Hi all,
A couple of years ago the fridge in my 2016 Scamp 13 stopped working on electric. Still does fine on propane. I finally got around to calling Scamp at Backus to see about taking it in to get it repaired or replaced. Just a heads-up to all: the replacement cost for a refrigerator for my little Scamp is $980!! That's just so ridiculous. It's almost half of a decent energy-efficient refrigerator for a house. The lady sounded sort of embarrassed to even tell me, she knows it's crazy. And what is even more shocking is that the new replacement refrigerators do not run on propane at all, only electric.
If they can't fix the electrics - hopefully it's a connection issue or something spooky in the three-way controller - I'll keep it as it is. For me it's better to have propane only than electric only because I mostly boondock. I'll use it as an insulated ice box to get where I'm going, then crank the propane.
The hopeful news is that the lady said that the person who works on this issue (sounds like I am not alone in my trouble) has had a good success rate, and gets "most" of them working properly again.
Also good news these days is that responsiveness to phone calls has improved, compared to when I first used to try to call Scamp about anything. I actually got a call back the next day after leaving a message. It used to be that I'd leave phone messages and it was hit and miss if I ever heard back. I'd have to persist, hour after hour or day after day, until I got lucky. Emails were often not answered for at least a week or two, if then. Maybe they finally have enough staff, or the right staff, to function in a more businesslike manner.
I'll update when I get the Scamp back, probably 3rd week of June.
Joan
I am sure you checked already but have you double checked the 110 V receptacle has power with a lamp or heater that is a bigger load than a meter? Mine had a bad connection that showed power until I plugged in something needing a few amps and then it would fail.( Space heater )
2019 Scamp 13 standard
Hi, thanks so much for getting back to me on this. Yeah, everything else electrical works fine, including a small space heater. So it's not that....
We also have a 2016 13' with a fridge not working on 110v. New part is $176 from Amazon, You Tube has a good video on how to install new part. The local shops want $175/hour to repair with no estimate for how long it will take. So we decided to just use propane for now. We have 110v to the outlet.
bill & valerie 2016 13' 2017 Kia Sorento EX V6, AWD
What new part is that, Bill? Curious!
I have a feeling that it's something in the three-way switch that's the problem; not the refrigerator itself. I don't know of course, but I dropped the Scamp off today. I should know all that they can tell me in about a week.
I'm very grateful that I can go straight to the factory where they've seen this stuff before, instead of to a shop where they have no idea how to even estimate time for the project. Crossing my fingers!!
It's the 110v heating element from Amazon. I did not determine that was the problem, just FYI if it is. Depending on what you find, I might be inclined to get it fixed rather than rely on propane. Looking forward to Scamps response.
bill & valerie 2016 13' 2017 Kia Sorento EX V6, AWD
What was Scamp's response to the 110v fridge problem?
bill & valerie 2016 13' 2017 Kia Sorento EX V6, AWD
See update! Hope this helps and that your problem is as easily resolved.
Joan
Hi everybody. Update! And thanks to Bill in WV for the poke.
Though I got my Scamp to Backus on May 30, it didn't have an appointment to be worked on until mid-June. I got a call a couple days later that they could get the fridge running on 12-volt and propane just fine (well, yeah, I KNOW) but not on shore power. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the fridge - it worked fine on an extension cord - and there were no problems with continuity in the wiring. (I guess, anyway, I'm not sure what they tested or how.)
So I had a chat with the lady at the service desk (Erika, she's *great*) and asked if they'd checked the switching unit as I suspected (see original post) was the problem, and even mentioned when I made the appointment. Answer: nope, because they didn't have a spare part there so as to try it. We talked through the isse and she agreed with me that it made sense to take it a step further, so I asked them to please order the part and try it out, which they did. I just got a call last Wednesday (6/29) that they swapped in that replacement part and it WORKS!
I think Scamp is going to get some more of those parts in. I'm sure there are other people with the same problem, unfortunately. BTW, it's not an expensive piece, and she told me it took just about zero time to install it. Very easy. I'll get the invoice when I go pick up the Scamp this week, but I think she said the part was something like $50.