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Old 07-25-2014, 07:11 AM   #1
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Dometic fridge not cooling

I know I should've searched, but I'm on my phone and the app crashes every time I try to search...
My 15 month old dometic fridge in my sabre 34tbok suddenly stopped cooling as well as it had. Im at home, plugged into 30 amp so usually leave it on electric. I switched to gas and am getting the same result. I'm wondering if I need to add fans in the outer bay add so many have? The slide (temp adj) is all the way up and it seems cooler in the mornings, but the freezer is around 20 when I get off work and that makes the fridge about 60.

Any suggestions. We've camped in hotter weather than this but never had fridge problems before?
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Old 07-25-2014, 07:29 AM   #2
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Check to see where the probe is in the slider.
Sometimes it will slide down to the bottom of the slider when it should be near the top.

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Old 07-25-2014, 07:43 AM   #3
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Things I've done trying to fix same issue. Added fans behind the frig to pull the heat out. Put fan in frig. Added roof flashing behind frig to direct heat to the upper vent. Replaced thermistor with "snip the tip" dial. Still not as cold as my previous non-slideout frigs.
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Old 07-25-2014, 09:54 AM   #4
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Probe is good, I've adjusted it up as far as possible. I think I'll find some computer fans and wire up in the chimney exhaust.
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Old 07-25-2014, 10:48 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtstromsburg View Post
Probe is good, I've adjusted it up as far as possible. I think I'll find some computer fans and wire up in the chimney exhaust.
Several here report that made a big difference for them. However, in my slide mounted frig, I didn't notice any difference. The only thing that was noticable was the new thermistor at Product Listings for Snip The Tip. Then find your model in the list. Under $30 if I remember correctly.
Also, I watched a video on You-Tube where a lady emphasized the importance of the drain tube sticking out the top of the vent cover with a bow in it to create a "p-trap" type condition which holds some water in the drain and prevents heat from entering the drain. Don't know how important it is but it did make sense.
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Old 07-25-2014, 01:30 PM   #6
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The weird part is that for the 15 months of ownership, in temps between 10 & 100f, it had always worked great. Are the thermistors known to fail? I need to do some reading. I'm hoping a good bounce down the road will help as we are heading out for a week either Sunday or Monday for one last extended hurrah before school starts
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Old 07-25-2014, 02:08 PM   #7
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Yeah. Better to be lucky than good, so I hear.
Its been mentioned that moisture can get inside the thermistor wire and wreak havoc.
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Old 07-26-2014, 03:41 PM   #8
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http://youtu.be/dsH1CRoT7v8




Hope this helps a little at least something to check.


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Old 07-26-2014, 03:49 PM   #9
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http://youtu.be/txqAHaTpexc



This one also might help.


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Old 07-26-2014, 03:50 PM   #10
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http://youtu.be/oIJYx5j2nPQ



This explains the whole theory.


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Old 07-26-2014, 04:24 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtstromsburg View Post
The weird part is that for the 15 months of ownership, in temps between 10 & 100f, it had always worked great. Are the thermistors known to fail? I need to do some reading. I'm hoping a good bounce down the road will help as we are heading out for a week either Sunday or Monday for one last extended hurrah before school starts

One way to find out. Remove and tape leads to AC heater in chimney, apply a shore supply AC directly to stack AC heater. Apply power to temp connections, in 4-6 hours you'll have max cooling this will bypass all controls and board. If not cool could be cooling unit bad.



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Old 07-26-2014, 08:51 PM   #12
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Thanks Vince. Another thing... Freezer is staying at 10 or colder, but fridge is warm?
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Old 07-26-2014, 10:02 PM   #13
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Same answer, freeze and frog are different coils in back .


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Old 07-27-2014, 08:47 AM   #14
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So I hot wired the heater element over night and got the freezer to-20 & the refer was below 32 (cup of water frozen, but still clear). Snip the tip is ordered. I guess I'll hope for the best this week while camping and hot wire it if/as needed. Thanks for all the help. The YouTube videos were very informative
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Old 07-27-2014, 12:01 PM   #15
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Narrows it to thermostat or control board?


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Old 07-27-2014, 12:46 PM   #16
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Yup. Better call dometic, but want to get through a week of camping first. Another time I'm grateful for the outdoor kitchen!
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