2014 Dometic Fan Running Full Time when cold

[Ray Eklund]

After running in Nevada with 121F day and 111F evening at Lake Meade the Refrigerator ran full time to maintain a 20F freezer and 50F refrigerator temperature. After moving to higher elevation the temperatures returned to 10F and 39F.

After coming home, cleaning out the refrigerator and shutting it off, the Rodale Brushless Fan was still running this evening. The coils were cool.

I unplugged one wire from the "diode?" on the top right fin that had an ID number 40-15C and S1313___? as this I could not read the whole number while the diode was screwed into the fin. The fan quit running with no power.

I figured the only part that could be the problem would be this round "diode?", as I call it.

I figure it is under warranty, but it might be easier to buy one and replace it sooner than later. Is this the most likely source of the problem? The fan had been running a lot in Nevada with the 100+ temperatures, mostly 105 to 110F. Is this something some electronics shop would have, or best contact Dometic and give them this information.

Although it would be their warranty issue, if the cost to me is several dollars they have other individual's more important issues to take care of.

Has anyone else found this to be a repeat problem and I should get myself two or more of these "diodes"?

[idroba]

The "diode" is actually a small disk thermostatic switch, usually called a Klickson or Clickson (both spellings could be wrong) switch. They are a pre set thermostatic switch and snap on with a click.... and off with another. On my 2014 FC 20' the fan will not turn off sometimes until it gets pretty cool out. My rig has a manual switch to allow it to be turned off and on with your control.

There was a post within the past 6 months where someone had identified the number and replacement for it, as well as a source. With some searching of the Forums you may be able to find that post and information it contained.

[idroba]

Ray, I found the post:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...ff-134012.html

See post #32 and 33 for information on the switch itself.

[Ray Eklund]

Thanks idroba. I found the Thread and posts. I will also keep the old thermostat as at least it kept the fan running...

Thermostat F40-15C @ $9.75 plus shipping of...$10.15 for something that might weigh an ounce with a small carton not more than $3.00 for shipping...

I will contact Dometic and see what happens at that price. I am sure the dumpster at the RV repair shop is full of discarded cooling systems with a good thermostat still attached.

When the outside temperature is above 90 degrees, the Dometic struggles to keep up with temperature setting of 3 and when hotter set to 5 and still struggling to maintain temperatures. At Lake Meade, NV and 105 to 121F daytime highs and 95 to 100 evening lows... it is a tossup between the Dometic or ourselves suffering the most during a streak of hot days.

For those who hear some excessive noise from their fan... I found that the wiring that is pushed up over the fins for cooling has a plastic cover protecting the wiring that slides down and touches the frame of the fan. When the fan operates, the plastic vibrates creating some odd buzzing and vibrating sounds. Pushed the wiring back over the cooling fins and the noise stopped. The fan is suspect first, but the plastic was the culprit.

Now getting a replacement Thermostatic Switch is the next project.

[remphoto]

Our fan keeps running, too, on out new Bambi 16. If I flip the main 12v cutoff switch and leave it off for a day or so the fan does not restart when power is switched on. It could be that the juice flowing through the wiring generates enough heat to keep the fan switch from deactivating. I have it on the punch list for the next dealer service visit (along with a screen door which wont stay latched.)

[Gnorts]

Klickson or Clickson (both spellings could be wrong)

Klixon.

Sensata | Klixon protection and control products. Don't know what type of Klixon product you have? Identify it with the help of our Klixon image library.

[idroba]

Thanks, spelling was never something I did well.

Klixon looks right now that I see it.

[Rich W]

In my post http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...ml#post1617238 I list the web site for a company that was very responsive. I ordered 2 of their "button switches" and installed one. I had the fridge on for quite a bit of our trip up to Jackson Center and even after we arrived home; so far so good.

The one I got from Dometic worked for a while, then it just stayed on all the time. I thought I'd try something different. The button switches I got were slightly different but the installation was just take out two screws, swap switches, put in two screws. At least for now, it's working OK.

The link mentioned in the above posting is not working. Here is the main link to their website: Products | Purchase bimetal thermostat switches from Senasys, Inc
Here is what I ordered:
# Product Quantity Price single Tax % Tax Price
2 $9.75 0.00 $0.00 $19.50

430 Series 1/2" Thermostat Loose Hold Mount (F) (90°, 100
Close: 100°F ±5°F
Open: 85°F ±5°F (F016))

[JCWDCW]

When it is 90+ F outside, your fridge will struggle to keep up no matter what the setting (3 or 5). The cooling system only runs at one speed...flat out high! If it can't reach a set point (e.g. 3) it just keeps trying. The fan helps, but blowing 90F air over the coils won't help much while heat from inside the trailer keeps adding to the cooling load. Some shade over the trailer body on the cooling chimney helps a bit.

JCW

[Wayne&Sam]

Propping open the access door at the fan should help too, providing a much improved air flow.

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by remphoto

Our fan keeps running, too, on out new Bambi 16. If I flip the main 12v cutoff switch and leave it off for a day or so the fan does not restart when power is switched on. It could be that the juice flowing through the wiring generates enough heat to keep the fan switch from deactivating. I have it on the punch list for the next dealer service visit (along with a screen door which wont stay latched.)

******

Replugged the thermostat and it was not running when I turned the Dometic ON this morning.

Domestic requires that I take the trailer into an authorized Dometic dealer, have it diagnosed. If it needs replacement they will order the part and I can tow the trailer back and have it installed. It took me half a second to figure that it would be cheaper to pay out of pocket for a replacement part.

So, just in case, I will find one on the internet as a spare in the event the excess heat from this last trip influenced the cool fan running.

Our 2006 23 footer never had this come up, so I will be watching the fan operation closely. Being on Battery Power only, I do not need the fan running 7 days, 24 hours.

I have a 14 inch wooden prop I use to prop open the top aluminum vent door when camped. I might try sticking a large battery operated fan in this vent opening and see what kind of response I get. The tube system of ammonia was hot when the temperatures were above 100 to 121F, so hopefully this was just an anomaly of the hot air and almost no cool circulating air.

Thank you all for your kind advice and help. F40-15C thermistor it is.

[Ray Eklund]

This has been a real adventure.

Called the 1-800 number for Dometic in Elkhart, Indiana. After waiting 16 minutes it was my turn with a number of product numbers, serial numbers and names. Once on line with a Dometic representative, I needed the Dometic Product number beginning with 921 or 958 which is on the inside left frame. I try to explain that I had the information from the part, but I was required to get the "product number".

My wife volunteered to do the call this time. Number 17 in line. Our Dometic for the 25 footer is a 958-530313. She gets in and the Snap Disc F40-15C is NOT in the parts list. The representative said if they cannot fix it... Domestic would replace the refrigerator. My wife was given the telephone number of a local shop that works on Domectics.

She calls the local warranty repair shop. They did not have the part, but could look for it. $72.00 was their result.

Nope, too much. On Ebay there was one for $9.95 and $10.00 shipping and others up into the $28.00 plus range. Chinese made. USA made. Who knows.

I find an Ebay seller with the Snap Disc F40-15C. $4.93 and $2.54 shipping. Ordered it and paid with my Pay Pal account. First Class mail. Total: $7.47

These fan on/off Snap Discs can be confused with the Thermostat that is inside the refrigerator and slides up and down the fins to regulate temperatures. Many parts have gone Metric and Centigrade so be ready.

The snap disc from their description open and close the circuit to operate the fan. When the temperature is high enough, it closes and the fan operates. The temperature cools and the the switch opens and the fan quits running. There are "snap discs" for all kinds of temperature ranges. Some in F and some in C. Maybe some showing both F/C temperature operations.

When the switch arrives, I will hold it as a spare. I unplugged the fan from the snap disc when the trailer was sitting in our garage and cool and fan still running. When I reattached the one wire later, the fan was not running.

So... I will watch the unit next month when camped and traveling. Hopefully the replacement is a totally functional Snap Disc and reliable. Once we return after our July trip I will report anything positive or negative.

Just searching on the internet came up with numerous pages of "things" falling into this category. I am convinced this is an Airstream Jackson Center add on. Dometic does not have a record of these as being in stock since they probably have nothing to do with the fan or snap disc. It might be Airstream I should have contacted, or the fan manufacturer.

This is my story to date. The rest is to be an on going test of... endurance.

[Rich W]

I don't know if you saw my post in the other thread, posting it again.

Discovery:
I did find information about the one in my AS on another forum. It's an Emerson switch. The number is: 36T22 561887 F40-15C S0750

36T22 is the form factor (meaning it's a surface mount OFF/ON switch,
normally OPEN (i.e. switch is normally OFF),
and will CLOSE (i.e. switch ON) when the temp rises;
561887 is Emerson's part number.

F40-15C specifies it's a fan controller(i.e. F),
the 40-15C is the circuit CLOSE temp and temperature differential spec.
When the temp rises up to or over 40 Celsius (or 104 Fahrenheit) the circuit will CLOSE which allows the fan to run.
When the temp drops down to or below 25 Celsius (40 minus the 15c differential) (or 77 Fahrenheit) the switch will OPEN thereby cutting off power to the fan.

S1217 is Emerson's location code for place of manufacture. S1217 = made in China. Mine is a different code so I don't know where mine was made. But I've tried 2 of them in there now and they both run continuously. The second one worked for a while but now it does the same thing.

My Replacement:
I ordered two of the button switches. They are made in the USA, maybe better quality, hard to say. $9.75 ea. x 2 + $10.15 shipping = $29.65. Shipping on one was about $7.50.

I emailed the company that makes them, since they are designed for 110vac, but they said that's just the load rating and should work fine on 12vdc.

Looking at their site, I don't see the model I bought online any longer. I do see them in their catalog, however. You can use their contact option to see if they have any left. They can make custom but it's much more expensive. (To have a special one made there is a 1 time setup fee of $35 and the switches cost $13.00 each.)
Thermostatic Switch & Bimetal Thermostats: Temperature Controls

Model: 430 family 1/2" Thermostat - Loose hold, with 12vdc
Temp code: F016
Flush Mount (F) (90°, 100 Close: 100°F ±5°F Open: 85°F ±5°F (F016))
$9.75 each, see my note at the top for shipping cost, it varies by number purchased.

[JCWDCW]

These snap discs are found in lots of places for simple on off temperature control. Gas fireplace fans come to mind, and the shut off on your RV furnace fan, and I think they are also used on the water heater. They are not very accurate, and the snap action temp point changes over time, which is why RV dealers stock the pair on the water heater as a 'replacement set'. If it does not work as you hoped, you could try changing the location to where the temperature is a bit cooler. That might give you better shut-off performance since you are primarily looking the save power while boon-docking.
JCW

[Ray Eklund]

[QUOTE=richw46;1641466]I don't know if you saw my post in the other thread, posting it again.

Thanks Rich, I did.

The website address is changed after you posted onto the Forum. I managed to find the $9.75 source, contacted Dometic without help and then could not access the source again believing Dometic could send me a replacement.

I found on Ebay a seller had the same Snap Disc for sale for half the price and a third of the shipping.

I sent an email to Rodale at info@rodaletech.com about the F40-15C and am awaiting reply for their opinion.

With a price range of $4.93 to $52.00... for such a simple part, it makes you wonder.

[Ray Eklund]

The complete Rodale fan, brackets, wiring, switch and "limit switch" is #690394.

The "Limit Switch" is Airstreams' name for Snap Switch, etc. #690394-100.

I have the illustrations of the set and the limit switch to compare from Airstream Jackson Center. They are sending me a replacement limit switch. This appears to be the part I have been seeking.

Airstream representatives found the part I needed quickly. Dometic needed me to provide a part number as it is not in their parts manual for the refrigerator. Royale is looking into it and needed me to send some photographs of the switch and have not responded as of now.

I am also expecting the names of one or two suppliers of this "switch" from the parts department of Airstream. Next time... I am calling Airstream Jackson Center... FIRST.

I hope that my stumbling around to find a replacement helped at least one person. I thank richw46 for the most comprehensive response.

I read about "noisy fan operation" on another Thread title. Since you have gone to this length to follow this Thread, I discovered an unusual sound from my fan and found the source of some very odd vibrating and buzzing sounds. You would be led to believe the fan was going bad with this very noticeable vibrating buzz.

There are two wires running from the fan to the "limit switch". This wire goes over the sharp fins of the Dometic cooling fans and is protected with a large, too large I think, black plastic sheath to protect the two wires from abrasion. This will sag and barely touch the fan frame. When the fan is operating, you think it is the FAN, but the culprit is this plastic, barely touching the edge of the fan's framing. I pushed this plastic sheath back up and over the cooling fins and the noise stopped in the process.

This was discovered when checking the "limit switch". Two problems solved at the same time.

[SilverEagle6]

Ray, I went round and round about this switch six months ago. I confirmed with Airstream that their part number is 690394-100 and confirmed with a Dometic rep that their part number is 3104723.006. I have seen prices on the limit switch as high as $69.99 and as low as $39.99. These switches look alike but their temperature limits are what is important. Hope you solved your issue. I had to put an inline on/switch to turn it off at night.

[Ray Eklund]

Ordered the F40-15C Therm o Disc, Snap Switch and other names others use for this item. $4.93 and $2.54 shipping via padded envelope, First Class. Well packed under 3 ounces from Steve Fitzmaurice, Harbor City Electric, Harbor City, CA. Total cost $7.47 on my Pay Pal account. Ordered 6-23 and arrived here 6-27.

This Therm-o-Disc when orientated like the one mounted to the fin of my Dometic is exactly the same, printing and manufacturing components. It is about the diameter of a dime, .75 inch. The packing weighs two or three times that of the switch.

I believe that by confusing the names of this part, prices vary according to the ignorance of the person needing this part... like myself.

I will be leaving for New Mexico and will see how the original operates before installing this one. If the original runs the fan full time, again... I will swap this one out and let it hang on the installation wires. Airstream Jackson Center said they were getting a switch for me. We will see how that comes through.

What is bothersome is the cost variance of this simple unit. This switch held side by side is printed the same on the black edge and if I have to remove the original, I will weigh both on my gold scale down to a cat whisker for any difference. I plan to have at least ONE and maybe TWO spares so not to run my batteries down with the fan running full time, needed or not needed.

[Ray Eklund]

Thank you Gretchen at Airstream JC.

Received the replacement Limit Switch #3107930.004 today. It has a white body with a printed information on the top of the chrome cap. Made in the 51st State. This will give me the opportunity to see how the old switch is operating next week and have a replacement if it continues to run full time.

[Lata de amor]

I am having trouble fing a replacement snap disc switch F40-15 C. Does anyone know what the optimal open/close temperature should be if I buy a different brand? Also does anyone have any thoughts on which other one might fit my screw holes? Thanks all!