Dometic Fridge is "Room Temperature"

[TR Anderson]

This spring when I took my '72 out of storage the original Dometic Fridge would not get below room temperature. It worked in the fall, kept things frozen and got all frosted up after a week of use. I checked the breaker; there was juice at the outlet; the trailer was perfectly level; and when switched off and on there was no sound, no vibration. Nothing.

BTW, I never even tried to operate it with gas. Should I give that a shot?

Is it worth having it looked at or is is so old (51 seasons) that it's long overdue to be replaced anyway?


TR Anderson
St Clair County, Michigan

[Im2bent]

This guy is awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT_5HGe4q-k

[TR Anderson]

I watched the whole thing and he was very thorough in his explanation of the refrigeration systems. He certainly knows these refrigerators!

What put me off, however, was the guy spent an inordinately loooong time telling the viewer what he was going to tell the viewer. Also, his drawing skills were lacking. He should have done a dry run and determined how large or small his poor drawings needed to be, instead of starting over in the middle of the presentation.

[CBWELL]

Time for a new fridge!! I replaced ours in our 1976, 1987, and 1994! They don't last forever, and if you use your rig for travelling, they are subject to "earthquakes" every time you travel. Several of my friends have replaced the cooling unit in their fridges with some success. I chose to replace completely.

[ITSNO60]

Yes, try it on gas. Also after it has been on electric for a while check to see if the burner tube is hot, if is isn't there's a good chance your 120 volt heating element is burned out, or is not getting power for some other reason. If you are handy with a multimeter you can check for power at the element and check the element for resistance (with power OFF and leads disconnected). But trying it on gas is the easiest first step, if it works on gas we know the cooling unit is still good.

I'm a firm believer in keeping the older, higher quality appliances out of the landfill and working as long as possible.

[richard5933]

There shouldn't be any vibration or other noises coming from an absorption fridge if it's operating properly, so don't look for those to give you clues if it's not cooling on electric. It could be something as simple as the electric heating element having burned out - these are easy/inexpensive to replace.

Give a try on gas, but first you're probably going to want to give it at least a basic servicing to make sure that things are clean enough to operate safely.

[TR Anderson]

CBWELL: That's what I was secretly hoping for - just get a shiny new one! But....

ITSNO60: It is 99% original and I'd like to keep it that way as long as I 'm able. But...

richard5933: I gently blow it out twice a year and make sure the roof vent is clear, and now I figured I should at least try to determine what went wrong before I do anything. So...

I got out my multimeter and LSS (Long Story Short), it wasn't getting any electricity even though it was fine last fall. One of the receptacles on the 110v line had lost its neutral. When I found it and pulled out the outlet, I found that when it was built, they just poked the wires in the holes in the back of the outlet - and the neutral was "loose" and it had been loose for some time. As odd as it sounds, whenever we're camping, Mrs. A has something plugged in there (a fan or a lamp) and that makes the connection and the refrigerator works! But in the driveway nothing is plugged in.


So, I changed the receptacle, put the wires under the screws, and all is well.


Thanks again. It's always an adventure!



- TR

[CBWELL]

Good find!! Often it's the most unusual things that cause problems. We all seem to look for the worst first. However, don't be surprised if the unit fails. Parts will be very hard to find, if even available. I hunted for several weeks to find parts for the '76, and finally bought a new fridge.

[TR Anderson]

At this age, I understand it can quit any day, any hour, and I won't be surprised nor wondering how this could happen! It doesn't owe me a thing.


-TR