# Dry Camping Fridge Flashing Check And Clicking



## Greg (Nov 12, 2009)

My wife is dry camping for the first time with our camper she called first thing this morning to tell me she woke up to the refrigerator clicking and the check light flashing. She checked the propane and it still shows green. She checked the battery and it shows empty. I told her to plug camper into her suburban to try to charge the battery a little. If the fridge is running on propane should it matter if the battery is dead. Need help with this food is getting warm!


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## Ridgway-Rangers (Apr 18, 2008)

The fridge still needs 12 volts to run even off of propane. If you were running it off propane eailer and it was working and now it's not. My bet is the batteries are to low to run it. plugging into your truck should help, you may want to run your truck while it's hooked up. 
you might want to make sure the propane is turned on...you never know. but you will still need the 12 volt to run it.
Good luck,
Brian


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## Greg (Nov 12, 2009)

Ridgway-Rangers said:


> The fridge still needs 12 volts to run even off of propane. If you were running it off propane eailer and it was working and now it's not. My bet is the batteries are to low to run it. plugging into your truck should help, you may want to run your truck while it's hooked up.
> you might want to make sure the propane is turned on...you never know. but you will still need the 12 volt to run it.
> Good luck,
> Brian


 Thanks for the info. That is what i thought but i am not there to look at it so i was just having to guess over the phone. I will give her a call and let her know. I really apreciate the help thanks.


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

My wife would have also complained about no lights, no water pump, no water, no toilet ect..

Plugging into the Surburban will help but it's a slow charge. Watch that she does not leave it plugged in 
overnight or you might not be able to start the Surburban in the morning.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Two six volt golfcart batts will fix that problem, you will have days of power.


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## BritsOnTour (Sep 15, 2006)

Ours went through a period of not working on gas, same issues - we had power but it was low voltage so when the a/c was running, nothing else could so we needed to switch the fridge and water to gas. Dave figured out something was out of alignment and fanangled things a bit (just checked: he moved the sparker about a 1/4" from the flame) and it's been working well since, could be the problem. He had to do a similar thing with the water too.

ali


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## ZHB (Mar 17, 2009)

There is also a switch under the freezer door that heats the seal and prevents condensation gathering on the outside of the unit (or something like that.) It will kill a 12-v battery fast! Make sure this is set to off.


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## Greg (Nov 12, 2009)

Actually the battery lasted quite a long time. I dropped her off monday night and the battery didnt die until friday morning. I tried to talk her into letting me buy a honda eu3000 generator before she went on this trip but she said she didnt want to spend the money. After camping in 100 degree plus weather and now the battery dieing I think shes regreting that decision.


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

battalionchief3 said:


> Two six volt golfcart batts will fix that problem, you will have days of power.


X2


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

The symptoms you describe appears to indicate your batteries are probably completely dead. This is bad for your batteries, as a result they may now not ever charge to full capacity again.

The Honda generator would have been the way to go (hindsight), although at higher altitudes it may not have the umph to run your AC. Two e2000iu's with a parallel kit are probably a better way to go. More expensive, yes, but they are easier to maneuver and you can always take just one if you're not going to need AC.

I've also had the "clicking" problem combined with the flashing light on my refrigerator, but it has always been air caught in the lines. This happens to me after I try starting the 'fridge after having not used the OB in a while.

I cure it by keeping a flame to the stove burner while turning it on. In about 10 seconds or so it finally lights, and then for about five more seconds or so, I light the other two burners. After I turn off the burners, the 'fridge starts without a problem.


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## carrot (Jun 10, 2010)

raynardo said:


> The symptoms you describe appears to indicate your batteries are probably completely dead. This is bad for your batteries, as a result they may now not ever charge to full capacity again.
> 
> The Honda generator would have been the way to go (hindsight), although at higher altitudes it may not have the umph to run your AC. Two e2000iu's with a parallel kit are probably a better way to go. More expensive, yes, but they are easier to maneuver and you can always take just one if you're not going to need AC.
> 
> ...


I have the same problem. wonder why the propane is escaping the line without turning off the tank.


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

It's not uncommon for connectors to loosen up when our TTs bounce around for miles and miles. It happens to our water line connectors, electrical connectors, and propane connectors. The propane detector will help spot dangerous concentrations of propane, but if you have a tiny leak in an area that vents to the outside world, the detector won't sound off but your propane levels will very slowly go down.

Air entering the line will give weird symptoms. Raynardo's comments parallel mine--he and I just turn on the stove until it lights, run the burner(s) for maybe a minute or two, and that draws propane fully to the stove. The reefer is tapped off that main line shared with the stove, so the air is removed and then the reefer gets its' healthy dose of propane and works.

If the leak is significant, there are hand-held detectors that gas folks use that are a "sniffer" for propane. I let the propane experts do that work; I do not feel I have the knowledge or experience to safely find a tiny leak and then repair it.


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