Freezer goes to 30, refer ? doesn't cool

[stanwilder]

My Freezer freezes ice in about 3 hours or less and the aluminum shelf that holds the thermometer gets down to 30 degrees and stays there with ocassional door openings to check the current temps.
The lower part of the refer doesn't seem to cool at all.
With some other Dometec refers I pre loaded the bottom of the frige with bags of ice the day before after turning them on. I don't recall the lowest temps but it seemed to be about 42 degrees if I recall correctly.
The question is; do most of the Dometec refrigerators have just the one condenser to cool both the freezer and lower refrigerator?

Stan Wilder
Dallas TX 76 AS

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by stanwilder

My Freezer freezes ice in about 3 hours or less and the aluminum shelf that holds the thermometer gets down to 30 degrees and stays there with ocassional door openings to check the current temps.
The lower part of the refer doesn't seem to cool at all.
With some other Dometec refers I pre loaded the bottom of the frige with bags of ice the day before after turning them on. I don't recall the lowest temps but it seemed to be about 42 degrees if I recall correctly.
The question is; do most of the Dometec refrigerators have just the one condenser to cool both the freezer and lower refrigerator?

Stan Wilder
Dallas TX 76 AS

Your reefer has two cooling coils.

When one or the other doesn't work, it tells you that the cooling unit has an internal restriction in one of the coils, in your case, the reefer section.

Some people try the burping routine, with little to ne success. That's removing the reefer, turning it upside down and leaving it that way for a couple of hours, and the return it to upright. Repeat that 10 to 12 times.

The restriction may free itself, and it may not. If it does free itself, your good to go, but for how long is the question, as the restriction can happen again.

Most owners, simply have the cooling unit replaced, or buy a new reefer.

Andy

[Archersfin]

Andy has the right fix if it is going to work. However I did read on one of these posts to try banging on the coils to see if it wouldn't break lose the blockage. My Ref. was doing something very similar. Freezer 11 deg, refrigerator not cool at all. I took a piece of oak wood 3/8 x 3/4 x 12" and banged on the coils as far as I could reach. I did not hit it hard enough to damage them, just hard enough to shock them. Whaa-Laa turned the unit back on and the refrigerator went to 40 deg. Right now it is off again and I am going to beat it real good again. Who knows maybe it will keep me from investing in a new coil right away.
Just what I did to mine until it needs a new coil.

Al

[stanwilder]

I may use the And (Inland RV) alternate and pull the fridge out, flip it upside down but I may also give the exposed system a good whacking with a rubber hammer or something similar to try to get it "Burped". Since Zippy Guns (air chisels) are so Chinese cheap now I may use a flat ended insert to give the system some serious vibration.

[JimGolden]

I just bought a new Dometic DM2852. The freezer will hold minus 12 F and the fridge holds right at 30 F.

I limped along with my 22 year old one, but she started smelling of ammonia. But it would only hold 42 in the fridge.

Sometimes the best recourse is to bite the bullet, spend the bucks, and get a new one. I'm super happy with my new one.

best of luck,

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

I just bought a new Dometic DM2852. The freezer will hold minus 12 F and the fridge holds right at 30 F.

I limped along with my 22 year old one, but she started smelling of ammonia. But it would only hold 42 in the fridge.

Sometimes the best recourse is to bite the bullet, spend the bucks, and get a new one. I'm super happy with my new one.

best of luck,

I agree with Jim here. I didn't have the ammonia smell, but at best would only hold about 42 in the bottom. The door seals were so bad that you could see gaps. Then it got worse!

I replaced with a Norcold that required some modification detailed in http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...aes-44474.html. This summer I am still overjoyed to have it. It works perfectly, and I no longer worry about my food, either frozen or refrigerated. I will admit that I'm not getting -12 in the freezer, but I don't have it turned down enough to freeze things in the bottom. It will do that at some settings.

[stanwilder]

I agree with Rivet Master VSWINGFIELD and Rivet Master Jim Golden ................ it's best to bite the bullet and buy a new fridge. But being of sound mind (I always pretend I am) I intend to exhaust my free avenues of flipping the fridge and beating the be-dickens out of the coils before I spend the money for a new one. After I have my poor mans go at it I'll let you know if I altered the course of my bank account or just delayed the purchase a few days.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by stanwilder

I agree with Rivet Master VSWINGFIELD and Rivet Master Jim Golden ................ it's best to bite the bullet and buy a new fridge. But being of sound mind (I always pretend I am) I intend to exhaust my free avenues of flipping the fridge and beating the be-dickens out of the coils before I spend the money for a new one. After I have my poor mans go at it I'll let you know if I altered the course of my bank account or just delayed the purchase a few days.

Should you make the reefer work again, the big odds say it will be temporary, because of what happens inside the reefer tubing.

You may be able to displace it for a while, but it will return.

Then you can go thru the effort again, to remove the reefer.

Good luck with your try.

Andy

[FreshAir]

We are loading up now to spend a few days at 7000". At the house (3000') were in a week long hot spell. 100* as I write. Usually I let the fridge run a couple of days to cool it then load it with pre-cooled and frozen food. The fridge is stuggling to stay at 50* and a bottle of water is frozen in the freezer. I tried placing an electric fan under the fridge to blow up the vent tube but it only show a little difference. The trailer had been parked in direct sun (beating down on the fridge side) until this morning when I moved it under it's winter canopy. Hopefully that will help as the daytime temps in the coach have been around 106*. That's with all the windows open! I'm headed up now to the RV pad to check.
Neil

[stanwilder]

I can see that taking the fridge out, flipping it over and whacking the coils a few times might require some effort.
However I remember the first time I removed a VW Bus engine, wow. It took eight hours. The second time it I removed a VW bus engine it took about 22 minutes.
I see that fridge in the same light. A piece of cake once you’ve done it at least one time before.
It’s something I can do before I start spending money.
I customarily use up all my free options before I start spending money.
Stan Wilder
Dallas TX

[JimGolden]

Stan,

I hear you on the exhausting all the free options before you start spending real money. I really hate to spend cash unnecessarily too.

My awning fabric is toast and my spring is broken. Man I hate to spend $750 on new fabric...but I'm gonna have to do it. (23' long ZipDee). Then another $122 for the spring. But it's $1300 for a roll plus $250 to ship. Man oh man.....

If you can get her to work another year or two by burping it, go for it. I would have too except my coach was getting noxious inside when I opened the fridge door, and I thought that stuff was poisonous.

Copper wire was invented when my grandpa (super tight) and I saw the same penny at the same time OK, I'm not that cheap, but you get the picture.

best of luck with it,

[ROBERT CROSS]

On our 63...

The routine before we replaced it...

First Spring trip, turn over fridge...go to campsite...turn fridge over.
Sometimes it would stay cool for several seasons, after 10, had JC replace it.

[stanwilder]

I had the same problem of letting go of my hard earned cash when it came time to replace the upholstery on my fold out couch / double bed, the love seat in front of the forward window and recovering the twin bed mattresses and matching wall décor.
I mulled it over for a few weeks, bought a heavy duty sewing machine on E bay for $80.00 and then bough upholstery (drapery) fabric on E-bay foe another $75.00 or so.
I removed the old upholstery from all upholstered surfaces and learned to sew.
By the time my E-bay drapery fabric got to me I was fairly proficient sewing straight lines, sewing up welting and doing zig-zag stitches.
I did the whole upholstery job for under $200.00 including the sewing machine (I later sold it for $85.00) to another aspiring sewing novice.
I regret selling the sewing machine. I find lots of uses for it now that sewing doesn’t scare me.
I’d just bet that you could buy your own awning fabric and practice on some old jeans etc. and just whip out that awning for about $3.00 per square yard.
I wouldn’t know about the spring but you’d have some savings if you tried to sew the awning yourself.

[JimGolden]

That's a really good idea, Stan. I may look into that. Thanks!