Dometic refrigerator too warm

[PTaylor883]

It seems that my model 2862 will cool to about 40 degrees F below the ambient temperature. Not ideal when the outside temp is 90 and I chose to leave the A/C off. Stuff in the freezer stays frozen but I like my beer colder. Is this common or should I take it to my dealer? It doesn't seem to matter if it's running on gas or electric.

[Blackrock]

There is a sensor attached to the cooling fins that you can slide p or down to regulate the temp. Usually right side on the row of fins. Mine jiggled down after a 60 mile washboard pothole road in Alaska last summer. Just had to reset it up the fin and worked great ever since.

[PTaylor883]

Interesting. The dealer told us about moving this slide up/down to regulate the temperature. I tried moving the slide up/down when the RV was new two years ago and it didn't seem to make any difference. The Dometic manual doesn't mention it, and personally, I cant understand how moving the thermocuple up or down a couple of inches can have any effect. In any event, I have tried your suggestion and I'll see how it works the next time the temp hits 90+ here in the Rio Grande Valley.

I have been reading another thread on this forum where folks were having similar complaints at 100+, and the only reasonable solutions involved installing a fan of some sort.

Thanks for your suggestion.

[sgtlm17]

Typically absorption fridges will cool about 40 degrees below ambient temp with your freezer about 25 to 30 degrees below fridge. Fans do help somewhat. If you move the thermister up or down to adjust temperature give the unit 24 hours to adjust.

[bob caldwell]

The fans that we use are 12 volt ball bearing style fans from desk top computors

[grahamqcp]

Does anyone have a Dometic RML8555 Ref? This unit is made and Germany for the European campers. It is lighter weight and I don't think it has as much insulation as other units. Mine has quit working on gas. Have had a RV tech attempting to repair without any success except it might need a new lower board. EXPENSIVE. We also experienced food not keeping cool, freezer not freezing on both elect and gas, when it was working last summer. This unit is in a Coachman Prism 24G Thanks in advance for any replys

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

The fans that we use are 12 volt ball bearing style fans from desk top computors

Ball bearing fans are noisy Bob... Fluid Dynamic bearing fans are silent.

Additionally, fans outside the fridge compartment in the back cavity mounted up high near the evaporator is what you want. The better the airflow across the evaporator is, the more efficient the cooling is inside the fridge compartment.

[bob caldwell]

If you can hear 2 small fans over the A/C, I can't

[pribbens]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

There is a sensor attached to the cooling fins that you can slide p or down to regulate the temp. Usually right side on the row of fins. Mine jiggled down after a 60 mile washboard pothole road in Alaska last summer. Just had to reset it up the fin and worked great ever since.

I've taken to using a paper clamp (not clip) to hold mine in place, the cheap-o plastic holder is not strong enough--and I've probably nudged the wire, enough to cause it to slip, or come completely off.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

The fans that we use are 12 volt ball bearing style fans from desk top computors

Those are exactly what I installed and they work VERY well. Even in the middle of the hot Louisiana summers my freezer gets down to 10 and my refrigerator down to 34 or so.

Just point hem up and positioned where they blow over the cooling fins at the top behind the refrigerator and they will move the heat up and out the roof vent. They re even more important if you have your refrigerator in a slide out and the vent is horizontal instead of vertical above the refrigerator.

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

If you can hear 2 small fans over the A/C, I can't

I rarely use the ac. I like a fresh breeze myself. I prefer the overhead fantastic fans myself.

[RetiredAF1955-1981]

Anyone installed extra fans for cooling the coils on a RM1350 Refrig., in a Sunseeker 3050SF. If so where and how did you mount them without pulling the refrig?.

[bob caldwell]

Haven't done one like you're RV......But I did mine from outside area

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by RetiredAF1955-1981

Anyone installed extra fans for cooling the coils on a RM1350 Refrig., in a Sunseeker 3050SF. If so where and how did you mount them without pulling the refrig?.

You'd never have any need to pull the frig. It's accomplished from the outside by removing the lower and upper vent (if the upper vent is on the outside wall of the camper and not on the roof). If it's a roof vent (chimney) the fan(s) are placed pointing up in the lower vent area. If no roof vent, the fan(s) go in the cavity behind the upper vent cover, blowing out, placed in front of the evaporator on a suitable bracket controlled by either a on-off switch or snap disc thermostat or both.

Sometimes it's advantageous to place a metal baffle below the evaporator to direct cool air from the lower vent into the evap so the fans can pull it out and exhaust it through the upper vent. Every situation is different but in almost all cases. increasing the airflow over the evaporator will also increase the cooling capacity of the frig and stabilize the internal temperature consistently.

That is where they go, how they work and what to expect.

[SidecarFlip]

Additionally, while this worked for me, it may not work for you...

My Thermister on the aluminum fin also got loose and was moving around so when my unit was off (at home and the frig was at room temp, I took the thermister and applied a dot of RTV silicone to the end and stuck it midway on the fin and let it cure.

I don't move around any more.

You can also replace it with an aftermarket adjustable thermister that attaches to the frig wall with double sided tape, think it's called a 'snip the tip' thermister but mine works fine so I just secured it with RTV.

[Tom48]

It seems like when the frig is in a slide the cooling needs the help of a fan, more than when not. Only one trip with our new rig last summer above 90 outside, but no problem with our 8 cu ft Domestic, and our frig had to be on the sunny side in th hat site.

[pmsherman]

When new, my Dometic fridge ran continuously and never got below 50F. When my dealer examined it, it was discovered that the fridge installation was causing the problem. FR left around an inch clearance on each side of the fridge and there's a 4" (or more) gap above it. This air space was a heat trap around the fridge and when the sun was shining on that side of the rig, the temperature around the fridge was well over 100F.

The dealer filled all of the space with insulation and I've had no problems with it since then.

Phil

[SidecarFlip]

Adding (or increasing the number) of accessory cooling fans can only help with cooling of the interior compartment not hinder it. and the quicker the frig gets to the set temp, the less propane is uses (with an auto ignition unit) because the unit will cycle on and off to hold a set temperature.

Keep in mind that with an absorbtion type frig, that transfer of heat in the evaporator determines how efficiently the condenser in the frig itself can cool the unit inside so increasing the ambient airflow over the external evaporator will only enhance the performance of the unit, never decrease performance.Unlike compressor fridges, absorbtion fridges need all the help they can get....lol

IOW, while stone simple, they aren't all that efficient.

In both my previous unit and my present one, addition of 12 volt muffin fans in the upper cavity has produced a notable increase in cooling down efficiency and temperature stabilization, IOW, it don't hurt anything, it makes things better. My present unit came with one fan, I added a second one and a baffle to direct the air. My present unit has no roof vent. Instead it has a lower intake grill and an upper exhaust grill in the vertical sidewall. On my previous unit, I added a pair of muffin fans with no baffle because that unit had the exhaust on the roof so all I did was enhance the upward flow of cool air.

[tuxedo]

1 Ref should be 33 to 40 deg F 9max for food safety, and freezer 0 deg or lower for quality. Ref air temp climbs rapidly when door opened so check after door has been closed for awhile.


2 Get the Dometic install manual and correct FR's work relative to insulation, air gaps, and baffling to direct hot air out the top grill. The factory fans will then work fine, although noisily.

[5picker]

Fans added to the inside fins also help the cooling process.

In addition to the outside fans I've also added these to the interior of the last several unit we've owned.
Even an inexpensive cube fan from Campers World/Wally World placed on an interior shelf helps circulate the cold.