Mystery 30 amp 12v Refrigerator circuit.
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Printed Date: 09 Jun 2025 at 9:36pm
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Topic: Mystery 30 amp 12v Refrigerator circuit.
Posted By: Bonehead
Subject: Mystery 30 amp 12v Refrigerator circuit.
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2024 at 7:32pm
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This is a question about an r-Pod 153 2022. I bought this camper 1 1/2 years old never used from a local guy.
As everyone knows there’s lots of little flaws and defects in these campers. I saw a guy comment…. “They are all built like they are made at 5:30 on a Friday”. Like everyone I have fixed and tweaked all sorts of little things. I’m actually in the homebuilding construction business so I’m pretty handy and have been around some. So…. One thing has got me a little bit stumped so I wanted to ask if anybody knew the answer. This particular camper comes with with the propane/electric refrigerator. It’s a Norcold N7V. I suspect that Forest River sort of generically labels the electrical panels in these. And I don’t think that they’re always labeled correctly. In the panel, there’s a 15 amp breaker that’s got several devices on it and one of the devices on it is the electronics of the refrigerator. The refrigerator has a label in it only draws .9 amps DC. Then there’s the shore power 110/120 breaker. Issue: There is a third 30 amp 12V fuse in the panel labeled “refrigerator element”. I am about certain that this model of propane refrigerator does not have a DC element . So I think the panel is labeled incorrectly. It’s probably labeled that way if there is a different type of propane refrigerator that has a DC back up. I’m curious if anybody has seen or had this situation. The 30 amp 12V fuse circuit is wired to a green and white wire pair. (I can see that the general running lights are wired with this color as well, but it’s not connected to them ) The white is on the ground block and the green to the hot lead of the 30 amp 12v…it runs underneath the furnace, which is underneath the refrigerator in this model. I removed the bottom shelf on the cubby on the right side of the refrigerator compartment and I have determined that the wire runs into a hollow wall that’s in between the cubbies and the refrigerator, up into the ceiling. I pulled the fuse and everything still works. Unfortunately I can’t see where the wire goes once it goes inside the wall up to the ceiling, and I’m not going to tear it all apart more to find out. I called Forest River to see if they might offer me a little bit of courtesy tech-support and maybe just tell me where they thought the wire went. (seems like a legitimate safety hazard that a breaker/fuse of any kind is labeled incorrectly and goes possibly to nowhere)They totally blew me off and told me I should contact the dealer. Then the dealer just totally blew me off said “we don’t give free support.” (this was the dealer that sold the camper to the guy… it doesn’t seem like it would’ve killed them to possibly give me five minutes of advice or insight) Does anybody know where that wire goes? or what it’s possibly hooked to. Or does it just go up into the ceiling and it’s hooked to nothing? There’s not one device on the camper that’s not working when the fuse is pulled. Lastly…. it’s not a very heavy gauge wired have a 30 amp 12 V on it. Thanks for any input…and I would gladly return the favor if I can. ✌️ Steve |
Replies:
Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2024 at 7:56am
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I have a 2019 179 so the wiring diagram/label will not be the same because I have a 3 way Dometic fridge (gas, 120v and 12v). On the 12v side of the breaker box I have 2 / 30 amp fuses one is labeled for the slide out motors and the other is labeled for the "Battery, Refer Elements". The first fuse would be for both slide out motors which makes sense. The second fuse would operate the fridge elements and would protect the feed from the converter located in the WFCO beaker box to the battery. Thus the labeling Battery, Refer Element. In your case if there is just one set (+ and -) of wires connected to the Battery, Refer Elements fuse then I would think that fuse is protecting the charging circuit from the converter to the on board 12v battery. Rather than just leaving this wiring circuit connected running who knows where identify it, which you are trying to do. If in fact that fuse does controls the charging circuit from the breaker box to the battery and you remove the fuse I don't believe that the converter will run to recharge the battery when it is called for. There for I believe that you have an "old" wiring label. Hope this helps. ------------- Jay 179/2019 |
Posted By: Bonehead
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2024 at 3:50pm
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Hi Jay
Thanks for the interest. Mystery solved. It’s hooked to the electric awning. I was going to send you a picture of the panel, but I don’t think I have those type of privileges on the forum But the label says this: 1)7.5aFurnace 2)15a Interior Lights , AC 3)15a LP, WH, MP, Pump, Rifrig 4)15a Bath Lights ,Stereo , Fan 5)30a Refer Element (this is/was the mystery circuit. I know this refrigerator does not have an element.) 6) 30a Battery “7” …. there’s one overall additional 40 amp circuit that I think is for the whole panel but it’s not labeled on the sticker So number five that’s hooked to the green and white wire that runs under the furnace. The furnace is under the refrigerator in this model and then it runs up into the wall beside the refrigerator into the ceiling. Guess I’m dumb but not sure what LP and MP are. (maybe one is the tank/battery info panel) I actually realized writing this response the awning is not labeled…and this helped me solve the problem .because I realize that I didn’t test the awning after I pulled the 30 amp circuit. Number 5 is absolutely hooked up to the awning and makes complete sense because it does run up into the ceiling. But that’s pretty nuts that they did not label that correctly and when I asked the dealer and Forest River for some simple explanation, I got nothing out of them. Its interesting to me that you can call all kinds of product manufacturers and get casual telephone tech-support after the warranty just as good customer service and safety…and they don’t do anything like that. I guess par for the course. And to put in a good word for goPower. I actually called them because the solar controller that came dealer or factory installed was buzzing very faintly. And they sent me a replacement out of warranty. But Forest River can’t do a damn thing for you! Serious thanks!👍✌️ |
Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2024 at 4:42pm
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Glad you were able to figure it out. It sounds correct that would fuse the awning. In the older trailers the LP powers the LP/Carbon Monoxide Tester, WH powers the water heater control circuit, MP powers the monitor panel (fluid levels, fresh water, black water, gray water and battery charge level). Yours shows "Rifrig" which could stand for the controlling circuit for the fridge and the pump would be the water pump. The non-labeled 40 amp fuse is in my trailer for a reverse polarity fuse. If the batteries were connected backwards "polarity reversed" that fuse should blow and protect the 12v equipment in the trailer. That is my understanding. Hope this helps. ------------- Jay 179/2019 |
Posted By: StewRPod153
Date Posted: 26 Aug 2024 at 5:30pm
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