Dometic 12V drain (RM2812)

[bhayden]

I'm fighting a 12V drain which I've traced to the Damn Dometic fridge. I think it's the model RM2812; 3-way double door. I appears to be drawing ~1/2Amp even when it's "turned off". This appears to be a failure somewhere as opposed to a "feature" but with the Dometic it's hard to know what it's "thinking" as its supposed to be totally "automatic" and the only control indicator is a green light that goes on/off when you cycle the "Automatic/Manual" button and the "Check" light which comes on when the auto ignitor fails. In "Auto" mode the light is on and when you push the On/Off switch to the Off position (out) the Auto light does turn off.

It appears the only 12V connection to the fridge is via a separate run that does not go through the DC fuse block. The fridge was a replacement for the original done by a PO. Is this standard wiring or should the "logic" be supplied from a separate wire than the current for the heater?

-Bernie

[bhayden]

OK, so I found the source of the 1/2A 12VDC drain on my battery from the DamnDometic (one word, like DamnYankees ). Another example of RTFM (Read The Full Manual ).

The Climate Control switch is hidden under the control panel where you can only see it kneeling down and looking up when the freezer is open. For some inexplicable reason it continues to draw down the battery even when the refrigerator is turned "Off", grrrr .

G. CLIMATE CONTROL
During the summer months of high temperatures and
humidity, the metal frame between the freezer and fresh
food compartments may have water droplets forming. The
number of water droplets will increase if the vehicle isn't
air conditioned during these months.
This refrigerator comes standard with a 12 volt (DC)
climate control that will evaporate the water droplets when
they form.
To have this climate control on, you position the switch
(See "C", Fig. 10) located beneath the top decorative
strip that houses the control panel to ON. The climate
control can be left on continuously or only used when
temperatures require it.
NOTE: The climate control will draw 12 volts DC power
continuously when in the ON position. It should be turned
OFF when a charging source is not available.

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by bhayden

. ... For some inexplicable reason it continues to draw down the battery even when the refrigerator is turned "Off", grrrr .

In today's convenience and feature ladened world, hardly any new appliance is truly "off" when turned "off". "Off" has become a lost concept. Instead, a typical new appliance is now usually in "sleep mode" or "rest mode" waiting for the que to be instantly turned "on". Does your fridge also require a 12 volt feed to run the control module that operates the fridge on propane? Another unheralded convenience "feature" and source of battery drain.

If you really want to turn your fridge "off" in the outmoded sense of the word we learned as children, you must install your own switches in the various 12 VDC lines to the fridge so you can actually turn it OFF. And I wouldn't be surprised if you have to reboot or reprogram your fridge each time you turn it "on".

[Condoluminum]

You are not the first to discover the funny little hidden slide switch and a dead battery at about the same time... It was described as "kind of like frost-free" or self defrosting, but different.. It will indeed consume electricity and drain batteries.. Prizes should be offered for other parasitic drains, but here are two more..

1. The propane leak detector device
2. The mysterious TV antenna "Amplifier" switch which seems mostly to activate the little red LED on the antenna panel...

You can shut off all power with the main cutoff (except perhaps the brake activation circuit..), but then the jack and other useful things won't wrk when you'd like them to...

Cheers!

John McG

[bhayden]

Originally Posted by Condoluminum

You are not the first to discover the funny little hidden slide switch and a dead battery at about the same time...

Well, I'm kind'a slow. I ran the battery down three or four times before figurering it out.

1. The propane leak detector device

Don't have one yet but it's on the list. Isn't there a battery operated one like smoke detectors? I mean with my record the trailer battery's likely to be dead when I light a match to see what I'm doing

2. The mysterious TV antenna "Amplifier" switch which seems mostly to activate the little red LED on the antenna panel...

Yep, found that and thought it was the mystery leak... until the battery was drained again

You can shut off all power with the main cutoff (except perhaps the brake activation circuit..), but then the jack and other useful things won't wrk when you'd like them to...

No problem with the jack, it's powered by ArmStrong

Actually there is no main cut off (yet) for the DC. And on top of that the battery is hooked up from the posts to the main panel and from auxilary wing nuts to the fridge. That seems "wrong" too. I'd think the logic board should be wired separate from the heavy gauge wire feeding the DC heater. I figured on first inspection that the separate feed was for the brakes, they do need to be "hot" all the time. It might even be worth having a separate lawn mower size battery on an isolator for the brakes and maybe other "essentials" like the propane detector.

Thanks for the heads up on the other gotchas!

-Bernie