dometic RM1350MX

staceymac1028 · 07-25-2012, 01:00 PM

Is anyone having problems with Dometic Refrigerator model RM1350MX? It is a double door with freezer on top. Since we have been full timers, (3 months) it has not worked right at all. We have had service techs in to fix it--as they dealt with Dometic. The cooling unit has been replaced, which helped for a week, then control board when the cooling unit didn't seem to do the trick. Once they put in the new control board, and a "baffle" which had not been installed by the factory (?) it worked fine, but only for a week. Here goes another call to the service guys, but then Dometic said they would not approve anything else until we took it to the dealer to check the 12V system, as Dometic thought that must be the problem. The dealer checked it (thank God we had friends to stay with with our 3 dogs, 1 cat and 2 adults!!) and found nothing wrong. The dealer even did a cursery look and thought the cooling unit was "plugged". The unit was brandy new!! Anyway, after the dealer found nothing wrong, Dometic then sent ANOTHER control board to our RV service guys, and when they put it in...he found the cooling unit wasn't working! At all. NADA. Now mind you, all these parts going back and forth takes a week to ten days...plus getting the guys out here on their schedule, etc. It has been nothing less than frustrating/aggravating to say the least. This refrigerator was the biggest draw for me in our new 2012 Forest River Blue Ridge. Yes..its brand new, and thank God still under warranty. So now, our service guy left today after trying to reach Dometic (he was 13th on the waiting list--not good) Hopefully tomorrow he will reach them and they will hopefully either replace this one completely or GIVE ME A NEW MODEL. I'm about to throw it out the front door!!!!! Update today---dometic is sending out ANOTHER new cooling unit.

**Herk7769** · 07-26-2012, 07:25 AM

Not sure we can add anything to this:

My thoughts:

1) Did your tech meter the 12 volts at the eyebrow control board for 12 volts DC? If the power at the control board is less than 12 volts NOTHING will work (except the LEDs) AC or Propane.

2) Is the camper level? This is CRITICAL to keeping the fridge cold because it is an evaporative system not a compressor system. Ammonia is heated by either propane or and AC heater and the vapors go up to the top of the unit and as it cools it converts back into a liquid drawing heat from the freezer and fridge.

Liquid ammonia must then drain back into the reservoir to be cycled again.
If the unit is even slightly out of level (left to right as you look at the pictures), the liquid ammonia will not quickly return to the reservoir and reduce the cooling efficiency of the fridge.

Too far out of level (as you can see it is not all that much) and the liquid can block the return tube and basically shut the whole process down.

NOTE: The fridge will function fine when traveling (even out of level) since the liquid will be "sloshed" back into the reservoir my the forward/backwards (or side to side) motion of the camper.

edmblohm · 07-26-2012, 01:06 PM

I do not have the MX version of the RM 1350. Just the base model. The first problem that I had was the interior light wouldn't work. The dealer replaced a relay on the back and the thing worked for a short period. The unit then stopped cooling. I brought it to the dealer on Tuesday and just heard from them. The cooling unit has a blockage. The bottom part of the outside cooling coil is getting too hot to touch, but the top part of that same coil is not even warm. They are going to replace the cooling coil. This is the sixth time in the shop since I purchased the 2012 Cardinal 3450RL in mid Jan. of this year. Alkl for different reasons. I am rather disappointed in Forest River and the dealer that I purchased the unit from. I have not been able to use the camper because every time I go to take it somewhere I find something that does not work.

Edward M. Blohm
2012 Cardinal 3450RL Red Bird LX Edition
Nights Camped 2012 0
Days In Shop 2012 16

cmk1960 · 09-05-2012, 06:45 PM

I have a 2012 XLR Thunderbolt with the rm1350mx and it has been having cooling problems for the past 4 months. One trip to a dealer for the temp being to hot in the frig and then the two trips later the frig quits completely giving me an E3 code. Not very happy. Living out of coolers is not much fun. Has anybody had an E3 code?

h60mo · 09-08-2012, 07:40 AM

I have a RM 1350 in a LaCrosse that is less than a year old. Trailer is still under warranty and have the 5 year Dometic warranty for the refrigerator. I have been on the road since May 12 and started having problems shortly after leaving home. I kept turning the refrigerator down till I got to the lowest setting of five. Put in one of the circulating fans and finally got the refrigerator to maintain 49 degrees. However we have lost still everything out of our freezer on two occasions. I have gone to a couple of Dometic authorized repair facilties wnd they contacted the company, both came back to me that Dometic wouldn't authorize anything until the installation of the unit was certified by an dealer. Haven't been close to a Prime Time dealer when I could leave the trailer for a period of time for them to tear the unit out for inspection so I have contacted the dealer where I purchased the trailer to make arrangements to drop the trailer off with them when I return home next month before my trailer warranty expires in November. I saw a lot of references to 1350 issues on a couple of other forums when I researched my problems. A lot of people have added fans to the back of the unit to fix ventilation issues, don't know if that would fall under being an install issue or a refrigerator issue. Real glad I got the 5 year warranty on the fridge. I had to get a little portable 12 volt freezer we keep in the trailer to keep our meat and vegetables in while we have been on this trip, it has been a real pain to deal with.

Falcon35 · 09-10-2012, 07:33 PM

Dometic seems to have a real problem with this fridge. The one that came in our Georgetown 378 had a freezer door put on so badly that it could not be adjusted to latch. The dealer put in a new fridge and it was also bad but I got it mostly fixed at Forest River in Elkhart. I still have the water dispenser and ice maker shut off as it leaks. I just had a Dometic authorized service centre do a yearly service check. They put a note on the invoice that the fans are noisy. Did not figure out the problem with the water. I hope I don't have to go back to Elkhart to get this fixed.

edmblohm · 09-10-2012, 07:55 PM

The dealer got approval from Dometic to replace the cooling unit. It took two weeks to get the part shipped, but they put it in and the unit has been run for a week. The thing that get's me with this repair besides the unit not being a year old, is that the dealer left a mess in the refer from the removal and re-installation of the cooling unit. I am very dissatisfied with the dealer that I bought the unit from. I went to them because family members have had major issues with the only other major RV dealer in the area. Hope it all works out for you. It is really frustrating to spend so much on a unit and have the problems that I have had.

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