ARB fridge 12v problem

john61ct

Adventurer
Pretty sure Dometic / Waeco's been making their own compressors for years now, pretty much the 800lb gorilla worldwide now.

Of course they OEM for so many labels, who knows some brands may spec Secop.
 

john61ct

Adventurer
Indel-B is the other big playa, Isotherm, Vitrifrigo, OEM for Truckfridge (own brand?), Peterbilt, Kenworth.

Make their own compressor too I believe, although Truckfridge apparently used to have Secop?

I think people put too much emphasis on that one component, least likely to break.

The PCBs and other fiddly electric bits are what go bad, and IMO the ability to get good service & parts 15 years later should be the top priority criterion, after build quality / reliability.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
They aren't clear either way as near as I can tell, neither saying they build their own or that they're using Danfoss. So probably a combination depending on business unit and model. Danfoss isn't a small supplier of compressors either.

LOL, matter of perspective I suppose. When you ask the PCB designer it's always the moving mechanical bits that fail most. But in this case it's probably one of the boards.
 

john61ct

Adventurer
Very very rare the compressor actually fails.

Energy efficiency can vary a bit, but insulation is the real factor there.
 

dreadlocks

Well-known member
my ARB first lost the control panel after I spent a day driving through rain storms w/it attached to the outside of my trailer.. was fine, just didnt have any way to change set points anymore or see temp but meh.. then its 12v side stopped working much like the OP a year or so later after battery ate ********..

I switched to engel because it was simpler, with less stuff to go wrong.. and it was all metal and not plastic.. I miss some stuff like interior lighting, but not enough to make me wanna go back down that path.. need to take the ARB apart and see if I can fix it, gave my dad my old trailer, might as well give him the old fridge that mounts right on up.
 

concretejungle

Adventurer
jumping in here....

Just got back from a camping trip. Woke up this morning and the fridge was off. At first I thought I had a dead battery but that was not the case, still showing 12.8V back at the plug outlet. Getting 12.8V all the way through the plug, so I know I'm getting power to the unit.

Hold down power, nothing. No lights, nothing.

Get home and plug it into the garage and it fires right up.
 

thobert

New member
I faced a simliar problem recently and found that it was caused by a bad connection between the “cigarette lighter” attachment and locking ARB plug on the power cord. I cleaned the contacts and now the 12v side of the power supply works again.
 

atcgreg

New member
After 5.5 years of easy use, my arb 37L crapped out. I used the troubleshooting in the manual and concluded that the compressor is shot. I reached out to ARB in California and after some back and forth supplying documentation etc., they informed me that it's out of warranty after 3 years. I agree with that. But after five and a half years it dies on me and now I should be SOL? At $1,000, this is wrong. Anybody else have a similar situation? I'm thinking I need to replace it with an off brand. At this point. I can probably get 6 years out of a harbor freight model if they made such a thing.⁸
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
Was there an option to pay for repair?

I agree that you're out of warranty, but neither are you the proud owner of a lump of coal - if it's really the compressor, it seems like exploring replacement parts would be the most cost effective option.

EDIT: (Personally, I'd consider tackling it as a DIY repair, but then I've always been blessed with the unearned confidence of a middle-aged white man.)
 

atcgreg

New member
So ARB offered no option to repair it. I got mixed responses when i asked if it is repairable. They suggested I bring it to an appliance repair place, whatever that means. My DIY skills are decent but I'm not confident i can handle the replacement.
It's a drag
 

smbisig

Adventurer
So ARB offered no option to repair it. I got mixed responses when i asked if it is repairable. They suggested I bring it to an appliance repair place, whatever that means. My DIY skills are decent but I'm not confident i can handle the replacement.
It's a drag

Are you sure you talked to ARB? They are located in Washington State, not California. Ask for a repair quote, unless the supply chain issue is still an issue, they should have parts to repair the fridge. At times they will recommend checking with an appliance repair if the system is low on coolant. The system is sealed and will require someone other than ARB's ability to charge and reseal the system. But its been done many times.
 

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