Furrion 12V refer woes. Looking for info about how a 'normal' one operates.

[Rgg123]

I continue to collect temperature data as my unit is at a semi-permanent site and runs continually on shore power. If you need more data let me know.

BTW, I have a small residential refrigerator as a backup on site and did some temp monitoring of its performance - BIG Difference!! The small residential unit achieves 38 degrees and maintains that temp for days. The chart looks like a flat line!

I agree with Gentek - poor design from Furrion that demands a recall and redesign.

[Gentek]

I had a look at your data and it's certainly all over the place temp wise, basically the same as mine. Any little change in something being added or the door being opened, and the temps swing wildly (with respect to a fridge anyways).

After talking with Furrion's 'tech support' it became quickly evident that these are so 'Chinese' that they really know nothing about the design, or what they are supposed to actually look like as far as electrical specs and temps. Unfortunately for Furrion, they list those items in their own Owner's Manual and they are nowhere near what is actually achieved with the fridge...

I haven't had a chance to use the new one that was just installed other than the initial 3 hour run to see if it got cold, but tomorrow and over the weekend will tell the tale. I really am not holding out any hope after seeing the old one run compared to the new one :(

[Cate&Rob]

Gentek

Your discussion with Furrion Tech Support fits with the learnings discussed at length on this forum over the last several months. They have put the Furrion name on many RV appliances designed elsewhere. Furrion has recently been acquired by LCI (Lippert) and their tech support is now trying to catch up to the technology in the marketplace under the Furrion name that now falls to LCI to sort out. This forum has discussed similar issues to this on stoves, on-demand water heaters, air conditioning and now refrigerators.

Our best bet at making these things workable in the near term is data driven discussions amongst knowledgeable owners such as this thread. With your knowledge and a "test unit" sitting in your garage, perhaps "dissecting" this unit can find a solution. The location of the temperature sensor has to be a leading candidate for root cause. For reference, the location of the temperature sensor turned out to be a primary cause of the problems with the Furrion air conditioning systems.

Rob

[Country Campers]

So as this thread got the best of me I did what I do best, go tear the thing apart!

The control knob is attached to a plastic part that is removable, 3 screws and down she comes with a little jiggle. The adjustment knob is where the temp is set and there is a thermal couple/temp probe that slides back in a tube between the top of the fridge compartment and the bottom of the freezer compartment, outlined in a pretty shade of blue (I think).

I did slide the probe out about 6 inches and back in easily, I need this to still work for a while.

Here is the temp dial,


Gentek

Being as you have one of these on a bench could you pull out that probe and tape it to the top of the fridge and see what happens?

I need to go put this back together before I get in to more trouble

Brian

[Gentek]

Country Campers I thought about yanking it out (I've had that panel down to try the resistor trick to speed the compressor up). My only concern is what it's really measuring up there. Obviously if I rip it out, I won't be able to reinstall it, and the 'testing' may be over at that point... It does seem odd to me that something as simple as a thermostat could potentially render the fridge useless if you can't remove and replace it...? It also begs the question, why didn't they just leave the tip of the temp sensor inside that compartment. There's ample room in there and it's already in the fridge section.

All of this is really sending me down a wormhole of digital temperature regulation, hah! I can easily install a digital thermostat with a VERY accurate probe, and break the compressor contacts using that instead. For the $20 or so it will take to rig one up, that may be the route I go to see if I can make this work a little more stable. I can't fix an undersized cooling system that way, but it would remove any doubt about the thermostat which is factory installed...

[Cate&Rob]

I wouldn’t (yet) assume an undersized cooling system. The absorption fridges get by with a lot less. Your thermal images look like a reasonable source of cooling. First step is to get the thermocouple into the space being cooled. ( ironically . . . not unlike getting the Furrion air conditioners to work properly). I also think that surveying the fridge exterior with your thermal camera, looking for cold leaks, would be valuable information.

Rob

[Gentek]

Cate&Rob My undersized comments come from the original unit (now test unit) running for 4 days straight to keep cold during normal use (and full of food). The compressor never turned off. It did manage to keep the fridge around 43 near the front when full of food, but it struggled to do so. Items in the rear top (near the evap coil) were frozen. I think that's really a lot to do with no circulation method in the unit, but an absorption fridge doesn't have that either?

I can see if the compressor were cycling off prematurely during that time that the thermostat would be the culprit, but I honestly think we're dealing with more than one major issue.

[Bobsrv]

I have the 10 cubic foot one in my 295RL I’m inAlaska now and temperatures have been fairly constant with freezer at 16 to 18 degrees and refrigerator 34 to 39 degrees outside temps in mid 60’s. Today same settings outside temps in low 70’s temps freezer at 5 and refrigerator at 25.same settings as I’ve used for entire trip so far been on road for 3 weeks. I’ve been monitoring using a digital thermometer with 2 remote probes. Refrigerator seems to cool better with temps in the 70’s over night they wii probably return to my average settings.

[Gentek]

Bobsrv Thanks! If you don't mind me asking, what do you typically keep the dial set at? 25° seems quite cold for a fridge, but it's good to hear that yours can manage to get that cold!

I'm attaching an image from the Owner's Manual which states what 'safe food temps' are and also what the fridge should hold at a given ambient temp and setting on the dial. Note that the safe temps are 36° for the fridge compartment and 0° for the freezer.

[Bobsrv]

I have my temperature setting at the stop 1 o’clock sensors are at front of freezer and fridge..yesterday fridge sensor was in back of fridge

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Wow. The numbers on that furrion chart don't look very good to me. With my norcold 1210 absorption fridge has a temp setting of 1 to 10. I set it on 4 and get temps pretty much the same as max on the furrion chart. Sometimes drifting as high as "between max and mid", but never as high as the rest of the chart.

[Cate&Rob]

Gentek Bobsrv

The information from Bobsrv would indicate that there is sufficient cooling available, but the control is way off. This would again point to the temperature sensing location or the accuracy of the device (thermocouple?) doing the sensing. A 25F fridge temperature would freeze and ruin contents intended to be kept cold but above freezing.

Rob

[Rgg123]

UPDATE #3: I continue to collect data from the refrigerator. On Wednesday, I set the RV A/C system at 81 degrees and left the RV to return home for a few days - yet I continue to collect electronic temperature data for the refrigerator. Interestingly, the refrigerator performance is greatly improved, with temp ranges between 29 degrees and 38 degrees - I can live with that. The cooler and steady ambient air temp of the inside of the RV (due to the A/C running) may be the reason for the improved performance (in prior weeks I did not leave the A/C on and the air temp inside the RV reached higher than 81 degrees). Just an observation on my part, and I will need to monitor for several more days, but…..

I also chatted with a friend of mine who has worked on commercial refrigeration units for more than 30 years. I shared my data with him and told him when I adjusted the inside ambient air RV temp. His immediate response is that the ambient air may have been to hot for the refrigerator to work properly over time. He noted that the fridge condenser may have “overheated” and needed several hours to cool down and “reset” - thus my wide and long temp variances. He wonders if the fan venting the hot air is properly sized as there is barely any noise when the fridge is working. This, and possibly the location of the temp sensors may be the root cause of the issues.

I will provide additional updates regarding my temp monitoring.

[Rgg123]

I read the Furrion Refrigerator Operating Manual today for any additional clues regarding the operational issues listed in this forum. I noted that in the discussion of installation, Furrion recommends the pairing of the fridge unit with a lithium ion battery - they specifically call out the lithium ion battery as the preferred battery choice. My unit came standard with a lead acid battery, as I assume most if not all standard issue GD RVs come with a lead acid battery. Did GD miss the Furrion recommendation to pair the 12v fridge with a LI battery instead of a lead acid battery? Only GD knows, but it may add to the poor performance of the Furrion 12v fridge. My question: how many owners experiencing issues with their Furrion 12v refrigerators have a LI battery instead of a lead acid battery?

Also, the manual recommends emptying your refrigerator and turning the unit off while in transit. It also states that when you reach your destination you should “wait two hours and allow the condenser oil to settle before turning it on again.” WHAT??!! Any RV owner traveling across the country needs an operating refrigerator while in transit - what value is the unit if you cannot safely transport your food while moving from location to location? When I owned a refrigerator that ran on propane I could count on using it while in transit - what gives with the 12v design? I am interested if anyone has read this and what to make of it.

[Cate&Rob]

I read the Furrion Refrigerator Operating Manual today . . . the manual recommends emptying your refrigerator and turning the unit off while in transit. It also states that when you reach your destination you should “wait two hours and allow the condenser oil to settle before turning it on again.” WHAT??!!

Rgg123
Could you provide a link to the Furrion document with this statement? Obviously written by someone who is not an RVer. Yikes !

Rob