Visit our Popular Forums

breton · 11-29-2021, 05:18 PM

Mine crapped out and I am having trouble getting a replacement. I am considering a DC/AC Isotherm Cruise 130. Has anyone installed one in the space given on a 22' Sport. The cabinet is 20.75" wide but I think I can remove a piece of the double 3/4" wall on the right hand side to give me the 21.5" with that I will need.

BigSxyWhtGuy · 11-29-2021, 08:50 PM

You should be covered under warranty? Are you just looking to get something else that is beyond what a stock replacement would be?

breton · 11-30-2021, 05:49 AM

7 years old - no warranty

BigSxyWhtGuy · 11-30-2021, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by breton

7 years old - no warranty

My apology’s. I read that as ‘22 for some reason 🤦🏽*♂️

ABQChuck · 11-30-2021, 09:36 AM

This looks like it might be a current version of the same fridge unit. Might be worth a call. If the link doesn't work, it's described as a Dometic RM8501RFBP.

https://rvpartsusa.com/dometic-singl...QaArCzEALw_wcB

PB_NB · 11-30-2021, 02:54 PM

Breton, Have you looked at the Novacool unit that is going into the newer 22 ft Bambi? It would probably be a close fit.

I wonder if the RM8501RFBP could be optioned with a left hinge kit to switch it over to match the Dometic that is used in the 22 foot Sports.

guskmg · 11-30-2021, 08:08 PM

Here is a family that specializes in Dometic rebuilds. They have been at it for 25 years. They did mine about 5 years ago and it is still working great. I ask him how many come backs he had and he said none. He is very meticulous when R&Rihg or two way UPS.
RV Cool-Refrigerator Repair
60 Hwy 287
Greenbriar, AR
800 515 6823
wick /stacey@rvcool.com
Wicks/Stacey
guskmg

debrik3 · 12-01-2021, 11:43 AM

Hi Breton
I have a 2017 Sport 22 and was very dissatisfied with the Dometic. I added 2 additional fans behind the fridge and 2 inside blowing on the fins but still, if the outside temp was above 85, as it was at International this year, the fridge was 45 or higher.
I replaced the Dometic with the Isotherm CR 130 EL. The 12 volt compressor only pulls 4 amps when running. I recently returned from the Texas caravan where the Temps were upper 90s and the Isotherm was always below 40. I highly recommend the change.
Width fits perfectly but height is shy by a couple of inches. However inside space is more than the Dometic.

breton · 12-01-2021, 01:23 PM

Thanks everyone. I dropped it off at an RV place on Cape Cod that's going to replace it with a Dometic RM2354 for $3000. What a deal!

breton · 12-01-2021, 01:42 PM

That Isotherm Cruise 130 was my backup plan. Good choice.

breton · 12-01-2021, 01:44 PM

The Novakool has a 22 week lead time.

breton · 12-01-2021, 04:29 PM

debrik3,
I couldn't bare spending $3000 so I went back to the RV shop and took the trailer back home. I'm going for the CR130. I have a couple of questions on installation and ventilation. Did you sit the new fridge on the cabinet floor or did you lift it to allow air flow from front to back? Did you have to reconfigure the back of the cabinet? Did you leave the back of the fridge exposed similar to the old Dometic? Did you upgrade the battery? A couple of pictures would be awesome.
Thanks

debrik3 · 12-02-2021, 12:12 PM

Hi Breton,
The Isotherm is sitting on the cabinet floor, but you may have to shim the unit to level it because the feet are not adjustable, and the floor may not be level.
You don't want to leave a void because with the vented access doors on the exterior you would allow summer hot air in and winter cold air in, making it more work for the A/C and heater.
There is a 2-inch board horizontally in back of the cabinet that you will have to unscrew and remove to allow the CR130 to fit because the unit is deeper than the Dometic. The back of the unit is exposed inside the cabinet.
The sides of the CR130 fit nicely into the cabinet, but there will be a 2-5/8" gap at the top inside that you will have to fill. I stained the board to match the new dinette table I made. You will need to reverse the swing of the door per the instructions provided.
You should remove the copper LP gas line that fed the Dometic and cap it at the tee below the belly pan. Then rivet a patch over both holes.
I took the OEM fan off the back of the Dometic and installed it to blow up towards the compressor cooling fan on the CR130. Then I added two pancake fans to blow the hot air out the top access panel. All fans except the compressor fan are controlled with the lighted switch on the side of the cabinet.
I also purchased the digital display which you can see above the fridge.

debrik3 · 12-02-2021, 12:24 PM

I forgot one of your questions: Yes, I do have two 100-amp hr. Battle Born batteries installed under the bed.
I'm sure you will be as pleased as I am with the Isotherm.
Rick

jmickow · 12-03-2021, 07:12 PM

The Dometic RM8501 in my 2016 22 Sport also had very disappointing performance when the temp was anything over 80 degrees, and after much testing, installation of fans, baffles, etc., I finally gave up and ordered a Novakool R4500 in July. I researched all the available brands and sizes of both propane replacements as well as compressor refrigerators, and the Isotherm was a close second choice. The Novakool was backordered and is finally supposed to show up any day now. Cost was around $1,300. I plan to do pretty much the same thing as debrik3.

I also have two BB batteries and 300w of solar, so glad to hear that the power draw is easily handled.

LTCAJS · 12-05-2021, 09:12 AM

Check out truckfridge tf130

breton · 12-05-2021, 03:46 PM

with the Isotherm CR130 EL. Purchased from Defender Marine with ITC (Intelligent Control) for about $1300. Almost as good and thanks again to debriek3. I left the propane line, plugged it and fastened it to the wall. Now I just have to upgrade battery. I'm planning on a 100Ah Renology.

TomPiper · 09-19-2023, 04:23 PM

Hi All,
This thread may be a bit tired, but hopefully a few of you still out there. I am another Dometic 8501 casualty. Been around the block 50 times trying to repair and think it's time to stop throwing good money after bad and just replace it.

My question/concern is that I LOVE running on LP gas. We are boondocking 2 of every 3 nights or more and it's such an easy and efficient power source for the fridge that kind of goes forever.

I'm super leery about 12V operation in terms of power requirements. We have regular lead acid batteries so I'm assuming that I would either have to upgrade to Lithium, which I don't want to do for another few years, or use a battery generator like a Jackery? Neither option seems very appealing because it seems like it will dramatically reduce our range off grid. Am I missing something? Why is no one really make the LP + AC friges anymore? How long can I run one of these 12V units off say a 1000W Jackery on one charge?

Any insight much appreciated!

jmickow · 09-19-2023, 05:57 PM

@TomPiper, IMHO i don't think that a 12VDc refrigerator would work well for you on lead acid batteries given your extent of boondocking, and especially if you don't have solar to keep things charged up when the batteries do get depleted without resorting to a generator.

One thing that I have learned from these forums is that everyone's use case is different so your mileage may vary, but for my situation, I don't have a generator and my whole setup is trying to avoid the need for a generator when boondocking for extended periods of time. Camping in the west where sunshine is pretty reliable, my 200 Ah (~2400 Wh @ 12vDC) of lithium batteries and 300W of solar was 100% reliable both before and after I switched to the 12vDC refrigerator. I was always back to 100% battery charge by noon, regardless of the fridge, hairdryer, microwave use, etc., and never had to worry.

The only time I have had any power capacity issue is when we took a long trip back east to Kentucky, Tennessee and the Blue Ridge mountains, and went through an extended period with rain and/or full tree cover. After about 5 days with normal use running the refrigerator, fans, charging devices, and occasional microwave and hair dryer use, we got down to around 30% charge level with no sun in the forecast. I had to bite the bullet and find a plug-in to juice things up.

To answer your question about the Jackery with 1000Wh capacity: Nova Kool says the R4500 that I have in my Sport 22 draws 30 Watts when running, and assuming that the compressor runs 50% of the time, that would be around 360 Wh per day (30W*24h/2) against your 1000 Wh Jackery, so three days max to full depletion as a fairly conservative estimate.

That seems generally consistent with my real world experience, but note that also included normal daily electrical use for lights, water pump, fans, etc., although I may have gotten some minimal solar contribution to offset some of those additional loads, which is why I said that the 360 Wh/day is probably conservative.

Hope that helps.

TomPiper · 09-20-2023, 06:26 AM

Yes, thanks that does help. I do have solar for my lead acid batteries, and it more than keeps up for normal use on lights, fans, pump etc., but I'm just so leery of draining them below 50% with a 12V refrigerator and feel like I wouldn't feel comfortable if it was attached to anything other than lithium source.

Am I the only one out there who thought absorption frig with LP was a wonderful? I guess I can't figure out why that option seems to have faded so quickly from the manufacturer line ups.