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jato View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: mystery wires
    Posted: 11 Aug 2019 at 4:47pm
Mike, how much further up the chimney did you go when you repositioned the temp switch? I went about 3 inches, just about to the top of the stack.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2019 at 4:32pm
2015 178 in the single fan club. I used a infared temp sensor to reposition temp switch, which causes fan to run more often.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2019 at 4:24pm
On my 2011 177 the 2 red wires will run the 2 pancake/muffin fans on the rear side of the refer to dramatically help in the cooling process.  Those 2 red wires end at a bi-metal switch which will be located somewhere near the top of the chimney/cooling stack.I had to reposition mine as they were located too low from the factory.  I didn't even know I had them until my brother pointed them out to me and because the bi-metal switch was so low on the chimney, the fans never came on.  By moving the switch near the top of the stack, the fans came on nearly instantly and the fridge now is much much colder inside.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2019 at 6:48pm
The old Dometic refrigerators had two pancake fans on the back.  The new ones come with only one.  The fan(s) are thermostatically controlled.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2019 at 3:39pm
+1 to OffGrid, the wires on the fans are controlled by a thermo switch on the fridge coils. My trailer ground from batt is NOT RED.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2019 at 3:33pm
Sounds like someone has modified the wiring on your trailer. For example, red should really never be used as a neutral or ground wire.  I'm not sure why anyone would lift a neutral (if that white wire is still a neutral because that can make an entire appliance circuit hot when it looks like its been shut off. 

So, I wouldn't assume anything about the color coding, check each suspect conductor with a multimeter on the ac and dc volts scales first and power on to be sure they're not hot relative to chassis ground. You can then ring out wires if you aren't sure where they go by disconnecting power (both 12 and 120V) and using a temporary return wire and a multimeter on the ohms or continuity setting. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2019 at 1:49pm
Originally posted by PiperBob

We picked up our used 2011 171 at the dealer yesterday. After I got home I found some mystery wires. 

1) There are two cable TV hookups on the outside. They come in through the water heater compartment. One's an orange cable and the other is a larger white cable. They both appear to be RG6. They go through the fridge compartment and up into the wall. There are no visible switches or anything. There is a switch for the antenna booster, and it functions as expected, pulling in strong local signals. The only reason I could see why someone would want two is if they wanted to hook up to campground cable and also have a satellite antenna. But it seems like there would need to be a switch somewhere to make that work. Since the TV works and since we probably won't be camping anywhere with cable I probably won't worry about it, but I'm curious.

Have no clue.. Never use, never looked into.

2) There are two fans installed on the back of the fridge. The power wires for the fans come up over the fridge. I'm thinking there must be a switch somewhere. Maybe I need to pull out the fridge to see where they go.

Mine does not have, so sounds like someone did the fan mod to increase cooling. If so, should be auto / heat sensor. I'd run the frig and check it. If right, he did you a 'solid'! 

3) Most troubling mystery. There is a bare white wire in the bundle that connects to the multi sensor (between the sink and the stove). I can see that at one point it had been connected to something. Everything seems to work. White is supposed to be ground, so I'm thinking for now just putting a wire nut on it to keep it from shorting something out.

Picture would help here, but have no clue..

4) There's a coil of red wire on the tongue. It appears to be screwed to the frame, so I guess it's a ground wire. I've never heard of a separate ground for a trailer frame. The other end has a Y fitting for a screw.

This may have something to do with that 'Solar on the side' connection. Test for power first, them ohm it back to the 'on-the-side' port. Previous owner my have never used and just taped it up out of the way.

If anyone has any ideas on sorting this stuff out please let me know.




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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2019 at 1:36pm
We picked up our used 2011 171 at the dealer yesterday. After I got home I found some mystery wires. 

1) There are two cable TV hookups on the outside. They come in through the water heater compartment. One's an orange cable and the other is a larger white cable. They both appear to be RG6. They go through the fridge compartment and up into the wall. There are no visible switches or anything. There is a switch for the antenna booster, and it functions as expected, pulling in strong local signals. The only reason I could see why someone would want two is if they wanted to hook up to campground cable and also have a satellite antenna. But it seems like there would need to be a switch somewhere to make that work. Since the TV works and since we probably won't be camping anywhere with cable I probably won't worry about it, but I'm curious.

2) There are two fans installed on the back of the fridge. The power wires for the fans come up over the fridge. I'm thinking there must be a switch somewhere. Maybe I need to pull out the fridge to see where they go.

3) Most troubling mystery. There is a bare white wire in the bundle that connects to the multi sensor (between the sink and the stove). I can see that at one point it had been connected to something. Everything seems to work. White is supposed to be ground, so I'm thinking for now just putting a wire nut on it to keep it from shorting something out.

4) There's a coil of red wire on the tongue. It appears to be screwed to the frame, so I guess it's a ground wire. I've never heard of a separate ground for a trailer frame. The other end has a Y fitting for a screw.

If anyone has any ideas on sorting this stuff out please let me know.


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