Your RV Refrigerator is a vital component for keeping your food fresh while on the road. Thankfully, many problems with your refrigerator are easy to repair yourself with some simple tools and troubleshooting. The first thing you should do is check that the fridge is plugged into its dedicated power source and not being run off your coach battery or another appliance. A multimeter is a handy tool to have, especially when working on RVs, as it can help you determine whether or not there is actual electricity getting to the fridge. If the refrigerator is not running on electric and is only working off of propane, there may be a problem with the fridge’s thermocouple, which can also be fixed by a trained technician.

You should also make sure the freezer fan is running, as this will help circulate the cool air. If you are unsure if the freezer fan is working, simply close the door and listen for it to turn on and off. Also, check for ice in the freezer vents and clear those out if needed.

An often overlooked issue is a dirty cooling coil. If the cooling coils are clogged with dirt, they will not be able to efficiently cool the food in your RV refrigerator. Cleaning the coils is an important maintenance task that you should do at least once a year.

If your RV refrigerator is not cooling at all, it could be because the fridge is set up off-level. The cooling coils in the back of your RV are designed for a specific angle and if they are not at this specific angle, they will begin to wear down over time and could eventually fail.

Alternatively, the refrigeration system could be leaking or there might be an issue with the refrigerator’s electrical components. A combustible gas detector can be helpful in these cases as they usually run on batteries and can detect ammonia leaks as well as other flammable gases. A new refrigerator thermostat, a new cooling coil, or a new 120-volt glass fuse might be necessary in these situations.

You should always consult your owner’s manual to find the location of the temperature sensor that monitors the freezer and food compartment. Depending on the model of your refrigerator, this sensor could be misaligned or not functioning properly. Changing this sensor yourself is an easy, affordable RV fridge repair job that you can tackle yourself, but you should contact a professional technician for other repairs or if you are unsure of what you’re doing.

Some issues are better left to the professionals, so be sure to follow our tips and remember that if you are uncomfortable working on an RV refrigerator or if it’s not cooling, you should call in a trained technician. You never know when a quick fix might save you from having to spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive replacement. rv refrigerator repair