Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 12-15-2009, 10:18 AM   #1
Motor31
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,130
Refrigerator FYI

Just an FYI for those of you using your rigs right now.

We had out fridge quit the other day while traveling. The cooling plant in it just failed. On either electric or propane there was no difference. The tech checked and confirmed what I found. He then spent all day Monday trying to find a replacement for it. There are none, at least for the DNR 1292 New Dimensions 2 door side by side model, in the US. The manufacturer has none in the pipeline at this time as well as they stopped production of them during the down turn in the business. Now that there is a little bit of demand they are starting a limited run of them. This is not the entire refrigerator, just the cooling plant. It will take 3 to 5 weeks to get the replacement. There are no complete units available for 2 weeks as well.

Just passing this on in case yours fails as well. Be prepared for a significant delay in getting it repaired.
__________________

__________________
Mike Nancy and the fuzzies
Fulltiming since June 2004
Volvo 660 MH tow vehicle
2005 MS 38RL
2007 Saturn Ion "toad"
2010 Gold Wing "piggyback"
Motor31 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-15-2009, 11:10 AM   #2
RGordon
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Atoka, TN & North Ft Myers, FL
Posts: 158
When mine fails I am going with a residential 120 volt refrigertor. I do not need the gas mode and tired of defrosting. Others on these forums have gone that route and is much cheaper. I could not wait 3 to 5 weeks.
__________________

__________________
Ron & Libby Gordon
2007 F350 Ford Lariat Diesel DRW CC
2007 Mobile Suite 38RL3 #3698
RGordon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-15-2009, 11:14 AM   #3
rdunk
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 482
Mike, did you check with "RVCool". I have no experience with them, but have run across their adds in the past. I did look at their website, and your cooling unit is listed as one they do rebuild for resale. Of course, your rebuilt cooling unit is about twice the price of the standard fridge cooling unit!! lol lol

http://www.rvcool.com/CoolingUnits.htm

http://www.rvcool.com/CUPricing.htm

Might be worth checking with them, if you haven't already!
__________________
Robert

Robert and Carlene

2005 RE3, S/N 2107 (sold Jan. 2010)
rdunk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-15-2009, 12:02 PM   #4
GlennWest
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 321
Bummer, We have went 2 days without hookups traveling. We are full time. Don't believe we could get by with a residential fridge.
__________________
2006 Mobile Suites 32TK3 SOLD 2003 Teton Grand Freedom, 2006 Freightliner Centry 515 hp Detroit 60 Traveling USA welding pipe
GlennWest is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-15-2009, 07:27 PM   #5
Diesel-Gypsy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Qc. Canada
Posts: 206
Mike are you refering to the Dometic unit that has the freezer on the left, and the fridge on the right side, 12cu.?

If so...I'm not looking forward to THAT!

Rick
__________________
2007 Carriage ROYALS INTERNATIONAL MONARCH 38
no truck yet…but looking
Diesel-Gypsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-15-2009, 08:51 PM   #6
wingnut60
Site Team
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Where we park it
Posts: 2,838
fridge

The Dometic side x side 12 cu ft fridge is the one--freezer on left/reefer on right. RM1292.

Several people who have replaced the cooling unit with rebuilt ones in smaller fridges have not been unhappy with either the cost or performance, so I have read on other forums.
Joe
__________________
2016 Tiffin 40 QBH
2015 38RSSA, traded
2005 TK3 #1869, 10 yrs of memories,
2017 F450 KR--one more Ford is it
2009 F450 4x4-died; 2010 F450-retired
wingnut60 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2010, 07:51 AM   #7
dshind
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 46
fridge

For those that have gone to a residential style what brand did you use?We have a 12 cu. ft. side by side and when it dies again were thinking of making the switch. Problem is I can't find anything size wise to replace it with.I know on some new coaches they are now optional.What brand are they? Thanks
__________________
fulltime Dave n' Jo
2008 HR Presidential Suite
2003 Dodge 3500 dually HO Cummins 6 SPD. Exhaust Brake,4" exhaust.
Fulltime since Oct. 2003
dshind is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2010, 08:17 AM   #8
Stripit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Home Prescott, Az
Posts: 1,019
Send a message via AIM to Stripit Send a message via MSN to Stripit Send a message via Yahoo to Stripit
On a RV unit the doors have a latch that keeps them closed when traveling. What are those with the home style doing to keep the doors from opening while under way?
__________________
2013 Tiffin Allegro 34 QFA
2015 Cadillac SRX (towed)
2019 Tesla Model X
1991 Avanti Conv
Stripit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2010, 08:59 AM   #9
Okie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tuttle Oklahoma
Posts: 194
Another one to check would be www.rvcoolingunit.net

Okie
__________________
Okies on the road
15 Columbus 381FL
08 F450
Okie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2010, 10:54 AM   #10
Motor31
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,130
Yesterday we finally got the new cooling unit from dometic installed. So far it is working fine and is being set on high to allow the thing to get settled into operation. The freezer is just a tad below 20 and the fridge side is at 30.

The tech that did the installation has had some experience with rebuilt units. The last time he used one, at the insistence of the RV extended warranty company, the unit lasted 2 days. The next rebuilt unit he installed in that rig also lasted just a couple days. He finally installed a new cooling unit and that one kept operating.

My case also has a new twist. It seems that the good sam csp plan does NOT cover all of the cost of parts like they claim. They set a price that they are willing to pay then if the part actually has a higher cost, as my cooling unit did, too bad. You eat it. The price they are going to pay is not listed, they just tell the repair company they will pay "x' dollars after the purchase is authorized. They also only cover $50.00 in shipping as well. A cooling unit for the large fridge we have comes on it's own pallet. It costs more than $50.00 to ship. I am not particularly happy with good sam csp and will not recommend them in the future.

The actual part cost for the cooling unit was $1650 and good sam would only pay $1500. Shipping cost was $150. Instead of a $200 deductible I got a bill for a bit over $400. I am going to call good sam to inquire why they do not mention those limits in their customer package. The total bill not including sales tax was over $2225.00. For those of you who do not have some kind of continued service plan that is a figure you should be concerned with as the fridge that dometic makes is not something to count on to last like a household fridge. FWIW the tech said that Norcold makes a better unit that has less parts cost and is more reliable not to mention easier to maintain or replace.

You should note that the fans that are installed above the cooling unit are not part of the cost and are considered extra by dometic and good sam as is the water line to the ice maker. The temperature sensor for the fans had also been originally set on the cold side of the cooling plant fins meaning they would only come on after the cooling unit had gotten pretty darn hot. That causes additional stress on the unit. The sensor has now been moved to the hot side now to get them to go on earlier before the temp gets high.

Installation was 5 hours actual time used. That did not cover the time needed to move the center island in the kitchen. I did that before they got there. Since the fridge HAS to come out of the cabinet to the front the island must be moved. There is no room to pull the fridge other wise. That island is secured by a total of 4 small diameter (but 6' long) screws that seat into the floor. The island has a heavy gauge wire cable for the electrical socket in it that is fed up through a hole in the floor so unless you are going to disconnect that you will only be able to rotate the island to the side. That gave enough clearance to pull the fridge and lay it down flat on the floor to pull the cooling unit out the back. It's not a one person job as that is a rather heavy fridge. It actually took 3 of us to get it back into the cabinet. I would not rate this as a do it yourself operation. While there are no "special tools" needed it is a rather "busy" wiring loom (rats nest) back there and wires are not labeled. Some modification to the insulation is needed to place the water feed for the ice maker and you will need both sealant putty, tape putty and a tube of temperature transmitting putty to get the cold fro the coils to the inside of the fridge and freezer. The coils do not go inside the fridge at all and there is no direct transmission of cold inside there. The fins are screwed to the mount holding the cooling tubes in place. The putty increases the area for transmission of the cold to the inside of the box. Same for the freezer topbox too although there are some coils that go into the box there.
__________________
Mike Nancy and the fuzzies
Fulltiming since June 2004
Volvo 660 MH tow vehicle
2005 MS 38RL
2007 Saturn Ion "toad"
2010 Gold Wing "piggyback"
Motor31 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2010, 06:49 AM   #11
Gemstone
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Boydton, VA
Posts: 443
Thanks for the write up....I can only hope that I don't have to refer to it later...

Regards
Gemstone
__________________
No longer on the road.
Gemstone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2010, 08:33 AM   #12
wingnut60
Site Team
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Where we park it
Posts: 2,838
cooling unit

Mike,
Also thanks for the details--can only wonder what it would be like with the connected island in my TK3.
Joe
__________________
2016 Tiffin 40 QBH
2015 38RSSA, traded
2005 TK3 #1869, 10 yrs of memories,
2017 F450 KR--one more Ford is it
2009 F450 4x4-died; 2010 F450-retired
wingnut60 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2010, 08:59 AM   #13
chevman
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Wenatchee. wash
Posts: 83
Our friend had the same problem with their norcold after one 5 months winter trip.
chevman
__________________
chevman
chevman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2013, 06:23 AM   #14
rayanah
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1
so what did your friend do.?
__________________
refrigerator price
rayanah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2013, 09:37 PM   #15
chevman
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Wenatchee. wash
Posts: 83
Quote:
Originally Posted by rayanah
so what did your friend do.?
He was told to turn it off for 4 days and then it worked ok. Same for another one across the street. Weird I think.
chevman
__________________
chevman
chevman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2013, 09:47 PM   #16
Motorcycle Jack
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: On the road
Posts: 44
Just a warning - do not run the refrigerator at such a low temperature. It is best to run the refer at 34 degrees. Running it as low as possible causes the heating element to run continuously - no wonder the tech had one fail in just a couple of days, burned out the heating element.
__________________
John & Bonnie McClun
2008 F-450 33K "BAT" Big Azz Truck
2011 MS 36TKSB3
Motorcycle Jack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2013, 08:28 AM   #17
terry and jo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Retired Okie now in Colorado
Posts: 531
I don't know if anyone noticed, but this thread started back in 2010. I suspect that the original poster has already solved their initial problem.

Terry
__________________
Terry and Jo
2010 Mobile Suites 38TKSB3 #5332 - 2008 Ford F450
Terry's Smugmug Site
terry and jo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2013, 08:31 AM   #18
wingnut60
Site Team
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Where we park it
Posts: 2,838
Was gonna point that out. Odd about the 'turn it off for 4 days' comment...

Joe
__________________
2016 Tiffin 40 QBH
2015 38RSSA, traded
2005 TK3 #1869, 10 yrs of memories,
2017 F450 KR--one more Ford is it
2009 F450 4x4-died; 2010 F450-retired
wingnut60 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2013, 06:13 PM   #19
porkchop
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 382
Yeah, real odd. As luck would have it, several weeks ago our fridge suddenly went to 40d and stayed there. I unhooked the 120v power, the 12v power, the gas and everything I could think of to and reboot it and make it work better. It would not. Finally broke down and called the largest 3 dealers in our area. There are no mobile tecks around at all. The earliest any one could get me in was Oct. 10. Looking at almost 4 weeks at 40d wasn't making me happy. Couldn't keep my ice cream frozen! Beer was warm!.
Then I read the post about shutting it off for 4 days and figured it could not hurt. Put most of what was left in an ice cooler and turned it off.
Saturday I turned it backm on and said a prayer. Don't know for sure if it was the prayer or the 4 days, but it now says 34d and all is well again.
I am convinced that most of what we think are coincidinces probably aren't, but the results are well received anyway. Thanks for the idea!!
I will add here that we have been sitting in the same place since mid April. Maybe things just need shaking up a bit once in a while. Will be leaving here in 30 days to go back to Texas for the winter months. We usually move around every 90 days or so at the most. Don't know if the movement makes a difference. I know out of level will cause problems after a while though. That was not my problem. I have heard of people turning their frig upside down and letting it stay for a day or so to let the amonia move around, but just turning it off is easier. Time will tell. If it quits again I'll repost. No news is good news!

Bill
porkchop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-01-2013, 11:58 AM   #20
chevman
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Wenatchee. wash
Posts: 83
Quote:
Originally Posted by porkchop
Yeah, real odd. As luck would have it, several weeks ago our fridge suddenly went to 40d and stayed there. I unhooked the 120v power, the 12v power, the gas and everything I could think of to and reboot it and make it work better. It would not. Finally broke down and called the largest 3 dealers in our area. There are no mobile tecks around at all. The earliest any one could get me in was Oct. 10. Looking at almost 4 weeks at 40d wasn't making me happy. Couldn't keep my ice cream frozen! Beer was warm!.
Then I read the post about shutting it off for 4 days and figured it could not hurt. Put most of what was left in an ice cooler and turned it off.
Saturday I turned it backm on and said a prayer. Don't know for sure if it was the prayer or the 4 days, but it now says 34d and all is well again.
I am convinced that most of what we think are coincidinces probably aren't, but the results are well received anyway. Thanks for the idea!!
I will add here that we have been sitting in the same place since mid April. Maybe things just need shaking up a bit once in a while. Will be leaving here in 30 days to go back to Texas for the winter months. We usually move around every 90 days or so at the most. Don't know if the movement makes a difference. I know out of level will cause problems after a while though. That was not my problem. I have heard of people turning their frig upside down and letting it stay for a day or so to let the amonia move around, but just turning it off is easier. Time will tell. If it quits again I'll repost. No news is good news!

Bill
Gald it worked for you. the story was for both neighbors to go and drive the MH's to shake up the system.

chevman
__________________

__________________
chevman
chevman is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:00 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×