huffypuff Report post Posted February 15, 2020 On 2/15/2020 at 1:23 AM, RayIN said: Wait for it to dry, when wet it is flammable. Been there done that_; bout burned up my '57 chevy once. Next time, spray inside the distributor cap and forget the fridge. 😂🤣 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 15, 2020 I'll pass that wisdom on to Linda, she just ordered a "Amish" for her's...would save her $2,000 I'm LMAO..🤣 I'll be so happy, when we sell both of ours and get a new DP!!! We will find it between now and Tucson Rally! 😎 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 15, 2020 On 2/15/2020 at 1:23 AM, RayIN said: Wait for it to dry, when wet it is flammable. Been there done that_; bout burned up my '57 chevy once. Not nearly as flammable as it used to be, earlier version was propelled by LP gas, now non flammable air. I used to use it to start a hard starting lawnmower, not any more. I wonder how many know what WD40 stands for? sure hope the fridge goes back to work after drying out this time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted February 15, 2020 On 2/15/2020 at 3:03 PM, kaypsmith said: Not nearly as flammable as it used to be, earlier version was propelled by LP gas, now non flammable air. I used to use it to start a hard starting lawnmower, not any more. I wonder how many know what WD40 stands for? sure hope the fridge goes back to work after drying out this time. WD40 stands for Water Displacement and the 40th formula Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 15, 2020 On 2/15/2020 at 4:01 PM, huffypuff said: WD40 stands for Water Displacement and the 40th formula A+, actually the 40th formula attempt before releasing the product for use by the public. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 16, 2020 I think we all know about blankets/air pillow and not necessarily...Drive Ins. 😁 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigben6969 Report post Posted February 18, 2020 I am back in Augusta now and its working fine on ac. When I left Valdosta it was raining and it rain all the way to Augusta. got here a turned it on and its been working on both. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 18, 2020 Good news Ben. Be sure and get the Little Black Box checked out by a dealer. It can help prevent overheating . Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted February 19, 2020 On 2/18/2020 at 3:59 PM, RayIN said: BTW, that ARP device, known as Fridge Defend, is the best protection for the cooling unit available. It is wired in series with the Norcold black box. The best protection is to remove it and replace with residential unit. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted February 19, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 3:02 PM, RayIN said: I wonder if a residential will last over 20 years, my Norcold 1200LRIM has. I know of many that have and I have never heard of one catching fire. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 19, 2020 Ray, do you leave your Norcold on 24//7/365? When we had our Norcold we turned it off when not in use. I must say when it worked it did a good job. But after doing the two recalls and having the second one done three time, replacing the Board then having it die, we went to a residential. Ours was in our coach from 2002 through 2017, 15 years. We have our Samsung residential on 24/7/365 with no issues. I suggest that anyone that has a Norcold to install a fire suppression system of some sort. Several year ago I visited Colaws RV Salvage Yard in Carhenge, MO. It was really sad to see so many coaches that had been on fire. The majority of then fires had started in the ares of the refrigerator. Now off my soap box. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted February 20, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 3:02 PM, RayIN said: I wonder if a residential will last over 20 years, my Norcold 1200LRIM has. Yes, we had a member on here in the past with a residential that was from 1997, still going strong. Shocked me as we’ve lived in this S&B house since 1999 and we are on #2. He and his wife were full timers also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 20, 2020 Residential Fridges are like just about everything else if you take care of them, they will take care of you. The largest maintenance item with a RF is keeping the coils clean and make sure the fridge has adequate ventilation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted February 20, 2020 Ray, The LP pilot voltage sensors fail over time and the voltage drops low enough to disable the LP valve from opening or staying open. We do not use the Norcold on AC power. The heater coils cause the cooling unit to cycle from cold to hot . IMHO -that causes the heat exchanger to keep expanding and contracting. Like bending a piece of wire back and forth - it will brake . LP heat is quit steady so there is very little thermal change in the system. The ones that have failed have been running on AC power from the information I have been reading. Growing up in rural america , we had a ice box until I was around 10 years old. We got ice from an ice house, delivered by a horse and wagon. Then we got a LP style refrigerator that worked for a long time even after we got Electricity. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted February 21, 2020 On 2/20/2020 at 4:23 PM, RayIN said: The fact remains, the largest cause of fire in diesel pushers is engine fires, refrigerator is second; yet I seldom read of what MH owners have done to prevent/mitigate an engine fire. This may be true but in just looking at pictures at RV wrecking yards you tend to see more fire damage in the area of the refrigerator. https://rvexteriorbodypanels.visonerv.com/cgi-bin/welcome.pl? Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted February 21, 2020 On 2/20/2020 at 4:54 PM, DickandLois said: The ones that have failed have been running on AC power from the information I have been reading. YUP, ours went up in flames on electric. For the life of me I still cannot figure out why the propane valve opened and the ignition turned on. It was simultaneously! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted February 21, 2020 On 2/21/2020 at 1:42 AM, jleamont said: YUP, ours went up in flames on electric. For the life of me I still cannot figure out why the propane valve opened and the ignition turned on. It was simultaneously! Joe, Think there is a hidden design flaw. When the electric system shorts out / fails, the refrigerator control board will tend to switch to LP. That is a auto function on many models. One can defeat that by placing the system in the LP mode manually. Not real positive if that step will prevent your case, but it would keep the gas valve open and no AC supplied to the 2 - 400 watt electric heater coils that light up the coolant in the system. Kind of like using a lighter to light a number of chemicals spraying out of the can. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted February 21, 2020 On 2/21/2020 at 2:10 AM, DickandLois said: Joe, Think there is a hidden design flaw. When the electric system shorts out / fails, the refrigerator control board will tend to switch to LP. That is a auto function on many models. One can defeat that by placing the system in the LP mode manually. Not real positive if that step will prevent your case, but it would keep the gas valve open and no AC supplied to the 2 - 400 watt electric heater coils that light up the coolant in the system. Kind of like using a lighter to light a number of chemicals spraying out of the can. Rich. Pulling the outside wall access off, reaching into a fire ball and tearing out all of the wires shut it off immediately. Not sure why that was my first thought but it worked. Arm hair grew back and only minor burns that left no permanent marks. I had more heat as a Firefighter from failed fire gear than that, that hair didn't grow back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 22, 2020 Joe, among other parts of your resume. when & where was you a fireman? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 22, 2020 I remember that Joe once said he was once a Volunteer Firefighter. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted February 22, 2020 I’ll pm you so we don’t hi jack this post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted February 25, 2020 On 2/21/2020 at 1:42 AM, jleamont said: YUP, ours went up in flames on electric. For the life of me I still cannot figure out why the propane valve opened and the ignition turned on. It was simultaneously! If the fridge was on automatic and you lost 120 tripping a fuse because of a short the fridge still having 12 volts will light up the burner after flashing no ac on the control panel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted February 25, 2020 On 2/21/2020 at 2:10 AM, DickandLois said: Joe, Think there is a hidden design flaw. When the electric system shorts out / fails, the refrigerator control board will tend to switch to LP. That is a auto function on many models. One can defeat that by placing the system in the LP mode manually. Not real positive if that step will prevent your case, but it would keep the gas valve open and no AC supplied to the 2 - 400 watt electric heater coils that light up the coolant in the system. Kind of like using a lighter to light a number of chemicals spraying out of the can. Rich. That's what I do Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted February 25, 2020 If you only want it to operate on propane, just unplug the 120 VAC cord at the back of the refrigerator. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted February 26, 2020 On 2/25/2020 at 11:38 PM, wolfe10 said: If you only want it to operate on propane, just unplug the 120 VAC cord at the back of the refrigerator. True, but you can also select propane only on the panel. That is what I'm doing now until I hopefully trade my coach in. The good thing about this discussion is now most here know whats the problem. A shorted heater element can burn holes in metal. Then it can switch to propane to burn escaping gasses then the entire motorhome, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
