Fridge Problem

[Mikey]

Another Dometic Fridge Problem

Year old fridge - has worked well until recently. I know it's still under warranty, but unlike a fridge in a house, the "repair guys" want me to bring the fridge to them. No one around here seems to do "mobile" stuff. Planning to take it in when we get on the road in a few weeks.

Seems to stop working in the fridge area first, then the freezer gets warmer. No change between electric and gas.

No ambiant weather switch - yes Ilooked everywhere, and Dometic confirms that.

Checked the 2 fans outside - don't seem to be turning

Solution: If I shut off the unit for about 15 minutes, then repower - it works! Seems to occur about every 4-5 days. I think we start the "process" of failure by having the door open to either load or unload fridge - i.e. 3 or 4 times within a short time span.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[billr]

Hi Mikey,

The fans run off a thermostat and come on when the OAT is below a set temp, not sure what it is, but they should come on when its in the high 70's -80's. Mine failed a long time ago, so it's removed and switches installed to turn on as I need them. The fans do help, but it sure sounds like you have other issues causing you problems. Talk to Andy about installing switches.

There is a temp control thermostat that could be bad (someone else had that replaced for a similar problem). Then the elec control board is always a concern.

Hope they get it going for you soon.

Bill

[rdunk]

Mikey, I don't think I have heard of a problem like yours before, in looking online for help with my own problems in the past. Your fridge seeming to start warming up every 4 to 5 days is certainly not good!!!

Regarding the fans, the temp sensor (on the fridge exterior cooling fins) is rated to turn the fans on at 150 -160 degree range, and shuts the fans off in the 135 degree range. A qualified RV service tech told me this, and then used a heat gun and heat sensor to verify my temp sensor was working right. So, when you listen for the fans, they won't be running, unless the on-temp has been reached. I had originally logically thought that the external area of the fridge should be as cool as possible, but, now I now assume the higher operating temps are necessary for the adequate cooling of these RV type fridges.

Since you said the fridge had worked well for a year, then you obviously have seen the changes, However, as you must know already from experience on one of these RV fridges, having the door open for a long period, and/or loading it with stuff that is not already cold, will cause the fridge to warm up, and it usually takes some extended period for it to cool back down.

You might unplug the "thermister" cable from the ckt card on the back of the fridge, to verify if it might be bad. With the thermister unplugged, the fridge should default to "on high". The thermister sensor is that thing that is attached to an inside cooling fin, and regulates the fridge cooling to however you have it set to cool. If you do this, you don't need to remove the thermister from the fin, just unplug it on the rear. If unplugging the thermister stops the fridge from warming up every 4 or 5 days, then that may be your problem.

Are your interior fridge fins icing up. Icing will cause our temps to go up, and occasional defrosting takes care of that.

Most of us have had fridge problems, so, hopefully you can hear from someone here who has had a problem similar to what you are having.

Good luck!

[keithandpenne]

We have the Damn-etic NDR1292, side by side with ice maker, that is now approx 3 1/2yrs old. We have always had it set on 3 and the beer placed on the shelf under the cooling fins would freeze after 3-5 days if it was not rotated (drank) properly.

It worked great until about 3 months ago when we noticed the box temp starting to creep up. We changed the set point to 4 and after a few weeks, increased to 5. Now the temp in the box has risen to the mid 40's to low 50's.

I completed the following:
1)defrosted the boxes,
2)looked for refrigerant leaks inside and out,
3)checked fuses - all 4, (2 in the control box of which one is a 3 amp and the other is a 5 amp, of the other 2 are in-line fuses, one is a 1 amp for the ice maker solenoid and the other is a 3 amp for the single fan (yes, it only has one fan)),
4)heater operation (both 120 ac and propane) including using the hand to test for heating of tank, evaporator and accumulator,
5)fan operation and air flow obstructions,
6)loose, worn or frayed wires.

Inside the RV, I checked:
1) all of the door seals (both doors) using a dollar bill to see if the door seals were still tight and found a good drag when pulling the bill out.
2)Interior box light is off, (switch still works properly).
3)Climate control switch on to heat door frame to control condensation as we are in south Texas with its high humidity.
4)Refrigerant leakage.

I did a forum search and read all postings that references refrigerators and have tried sliding the thermistor up and down on the refrigerator side evaporator fins which provided little to no change. I have unplugged the thermistor from the control box to see if it will default to constant run. I had the remote outside so the indicated temp is still dropping at this point.

So far, I have not found anything that appears to be the cause of the problem and have had a local Mobile RV service tech out. His first move was to slide the thermistor clear to the top of the fins (take three pills and call me next week if it is not better). He stopped by again yesterday and since nothing had changed, said "I think it is the cooling unit that needs to be changed". No other trouble shooting or testing.

The purpose of this long post is to let you know what has been checked and the findings. If someone has additional tests or checks that can be done on the circuit board or other switches and controls, please post. Can a ohm meter test the thermistor? Are the switches normally open or closed, etc. What is the test port and how does it work.

Obviously, the cooling unit could be bad, but I would sure like some sort of troubleshooting done before agreeing to its replacement (price quoted just under $2000 installed and no guarantee that will fix it). Just skeptical I guess!

[rdunk]

Quote: " I have unplugged the thermistor from the control box to see if it will default to constant run. I had the remote outside so the indicated temp is still dropping at this point".
.................................................. .................................................. ..
Keith, if your temp is still dropping, then I assume you are going to wait to see where it goes, before doing anything else. The thermister can go bad, because a service tech replaced mine.

On replacing the cooling unit, my cooling unit was replaced under warranty. Wow, that is a big job The fridge must be removed, to the outside, and everything on the back of the fridge is removed, the cooling unit is removed, the new cooling unit is installed, all of the removed misc parts are reinstalled, and then the fridge is reinstalled. After going through all of this on our fridge, nothing changed. It still did not cool correctly for us. I went through all of this to make the point that I think you are very smart to be "skeptical" about replacing the cooling unit until you know for sure.

I can't say for sure what made our fridge start working properly, but I think it maybe was when I moved the thermister in such a way as it (the end of the thermister wire) actually made direct contact with the fin. It works so good, I won't even take it off the fin to check it out. After two years of aggravation with our RV type fridge, it started working "ok" for us about a year ago, when in fooling with the thermister wire, I tried to make sure the end of the wire was actually touching the fin.

If I was going to have to pay for installation of a new cooling unit, at the prices you mention, I would (as you probably are too) give strong consideration to a new fridge, maybe even residential type. Probably not much warranty on just a new cooling unit either.

FWIW! And good luck with getting this fixed!

[keithandpenne]

Robert, thanks for your input. I did not intend to take over Mikeys thread, but our problem is sounds very much like his and wanted to try and get a complete record of troubleshooting in one place.

Rotaxman, thanks for your pm and suggestions and have observed the same.

Todays update:
As of late yesterday afternoon, our fridge box temp had only dropped to 52.3 after unplugging the thermistor from the control box terminals P2. The fan was not running, so I unplugged the fan control switch and direct wired the ends together so that the fan runs constant.

As of now, the fridge box temp has dropped to 36.1. The thermistor is still unplugged and the fan is still wired to run constant.

Still not sure what the actual fault is, but I'm betting it is not the $2000 cooling unit. It could be the thermistor but I need to determine if it is a normally open or closed or if works off of a variable resistance caused by a temperature change. It could be the fan switch and I will check it further with a heat gun and thermometer. It could be the circuit board and there is a test point wire but my owners manual does not give any details on how to check it.

I called the Mobile Suites dealer in Corpus and they said that if we would bring it in, they would gladly check it out. Upon my saying we were full-timers and staying at Port Aransas for the summer, they said they would have their mobile tech call and set up an appointment to come out and look at it.

At least we have been able to cool off the adult beverages and other food for now.

Mike, have you been able to find out the problem on yours?

[ChrisM]

Mikey: Any update?

keithandpenne: Wow, so he moved the thermister and when that failed, diagnosed it as a bad cooling unit? Somebody should slap him with a wet noodle. Repeatedly. :roll: It sounds like since you bypassed the temp sensor for the fans all is well?

[rdunk]

Of course, all of our "fridge problem" experiences tend to be similar to somewhat different. I can say, that when I wired the fans to run fulltime, the fridge did not run colder. So, I changed the wiring back for the fans to run per the temp sensor.

Keith, until you either plug the thermister back in, or, change the fans back, you may not know for sure why the fridge is running colder. However, as you know, with the thermister unplugged, the fridge should be running on high.

[jdwilson3]

Our mobile tech replaced our "140" degree sensor with a "90". Fans run a lot here in Arizona!

Yesterday our 3 amp 12 volt side fuse blew. Lost all power to the 'fridge until we replaced the 3 amp fuse. Glad we were around when the fuse blew, because we had been gone for 10 days and would have lost lots of stuff in the freezer!

[RodeWorthy]

Well, I will offer our experience with fridge problems this past winter. It was covered in another post but I am not sure if I ever posted the result of our repair efforts.

First, be aware in Mobile Suites 2007 model year Dometic came out with new model refers -mine is the two door 9 cu ft model with the stainless steel look on the front door. The indicator above the freezer door shows a temperature and error codes (if they exist) that are generated by the new control board with built-in diagnostics. Mikey, I can't remember if you have the two door fridge or the larger one but the controls should be the same as on our units (same model year).

In our experience we could not keep the lower box cold enough even running on the maximum setting of 5 in a range of 1-5. The freezer, on the other hand, stayed very cold telling me it was not a cooling problem but instead a control problem. Our freezer would consistantly be below 0 deg F when the fridge was between 40 and 50 degrees. Originally we could keep the fridge between 32 and 40 degrees on setting 3. When the fridge worked properly the freezer was more in the order of +5 to +10 deg F.

Our problems began after a thorough defrosting and cleaning of the entire fridge during which the plastic thermistor holder at the right of the fins was dislodged from its original position. It was replaced but we had not observed where it was in the first place and none of the Dometic documents we had even mentioned this sensor but the diagram and parts list did show it. There was no indication of where to place it. We tried many configurations to no avail.

I checked all the fuses and the operation of the fans. I could not get an indication that the fans ever ran. Our problem persisted even through ambient temps that were colder than the interior of our refrigerator box. I did find the insulation above the fins in the upper compartment had fallen down onto the fins. I used duct tape to resecure this insulation so as to allow maximum air flow out of the compartment.

On our way home from our winter destination we stopped at a RV tech in Indiana to have this and other warranty issues addressed. The tech called a refrigerator tech who came out and tested the fuse and applied a heat gun to the heat sensor on the fins in the upper outside compartment. He changed the 1A fuse to a 3A fuse (supplied by me) and left. We observed no change in the condition and we were in ambient temps in the mid 30's to mid 40's.

The service tech without consulting me proceeded to remove much of the insulation around the walls of the fridge area ostensibly to allow more air flow around the unit. There was no change in the condition and the shop had nothing more to offer.

I moved to a local camp and contacted Dometic. I had heard horror stories about this but I got connected immediately with a helpful representative who upon hearing my description indicated it was either a thermistor sensor problem or a circuit board problem. He suggested I pull the connection for the thermistor which would cause the cooling system to cool as hard as it could. The indicator on the front showed error code E0. We needed several hours to verify the result. The fridge did come down several degrees under this condition. I notified Domtetic and they advised getting the sensor checked by a qualifed service tech. I set out to find a refrigeration technician and after several calls and referals I was placed in contact with Leon Herschberger who runs National RV Refrigeration from his shop north of Shipshewana IN. Phone (260) 768-7059. This young man knows his stuff. He was able to diagnose the sensor problem by an interesting method.

He shut down the 110V operation of the refer causing it to go to propane operation. This was done so that he could get a visual indication when the fridge was calling for cooling (the propane would burn). Next he placed the sensor in a cup of water filled with ice cubes. This water would be about 32 degrees F which is the range we were trying to achieve. by observing the operation of the propane burner and moving the sensor in and out of the ice water he was able to determine the sensor was defective. He cut the connector off the original one and taped the new one to it and used that combination to feed the new sensor up into the fridge compartment. He placed it with about 1/2" showing above the plastic holder. It was not touching a fin but was just above the top edge of the fins. Previously I had a problem with the holder falling off the fins but I had resolved that by applying a strip of double-sided foam tape between the gripping surfaces of the holder. I did not remove the protective strip on the outer side of the tape. This made the holder stay in place quite well and still allowed for adjustment.

We ran the fridge for several hours to see if we had made progress and I am delighted that we now run our fridge on level 3 and have perfect control of temperature in the fridge and freezer. I have not touched it since - no need to take it apart to find out why it is working so good.

I was very impressed with Leon Herschberger and recommended him to a friend of mine who was also having similar refer problems. His issue was different than mine but Leon fixed him up and he is also happy to see his fridge running properly on level 3. If you are in that area I highly recommend National RV Refrigeration for your Dometic or Norcold problems.

Mikey, you are correct that there is no longer an ambient control switch in this model.

On line information about the position of the sensor is confusing -some users claim moving the sensor down increases cooling, some say the same for moving it up. The correct answer is to move the thermistor up to minutely increase cooling in the fridge. The sensor should not touch the fins.

I realize that your problem is different since you are losing cooling in your freezer too but I hope some of the diganostic methods we went through might be helpful for you to determine the problem. I have to say I was pleased with my contact with Dometic but I have heard others were not so fortunate.

I hope you get this resolved quickly. Refers are an absolute necessity and there is much angst when they don't work. Good Luck.

[Mikey]

Roadworthy - exactly the same problem - and I hope the same solution.
I disconnected the thermister from the circuit board and switched to propane. Fridge is now at at 26 degrees - yup - that cold.
Have appointment at Can-Am this week - Thurs and Friday. I hope they agree to replace the thermister.

p.s see you in Quebec city.

[berghild]

where is the other end of the thermister wire? i have the wside by side so went outside and opened both compartments....at the top one I could see the white tube coming out and gpoin into lower compartment...then down there it is all confusing. found one that is attached with a brass nut...is that it?

[berghild]

also in the top compartment the pice of foil that is holding up the insulation has fallen down and is sitting on top of the unit....restricting air flow? it is held up with duct tape...seems pretty frail solution. could that be part of my colling problem? it is holding steady at 50 degrees in the frig and the freeqer is fine...

[berghild]

and....one fin is bent and touching another fin...can't get my phone away from DH to use it to call Dometic so that is why I am here bugging you guys

[bstark]

First; thermistor wire, nope, it won't go to a common post with a nut attachment but rather inside the "black box" circuit board control center.
My Fridge is the series RM 2862 but am willing to bet the boards are very similar so; remove the cover (can be a pain) and look for 2 plugs in the upper left corner of the board with P1 & P2 printed on the board beside them, the upper plug is the P1 with six contacts that is the control panel connection to the front of the fridge and the one right below it is the P2 plug with 2 contacts, this P2 is your thermistor connection.

If others with a fridge similar to yours find these instructions to be incorrect PLEASE chime in!

Sagging foil liner, yep, that will inhibit cooling air from performing it's role efficiently using natural convection up through the rear of the cabinet. You need to make sure that the path cooling air will take up through the back of the unit and over those coils and fins is as un-obstructed as it can be.

A bent fin is not going to cause any detrimental effect other than to perhaps keep you from scalping yourself when trying to get your head in far enough to look down to see the fans location/function. Don't ask, the scar is gradually fading!

[berghild]

thank you i am headed outside...will be careful...i was wondering where those fans are..don't hear any fans....gas running nonstop though

[bstark]

Using a hand held mirror the fan/s (if installed) can be seen about halfway up the height of the fridge in the rear cabinet cavity, in amongst all of that grey tubing. If you attempt to use a step ladder and stick your head into the upper cavity opening; BE CAREFUL, those fins are SHARP!

Also be carful if poking around in there with your bare hands as some sections of that tubing are very hot, especially the burner/heater tower.

[wingnut60]

I am having similar problems with my NDR 1292 model. Will the unit default to max cooling after disconnecting the thermister on either elec or gas?

Over the 4th, it didn't cool below 45--came home, parked it, shut it off. Turned it on on elec a week later, it cooled to below 32 in the refrigerator side--for over a week--so, I decided it corrected itself. Just turned it back on 2 days ago, won't go below 50. OAT is 100 during day, 80 at night, so it is having to work hard anyway. I just took the thermister offline to see what happens, and left it on elec. Fan never comes on, fuses are ok.

Any ideas more than what has been discussed?

[berghild]

not a clue...disconnecting the thermister brought it down about 5 degrees. new thermister should be here on Monday but I won't be able to get to install until Wednesday..according to Rodeworthy...this the right path to take. others seem to have the same issue and repair.

[wingnut60]

Well, also plan to get the original fan wired to a switch, and a second fan added. If tomorrow I see that any improvement has been shown with the thermister offline, then will get one of them. After that....theres the GS warranty to fall back on.

Gotta get this fixed soon, got a long trip to WY coming up.

Joe

[wingnut60]

disconnected the thermister, at the same time moved it to above the fin area. The temp went to 30 overnight, so it would appear the thermister is bad. Have now reconnected the thermister with the sensor above the fins to see it anything different happens.

Have ordered a new thermister from CW to have if it proves out to be the problem.

thanks for all the information provided by several members of the forum, it has really helped to maybe head off taking the trailer in for service.

Joe

I am also going to direct wire the fan with an on/off switch, and add a second fan same setup. Can anyone tell me if there can be TOO much air across the tubes/fin area?

[berghild]

no that makes no sense does it? disconnect and move it....will try it if sensor is not above fin already...will be interested to hear what happens now that you have reconnected it. mine is sitting at48 degrees after unplugging.....

[wingnut60]

Almost immediately after reconnecting the thermister, the temp started to rise and the fins in the fridge compartment showed moisture drops. So, have to conclude that having the sensor connected and located above the fin area didn't help, so still think the sensor is defective. Have disconnected it again and see if fridge responds by getting cooler again. Its gonna be 100 again today, so will be hard to get much of a drop til it runs overnight.

Also, just after disconnecting the sensor once again, there was a ticking noise heard in the back--not the propane trying to ignite--don't know what that was, but it quit after a while.

The saga continues......

[berghild]

mine went to 45 over nite....disconnected. i wish it would drop a bunch! We have to go to Vegas for a doctor appt. on Monday and won't get back until TUesday so new one won't go in until Wednesday....If it works we will be able to leave San Diego on AThursday...2 months later than planned...but at least we will have a few weeks away.

[wingnut60]

Waited all day with sensor disconnected--didn't look good as temp stayed near 60 in fridge--went out this morning and it was at 30 again!!! I have a thermister ordered, but am going ahead with taking it in to CW and see what they say--and, see how the Good Sam warranty works. CW charges $54 min for 1/2 hr work/$105 hr. GS has the $200 deductible--this will be interesting to see what I end up paying. Also got a fan running in the compartment without shutoff.

I can't take the chance with vacation in early Sept not having the unit working 100%--so off to CW to see what happens. Will also report back on how their service dept in S. Fort Worth (McClains) shakes out--seems to be a lot of negativism about CW service in some forums.

Kinda odd about setting the appt--last month, there was a 3 week wait, yesterday I got the appt for tomorrow. ????

Joe

[wingnut60]

The 30 degrees this morning couldn't keep up with the heat down here--was 58 in there about 4PM, with the thermister disconnected. Oh, well, going in for service tomorrow. Put the thermister back, put the cover on the the control board, turned off the fan, so that all would be as it was when they start looking at it.

[wingnut60]

McClains/Camping World has run the diagnostics on my fridge--and talked to Dometic. Decision isays a 2nd cooling fan is needed, and new lower temp thermostat for fan. Waiting on parts. Good Sam CSP is going to pick up most of cost above deductible they say.

Will just have to see how it does when I get it back. Gotta have this working for the Tetons trip in Sept.

[RodeWorthy]

What is the temperature in your freezer cabinet when you check the refrigerator compartment?

[wingnut60]

RodeWorthy,

Freezer has been cold enough to keep ice frozen, but just barely. The cubes were not cold enough to stick a finger to--don't have an actual freezer temp. The cooling unit is working, of that I am sure. CW has had the fridge side down to 20, so it is working, just not correctly. This is the NDR1292 SxS unit. Some days it would work, some days it was too warm in fridge to keep food safe.

I am not sure that the fans are the only problem, tho. Just have to let the techs go thru the process, then see if it works correctly. I am surprised that Dometic recommended the 2nd fan, but there wasn't one there originally. Guess some of the newer installs have the 2 fans?

Joe

[berghild]

we were away for a couple of days and new thermister arrived while we were gone. picked it up yesterday...fridge was way cooler because we had been gone. in this months good sam magazine I ran across a fix it situation just like ours. the Guru guy said to unplug the thermister, stick the probe in ice water for 30 minutes...then check the resistance (sp?) with an ohm meter...it should be between 8500 and 9500. ours was at 8000. we tried that just for fun. because we didn't have enough time to put the new one in yesterday.
this morning we are going to Mexico for diesel and will install the thermister when we return...I can hardly wait. no wait, this is THursday..maybe we will wash the rig today since there are no rigs next to us, do the fridge, and go to Mex. first thing tomorrow morning. The we sholuld be finally ready to leave San DIego by MOnday!! YIPPEE

[Motor31]

Berghild,

Just curious, where are you staying in San Diego and what are the rates like.

My brother is there and I was thinking of visiting him either this year or next.

[berghild]

we are in chula vista at the Elks lodge.
the rates are pretty high....we can't afford them. BUt the county parks are great and their rates are very reasonable. Before we were Elks we used to stay at Sweetwater Summit in BOnita...very nice but no sewer yet. there are parks all over...in Santee, near eL cAJON...IN OCEANSIDE. kOA is this highest.....campland by the bay is kinda high....I'm thinking 45 is high to me and it goes way up from there.
We stayed at a prak in El Cajon for $750. PER MNTH....TO ME THAT IS TOO HIGH. course here we sit at this elks at 600....but it is a bargain for around here.

[RodeWorthy]

Joe,
When my refer was not cooling refrigerator cabinet due to bad thermistor the freezer cabinet dropped to as low as -5 degrees F. Very cold. It stayed below the zero mark no matter which setting between 3 and 5 that we used. When the refer was working properly before the thermistor failure the freezer was around 8-10 degrees F. at setting 3. After the thermistor was replaced the freezer temperature went back to 8-10 degrees at setting 3.

None of the above were in very high ambient air temperature. Our problem persisted through 35 - 85 degree ambients. My model is two door RM3962. My refer came with two fans. No indication they have ever run but can't say they have not.

Has anyone considered a defective circuit board? If you are sure your refer is capable of cooling then you are dealing with a control problem.

From what I experienced I think your freezer should be colder than just barely keeping ice frozen if it is just a control problem. The extra fan may help but I have no experience with that.

Just my thoughts based on our experience. I hope some of it helps but I have no expertise so rely on the experts helping you.

[wingnut60]

RodeWorthy,
ALL your comments are helpful--I had ordered a thermister prior to giving up the self-fixing. It should be in and I will have it just in case. I have a little time before my trip if it doesn't get fixed this time in the shop.
Very worrisome that the problem is properly figured out, but have to give the techs the benefit of the doubt, til I see if it stays working. Real concern on my part is it has worked fine inbetween not working--so its kind of like "Is it REALLY fixed, or is it gonna quit while I'm in Wyoming"
situation.

Thanks,
Joe

[berghild]

well here's the latest. The new thermister is in and nothing has changed except that the OMH reading on the new thermister was at 9100 and that is higher than the old one. Owners manual states it should be at between 7 and 10,000....that is different than what I had read in Good Sam magazine this month. Anyway freezer is very cold arouind 5 and fridge is at 42 on 5 setting.
THis is the NDR 1292 model side by side. The temp here in san diego is 73 right now. Moderate temps here all the time! So the two fans are not running.
How do I test the crcuit board? I am trying not to call the tech..I don't think they know as much as you guys do....but at least they should know how to test the circuit board!
We have been stuck here for 2 months longer than we wanted due to other issues...I was hoping to leave on Monday..HA.
HELP!

[berghild]

and yes, I am going to call Dometic on Monday.....I just wish I could fix it NOW

[wingnut60]

Since you have plenty of cooling in the freezer, and fridge needs to be a little colder, have you thought about using one of the small battery powered fans (don't laugh) on the lower shelf to get some air movement?
This might help get you by til it gets fixed correctly. This little fan helps us when we have it loaded to the gills with food starting on a trip.

Another thing--how are you measuring (and where) the temps? We had a digital remote, but it went out. Now we are using a simple mercury thermometer, but it requires us to open and read, so we lose cold air every time we open to check it.

Still waiting on fans and switches to see if CW/Dometic has the correct diagnosis on ours.

Of all the needs in trailering, this has to be the one that can be most frustrating when not working correctly.

Joe

[berghild]

well i used to use one of those fans....it broke and for some reason it never got replaced. For now, DH is convinced that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the fridge. I supposedly have too much stuff in it. Nothing compared to the way it has been packed on previous occasions...but for now it is half empty so he can see for himself. needless to say we WON"T be leaving anytime soon, since I have not been able to order the part until this last little test is complete.
I think the solution CW is giving you is a crock...but I will be anxious to hear the result.....I am convinced that a good tech is damn near impossible to find!
I need a glass of wine!

[rdunk]

FWIW!

1. When a fridge has been running at a higher than normal temperature, it can take a day or two to cool down to its coldest.

2. I do use the battery powered fridge fan mentioned, as it does make a significant fridge temperature difference. When the batteries are depleted, and the fan stops, the fridge temp goes up about 4 to 5 degrees. I do have the fan placed on the 2nd shelf from the top. When I put new batteries in the fan, the fridge returns to the lower temps. On the "4" setting, the fridge temp ranges from 35/36 degrees to 38/39 degrees, depending on how often we are in the fridge, and how hot it is outside. Right now it is 84 degrees outside at 3:00PM - yes a cool day for Texas summer - and the fridge is on 36 degrees. Our fridge is the larger two door model (10 cu. ft.)

....................ie - get a fan, lol

3.When my thermister was replaced by a tech, I did have to move it high up on the fin to finally get the fridge temps down to where I thought they should be.

Good luck!!!

[berghild]

well the half empty fridge e xperiment is not working...temp is up to 52 degrees.....going to unplug the thermister for now and talk to domeetic in the morning.

[wingnut60]

Cindy,

Your situation sounds exactly like ours--some cooling, but not enough to keep food safe...I can tell you that CW talked to Dometic, with the results of the diagnostic tests (bypassed all controls and ran fridge on max cooling--went to 20 in the food side) Dometic says 2 fans needed to run air by cooling fins in back. Factory fan had blown fuse, not working at all. Based on all this, CW ordered the thermostat switch (one that works at consideralby lower ambient temps) that controls the factory fan, and a 2nd fan to run at the same time. Still waiting on the parts to come in--which is ok, since I am trying to have concrete slab poured at the house where the trailer sits, and this solves where to put the trailer while that project completes.

When I tried disconnecting the thermister, results were all over the place--good cooling, then back to poor. So I had to give up on doing it myself.

I am lucky that I am only using the trailer for vacations, not full-time.

Let us know what story Dometic gives you and we'll compare notes.

Joe

[berghild]

i don't think i can blame the fans...there are two fans there and the outside temps are not hot enough to trigger them anyway....but I am anxious to find out exactly what the problem is since it is not the thermister i hope they can tell me how to check the circuit board....I just don't trust the techs (i think I have said that before)...plus it's always tied up for days. At least not the technicians that we have run across here.
I do have an issue on the installation of ouir combo washer that CW has to address so it may end up ther anyway.
they have that lifetime installation guarantee..and the exhaust hose won't stay connected to the pipe because the pipe barely sticks out of the wall.

[wingnut60]

Isn't the circuit board a 'plug in' deal? Pull all connectors and replace with new board? Can't look at mine right now, so don't know if above is correct--could be more complicated? but maybe its worth getting one anyway and replacing it?

[jdwilson3]

The cooling fans on the back side of the fridge and not based on air temperature, they are based on the temperature of the fins they are in contact with. The themostat on the fins is a contact type, there is a 12V lead and two leads, one for each fan. When the temp reaches approx 130 degrees on the fin, the fans come on, pull air in the lower vent and out the top vent.

I have replaced both fans and one themostat.

If anyone needs the complete kit, I found the part numbers and will look them up. The assembly is called Dometic Power Vent Assembly. There is one with one fan, and the one we need is for two fans.

[wingnut60]

John,
Thanks, I could use the part numbers to check what Dometic sends to CW.
They also said they were sending the lower temp cut-on swith to run the fans. Guess we get all this done and turn it on to see what it does.
Joe

[berghild]

that would be great if the circuit board was a plug in. I KNOW i could do that. and probably the fans too. I also would like those part numbers. I will go out and look at them again later and see if I can recognize what you are talking about.
temp is not dropping now with thermister disconnected....I supposed that is not a good sign....at least with the old one the temp dropped when i disconectewd it....oh oh better check the freezer and see if it is climbing too. damn

[berghild]

well thermister unplugged...refer at 40 called dometic....they say we need new refer. went to shop....they know the thermister has been unplugged but they have to come out and put in thermometer and wait 24 hours and then check it. then order refer from L.A. one day delivery. then they take the rig into the shop and take oujt the back window and replace the refrigerator......i guess I am sutck here for at least another week. And I hate it here....sorry...I am slightoy hysterical...it doesn't matter that it is good news that is replaced under warranty...all that matters to me right now is that i am stuck...it will take me a while to calm down. m cyndy

[wingnut60]

Wow...talk about mixed emotions...bad news/good news. At least your situation will be resolved and you will have refrigeration again. Don't know yet where mine stands--no call from CW that parts have come in. I would love to get a new unit under my GS CSP warranty.

Through the window--you mean one of the bigger slide windows, or the big rear one?

Joel

[berghild]

first they said they said the big rear one...lnow they think they can get it through the door.

[jdwilson3]

The Power Ventilator part number for the double door refridgerator is:

3108705.744 this includes two fans and two limit switches, only one limit switch is used on the fins above the fans. This also includes, but not needed when replacing the old fans brackets, screws, etc..

I found the information at: http://aaarv.net/power_ventilator_assy.htm

[wingnut60]

Thanks much for the information. Will use it to check against what has been installed as the solution to my cooling problems.
CW says today it is fixed and cooling extremely well.

Joe

[berghild]

well tech tested unit after 24 hours and temp didn't drop....then check fastening the insulation on top of the unit solidly...didn't make any difference. this morning they are calling Dometic...we should hear in a couple of hours. If Dometic directs replacement (like they told us they would) then unit should arrive tomorrow but tech wouldn't commit to installing on Friday....grrr.
Wingnut...is your refer the side by side....I can't remember. They looked at the fans but I wasn't outside..DH says he didn't test them...I don't understa nd since he was going outside specifically to look at fans and got sidetracked by insulation. maybe he just needed to see that they were there.

[Mikey]

Cindy
Hope your fridge problem gets fixed (ours was - see On the Road Again).
You mention fridge replacement - the whole thing or just the cooling unit. They replaced our cooling unit rather than the complete fridge. Dometic was paying the cost, so it was their choice. They did remove the fridge from the unit for testing, but that was because the grey water tank was being worked on at the same time.

[berghild]

wel dometic is teling tech to perform 28 checks.....some I am sure we have already done and call them in 24 hours...he will be out here sometime today...so we sit and wait again....so if the thing checks out...all the fuses are fine...it runs the same on gas and electric...the thermister is new...the fans are fine....oh well no sense crying over spilled milk again. maybe by fall we will be able to leave here. the tech should have called dometic 3 days ago instead of today. cyndy

[wingnut60]

Cyndy,
My problems are tiny compared to yours, just because we aren't in the trailer except for trips.

My unit is the NDR1292 SxS. And it has been great since we bought the trailer Feb '07.

CW assures me the fridge is fixed, should be picking it up tomorrow.

Joe

[berghild]

woke up this morning and the fridge is 30 degrees. and we can hear it humming away. noticed it last night when i opened the door. the only change is that tech set fans to run constant yesterday afternoon.....but nothing happened until last night when we noticed the fridg running. I really hadn't noticed before that that was the noise that was missing. I can hardly wait for the tech to call this morning! i hope the puzzled is solved....we can go somewhere!

[berghild]

tech is not coming out. i checked to see tht noise is definitely coming from the fans. but tech had also replugged in the thermister...so now I don't know what to think. Is it the fans or the thermister...I will fiddle with them both. temp control was set to 5 this morning so now it is set at 3 ...we shall see what that does before we fiddle with anything else. I know we can't leave fans running constantly. How do you adjust the thermostat on them?..or can I? Temps here are in the 70s.

[berghild]

i have reread all your posts starting with mikey's post in June. Dometic is now saying they will send new cooling unit...but RDunk said that didn't solve his problem.
THis is the NDR 1292 sxs...the new thermister is plugged in ...fans are running constant...temp set at 3 ,temp inside is 30.
Tech is being a smart ass, when we question if maybe it is just a thermostat problem turning the fans on and off. We are trying to understand how this works.
Now they say they will call us when cooling unit comes in and we can deliver the rig to them.
I am afraid that we will go through all this and a new cooling unit will not solve it.
what do you think I should check???????

[Mikey]

Before we had the new cooling unit installed, I never heard the fans run. When Al explained how to hot wire the fans, I mentioned that I'd never heard the sound.
Along with the new cooling unit, he sent a new fan thermostat. Our thermostat is located at the top on th cooling unit on the right side - remove top outside grill plate to see.
Just a thought

[berghild]

we have given up. we will take the rig in next weds. and keep our fingers crossed .
they have us so tangled up now that we have no choice....this has been messed up for a month, our entire trip is ruined so I may as well face it.
One of these days I will be able to leave San Diego and never have to come back. For someone with itchy feet...this has been pure torture. Problems with the truck, problems with the trailer, Howard got sick....(but I am glad that he got sick here, he had excellent care at Sharp Hospital in Chula VIsta)...one thing after another.
THis refrigerator problem has taken more time than all the problems with all previous rigs comobined. I don't think I would choose Dometic again.

[jdwilson3]

When my fan (one of the two) went bad, I could hear it inside the 5er! It was replaced. Later, the fans were not running at all...jumpered them and they worked. RV Tech replaced the thermostat and the fans never stopped....he had installed a themostat from a water heater....off at 130 degrees...Duh.

I ordered a new thermostat from someone, and at the same time replaced both fans (both two at Radio Shack). Then, RV Tech gave me the Dometic replacement parts for free for his previous mistake.

I replaced the thermostat I bought (just to be sure) and now have two spare fans and one spare thermostat.

The fans are designed to run about 10000 hours continuous, but are cheap sleeve bearing type, not ball bearing.

We can hear our fans running (when they are on) from outside the 5er, and if the noise level inside the rig is quiet, you can hear the fans running with the fridge door open.

Hope this helps...by the way, it is easy to replace both the fans and thermostat through the upper vent.

[berghild]

we wired fans to a switch, bypassed the thermostat, purchased a $10.00 remote digital thermometer at appliance parts store. temperature according to this themometer is 35 degrees overnight at setting number 3 runinng on shore power, with fans off. if we open and shut the door the temp zooms to 50 and takes awhile to come down. It is probably about 70 degrees outside this morning, no sun with marine layer hanging over us. Fans are off and have been off all night.
yesterday the temp would only get down to 45. After about 5 minutes the in frig has dropped from 50 to 39.
does this sound like we need a new cooling unit? Are there other scenarios we need to check?

[wingnut60]

Cyndy,
Can't answer to whether you need new cooling unit--I don't think your tech has figured everything out yet.

As to ours--working wells with new (2) fans installed, but propane/CO alarms are chirping due to low voltage---batteries are toast! top of one is swelled up from internall gassing. Had to get 2 new Trojan T-105s. Now, fridge is working and alarms are silent.

I suspect that the batteries may have been the source of all the problems, even when on shore power. I may have spent money not needed, but fridge is now working, at least it appears to be. gonna leave it off for a week, turn it back on propane and see what happens.

I am surprised that CW techs didn't check this, but may not have been any indications of low voltage while they ran it on shore power.

Oh, well, if it works from now on, I guess I'm happy.

I don't think there is a failsafe checklist that defines problems, and there isn't enough money in a diagnostics test to pay for extended testing/operations while monitoring the temps--especially if it is a full-timer trailer.

Joe

[wingnut60]

Cyndy,
Can't answer to whether you need new cooling unit--I don't think your tech has figured everything out yet.

As to ours--working wells with new (2) fans installed, but propane/CO alarms are chirping due to low voltage---batteries are toast! top of one is swelled up from internall gassing. Had to get 2 new Trojan T-105s. Now, fridge is working and alarms are silent.

I suspect that the batteries may have been the source of all the problems, even when on shore power. I may have spent money not needed, but fridge is now working, at least it appears to be. gonna leave it off for a week, turn it back on propane and see what happens.

I am surprised that CW techs didn't check this, but may not have been any indications of low voltage while they ran it on shore power.

Oh, well, if it works from now on, I guess I'm happy.

I don't think there is a failsafe checklist that defines problems, and there isn't enough money in a diagnostics test to pay for extended testing/operations while monitoring the temps--especially if it is a full-timer trailer.

Joe

[wingnut60]

At the same time my trailer was in McClains in FW, there was another MS in with failed fans--Unit #2593--don't know whose this is.

joe

[billr]

Joe, it sounds like your batteries may possibly be over charging if being plugged into shore power for extended time. This will boil out the fluid and toast the batts. If you don't have one yet, consider installing a Charge Wizard into the converter. Easy and cheap to do. Avail at CW. This will float the batts when fully charged and keep from over charging.

After 3 yrs, I have not needed to add any water to the batts with a charge wizard running.

Bill

[RodeWorthy]

Joe,
What ambient air temp are you seeing to make your fans run?

Also, do you have Charge Wizard on your converter? That should help control overcharging that you have experienced.

[berghild]

FANS ARE OFF NOW WIRED TO A SWITCH BYPASSES THERMOSTAT

[jdwilson3]

The fans should kick in around 130-140 degrees.

[berghild]

outside temp is 76 today...cooler now...fans off all afternoon while we were gone so no one was around opening and shutting the door. refer temp is now 43. so we have turned on the fans...but for most people their fans never run so I am beginning to think that the fans are not the problem....but they seem to help.
Don is right....let 'em replace everything and get it over with. I am going to the shop on Monday that replacing the cooling unit also means replacing the controls. What the heck, one more week in San Diego is not going to kill me at this point.

[wingnut60]

I have a CW on the converter, but didn't install it til about 3 months ago. Damage was done by then, I guess.
Fan is set to come on at a lower temp now but dont know what that is.

Away from home for a week, will restart unit next Sun and see how it works.

[bstark]

That's the attitude to have. While fretting that todays tech's should be able to troubleshoot a simple little RV fridge problem without resorting to wholesale replacemnet of parts as their first option, the reality is; it's far better to just let them do their thing and relax.

Another vote here for the Charge Wizard attachment to the back of the convertor. Billr convinced me over a year ago that little baby would pay big dividends and he was spot on the money! No boil off or gassing taking place now and have not had to add water for a loooonnng time! Best under $100.00 I ever spent.

[berghild]

yep i have given up steaming about the refer....I think part of it was that I was so upset about not being able to leave here and also the thought of moving out of it for an entire day.
about the charge wizard...we had put one on the old 5th wheel but I thouight with this Xantrex 3000 that we didn't need one because it controls everything except what we have for dinner. ????

[berghild]

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS....OUR TECH JUST SHOWED UP AND RECHECKED EVERYTHING!!!! IT STILL ISN'T RUNNING RIGHT NO MATTER WHAT FIDDLING WE DO. HE DID SAY THAT DOMETIC WILL NOT AUTHORIZE NEW CONTROLS...JUST THE COOLING UNIT. OH WELL. I HOPE ALL IS WELL. CYNDY

[bstark]

berghild: I just hate the "up-in-the-air-and-hanging" aspect of what you're going through and have a thought to contribute that won't help you in the least but will probably express what a bunch of us RV'ers are thinking at this point.

How do these guy's get to call themselves tech's? Any serviceman worth his salt would have a few generic boards for the most common units out there (he could purchase them from salvagers and test them at his liesure to defray initial cost) and would, as his first troubleshooting exercise, swap out your board (probably no more than a 1/2 hour exercise for a truly qualified tech) for one he keeps in stock in his van for these situations then, simply bill Dometic later if it cures your problem.

Dometic are simply responding to his sketchy info. they won't authorize a new board unless he assures them he has properly tested and narrowed down the problem to your old one . Therein lies the problem, Dometic ask "did you perform test "A" and if so, what amperage/voltage/ohm reading did your obtain?" and this guy is either too lazy or not qualified to know what the H--- they're talking about, so Dometic simply wash their hands of it!

I truly wish we were sitting beside you as I wouldn't hesitate to have tried this as a first step.

[berghild]

Well I don't think the guy is lazy really (but then I am usually to generous in my assessments of people) and they did have him do 28 checks and questioned some of his results...you would think they would have hime check the board....other people here in the park have confidence in this guy...I sure hope they are right!
we do have a friend coming to visit tomorrow that works on RV refers....maybe he will have some input.
for now Howard has reconnected the thermostat for the fans and the temp is up to 50 degrees...so fans must be at least part of the problem.
they have promised to have rig back at the end of the day on Wednesday but we are preparing for the worst and are cashing in some of our Am. Express points for a night at the La Jolla Shores hotel on the beach...not a bad place to go sulk if we have to...:-)
thank you for all your input.....i wish you were sitting next to us too!

Cyndy and Howard

[berghild]

well in anticipation of delivering our rig to the repair shop tomorrow we emptied the freezer and refer and the phone rang...yep the part is delayed. they will take the rig in on friday and have promised to have it back to us that night. They will have to do a check on Tuesday morning to satisfy Dometic and they have assured us that they will be here first thing in the morning so that we may hit the road.....we shall see. Cyndy

[bstark]

While this is somewhat off-topic it is germaine to the future of RV's. Teton is declaring that their trailers for '09" will be Dometic-free.

I guess at least one high end manufacturer of RV's has had enough of the crap that Dometic are building. Probably got tired of all the warranty wrangling!

[berghild]

well........we did get our rig back last night...minus one refer! the poor owner of the rv place says after this he is done with Dometic. the correct cooling unit was supplied to him...minus whatever it needed ( holes or whatever) for the ice maker and none of the holes for screws or whatever matched up.
I should have known we were in trouble when our experienced tech was not around when we arrived at 8 am. the guy that had made the mistake with our xantrex 3000 was in the unit in a flash. extended the slides and then triedcto shove the kitchen island out of the way. oops!
we arrived back there at 6 pm to find the same tech with the partially reassembled refer on our livingroom floor! He had been in there drilling and whatever all day....everything is covered in some kind of film.
they moved the thing out the door and swept up and sent us on our way and we were back in the park after dark. then things got ugly...somehow the faucet handle was bumped and in the open position...
so when hubby turned on the faucet the water ran all over the counter and down onto the floor ...thank heaven we have mostly linoleum but the carpet on the slide was drenched. luckily the ice maker line had a nut on it that was squirting water everywhere ..outside...and howard had run to turn off the hose. I did not discover the mess inside until later when I went in to extend the slides. grrr
Supposedly the owner and the tech are working on it now and we will be called to bring the rig in this afternoon so that they can install the refer back inside.
Lord knows, I would like to be done with Dometic also.
It's a long and meaningless post....but since you all have stuck it out with me so long, I thought I would relay our comedy of errors. I am past the point of crying or swearing....I just accept it.
Oh, one more thing...we were storing our food in a friends 5th wheel that she has put up for sale...the batteries went dead..the fridge went off the food in the refer spoiled and the freezer food deforosted....big cook out here tonight...wish you could all join us, we are having a mixture of Baja fish, bar-b-qued tri tip roast, t-bone steaks, and Elk patties! At least most of the food was underneath in the freezer in the storage compartment!
Hapy trails< Cyndy

[bstark]

Oh goodness me! I tune into this forum thinking I'm finally going to read a post relating some good news and the end is in sight for your woes. How can it possibly get any worse? They do the bench work of drilling and such INSIDE your rv??? That is just stupid! they should do the complete changeover to attaching the new cooling unit to the back of your fridge and put it through a full test run while still on the bench in the shop, that way if it still doesn't work they haven't wasted time and labour (and created double the mess) lugging it in and then out again. All they need is a 12volt souce, a 120volt source and for complete test, a 20lb propane tank with regulator so they can run it on both electric and propane to verify full cool down occurs before they send you down the road.

For sure they should have capped off the icemaker line, a golf tee stuck in there would have sufficed, good grief!

This stuff is not rocket science and it really pains me when they stumble along putting you through needless hardships. Knowing ahead of time that they were scheduled to perform this job they should have put themselves through a 'quasi-rehersal' of perhaps even writing down the steps as they should have happened and complete removal of unit should have been step one with isolating all power supply such as electric (both 120 and 12volt) and, most importantly, the gas and it then should have occurred to them that the water supply to the fridge would need capping off as well.

Please do not apologize for posting every installment as these issues and their outcome need to be made as public as possible.

[berghild]

well it looks like a refrigerator. it was hooked up to a battery and an electric cord...but no propane....hmmmm. they closed up the shop while we chatted and we are keeping our fingers crossed that in the morning he can get a couple of guys to help him out and deliver it abouit mid-morning....he very easily could have said , sorry come see us on Tuesday..it's a holiday. Family owned business so he works harder....I can bet this wouldn't have happened at camping world location on a holiday wekend. Now I guess we just pray that it works on propane......oh my Gosh, wouldn't that be awful. I never thought about that.

[berghild]

well it looks like a refrigerator. it was hooked up to a battery and an electric cord...but no propane....hmmmm. they closed up the shop while we chatted and we are keeping our fingers crossed that in the morning he can get a couple of guys to help him out and deliver it abouit mid-morning....he very easily could have said , sorry come see us on Tuesday..it's a holiday. Family owned business so he works harder....I can bet this wouldn't have happened at camping world location on a holiday wekend. Now I guess we just pray that it works on propane......oh my Gosh, wouldn't that be awful. I never thought about that.

[bstark]

Please don't panic on the propane issue. It would have been very easy for them to simply take a tank that has one of the standard 11" W/C regulator's (BBQ) on it and hook it up to try it but, if it is cooling on 120v, it will almost certainly cool on the higher 'boiler' pressures created with the hotter/quicker propane. You ignition section of the board was functioning before so, the likelyhood is great that it will again function correctly once all connections are re-established within the coach's body.

We're all keeping our fingers crossed for a happy outcome to your very trying saga!

[wingnut60]

Cyndy,

I am really sorry to be following all your troubles with the refrigerator--got ours back from CW last week, but was gone on business for the week.
Got the concrete pad poured while gone, got home and picked up the trailer, parked it and turned on the refrigerator--4PM yesterday. This morning at 8 it was showing 22 in the food side, so it looks like this time it is cured and working--will not shut it off again before we leave Thurs evening. Both fans were runnning last night, this morning they weren't, but kicked in soon as the sun came over the fence and hit the compartment side.

It still sound more like incompetence on the tech side, and uncooperativeness on the Dometic side. A new unit would have solved this weeks ago and been cheaper on Dometice, I would think. Then again, most of the expense is probably going to be on the service department where you have it.

For my part, the possibility exists that I caused my own problems with discharged batteries--had I replaced them first, I might not have had any further cooling problems. I have learned some lessons on this, and will be a little more patient with my own work toward solving refrigerator problems. The clue was the beeping propane alarm--inconsistent, but there was no leak in the system. Low voltage was probably the source of all my troubles, CW just didn't check for that. They (nor I) put the two symptoms together correctly.

Hang in there, it will work before long.

Joe

[berghild]

we waited all day saturday and all day sunday for a phone call saying they were bringing the refer or NOT bringing the refer....nothing. DH
went to shop today at 11:00 AM they had not even checked the temp yet!
THey said it should be 41..........????? I am confused....that doesn't seem very cold to me. What do you guys think..I am looking for my manual....again.
we are supposed to take the rig in there tomorrow at 9 AM
Cyndy

[wingnut60]

Cyndy,

You have more than just a non-operating refrigerator--you have both a non-operating service department AND a non-operating manufacturer. How sad to read of your frustrations--and just can't get it fixed.

Keep us up on the continuing soap opera.

Mine is staying at 26-30 most of the time, went to 33 during hottest part of day yesterday. BUT, we don't have anything in it yet. That comes tomorrow, as we leave Thursday.


Joe

[berghild]

i want cold milk, cold beer and cold water ....dammit

[berghild]

went to the shop...someone had unplugged refer!.....in 3 hours temp had gone from 70 to 55.....who knows what will happen overnite. good thing we went there or we would have packed up in the morning and gone down there without knowing if it was working. DH finally lost it, he is still venting....I have to write to DT and Dometic if this cooling unit is not the answer to the original problem...he is swearing now that he will replace it with NOrcold.

[bstark]

Makes me want to weep! This has been handled badly from the get-go. They've replaced the cooling unit but the thing still won't cool and how would they know if no one bothered to monitor it's temp reduction progress?

While this thing was sitting on the bench plugged into electric, they should have used a 'clamp meter' around one wire of the heater leads to verify the amperage being used by that electrode (especially if re-using the old electrode) and also it's time on vs time off cycle which would have given them info regarding the status of the electrode itself, the thermistor, and also more importantly the control board. They also could have performed any number of volt/ohm meter checks on the thermistor leads to observe the resistance change over a period of time and cooling differential.

Good grief, to go through all of that work and then simply walk away leaving the thing sitting on the bench with customers twisting in the wind is simply thoughtless in the extreme!

Boy this industry needs an overhaul!

[bstark]

Cyndy & Howard: We're on pins and needles here, waiting for the outcome!

[berghild]

well we are home and reinstalled in the park....what an ordeal.
the 1refer is at 42.6 after 17 hours of coolibng...hmmm
yesterday morning they said it was at 28 at the shop..so we are waiting not touching the door
BUT>>>the ice maker is not working...they checked it at the shop and they said it was cycling????whatever that means..they wer out there with a meter.

but we have not ice cubes....any ideas? we hav e heard that there is not much that can be done in the field. they are going to get us a new ice maker but i deo not want to wait around for that. also they are sending oiut womeone to check it..didn't say when of course...i am going to call and tell them that we are preparing to leave. they probably won't send anyone until lunch time.....grrr i want to get throiugh L.A. before rush hour...my itchy feet just want to be on the road!
anyway, let me know what youj thing about the ice ;maker

[berghild]

the refer has been running on 5 for 18 hours....i would think that would make the fins and compartment pretty hot...plus sun is on it. thye told me they used the old thermostat...the fans are not running.... temp at 41.7. we have installed a swtche but are not hoked to it right now. Didn't someone say they installed a thermostat with a lower setting? stil no ice...no tech either.

[jdwilson3]

If they didn't hook up the water line when they re-installed the 'fridge...no water=no ice.

Also, the "bail" has to be reset from the upper position to make ice. Is it?

Stick your pinky finger into the ice maker and see if you can feel water.

Fridge on 5 for that long and not below 41 is just wrong. Ours is on 3 and runs about 30-32 degrees.

[berghild]

icemaker still not making ice, temp at 12....tech called Dometic and they said it had to be 14 degrees to make ice...bail is in right postition
, will check for water hubby on the phone with the tech...grrr...how long does it take to make ice..i am on hold with Dometic fans on are set to run steady now to see if that helps
just discovered 2 small dents in the freezer doorDAMN

[berghild]

stuck my finger in ice maker....frozen mass of ice. I am on my way to camping world to buy an portable ice maker....i am not no waiting around for more parts an d more screw ups...we will be back in October they can fix it then.
fridge is on fans running steady temp is 50 degrees
spoke to Dometic gal said it could be circuit board...DUHHHHH
easy fix that could have been done weeks ago probably, maybe who knows.

[berghild]

DH unplugged thermistor last night, left setting on 5 got up this morning and temp was at 32 degees., fans not running or it probably would have been colder.
it's 8:10 packing up to leave...no 8:00 a.m. tech yet...probably won't show.since they know we are leaving.
Ice maker from camping world 159.00 is drilling out ice cubes liike crazy so I will keep food cold one way or another!
I called Al Maguire...nice man....he documented our issues...I will call him again after tech comes or doesn't come...maybe wait a couple of days and address this circuit board issue.
We are leaving that's all I care about now...I can almost smell the Pine trees. cyndy

[bstark]

You're handling this whole mess with grace! Amazing given the inconvenience you were subjected to.

Manufacturer's should take heed when reading posts of this nature as I'm sure they do from time to time.

Folks contemplating the RV lifestyle, who by chance read a thread of this nature, might just throw their hands up and exclaim "no way am I gonna pay big bucks on something that gives us that much uncertainty and aggravation!"

For my part this is what I did:

wwww.customersupportcenter@dometicusa.com

"In response to the manner in which you have handled warranty and recall issues with your recent RV refridgerator offerings, it is my intent to insist, upon considering the purchase of any new RV, that absolutely NO DOMETIC products be used in it's manufacture. From awnings to appliances, I am prepared to pay additional manufacture's cost to ensure even a modicum of reliability!"

Probably won't amount to much but I sure felt better after pushing that send button and now I intend to visit other forums and insert this in the sticky's area at the top of most of them related to Dometic's recall notice.

[berghild]

just to let you know...refer is now cold...really cold. everything is back to normal settings . Now even on setting 1 it gets below freezing. I have to turn it off to keep the vegies from freezing.
the o;ther day it did it in the daytime when the temps were in the 70s, we arrived home about 5 and the temp outside was just dropping into the 60s..temp in refer was 18.
yesterday I left it off for hours in the late afternoon, returning nome around 11 the temp was around 34 so i figured i'd better turn it on this morning after 7 hours it is just under 30....so i turned it off again. this is a pain in the neck....I am going to call Al maguire and update him on our issues as soon as we get a signal and also email the shop that did the work. OH YEAH, the ice maker still down't work, have to tell them that too. In the meantime we are happy to be in the Sierras.
Now I am going to post about our ruined Goodyear Tire. Cyndy

[rdunk]

With the very low temps you are experiencing, and with the fact that the temp selections on the fridge seem to make no difference, it seems like your thermister may still be unplugged, or not on the cooling fin, or maybe it is just not functional.

[berghild]

okay, i have moved thermistor..geez i hate to go all through this again. this is the new thermistor. I will check also to make sure they plugged it in. it seemed to me that it was in a diffrent spot than before...at the very back of the fin now. i just moved it so that more of the tip is out of the clip.

[jdwilson3]

Any updates?

[berghild]

the refer is still freezing so we are turning it on and off. I am just tired of dealing with it. hope to find a new thermistoer in Redding tomorrow. probably not. I do not want to stay in one place long enough to wait for parts....have to stay put now until thursday or friday so may tackle the problem tomorrow. ice maker still broke....but Al Maguire has offered to talk me through fixing it....we shall see. spent most of today dealing with financial issues....like where does it go? How can we get more? the balance is what????? OMG!!!!!!!!! we will let you kbnow. cyndy

[wingnut60]

Cyndy--
Our refrigerator is now working as it is supposed to--and apparenty all my problems can be traced to the lack of consistent 12-volt electricity. Getting new batteries and getting them charged seems to have made everything work. It stays at 28-32 in fridge side set on #2 or #3, depending on the temps outside. The dual fans seem to be working, but the noise may be a problem if we can get used to them.

Side note to previous problems I detailed earlier--got everything set to go on vacation after getting trailer back from CW--they swore it was working ok. Sat at home for a week on shore power and fridge worked fine--day before leaving, tried to turn it over to gas--no go. Panic call to CW tells me it can only be lack of 12 volt--told them "nope, have 2 new Trojan T-105s" They said: check battery status with power off--they were right, 2 dead new batteries. Took it in next morning. $64 later, they pointed out my 12 volt cutoff switch was off, thats why batts were dead (don't remember messing with it, but???). Turned gen on and left on trip. 3 hours later, batts were charged enough, so turned gen off and left it to the truck to maintain charge. 2 more hours, batts were running down--fuse in truck was blown. Replace fuse, keep going, fridge now working great, never got warmer than 42 in fridge side during trip--which was due to lots of opening doors.

It has been a hassle, but nothing compared to your bad deal. Good luck, hope someday to hear it is fixed correctly.
Joe

[berghild]

i have got to giond that fuse because it seems to me that the batteries should not be going down as much as they do when we are traveling and I have the inverter enabled. we unplug everything that we can find so that only the fridge is running off the 4 batteries and the xantrex 3000....seems to me they should be up fine.....we don't do long days either. I realize this is a big fridge but it just doesn't seem like it shouldbe going down like that. Cyndy

[berghild]

we are still having problems....i can't find the page that told me how to check the OHM reading on the thermister. I still haven't replaced the new thermister...we have been turning refer on and off for a month.
It must be ther thermister though because freezer is 2.5 and freezer is at 28...so i have turned refer off.
We haven't been able to have Dometic send us a thermister because we didn't know where we would be or for howl long. Local dealer here has the thermister for us....i went to see it....it is the old model one that was in originaly.....the new one doesn't seem to be working .. it is black with a yellow tip. the old one was white.....the one waiting for me at JOhny Walkers RV is all white and bigger. The new ones also cost more that $20.00 more than the original......the one waiting for me is the old model with the new model price....am I making any sense?
Anyway can someone please remind on how to check the OHM reading...it seems like it required something special beside sticking the probes in the thermister.
And you MOtosat guys different subject....who do I call about BOW/Dish network problems.....besides DISH because they won't toucvh the Motsat. thanks CYNDY[/list]

[RGordon]

Look at Page 2 on this topic!!! You said they said 8000 - 8500 ohm with thermister in ice water. Put probes in each side of connector! It is a two wire setup. Hope this will help. I believe if I ever have that much trouble, I will go to a residental refer.

[berghild]

thank you, i kept reading and must have been skipping right over that part....i couldn't remember what the reading was supposed to be . With a unit barely over a year old it is criminal the trou ble that we have had. hopefully another new thermister will be the answer and that will be the end of it. :-)

[berghild]

for anyone still interested...the new thermister (the 3rd one) is installed. THis morning the temp was 26 degrees. I wish I could just put a bomb in it. I wonder what the next fix will be.
I called Al Maguire this morning and left a message. He is out of the office teaching a class until the 19th at 6:30 PM Maybe he can teach someone how to fix this. I took to long getting the new thermister installed...so I will just wait it out. Only thing is by the 19th I will be back in San Diego...where the techs installed the cooling unit and broke my ice maker! Have to find someone new.
Saw a Mobile Suite at Hidden Shores here in Yuma, Saw two in San Carlos Mexico and one in Vegas. THe ones in Mexico were from Wahington and the one here in Yuma was from Ontario, the one in vegas I don't know where from. It's like seeing long lost cousins on the road!
Cyndy

[rdunk]

Cyndy, and Howard - Yes, some of us are still interested, and concerned for you. One, problem with all of this, is that your problem is the just opposite of what many of us have dealt with- ie your fridge too cold vs ours not getting cold enough. Either way it is really hard to live with, especially when fulltiming.

At 26 degrees, what is the setting on the fridge - 1 to 5?. Assuming it is on 1, then that is just a little too cold for the lettuce, or anything else but the ice.! lol lol. Having two freezer sections may not be all bad!!!!

Seriously, just keep on working with this until you have satisfactory fridge operation. It is obvious the fridge is cooling, just no temp control.

With everything you have gone through on this, with no success, I would suggest that you get in contact with your Doubletree (DRV) "Area Representative", and solicit his or her help. Your fridge is practically new, and has already had the cooling unit replaced, by a Dometic authorized rep., and that did not help. And, with considerable other Dometic. authorized tech help, they still cannot get this new fridge to work right. It sounds like to me your fridge was a "lemon" when your 2008 MS was delivered by the factory and your dealer. IMHO, it should be replaced, either by Dometic, or by DRV/DRV dealer with a complete new unit.

Yes, factory warranty excludes the numerous supplier warranted items, but, in my experience, DRV has always tried to help their down line customers, with any significant type problem, such as yours. DRV should be able to give Dometic some encouragement to replace your defective fridge.

Good Luck!!

[47hook]

I believe one of the reasons that we read forums is to keep informed about what other folks have gone thru and what fixes there might exist for those problems. I have had good luck, not 100%, but good luck getting issues fixed on rv's, especially with Drv.

A little story: when I was much younger then, then now, I had a very exspensive car that had a problem. I felt that the warranty should fix everything. Can't begin to explain the amount of time, money and effort I spent to never get it fixed. Now, knowing what I know, I should have just bought what I knew, and later had proved to be, the new part that would have fixed everything. Might still have that 1968 Corvette Roadster with the L-89 engine (for those that know 'Vette's).

Maybe just buying a new refrig of what ever brand you want, on your dime, may be worth more than dealing with what you have been dealing with.

However it goes, hope you come out all right. FWITW, have had 3 Dometics that have cooled exacltly as they should.

[berghild]

buying a new fridge would be wonderful. If I could afford to do that, maybe I could also have the cabinet altered to get the 4 door fridge in there. THis is the stainless steel side by side....what is that $3,000? I am afraid that I will be eating out of an ice chest and just using the thing as a freezer if it comes to that...I do not have the money to buy a new fridge.
Right now we are in the middle of new tires for the truck and dental work for both of us....and praying that diesel doesn't go through the roof again.
A new part maybe...but I have already put out enough money on parts and house calls. I will just pray that they do the right thing and fix it. We still have a few days before Al Maguire gets back into the office.

[berghild]

the refer is still freezing when on electirc at setting 1. we did notice that when we we were unhooked...on gas alone...no electric the temp rose to 41 degrees after several hours. it will be in the shop on tuesday of next week. now it has been suggested (sp?) that it may be the inverter/converter unit..
..let me look........right now after several hours on electric with a case of warm beer installed...setting 3 it is at 34.5..so I can can only imagine that it will go lower in the next few hours. when we go to bed the generator will be off and it will be on gas alone.....should be interesting to see what the temp is in the morning.
I have lost track of what-means-what..is it the controls or the converter or the man in the moon....all I know is it doesn't work rightl Next week it will spend the day with techs that I trust here in Las Vegas....they will figure it out. All i can give them is one day...I have surgery the next day and I am not living in a hotel after that.
the ice maker is still broken from when they installed the new cooking unit....I do not know what will happen with that. Al Maguire says he can talk me through the fix for that. We shall see......Merry Christmas to all, Cyndy

[nelsonraymond]

Hi
Our refridge stop cooling back before Thanksging. We were in Gulf shores and got a quote for a new cooling unit. It was a couple hundred dollars less than a new refrig. We are just 3 months out of warranty so we are on our own. The repair comes with a 90 day warranty and a new fridge comes with a 3yr. So we opted. to replace the 10 cubic refridge. We found out there are none in the country and none to be built until the end of Dec. We will be in tHe Valley in TX. so we got one on order and bought a small one from walmart to get by on. Last week we got a call from Camping world in TX. where we placed the order and now they are saying mid Jan. I called Dometic and they say the cooling Units come from Sweden and they have some coming in in mid Dec. but not sure if we will get one of those units. Can you beleive this! 2 months to get a new refridge, this is very frustrating.
Janice

[ponch]

Where in the valley are you staying?

We will be arriving at Llano Grande in Mercedes on the 31st.

[berghild]

we are in Las Vegas, NV. until after the first of the year. then we will try to get to the SOITC rally in Quartzite, then the Escapees Happy Hour Jan 14 in Quartzite, then the Gypsy Gathering February, then back to Yuma and and on to San Diego for February 19th through April. THese are our first rallies so we are really looking forward to them.
ANother year we want to do the Valley in Texas.

[nelsonraymond]

Pounch
We will be staying at Southern Comfort in Weslaco. We have not stayed or even been there but some friends down there said it was a pretty nice park.
We developed another problem two days ago, our bedroom slide colapsed on those plasitic block glides. Don't know how many more times we can take the slide out before it totally fails. We are currently in Lake Charles, should arrive in TX monday nite.
Janice

[ponch]

Sorry to hear about the slide.

I also have heard the Southern Comfort was a good park.

Hopefully we will be able to get together while we are in the valley.

[Stripit]

Pounch

We developed another problem two days ago, our bedroom slide colapsed on those plasitic block glides. Don't know how many more times we can take the slide out before it totally fails.
Janice

I fixed my plastic guide blocks myself. I took a piece of 2X10 about 5 ft long to use as the support under the bedroom slide. With the slide out, I also took a piece of 2X10 long enough to put upright under the slide. Using the 5 ft piece under the bottom of the slide and using the longer piece as a support, I then lowered the front of the trailer down causing the slide to lift up. You need to remove the weight off the glides to fix the problem. The glides are attached to the plastic filler and a piece of wood. I just removed everything and repositioned the location of the glides. You have to loosen the vertical trim to get the guides out, not a big job. Took total maybe 45 minutes to do everything. I also put some silicone lube on them now and they slide real easy.

[berghild]

i have replaced thermister 3 times and had new cooking unit under warranty. new cooking unit seems to have kept it from getting too warm...now it freezes whether on electric or gas whether we are hooked to shore power or not. Al Maguire is now shipping us a control unit. All this headache and a simple fix may do it. To bad they dad to dent by freezer door and break my ice maker in the process. NDR1292 also\ CYNDY

[berghild]

well anyone tht is still watching....we now have a new control unit ....for 2 weeks on setting 1 it stayed between 34 and 36...this moring 31.9.
now we have new cooling unit, new thermistor (3) and new control. What the heck is going on??????

[bstark]

Whew. You're at least in the ball-park now and with all of those new parts you should be within spitt'n distance of getting it working reliably!

Having the temperature vary by 5 degrees or so is, in my opinion only, normal and I would think that you could now moderate your system to allow for setting your control at the middle setting of 3 by experimenting with the placement of that new thermistor on the cooling fin by sliding it downwards by 1/2" increments at a time until your cabinet begins to warm up and then you can advance your control setting to a higher setting to compensate which would then give you some tolerance either side to accommodate for outside ambient temps.

Patience has indeed been your "haulmark" in this debacle!

[berghild]

yesterday i moved the setting to #3 and this morning it is at a nice 39 degrees! I will fiddle with the sensor if that changes. right now i am just keeping my fingers crossed!