Episode 214 – Norcold RV Refrigerator Not Cooling? Start Here Before You Buy Parts

Don't let an RV refrigerator spoil your next trip and staying on the road.

Today we're going to talk about Norcold refrigerators, specifically that aren't cooling and they're causing you problems.

But before you start throwing parts at it, listen to this episode.

We will help you make a good decision diagnosing it and then a quick tips before you start replacing parts or buying new.

New appliances, new whatever.

Test it before you do such a thing.

I'll explain and then his smart tips.

Buying a new RV doesn't always eliminate the problems and I have a great example for you and I'm Eric Stark.

Welcome to the Smart rver podcast.

If you'd rather be camping than sit in a repair shop, you're in the right place.

In every episode, I'll walk you through practical DIY maintenance and repairs that keep you on the road.

Welcome back, Smart RVers.

Today is episode 214.

Now, a quick reminder here.

If you're looking for a new rv, used RV, and you want an RV extended warranty, check out Wholesale Warranties.

There's a link in the description of this podcast.

And Wholesale Warranties doesn't care if you're buying the rv, whether it's from a private party, a dealership, if it's new, if it's used, they will provide you with an RV extended warranty if that's what you want.

But beyond that, the not only less expensive than a dealership, which, hey, I think that goes without saying, right?

What isn't less expensive than buying a dealership?

And they give you the truth.

They give you the facts up front.

So you know what a warranty is going to cover and what it won't cover.

Those are the things that are always left out, what it won't cover.

And you don't find that out until you're at a dealership or repair center and they're trying to do the repair and it's not covered and you thought it was.

You laid out a ton of money for the extended warranty.

Now you're laying out a ton of money for a repair that you weren't expecting.

Contact wholesale warranties.

Use the link in the description of this podcast and there's always a link on our website as well.

Now let's get into staying on the road.

All right, so in our last episode 213, we talked about the Dometic DM series refrigerators and how if they're having problems cooling the diagnostic path, we're basically going to do the same thing in this episode, except it's Going to be Norcold refrigerators.

And I'll get into the models in just a moment.

Now, keep in mind, a refrigerator is not cooling doesn't automatically mean it needs a new circuit board or it needs to be replaced.

And I'm going to remind you to have the problem clear in your mind.

Hey, get that.

Look, if you're watching this, you can see I pointed my mud flap hat.

Mud flap.

Check it out.

The fuel app.

There'll be a link in the description.

Hey, little boy, did I get sidetracked there?

All right, back to this.

All right, so make sure you have the problem clear in mind.

And I say that because, you know, you can walk into the rv, it's not cooling, you're frustrated and you walk out and the trips ruined.

Or I'm going to call the service center.

It doesn't matter.

Make sure you understand where it's working, where it's refrigerator doesn't turn on at all.

Nothing happens.

It only works on gas.

It doesn't work on electric.

And those are called heat sources, by the way.

Or it comes on, but it's not cooling.

So today we're going to walk through that and give you the direction where to go.

Figure out if it's cooling on gas, what steps to take, if it's cooling on electric, what steps to take.

So before you start ordering parts, buying parts, a circuit board, a heating element, a cooling unit, let's figure out the problem that's actually ruining your trip, giving you grief.

So today we're going to focus on the N6 and N8 series along with the Polar N7 and 8 models.

So these are Norcold.

When I say N6, you might have a model number 682 or 862.

So it's a model number with, you know, a number and three digits.

Starts with an N, a 6 or an N and an 8.

Then you have the Polar N7 and N8 series as well.

So they're included.

And all these models are different.

Okay, so they're not identical, but the repair procedures are very close.

And when you're looking for the manuals, which I encourage you to do, go to Dornacles website, find the manual for your model.

Try to get one that has your model name on the front of it.

Don't just get a generic one or one that works for another model, but not yours.

Don't go with the.

They're all the same.

They're not.

You know, there's a time where you could walk into a parts store.

Yeah, I got A small block chevy.

It's a 350.

I need a set of spark plugs, and you walk out with a set of spark plugs.

This isn't the same.

You got to know the model number.

And I know that can be frustrating at times.

But once you get the model number, like, you take a picture of it, you record it in a journal, a book somewhere, then you have it.

Okay?

And, you know, some of these things, the controls are a little bit different.

The pattern of diagnosing it can be a little bit different.

So just make sure you have that.

And I emphasize that a lot because I get so much pushback on getting model numbers, even from RV techs.

Well, it doesn't matter.

It's a suburban furnace.

Not all RV techs sound like that.

I'm just being mean now, now.

But really, I get pushed back.

It was very frustrating.

So get the model number.

Just have it.

And so Norco is the brand, and that gets us closer.

But we need to know the model number that gets you the right instructions and the right parts the first time.

So now when you have an RV refrigerator, because it can work on gas, electric, 12 volts even, you have to understand where the problem actually lies.

Okay, so we're going to kind of break this down into five areas.

So the first one, does the refrigerator turn on when you turn on, hit the button to turn it on.

Does anything happen?

Okay, number two, does it cool on electric?

Number three, does it cool on propane?

And number four, are both compartments warm or is the freezer getting cold, the refrigerator compartment staying warm?

Need to know that.

And is there a fault code or a flashing light or even an alarm?

And number five, is there a fault code, a flashing light, or possibly even an alarm going off?

So if there is any one of those in different models, see, something like the Polar series might have a fault code, where another model of Norcold might have a flashing light.

So write down the fault code.

Don't commit it to memory.

Write it down, take a picture of it, a video of it, whatever you got to do on the flashing light.

Generally, when the lights flash, it's a sequence kind of like Morse code.

It'll flash, let's say, two times.

Then there'll be a pause, two times pause, two times pause, or three times pause type of thing.

And if you need to, you might have to watch it go through the cycle again.

There's a longer pause when it starts all over.

Maybe record on a video.

If you record it, make sure this actually, you can see the light and see what it's doing.

Sometimes when videos get recorded, these lights, it doesn't work out that way, but this helps to diagnose it, especially if you're going someplace else.

And the other thing, too, is, you know, you can think that, okay, I got it.

It's code number three.

And as you're walking out of the rv, there's a number four.

Someplace.

Maybe there's a picture on your wall, it has a 4 on it.

Or you get out of the RV and somebody says another number, and all of a sudden, that number stuck in your head, and it's the wrong code, and you're chasing your tail.

That's why I say take a picture, write it down, make sure it's recorded.

Now.

Also make sure that things are in place before you start trying to diagnose the problem.

You know, there's always prep work, and sometimes the best finish is after it's prepped properly, like painting a car.

If it's not prepped properly, no matter how good the painter is, the car will look like garbage.

Prep work takes a little bit of time.

So if the level.

If the RV is not level, make sure it's level or real close to level.

Allow the refrigerator to cool down or go through that cycle long enough.

For some RV refrigerators, eight hours would be the minimum.

Generally, after two or three hours, you can tell what's going on just by feeling the back of the freezer.

Because it's actually getting cold.

I mean, ice cold.

But make sure you're not just imagining it or because it's a colder day.

The refrigerator is a little bit colder.

Right?

So that's where thermometers come in.

Make sure you have a thermometer in the bottom or top compartment.

Bottom compartment.

You can have an infrared thermometer if you want.

Whatever.

Just make sure that you have something to accurately foretell that.

Give it time to cool down.

Don't keep opening the door every 15 minutes, checking it, because you're just working against yourself.

Just let it sit.

And don't put warm groceries in it.

Don't during this time or groceries period.

Leave it empty.

And make sure the door is closed.

There's no issues.

There's airflow.

You got everything you need.

And then you can start testing it.

So use a thermometer, write down the readings, and if you start out at 70 degrees, record that.

And then if you check it in two hours, now it's down to 45.

Hey, man, you're making progress.

But write it down.

Just keep track of it and the time period that's gone by, it helps and it's a little more time consuming, but it's not that much.

Then you got a record and then if you have to take it someplace, here's what happened, here's what went on.

Hey, this is great sir.

Thank you for bringing this to us.

Right.

That's what the shop will say.

Or they'll crumple it up, throw it in the trash when you leave.

I don't know.

Alright, so now let's get into the nitty gritty of this.

Let's say you go out to your RV and that refrigerator, it does nothing.

You open the door, no lights come on.

Oh, we got a problem here.

Right.

So now remember RV refrigerators and we're talking about absorption refrigerators.

So we're not talking about 12 volt refrigerators like that run a compressor or 110 volt refrigerators that run on a compressor.

These are gas absorption, so they're gas and electric.

So these refrigerators have to have 12 volts going to them.

End of sentence, end of story.

Right?

So just agree with that and accept it.

They have to have 12 volts.

So the controls are run by 12 volts.

Even when it's on 110 volts you still have to have 12 volts.

So make sure you got DC power going to the refrigerator.

So in other words the fuse isn't blown.

You go back to the refrigerator, on the backside of it there's a 12 volt wire coming in from the RV.

Make sure you have power there.

And then you want to make sure that there's no electrical issues that are obvious like a ground wires off.

Maybe the refrigerator is not plugged into 110 volt, which that would be a different problem.

This is just talking about dead kind of got ahead of myself there.

So you want to make sure the connections are good.

You got 12 volts going to the refrigerator.

If you have 12 volts going to the refrigerator.

Now you got an idea.

Okay.

It's not the supply, it's in the refrigerator.

And use a voltmeter, you know, if you don't have one, get one and you don't have to become an expert at it.

Learn how to use it on 110v and 12v and read OHMS and amps if you want, but leave it off.

Amps for doing all this other stuff.

And I, I have to emphasize that recently we had a customer who I kept telling him check for voltage, check for voltage, check for voltage.

As he bought every Part for his water heater, and it wasn't fixing the problem.

Finally, he broke down, got out his volt meter and checked for voltage, and there was no voltage.

And he figured out the problem.

It was 110 volt outlet the water heater was plugged into.

He wasted a lot of time and a lot of money if he would just check the voltage.

Get a voltmeter if you don't have one and get comfortable with using it.

Just like I said, the basics, okay?

It will save you time and money.

Now, being plugged into shore power in your RV does not give you clear indication that the refrigerator has 12 volts.

It should.

But you can have a problem there in the system and it might not be getting 12 volts.

And I emphasize that as well because I hear it all the time.

My RV is plugged into shore power.

Why wouldn't I have 12 volts?

Your converter can be bad.

Batteries might not be getting charged.

There can be several issues.

So make sure even though you're plugged in, you got 12 volts out.

You got.

You have 12 volts out the refrigerator.

I got to quit saying God all the time.

Horrible habit, horrible habit.

Radio guys pointed that out.

All right, so now let's compare propane and electric operation.

Let's get into a little bit more.

So, you know, if you don't have 12 volts, you got to figure out why.

All right, so that's a different path.

And if you do have 12 volts, okay, that takes you down a different path.

And like I said, we're not getting to the weeds on the diagnosis of this, but if you download the manual, it'll walk you through very clearly, usually where to go next on your diagnosing it.

And there's so many variables, it's hard to do this in a video or a podcast.

We'd be talking.

So in going down so many different rabbit holes on trying to diagnose it.

So we're helping you find the direction and then what to do.

And if the manual doesn't help, you can certainly call or you can call your local or favorite RV repair center.

You might have a guy you talk to there.

But either way, generally you can do these things yourself.

Now here's the deal.

The refrigerator is cooling on propane, but it's not cooling on electric.

All right, so now we've ruled out the propane is good.

The electric is the problem.

So now you just investigate the AC system, the 110v, and why isn't it cooling on that?

Is there Power going to the heating element.

These are the things you're going to start looking at.

Now here's the other side of that coin.

It's cooling on electric, but it's not on propane.

The electric side is good, so that rules out the heating element for sure.

Or heating elements.

It might have two.

So now you're going to look at the gas side of it.

Is the ignition working?

Is the burner turning on?

Is the flame sensor proper?

Or maybe it's not cooling on both.

Ah, so it doesn't cool at all on gas or electric.

See, that's a different path.

Now you're going to look at things that they both share.

Is there a common denominator between the two?

That's what you're going to look at.

Maybe it's poor ventilation, maybe the thermistor is involved in that cooling unit.

Could be bad.

See how we're going down this rabbit hole?

Well, it's not really a rabbit hole.

We're going down this diagnostic path, but it makes sense.

Rule out one source of heat and rule in the other.

And a source of heat is either propane or 110v.

And by the way, these refrigerators work off of heat.

And that's why we're talking about heat sources like a flame to heat up the cooling unit or a 110 volt heating element to heat up the cooling unit.

Alright?

Now if there's no operation in either mode, then again it could be a power issue.

Not cooling or poor cooling is one thing, but there's absolutely no operation.

Again, it could be a power problem, it could be a circuit board, but we have to make sure there's power going to the refrigerator.

So when you look at it in a logical way, you're going to follow, say a branch and it's going to take you down a certain path, right?

And it's going to take you to the 110 volt side, it'll take you to the propane side.

Then you perform your checks in a sequence.

It makes sense changing the mode, going from gas to electric, you know, you have to give it time to cool down.

Don't just go from gas, you know, let's say it's not cooling on gas and you just switch it over to electric and give it 15 minutes.

You have to do more than that.

You have to give a legitimate time to cool down.

So you have a legitimate test, legitimate diagnosis.

So maybe two or three hours.

So plan on putting some time into this.

You don't have to stand out there by the rv, but you want to make sure it switches over to 110v, let's say shut the doors.

You know, write down your temperatures, shut the doors, let it sit for three hours and come back or longer, whatever, depending on your day, you might have to go to work.

Longer is okay, shorter is not good.

So changing those modes, but keeping track of it too, sometimes you can get a little off track there.

Did I do this?

Did I do that?

That's why writing it down makes sense.

Now also, when you're looking at the refrigerator, maybe you've had the refrigerator for some time or maybe you just bought the rv.

So there's variables here.

And there could be an installation issue.

Maybe the airflow's got a problem, maybe something shifted.

Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, right.

So you want to make sure that the back of the refrigerator has airflow and that the top vent, whether it's on the roof or the side of the rv, if it's in a slide out, more than likely that vent will be on the side of the slide room, not on the roof.

Because when the slide room goes in, it'll break that vent off.

Right.

Make sure that there's no obstructions.

If your refrigerator has fans on the back, make sure they're working properly.

And most of the time you can hear them come on and they're run by a little sensor.

So if they're not coming on that sensor could be bad.

It's pretty simple when you start looking at these things, how to diagnose problems.

But sometimes a refrigerator can be built at the or installed at the factory.

They build the compartment for it, and it works great when the refrigerator is newer, but as refrigerator gets older, it needs more airflow.

And the factory build might be preventing that.

Occasionally something might have to be adjusted in there.

But don't run to that right away.

You know, you have to investigate that.

Think about it.

If everything's working and there's just a problem, like on a hotter day, the refrigerator is not cooling as well as it did it overnight.

It could be an airflow issue.

I'd almost go to that right away.

Like I said, make sure the fans are working good.

And remember that slide out, it's going to have the vent at the top.

And sometimes those things are done poorly, you know, on the side of the rv.

So the refrigerator keep this in mind.

The refrigerator actually has to get rid of that heat that is building up behind it.

You know, it works off of heat, but yet it doesn't need too much heat.

So that those vents Are there for a purpose.

Got to make sure you have good airflow.

And even for testing it, sometimes you can put a fan, you know, on a table, let's say at the lower vent, pull that door off, put a fan on there, blowing on there, and that'll get the air going in there.

And also your fridge starts cooling better.

Yeah, you got an airflow problem.

And like I said in the dometic episode of this, if you're in some place like Arizona, California, you know, or it gets hot in the summertime, like especially Arizona, your RV's parked, the sun's baking down on it, you know, it starts, it's cooling in the morning overnight.

Great.

Morning is cooling.

It starts getting warmer during the day and the sun's just cooking the side of the RV where the refrigerator is.

That's a airflow issue, a heat problem.

So in Arizona, quite often we would build canopies that would come off the side of the RV to cover the refrigerator area, you know, maybe 4ft wide, 5ft wide to put some shade on it.

And generally that would make all the difference in the world.

It's just shading enough to keep it cooler.

That's a different situation though.

Or, you know, maybe you're having that problem.

Maybe or not.

But those are things to think about as you're switching and working on the refrigerator.

Write down error codes and things like that before you turn the refrigerator off, just in case that error code doesn't want to come back on or doesn't come back on right away.

And the other thing too is, and I think I said this earlier, if you write these things down, you have a record.

If you go to the repair shop, they have something to look at too, so they're not wasting a lot of time doing exactly what you just did.

It's going to save you money, save them time, everybody some headache.

And always remember too, when you're working on the refrigerator, you got 110 volts going to it.

If you're plugged into shore power.

So make sure you're aware of that.

If you're not going to disconnect the RV from shore power because other things are on, then pull the plug on the refrigerator, the 110 volt plug, so it's not plugged in, so you don't electrocute yourself.

And if you're on and then the 12 volts, you know, it's human nature is to pull the 12 volt wires out, not try to touch things so you don't blow the fuse.

And you know, blowing a Fuse is like the end of the world to me sometimes.

Like, man, you got to go find the fuse box.

You got to get down your knees, find that stupid fuse, put another one in.

Oh, what a hassle.

Seems like it takes a week to do that.

So just disconnect the battery or make sure as soon as you pull out that positive, leave on the 12 volts, you got a wire nut to screw onto it or some electrical tape to tape it up so it's not arcing out.

Okay.

And you also don't want to hit something with that wire.

You shouldn't.

Like a circuit board, a part on the circuit board and arc it out and cause a problem there.

So make sure you're, you're being safe when you're doing this.

Propane, Turn the propane off.

If you have to have the propane on because of other things in the RV running, put a 3, 8 plug male plug.

A plug would be male into the propane line, tighten it up so you can turn on the propane without it leaking into that compartment.

Now, before you start working on your Norcold or even today, just get your model number, go to Norcold's website and see if there's any recalls on it.

You probably don't even have to go to the website anymore.

You can probably just throw it into Google and the AI will figure it out for you.

Because there are a lot of Norcold recalls and some recall things when they're done.

If the part fails, it's replaced under warranty.

That might be a hassle to do.

Sometimes warranties are a lot more work than what they're worth.

You know, I think everybody learns that eventually, the hard way, you pay all this money, spend all this time and wow, I was covered under warranty.

But what a hassle.

Or you don't pay the money, but you spend all this time, but check it out first.

Might be worthwhile.

Or maybe it is a warrant.

New recall, and the problem will be taken, taken care of for free at no charge at a dealership.

You know, Norcold won't send you the parts that I can almost guarantee you, but they will allow a service center to do it.

But if you walk in with all that information up front, makes it easier.

And Norcold has had a lot of recalls over the years.

Lots of them.

At least, I think there's been lots of them.

And by the way, if you bypass a safety device to make sure the refrigerator is working, that's not a fix, that's just a temporary cure.

To solve the problem or to get you home from your trip.

So now we've walked through this and it was kind of quick because really the assumption is here that you're going to get the manual from Norcol's website.

Go to their website first.

Don't go to manuals, library.com or one of these places where, you know, you go in there and you're looking for the model and it says, oh, hey, we got the manual right here.

And, and you click on something, next thing you know you're downloading a virus or some crap to your computer.

Don't do that.

Just go to Norcold, a safe place.

There's other legitimate places on the Internet that might have it.

But I will have the manuals in the description here as well.

I'll have links to them and they'll also be on the, on our website, the smartrver.com.

There'll be an article about this.

There's an article about the Dometic one and there'll be an article about this Norcold one with the manuals pertaining to these model numbers.

So there might be 10, 12 manuals here because these model numbers cover quite an array here.

I think the N6 series, there's, I think four or five models, maybe more.

So I have all those manuals there.

Okay, so that really will save you a headache.

Just go to our website when we finish or when we're doing this.

We really want to come to the end of our, our diagnosing process here.

You know, with, with something in mind.

We want, we need to have the model number, serial number, right?

Pictures if necessary, pictures, videos of the fault indicators.

And what happened?

Was it on propane where we had a problem or was it on electric?

And are the refrigerator and freezer temperatures good?

Have you been writing those down to see where they're at?

Maybe after eight hours you come down to the, to the wire here and it started out at 70 degrees in the freezer and it's down to 42, which ain't cool, which isn't cool.

I'm working on my grammar.

You can tell, right?

Make sure that you write those down.

You're not going from memory.

And there's nothing worse than memory.

I know when we have customers and I hate saying it like this, like it's real negative, but I do appreciate our customers.

But sometimes it's.

Well, I think it was at 42 degrees in the freezer and 28 in the refrigerator.

No, was it 70 in the refrigerator?

See how confusing it is?

You write it down, you have it.

Just have notes, make a copy of them or take a picture of them, give them to the service center.

At the end of the day, you have to identify the refrigerator, the model, number of it.

You have to figure out the symptom, what's going on, be able to describe it to a service center or maybe someone who's helping you.

And you're going to walk through and check the basics.

And you can compare propane with electric.

And now you'll have a much better idea of what needs to be done before you start spending any money on any parts.

And like I said, the manuals will walk you through this.

If it gets beyond you, you can give me a call or shout out to your favorite RV guy.

Maybe in your hometown, you got a mobile tech you love talking to.

Well, give him a call as well.

But either way, that'll get you going through the diagnostic process and hopefully save you some bucks.

You're not just buying parts.

All right, let's jump into the quick tips.

Now, the title of this is Test products before replacing.

Don't assume it worked.

Now you're thinking, wait a minute, wouldn't I know if my refrigerator or my water heater was working before I replaced it?

Maybe, maybe not.

Here's an example.

Your kids come visit you for the weekend.

You let them stay in your rv, and the entire weekend they're complaining the furnace doesn't work.

It's not working right.

And so you just think, well, I better just go yank that furnace, put it on my workbench and test it out.

Well, before you do that, run the furnace and make sure that it's actually not working right.

The reason why I say that, like a furnace, they could have blocked a return air grill, which we talked about this a few episodes back, and they leave, and now it's going to work great.

Or maybe it's a water heater issue.

They had problems with the water heater, and all of a sudden they leave, and the water heaters working fine.

So you're like, let me see, I better talk to them again.

What's going on here?

And I say this because people have brought their RVs into us.

You know, something's wrong with the furnace, something's wrong with the water heater, something's wrong with the air conditioner.

In fact, just had a phone call the other day.

Here's a perfect example.

Guy calls me up, hey, I need a mobile technician to come out, My furnace isn't working right.

Start talking to him a little bit, asking questions, so he Says the only way the furnace will.

Or when I put it on.

No, not the only way.

He says, when I put it on 90 degrees, it'll run, bring up to 90 degrees, and it'll stay there for a really, really long time before it kicks back on.

And it has to be at 90.

And so what was really happening was his wife is older, they're older.

Like he said, they're in their 80s.

And his wife is always cold.

So she puts it on 90.

That's the highest setting on the thermostat.

So the RV is always at 90.

When the furnace comes on, it's not coming on for very long.

They might not even hear it.

And that was their problem.

So he checked it a little bit more, called me back later that day.

He goes, yeah, it's just us.

So I asked him these questions to save him the money.

So someone's not driving out there to diagnose a problem that doesn't really exist.

You know, to spend $150 for nothing, that's a waste.

And it's embarrassing, too, right?

For something that simple.

So that's what I mean.

Make sure there truly is a problem.

And maybe sometimes, you know, it could be your spouse.

Maybe they don't fully understand how something's supposed to work and they just don't think it's working right.

So you test it, it's working right.

Now, let me show you how this is supposed to work.

Those things happen quite often.

So don't just replace parts or start tearing into something unless you know for sure exactly what's going on with it and what the problem is.

All right, now that brings us into smart tip.

Everything's tying together with these refrigerators because of problems they have and just making sure we're not throwing money, making bad decisions with stuff.

So in the smart tips is buying a new RV doesn't eliminate the problems.

You know, buying a new RV sometimes will eliminate some problems.

Maybe you have an older rv, the roof's just beyond repair and it's leaking.

Got problems.

You buy a new rv, obviously.

Yeah, obviously you shouldn't have the same problems.

It is a brand new roof, right?

Well, yeah, you can still have the problems.

New RVs, that's what I mean.

Don't eliminate the problems.

Now there's a brand of rv.

I don't know if they make motorhomes, but they definitely make trailers and fifth wheels.

And these things are supposed to be like the top dog, one of the really nice ones.

I'm not going to mention the brand because I Think they do have a good brand.

You know what, I'm going to mention it.

Brinkly.

I'm trying not to pick on them because I think they have a good product.

I've seen their RVs and they, they do things a little bit different and better in a lot of cases.

But a customer bought a new one and he's had nothing but problems with the furnace.

Absolute fiasco.

And it's all about the way the furnace was installed.

It wasn't installed properly the customer described.

Now I'm going on what the customer is telling me, okay?

Everything he talked about, it wasn't installed properly and to fix it now is much harder to do than if they would have done it at the factory.

And so he's going through this and you know, it finally runs out of warranty and now he's on his own.

So that kind of sucks.

So that's what I mean, buying a new RV doesn't always solve the problems.

And I've said this before, when you buy an rv, whether it's private party or from a dealership, you want to make sure everything in that RV works.

So they turn on the furnace, turn it on.

Letting it run for 10 minutes is not testing it.

Let it run for a half an hour.

While you're checking other stuff, put the thermostat up high.

Make sure that thing don't cycle off until you want it to test these things.

Okay guys, it'll save you a lot of headache and problems later on because you're going, okay, I got this rv.

I'm spending a lot of money on it.

This is a top dog brand.

And look, there's a problem with the furnace.

And don't let them tell you, after you buy it, we'll fix it under warranty.

Walk away from the rv, just walk from it.

Doesn't matter how good of a deal they give you, it'll never be a good deal if that problem persists, especially if you have to do major stuff later on.

The guy with the Brinkley has to do quite a bit of unique things to get that furnace repaired properly, according to what he told me.

Now, Brinkley might have another story on this and that's fine.

You know, that's what I mean.

I don't like saying the name because sometimes they're not in this conversation.

But nonetheless, the problem can be there.

Alright everybody, so now if you're having problems with your fresh water gauge, it's inaccurate, it sucks, it's never right.

Go to our website, sunpro mfg.com and check out the topar g water gauge these things install in the system.

They're very easy to install.

It's a do it yourself application.

And now you'll have accurate readings on your fresh water all the time.

Accurate readings to within a gallon?

Not.

Well, you know, we're within 5 or 6 gallons or 10 gallons.

Not one of those types of readings.

Okay.

All right.

Speaking of water gauges, in our next episode, 215, we're going to talk about an RV water pump that runs when nobody's using the water.

Where's the pressure going?

What's happening?

Why is that pump running?

That's what we're going to talk about.

Hey, it's been great doing this episode.

I really like these refrigerator ones.

Dometic last week or two weeks ago.

Norcold now.

So it gives you some direction on repairs.

Even if you stop to take in a dealership or repair center, you're going in armed with some ammunition.

All right, so that's going to do it for today's episode of the Smart rver podcast.

Thank you so much for listening.

I'm Eric Stark, and if you'd rather be camping than sitting in a repair shop, you're in in the right place.

Until next time, take care of the little things and enjoy the trip.