Dometic Help...911

[THEPILL]

I have a 76 24' Argosy. It has a Rm6 or 7 Fridge in it that took a dump. Yesterday I found someone who sold me a rm2351 for 200.00 brand new, It still has the tape holding the shelves in place and instructions. I plugged it in last night and put a temp gauge in it. It started getting cooler so I went to bed. I woke up this morning and no cold. I called Dometic and they said it has to be hooked up to a 12v system to work. So I go get a car battery and hook it up Right??

Does my exisiting trailer have the wires already ran to the fridge? Did that older model fridge/trailer have to have a 12v hook up also???? I know I have a battery storage.

The reason this is a 911 is that the person I purchased this from said if it doesnt work she will give my money back.

Shane

[THEPILL]

Also, I'm going to go buy a battery today for the "THEPILL" any battery reccomendations?

Thank-you all for the help.

BTW, just ordered the owners manual on cd. Should be here this week.

SHane

[overlander63]

There are 3 connections on the fridge, one LP, one 120 volt, and one 12 volt for the circuit board.When you hook up the 12 volt, make sure you hook + on the fridge to the positive from the battery, you'll blow the circuit board if they are reversed.
There is no 12 volt feed in the fridge compartment, you will have to run one from the 12 volt plug in the living room to it.

[Greg@AirLA]

Your new dometic needs 12v dc to operate the circuits, it will not light on gas or turn on the 110 volt heating element without 12v.
Greg

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by overlander63

There are 3 connections on the fridge, one LP, one 120 volt, and one 12 volt for the circuit board.When you hook up the 12 volt, make sure you hook + on the fridge to the positive from the battery, you'll blow the circuit board if they are reversed.
There is no 12 volt feed in the fridge compartment, you will have to run one from the 12 volt plug in the living room to it.

Forgive me for being stupid, but when you say Living room plug,arent they all 110? Should I run it from the battery directly to the fridge instead?

Shane

[mutcth]

The original frig lacked all of the electronic circuitry in new refrigerators; it's those circuit boards that require the 12volt supply.

Tom

[THEPILL]

I called 2 camping world install Dept, and they Both said the wires are there or the old fridge would not work. So it looks like no wiring needed.

Are they wrong?

Shane

[arodriguez60]

Terry is right. Your Argosy probably doesn't have the 12 volt lead for the circuit board. The older Dometics did not need them so they were not wired for them in the Vintage AS's and Argosy's.

[adonh]

Originally Posted by THEPILL

I called 2 camping world install Dept, and they Both said the wires are there or the old fridge would not work. So it looks like no wiring needed.

Are they wrong?

Shane

Sounds like these 2 have never worked on and older model Dometic. In my 1976 Sovereign the old Dometic that I removed did not have any 12 volt connections. Only 110 and propane. The newer models have 12 volt as well just as the new model that you have. You will need to run a 12 volt source from somewhere near the fridge location.

Don

[THEPILL]

So basically, I tap into a plug/light/switch with a positive and a Negative wire to the Fridge. I don't need to run all the way to the battery, right.

Camping world called back and said 325.00 to install the fridge. He concurred also that yes the wires <12v> needed to be ran to new fridge.

I'm getting that sinking feeling.....

Shane

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by THEPILL

I'm getting that sinking feeling.....

Shane

I dont think there is any reason for that, getting 12v for the refer is an easy thing to do. Dont sweat it.

[THEPILL]

So I'm on the way to the store to buy a marine deep cycle battery and all I need to do to check the fridge< to make sure it works/before I install it> is to hook it straight up to a pos and neg wire from the battery to the back of the fridge. Then plug it into an outlet right?

Sorry for being a bother but I'm so green to all of this.

Shane

[tschat]

If you only need the fridge to work when you are connected to shore power, you can get a 12v power supply to drive the fridge. This won't allow the fridge to work while towing or when you are boon docking. Just a thought.

-thomas

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by tschat

If you only need the fridge to work when you are connected to shore power, you can get a 12v power supply to drive the fridge. This won't allow the fridge to work while towing or when you are boon docking. Just a thought.

-thomas

I gotcha....Thats what the propane is for, right?

I just want to tempoary test the fridge before I go installing it.

Shane

[garry]

You have it right just be careful to hook up the + and - to the right connections.

That fridge is one heck of a deal so go for it.

[tschat]

Shane,

My suggestion will not allow the fridge to run off of propane unless you are plugged into 110v.

-thomas

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by THEPILL

Forgive me for being stupid, but when you say Living room plug,arent they all 110? Should I run it from the battery directly to the fridge instead?

Shane

Shane, there should be a plug in the same fixture that has the television antenna lead. It will look like a cigarette lighter plug. On an Argosy 26, it should be on the wall of the trailer, near the divider bulkhead where the fridge is installed.

[THEPILL]

Ok guys today is the day to remove and install the new fridge. The fridge is bolted to the floor I understand but how do you get to the bolts? There is a metal bottom underneath the trailer do I have to remove this metal plates or just the screen where the fridge sits?

Shane

[Boondocker]

If I recall correctly, when I replaced mine, the access was all from the access door (clever name they gave it) and the bolts may have been big screws. I am pretty sure I didnt have to take off any of the belly pan.

[RichHog]

I took out the old Dometic from my 72 Tradewind. Taking it out was easy, unbolt the bottom screws, take off the side panel and remove the plate there, unscrew the gas line.
I got the 12 volts from a cig lighter outlet that was right over the cabinet in the kitchen. I just spliced into the wires there and ran it to the fridge. Had to bend the gas line some to make that work and then cut a hole in the bottom for the drain hose.

The bigger problem is that the new Dometic was a close fit but not an exact match and was about 1/2 " wider and an inch shorter causing some work on the counter and floor to be done. We had to take the 1/2" out of the storage panel next to it so the end panel didn't bulge outward and then buy a floor trim piece to cover over the flooring.