. The RV appliance world, like airplane and boat parts, takes advantage of its customers in pricing replacement parts. By the time you add in the labor, you've paid the money that a new one costs.

FR sells the drop in unit for the rPod at a pretty reasonable price. When I installed mine, they were very helpful with some small wiring changes I had to do to update to the newer refrigerator requirements. The total installation took about 4 hours [I did some extra work that was for my own preference] and now the new refrigerator works great on gas, ac, and dc [though I never use dc because of the heavy battery drain].

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 12:51pm

Refrigerators are quite good on propane and we never used the 12V option and also when running the A/C and microwave keep the refrigerator on propane to save amps. I put on filters to block spiders from getting into the vents and have not had any problems. Very reliable would definitely replace the refrigerator (but no need for a 3 way just propane/120v option will do)

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OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 2:51pm

We have our fridge vents covered with 1/8th" ss wire mesh. Seems to keep the bugs out and lets plenty of air flow through.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: crankster78
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 6:58pm

Greetings:

I blow out the burner area with compressed air at least once a season. Sometimes I will have to hit the "reset button" 2 or 3 times, but it always works.

Crankster78

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Crankster 78 R-179 2015