Dometic Refrigerator Interior Light

[mlawler506]

Last night my wife discovered that the Dometic interior light did not shut off. (The little guy inside must have quit without notice. ) The light was very hot and melted a package of butter. I don't know if it could have started a fire, but today's product packaging might just catch fire. It would be nice if there were a cooler bulb used inside. Perhaps a LED.

It would be bizarre to have a headline: RV destroyed in fire started by refrigerator light bulb.

[fonzie]

So what is your question?

[JayArras]

Originally Posted by fonzie

So what is your question?

I didn't think there needed to be one to use this forum.

[mlawler506]

My post is to alert people to the possibility of an unusual problem inside their closed refrigerator. Check the bulb to see if it is hot. If so, you have a problem. It is not a problem I would have expected.0

[rockfordroo]

Here's one:

https://www.amazon.com/Starlights-10.../dp/B004O7DC0K

[dmchapman]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Here's one:

https://www.amazon.com/Starlights-10.../dp/B004O7DC0K

I bought the LED equivalent automotive bulb at the local auto parts store. I think I paid too much but it was around $8 and no shipping charge.

[JayArras]

Originally Posted by mlawler506

My post is to alert people to the possibility of an unusual problem inside their closed refrigerator. Check the bulb to see if it is hot. If so, you have a problem. It is not a problem I would have expected.0

My light gets hot, but there is a lens cover over it, so the plastic gets warm at best.

[mecd]

Sounds like the wrong bulb in the fridge based on my experience.

My Dometic uses one 12V 10 Watt bulb (pointed at both ends) under a plastic lens, and when the first bulb burned out, went to the local RV dealer who sold me a replacement for $2. When I put it in the bulb holder, immediately the bulb got extremely hot. I then examined the bulb in more detail noting that it was a 12 watt bulb and all the dealer (owner) did was measure the length. The parts person then got on the phone to their supplier and a package of 2 was $36. Was not prepared to pay that high a price so the next time I went to the nearest CC dealer (4 hours away) I got 2 correct wattage bulbs for $3. Now only one left so will stock up next time at same CC dealer.

I can buy a box of those bulbs for the price of the LED type and once those are used I probably won't be RV compatible.

[dwhit]

I'm one of those "anal" guys that likes to read the manuals on things cover-to-cover so I understand everything there is to know about things like this.

The Dometic will activate the interior lite during periods of low ambient temps so that the cooling system will activate to keep the freezer near proper temps. I have experienced this effect myself as I have digital remote sensors in my four-door Dometic. When the temps in the camp were 37 degrees the freezer actually went cooler while the main section stayed even. Cheating the door switch proved to me it was ON slightly warming the main section to activate the cooling system to keep the freezer at zero.

Interesting eh??

No?

Well...interesting to me anyway. It's all in the manuals.

But that's not your problem here I guess...but it's good to know.

And that's why I would use the correct replacement bulb. I WOULD hunt-down the better price however.

[Kattwo]

After working at business that sells all varieties of bulbs I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who insist on buying the wrong bulb due to the price. As the saying goes ygwypf. If you have a problem with a bulb, don't blame it on the bulb, instead blame it on your cheapness. I've had customers return after buying a cheap and incorrect bulb and telling me their lamp, etc caught on fire. Is it really worth it to you to buy what you think is a cheap or incorrect alternative???

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by dwhit

I'm one of those "anal" guys that likes to read the manuals on things cover-to-cover so I understand everything there is to know about things like this.

The Dometic will activate the interior lite during periods of low ambient temps so that the cooling system will activate to keep the freezer near proper temps. I have experienced this effect myself as I have digital remote sensors in my four-door Dometic. When the temps in the camp were 37 degrees the freezer actually went cooler while the main section stayed even. Cheating the door switch proved to me it was ON slightly warming the main section to activate the cooling system to keep the freezer at zero.

Interesting eh??

No?

Well...interesting to me anyway. It's all in the manuals.

But that's not your problem here I guess...but it's good to know.

And that's why I would use the correct replacement bulb. I WOULD hunt-down the better price however.

As discussed on page 18 of the attached Dometic manual, not all Dometic's have this switch (they call it a "low ambient switch"). In fact you are the first one on this forum, in my 5-1/2 years here anyway, that I can recall, that has ever mentioned it, so I'm guessing that MOST of us do NOT have that switch. (I have a model DM2652LBX.)

I've attached the schematic from my fridge and you can easily see that there is no low ambient switch bypassing my door switch (item H) for the light (item G). Anyone who has such a switch should be able to easily identify if they have it by looking at the schematic on their fridge.

[Stank Bait]

I also discovered that the light did not go out. It was not in cold temperatures. As a matter of fact it kept the fridge portion warm. The freezer was cold and the fridge hot. I called and they sent another switch. In the meantime while waiting I took the switch out, took it apart and fixed it. Can't remember exactly what was the cause. They are very simple. It was hanging up. I used it until the new arrived and now have the original as a backup. If I remember correctly when I tested with ohm meter it really had continuity when the lever was pressed as you would expect when it stayed on. Got it working and checked with meter as good. Play with it and you may be able to get it working too. Ohm meter is your friend.

[dwhit]

rockfordroo : Interesting.

My 4-door RM1350M does NOT have a low ambient switch according to the manual. Apparently it is in the pwb circuitry. I read YOUR model manual and it has the physical switch behind the control bezel. The door heaters are on all the time on mine. They're all different hence it's a good idea to read the manual for the one ya' have.

Anyway...unit works good after I installed addt'l fans in the upper vent.

[GlennW]

I had the same issue with the interior light. The door doesn't quite make contact with the switch lever so I put a piece of thick wall rubber tubing on the end of the lever and problem solved. The light is around 7 watts and that is a fair heat contribution to the fridge interior.

Glenn

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by dwhit

rockfordroo : Interesting.

My 4-door RM1350M does NOT have a low ambient switch according to the manual. Apparently it is in the pwb circuitry. I read YOUR model manual and it has the physical switch behind the control bezel. The door heaters are on all the time on mine. They're all different hence it's a good idea to read the manual for the one ya' have.

Anyway...unit works good after I installed addt'l fans in the upper vent.

Not sure what your read. I've attached another owners manual. Keep in mind these cover a number of models so you have to be careful about which model they are talking about when you read it. Also, I have no clue how old any of these manuals are. They are not dated. That's why I go by the wiring diagram on the fridge.

The door heater (climate control) switch and the low ambient switch are two different things. The low ambient switch (if you have one) turns on the interior light. the climate control switch (if you have one) turns the door heater on/off. Neither one has anything to do with the other The climate control switch is also discussed on page 18 of the manual I attached previously. For both switches, it clearly says "Not used on all models."

The manual says I should be able to turn the low ambient switch on/off, but I have no such switch. I would assume it would be located similarly to the climate control switch (see below), but I have neither.

Older versions of these models seem to have had the climate control switch "standard" (see pic) to turn the door heater on/off. Newer versions of these models don't seem to have this switch anymore, so the heater is on all the time. You'd think if they removed the switch, they'd change the model number, but that doesn't seem to have happened.


If MY fridge had either switch, it SHOULD be shown on the wiring diagram on my fridge, and neither one is shown. There is no low ambient switch listed in the attached 2652 parts listing, either. Therefore I have concluded that I do NOT have either one.

[rockfordroo]

So I drove out to my storage lot and eyeballed my fridge just to make SURE I had no climate control (CLC) or low ambient control (LAC) switches. I was correct: I do NOT have these switches on my DM2652LBX.

I brought my manual home and made a (not so great) PDF of it; see below. My camper was built in May 2015, so it should be accurate to that time frame. But even this manual is not great.

It clearly says (pages 6-7) that the Climate Control heater and Low Ambient Control systems are present on NDM1062 models. The pic on the bottom of page 4 shows these as switches on the FRONT of the control panel (with lights, no less, to tell you when they're on), but the pic on page 6 shows the CLC switch as being UNDER the control panel as in the pic I posted in Post #15. Since the CLC and LAC are not discussed anywhere else in the manual except relating to the NDM1062, you would think that none of the other models have either one. The spare parts tables on pages 15 and 16 would imply that my 2652 model doesn't have a CLC heater either, but the wiring diagram (top of pg 20) as well as the diagram actually on my fridge (see post 11) clearly shows the climate control heater WITHOUT a climate control switch. So I'd say accuracy in these manuals is not a high priority for Dometic.

So it's all clear as mud, and again, I'd believe the wiring diagram on my fridge before anything else.

[ard58]

Originally Posted by dmchapman

I bought the LED equivalent automotive bulb at the local auto parts store. I think I paid too much but it was around $8 and no shipping charge.

X2

[mlawler506]

I bought the bulbs on Amazon and they turned out to be the wrong size. I will go to an auto parts store. That is probably the safest course of action.

[SlyCamperz]

Originally Posted by Stank Bait

I also discovered that the light did not go out. It was not in cold temperatures. As a matter of fact it kept the fridge portion warm. The freezer was cold and the fridge hot. I called and they sent another switch. In the meantime while waiting I took the switch out, took it apart and fixed it. Can't remember exactly what was the cause. They are very simple. It was hanging up. I used it until the new arrived and now have the original as a backup. If I remember correctly when I tested with ohm meter it really had continuity when the lever was pressed as you would expect when it stayed on. Got it working and checked with meter as good. Play with it and you may be able to get it working too. Ohm meter is your friend.

How did you remove the switch? I can’t tell by looking at it, or the new part, how to get it out? Mine works sporadically, and needs tweaking, but how to remove it to do so?
Thanks in advance for direction.

[Stank Bait]

Been a long time but I think it slides off sidewall after removing the clear cover. Problem is I will not be able to look at it until around Thanksgiving week. Sorry I could not be of more help.