EdgeStar stopped working

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SanDiegoCruiser

SanDiegoCruiser

10 Year
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Threads
63
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1,244
Location
San Diego
After about two years of heavy use, my Edgestar finally quit on the last death Valley trip. Perfect timing since it quit after about one month of expiration on the extended warranty :-(. The compressor continuously stays on and it does not get cold. It probably has a leak somewhere. So I am faced with the decision of whether to try and repair it or get a new ARB our national Luna. I have never really liked the edge star except for the price. It was very noisy in terms of rattling on the roads. It also tended to drawer a lot of current which did not bug me since I have a dual battery system. What would you do? Upgrade to a better higher-quality fridge or try and fix the one the edgestar?

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try and feel if the compressor is actually reciprocating -perhaps based on vibrations?- vs the motor just running and the compressor not moving. (I have no idea what kind of compressor it is actually.)
If it's really doing its part, then yes you may be empty of refrigerant. I think in principle that pretty easy to fix. A pro could probably sniff for the leak, plug it, and refill it in less than an hour. Or not.
If it were me I'd take it apart, try and figure out the leak (if there is still something in there you may just see it) and try to fix it myself. Would be fun and interesting and maybe very cheap to fix. Getting the refrigerant may be an issue though, but you could always take it to an A/C shop at the end of the process to refill for cheap. A/C and fridge guys fix stuff like that all the time. Not unheard of with compression type refrigeration system.
 
Discount brands like this are rarely worth fixing. Rather than mess with it, buying an Engel or ARB now is probably the smart money. You know how good it is to have a fridge, so get a good one that won't let you down.

I've had an Engel for 10 years and it's still great. It's been in and out of 4 trucks, run in the house during the holidays, travelled all over the western US, and been rained on more than once, I'd buy another tomorrow if mine quit. The great part is, I don't expect it to quit, and you see 20 year old models still working all the time.

For longevity's sake, remember that simple = better. The less circuitry and tech, the longer it will last.
 
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Some have reported finding the board loosened on their Edgestars. Easy enough to check it and the connections by taking the grilles off. That may restore full functionality.
 
Regardless of name brand, refrigeration systems work on the same principles incorporating a compressor and condensor. I would be surprised if the system didn't have a high and low pressure cut off as well. I would have a refrigeration tech look at it if you are not familiar/comfortable with such work. Any tech should be able to find the issue is less than a half hour. You then would know your options/costs for repair.
 
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