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

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  • #46
    I'm about to purchase a Grand Design Imagine with a the Furrion 10 Cu Ft. refrigerator and this string is interesting! We've had absorption-style fridges for 25 years in various rigs and this will be our first compressor type.

    One thing I have not seen commented on is that in the OP's case, his compressor was on for 4 days straight and the fridge section did not get properly cold. This does not seem like a tstat issue. 4 day full on he should have had a block of ice! The compressor, which we have established is either 'on" or "off" spent 4 days doing it's best to cool and failed. This seems like a cooling system (compressor, Etc.) problem or a thermal design problem (location of coils, thermal pathways, insulation). A "better" tstat can't fix those issues.

    All of this makes me wonder what new world of problems we may be buying into next week-end..

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    • #47
      Good morning everyone! I apologize for the lack of response over the past week or so, things have been extremely busy with a camping trip in there and then bad weather here (I own a Generac dealership)...

      Back to the story:

      I believe after messing with my original fridge (now setup in the garage for 'testing'), that it's either a low charge issue, or an issue with how the thermostat was/is positioned and the compressor running for so long, that the coils began to freeze and actually become less efficient... To re-cap, the original unit ran for 4 days straight (set to max) and never shut down. During that time the fridge struggled to keep the fridge compartment at 45°, the freezer was cold (about 15°).

      We had a chance to go camping with the replacement fridge installed. We left the unit on for 12 hours to get cold (vs. the 3 they advertise). For the first 3-4 hours we left it on Max, and then turned it to the dot just before max after that, following the directions in the book exactly. After the 12 hours or so, the fridge was off and the temps were pretty normal, 38° in the fridge and about -15° in the freezer. We didn't stock it too heavily since we already had things in the coolers, but it did seem to hold the temps fairly consistently over the 4 days we used it. During our stay we were plugged in and had the AC on, set to about 70°.

      A few things worth noting about the new fridge...

      The amperage that's drawn hasn't changed from the old fridge, around 5A max, and once running for a while, drops to about 4A. I hear no changes in compressor speed or sound during any of the various readings, and still don't believe that this is a 'variable speed' system... There's nothing that would tell the compressor to speed up or slow down, it's simply a thermostat which is either open or closed. This tells me that the advertised 11A just isn't even close, and we're never going to see or expect to see those numbers.

      The temp gauge at the setting just before max seems to be the sweet spot for my new fridge. This makes me wonder if running the fridge on Max was actually causing the coils to freeze (no way to see them to know for sure). Once the coils are frozen, they would cool less efficiently.

      The space in the fridge compartment that actually gets cold is still quite small and just a patch at the rear top of the fridge, same as the other one, but I think that's just the design. During our last trip, there was frost/ice buildup at the rear of the fridge, and I'm sure that anything back there would have frozen if left close enough. We put meat and other items like that near that rear area, and the ground beef was partially frozen after 2 days.

      The thermostat probe is still an unknown mystery as to where it actually monitors temp. I haven't ripped into the old one to find out, and may add a digital control system to that fridge for testing, since that's fairly easy on this fridge and would yield some additional information for anyone following along.

      We're headed back out camping this weekend and also the following, so we'll get some better use from it and see how it goes. I really hate having this feeling of dread about the fridge possibly not working, or that it may become erratic during a trip. I shouldn't feel that way, but sometimes after hearing everyone else's trouble and comparing it to mine, there's just no getting around it!

      Hopefully this thread is helping others along the way!! I appreciate everyone's data and willingness to help out!

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      • #48
        Gentek this is good info so thanks for the update. My issue continues to be related to the RV ambient air temp - the fridge does not operate properly when the RV ambient air temp gets above 85 degrees - not hard to achieve on a sunny day, even with outside air temps in the mid 70’s and the windows open. My RV park experienced a brief power outage (occurs once a month or so) and when that happened my RV A/C turned off - heating up the inside RV ambient temp to more than 95 degrees. The fridge went back to wild temp swings with the average temp of over 55 degrees - unacceptable for storing food. To help solve the issue, I ordered a MicroAir wall thermostat and will replace the Coleman thermostat. The problem with the Coleman unit is that it does to auto reset after a power outage - you have to physically be on site to reset the A/C. The MicroAir thermostat will allow me to operate, monitor, and set the A/C from anywhere via my WiFi - including resetting the A/C after a power outage.

        I am interested in learning where Furrion locates the temp sensors in these 12v units - keep us posted and thx again!
        2022 Reflection 295RL Fifth Wheel. 2016 Ford F-250 Short Bed Super Duty Diesel, with B&W Patriot Slider Hitch mounted on rails. Formerly owned a 2008 40 foot Damon diesel pusher and a 2016 30 foot Airstream Classic TT.

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        • #49
          Here is a picture of the temp probe location in my Furrion.

          Click image for larger version

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          It is slide into a nylon type sleeve/tube located between the fridge and freezer compartment. I did not pull it out so I do not know how long it is.

          Brian
          Brian & Michelle
          2018 Reflection 29RS
          2022 Chevy 3500HD

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          • #50
            I'm thinking there are several feet of that tube hidden up there, but not positive! Most of the replacement thermostats I can find with the same part numbers have approx 3' of capillary attached to them.

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            • #51
              I have had nothing but issues with my fridge. Model FCR08DCGTA. The temp is very inconsistent. Ambient temperature doesn't seem to play much of a role. I also have sensors in both the fridge and freezer with 15~ temp swings. I just got back from an 11 day trip where the temps continued to climb each day to the point of having to put my food in coolers. I have found that if I turn it off and then back on it seems to work better for a few days and then starts climbing again. All the research i have done shows the Furrion refrigerators are very problematic. Replacing them with the same fridge does not fix anything. I was a little upset when i saw the same trailer as mine (2022 Momentum 28G) on another lot with a different fridge. In fact, all there trailers had the Norcold 12-volt fridges. I am really hoping GD will replace my fridge with a Norcold, but i still havent received a return call.

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              • #52
                I just got my refrigerator doors replaced seals were compressed and freezer would ice up and refrigerator had water condensation . I’ll post after I run it a few days .Doors now latch tight.

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