ARB cords and fridge mods

[96r50]

I’ve had this thread bookmarked longer than I’ve owned my ARB fridge. Today I finally got around to adding some insulation below the “warm” shelf. I used two layers of “Low-E” insulation taped together with the foil sides outwards. The lines coming off the compressor do a nice job of holding it in place. I used a smaller piece to make a deflector to force the air from the bottom edge of the fan through the cooling fins (no photos). I didn’t take any temperature readings before or after but this should help reduce the electrical draw of the fridge.

In the last pic, am I correct that the fridge is upside down? May not be good to turn upside down. And if you do, it may be wise to let fridge sit for a while before start up so oil settles back down.

Good point. It was upside down. There are a half dozen screws in the bottom that have to come out in order to remove the plastic case. It’s also easier to take measurements and slide the foam in. I did let it sit right side up after for a bit. I should have mentioned that in my post.

 

[zidaro]

BTW, my fridge is working perfect since i replaced the thermo. Went ahead and insulated the back at the same time. All good again, use it all the time. LOVE my Fridge

 

[SameGuy]

Here is something for everyone to see..... I just pulled the cover off the compressor area of my 63qt ARB fridge, mostly just out of curiosity. As you can see, you can barely see the cooling fins thorough the fan blades. The top half of the radiator was nearly solid with dust and dog hair, the bottom half wasn't as bad. I got in there very carefully with a toothbrush (the wife's) and got it all out, then blew it out with some canned air. Could have used a compressor but I wanted to be gentle with the cooling fins. This fridge is 3-4 years old and has spent 90% of its life running in my office. It was working fine, but I would guess it will be running a bit more efficiently now.

 

[TwinStick]

Not for nothing but putting a diagram on ARB's website with exact measurements for each size of fridge/freezer, of where the thermistor is located, that we could print out would be great & very helpful for us DIY-ers. We have an 82 & a 50 qt.

 

[67cj5]

Here is something for everyone to see..... I just pulled the cover off the compressor area of my 63qt ARB fridge, mostly just out of curiosity. As you can see, you can barely see the cooling fins thorough the fan blades. The top half of the radiator was nearly solid with dust and dog hair, the bottom half wasn't as bad. I got in there very carefully with a toothbrush (the wife's) and got it all out, then blew it out with some canned air. Could have used a compressor but I wanted to be gentle with the cooling fins. This fridge is 3-4 years old and has spent 90% of its life running in my office. It was working fine, but I would guess it will be running a bit more efficiently now.
View attachment 501846

I cleaned mine out back in the Summer after 4 and a half year of non stop use, The secrete is to keep them around 18"+ up off the floor then the problem will be halved,

hope that helps.

 

[TwinStick]

Do you mean at home instead of sitting on the carpet or while its in your vehicle too ?
That would be pretty hard for me to do in the vehicle. Like most, space is at a premium in the vehicle/s.

 

[67cj5]

Do you mean at home instead of sitting on the carpet or while its in your vehicle too ?
That would be pretty hard for me to do in the vehicle. Like most, space is at a premium in the vehicle/s.

When at home raise it up 18"+ and in the vehicle try and raise it up by about 4" if possible then it won't suck in the dust etc or what ever is on the floor,

In homes the damp normally from below the floors so it pays to keep them off the ground,

 

[Byways]

Has anyone dealt with the Secop compressor motor inside the black tank coming loose and banging around? Mine recently did, and it is a loud and annoying clunking. No problems till now, two months shy of warranty expiration. I'm currently waiting to hear from ARB, altho posters elsewhere say ARB's response has been that it's "normal."

 

[67cj5]

Regardless of what ARB are saying the Secop/Danfos compressors should "Not" Clunk, Niether of mine do it and never have,

These compressors are Shock Mounted so this should not be happening,

Both my 47L and my 78L never do this and I have picked them up and shaken them and they still won't do it So what ever is causing the noise is because something has come loose or was never tightened up properly and this is a common fault with many brands of fridges especially domestic fridges, Snomaster do it at every bump in the road even on smooth blacktop. and its a PIA,

I have 4 fridges that use the the Secop/Danfos Compressors being the BD1.4F and the BD35F and the BD50F and not one of them make this sound, What ever you are being told is 100% "WRONG"

hope that helps.

 

[Byways]

Regardless of what ARB are saying the Secop/Danfos compressors should "Not" Clunk, Niether of mine do it and never have,

These compressors are Shock Mounted so this should not be happening,

Both my 47L and my 78L never do this and I have picked them up and shaken them and they still won't do it So what ever is causing the noise is because something has come loose or was never tightened up properly and this is a common fault with many brands of fridges especially domestic fridges, Snomaster do it at every bump in the road even on smooth blacktop. and its a PIA,

I have 4 fridges that use the the Secop/Danfos Compressors being the BD1.4F and the BD35F and the BD50F and not one of them make this sound, What ever you are being told is 100% "WRONG"

hope that helps.

It does help, and thank you for responding. I will post ARB's response when I hear back. For some time I assumed it was a rear suspension clunk, that's how loud it is. When I rode in the back with my wife driving, it clearly was coming from iinside the empty fridge. I can feel with my fingers something banging around inside the tank. As someone once said, we'll see what happens ...

 

[67cj5]

It does help, and thank you for responding. I will post ARB's response when I hear back. For some time I assumed it was a rear suspension clunk, that's how loud it is. When I rode in the back with my wife driving, it clearly was coming from iinside the empty fridge. I can feel with my fingers something banging around inside the tank. As someone once said, we'll see what happens ...

It is because the Secop/Danfos compressors are shock mounted is the reason why they have sold over 10 million of them and the compressor models I listed are used in Refer Trucks to 4x4 fridges so the BD35F fitted in your ARB is the best compressor made,

All the previous Dometic models also have them fitted as well and I have 2 Dometic fridges that have the Secop/Danfos BD1.4F fitted inside them and they do not make that cluck either and neither do either of my 2 ARB's.

The Cluck you are hearing is the Compressor hitting the inside of that big Black round thing you see when you take the cover off the back which means the compressor has come loose because that big round bit sits on Rubber shock absorbers so it can't be it causing the noise so it has to be coming from inside it. Ok.

 

[Byways]

Thanks for that. I did determine after much analysis that the source of the "clunk" is just what you state: the motor in the fridge has come loose inside the tank and is hitting the insides of the tank. It cools fine, and has run quietly for nearly three years. This is recent, in the past few weeks. I am fortunate that it has occurred while still under warranty, but I will withhold judgment and give ARB a chance to respond. I shall let you all know what comes of it.

 

[67cj5]

Thanks for that. I did determine after much analysis that the source of the "clunk" is just what you state: the motor in the fridge has come loose inside the tank and is hitting the insides of the tank. It cools fine, and has run quietly for nearly three years. This is recent, in the past few weeks. I am fortunate that it has occurred while still under warranty, but I will withhold judgment and give ARB a chance to respond. I shall let you all know what comes of it.

Well push them to have it repaired or replaced because it did not do it for the last 2 and a bit years and now it is So that proves it's not normal,

Heres whats inside,

 

[Byways]

Perfect! Thank you. I can even hear the same sound (@2:35, for example) that I hear as he jiggles the motor around in the cutaway tank.

 

[Byways]

ARB just notified me they've shipped a replacement fridge and return label for the defective one, no hassle at all. I had submitted a warranty claim on the ARB website, including my video/audio illustrating the problem. This is great customer service! The problem was the Secop-brand compressor.