old Dometic fixable? or replace?

prairieprinc · 09-21-2007, 08:53 AM

Hello, We are the proud new owners of a 66 Globetrotter. The original Dometic refrigerator appears to have seen its final days...Is it worth or possible to repair? We are not doing a true restoration..we have access to a 5 year old Norcold 3 way. Should we switch? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks you!

Tom Nugler · 09-21-2007, 09:59 AM

Greetings. Need more info. Doors loose/broken? Insides cracked or just not getting cold.
The fridge in my GT pooped out 2 years ago just before a rally. Burped it overnight and it's been running fine ever since.
Here's the latest relevent thread. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...dge-33735.html

Good luck,
Tom.

scottanlily · 09-21-2007, 11:04 AM

Hello there prairieprinc , You want to make certain your trailer is level !
when having the fridge in operation .This is extremely important as it may
not cool down or ice correctly if its not level .I finally went and bought a couple RV levels to use to check my level ,once I have the trdwnd level
the fridge just works great .I have a 70s dometic in mine that the
came in the trailer when I bought it ,an RM660 model . To have an original fridge in it like sugarfoot has in her trdwnd would be great .Id go with the norcold if it works good and you don't have to cut too much of anything to get it too fit in there .Im keeping my RM660 as long as its working good .
you may send a PM to RV COOL on your fridge troubles also ,as he may have some good advice to give you .Having the original fridge does keep the
value of your GT up ,so you might want to try to save it ,if its dead for sure
change it out .

Scott of scottanlily

**azflycaster** · 09-21-2007, 11:10 AM

The biggest proble with a different fridge is getting it to fit. Every model ever made seems to be a different size. If you go for a newer fridge you will most likely need to run a 12 volt line for the controler board as well. I have an original 70's fridge and will keep it as long as I can.

prairieprinc · 09-21-2007, 11:17 AM

Hi...everything seems to be there, and in pretty good shape "visually" of course it shows some years of wear but door closes well etc. Just can't seem to get it to cool at all. How long do you think we should have let it run before it got cold? We gave it about 45 min. and nothing....trailer is level so this doesn't seem to be an issue. I will show my husband that burping post..maybe he can attemp that. Thanks...

Gen Disarray · 09-21-2007, 11:19 AM

RV refers use a different coolant than regular ones. Ready for some good news? There may be nothing wrong with your refer. Plug it back in and give it several hours 8+ to reach temp.

**azflycaster** · 09-21-2007, 11:22 AM

45 minutes is not going to make it cold. It takes a long time for thiese to get cold. In 45 minutes you should start to feel the freezer walls start to get cold and that is about all. Let it sit over night and then check it again. Are you cooling with gas or electric? Sometimes one may work and the other may not.

prairieprinc · 09-21-2007, 11:29 AM

Thanks! I guess I wasn't patient enough...right now we are trying it with the propane...having a few wiring issues with the electric in the whole trailer..and hope to have that resolved soon...will try electric when can.
________________
Teri
"Prairie Princess'

ROBERT CROSS · 09-21-2007, 02:48 PM

The Dometic in our 63 Safari was loosing it's cool also. It wasn't all that difficult to remove, so before leaving on one of our Adirondack outings I just flipped it upsidedown secured it back in the hole, drove to the campsite, and re-installed it, worked fine til we sold the trlr. in 2004. (regrets,regrets)

Tom Nugler · 09-21-2007, 03:48 PM

Yes patience is a virtue. Mine takes between 3 and 4 hours to cool depending on outside temp. Always turn it on the night before a trip.
You might want to find one of the small battery operated fans designed to circulate the air inside the fridge. Got one from Camping World. Think it was under 10 bucks.

Tom.

Oh Yea. If you've got that tray on the door to hold eggs; don't use it unless your sitting perfectly still and don't plan on opening the door: Ever.

Guess what that looks like after 250 miles.

DFK · 09-21-2007, 04:04 PM

Something you might also consider when operating on propane is whether the flame is hot enough. When I bought my 67 Caravel, I had no prior experience with propane powered refrigerators. When I first tried to operate the fridge, I got a nice blue flame that to my untrained eye looked just fine. However, the refrigerator wouldn't get cold even after 24 hours. The manual had a discussion about what the flame should look like. The flame on my unit didn't have the deeper blue center that the manual described and it didn't make any noise. I took the burner orifice out and found that it was partially clogged with rust that had fallen into the burner from the generator tube above. I cleaned the burner orifice (and cleanout the generator tube by dropping rag through it from the top (need to remove helical flame baffle))and tried again. I got a nice two color blue flame that made a faint roaring sound and voila the refrigerator worked after the usual overnight wait for the unit to cool. I now regularly clean the generator tube and check the flame. I haven't had any problem since.