I'm so sick of these 2 & 2.5 CF Dometic Refrigerators!!!

[Mike91]

Why can't they design these to work right!! I've had Norcold and never any issues.

Once again, I have to tear apart my complete burner because it gets spiders every darn year and midyear!!! Never an issue with Norcold but you bet, it sure is a problem with all these dometic refrigerators I've had, on top of not getting cold enough at 40 degees. Yep, every camper's refrigerator needed a external aftermarket fan system.

What's even a bigger issue is that Forest River pulls the propane line through the floor, right in front of the burner shield, and then uses black caulk like it's an endless natural source where the shield is half covered in black caulk, from shield to refrigerator cavity wall!

It's a days process just to get that stupid burner apart and out to be clean and blown out.

They really should just start throwing those crappy tiny ammonia absorption refrigerators out of the design and just use a cheap reliable compressor refrigerator that uses 120VAC. You really need to use an ice cooler anyhow when camping without hookups due to the Dometic refrigerators need for external 12VDC fans, that will drain your battery.

Sorry, End of rant. Just spent about 5 hours fighting with this in the rain and blowing it out, only to have it no better than when I started.

I should just use electric permanently with it but use propane to cool it down much more quickly.

[flyerdp]

Odd timing, this shows up on popup portal:

https://popupportal.com/threads/inst...-vents.138893/

[Mike91]

Unfortunately, that restricts even more air flow, making for poor refrigerator performance.
Besides it may interfere with my fans on the upper vent. They help with the poor air flow, to help cool the fins and ultimately the ammonia.

Honestly, spiders could get through that screen easily.

[Nick Danger]

I'm with you on the ditching the ammonia fridge!

[flyerdp]

You have a 296 right Mike? My 276 Refer has the unit with the small freezer at the top. I'm surprised to hear your so unhappy with it as ours has been great so far. It gets very cold even without fans though I haven't run in the full heat of a Texas summer yet. I also keep it in the garage so no spiders yet.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by flyerdp

You have a 296 right Mike? My 276 Refer has the small freezer at the top. It gets very cold even without fans though I havent run in the full heat of a Texas summer yet. I also keep it in the garage so no spiders yet.

Are you thinking spiders can't get in your garage? ... and you're in Texas?

[flyerdp]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Are you thinking spiders can't get in your garage? ... and you're in Texas?

I'm thinking exactly what I said "yet". We also don't have a large spider or insect issue as we are far enough north to kill a lot of insects off during winter.

I don't have brown wood roaches either but in Houston where I used to live they were a big problem

[Mike91]

Originally Posted by flyerdp

You have a 296 right Mike? My 276 Refer has the unit with the small freezer at the top. I'm surprised to hear your so unhappy with it as ours has been great so far. It gets very cold even without fans though I haven't run in the full heat of a Texas summer yet. I also keep it in the garage so no spiders yet.

No, I have the Premier 2716g in my signature, with 2 refrigerators. I have a 1.9CF compressor refrigerator w/freezer and a 2.5CF Ammonia Absorption refrigerator w/o freezer.

[flyerdp]

Originally Posted by Mike91

No, I have the Premier 2716g in my signature, with 2 refrigerators. I have a 1.9CF compressor refrigerator w/freezer and a 2.5CF Ammonia Absorption refrigerator w/o freezer.

Right... reading your sig might have helped. Sorry. From the pic I though that was the "outdoor kitchen" on the 296 in the back corner.

[CaptnJohn]

Am I lucky or???
Read long ago dog flea collar will keep those pesky hard to see red spiders out. I change them every 4/6 months and have had no problem since. Maybe the reason no mud daubers too?????

[pgandw]

I personally prefer the Dometic ammonia fridges, once I corrected Forest River's flawed installation. Read the Dometic installation manual and compare what was actually delivered. Unlike my boats that need to be iced all the time, I can camp anywhere and have a working fridge.

I used 2 computer case fans on the exhaust of the 3.1 cu ft fridge, and 1 on the old 1.9 cu ft fridge. The fans draw 70ma each, or 0.84 AH per 24 hr day. That's less than the propane/CO detector uses, even for 2 fans. And I don't have to worry about charging batteries for 4+ days, unlike with a 12V compressor fridge.

But each to their own.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
prev 2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2022 Hyundai Palisade

[Mike91]

Originally Posted by flyerdp

Right... reading your sig might have helped. Sorry. From the pic I though that was the "outdoor kitchen" on the 296 in the back corner.

No problem. The rear outside compressor refrigerator feature was one of many reasons I like this floorplan so much.

[jimmoore13]

Can you modify an air compressor blow gun to reach in and blow out the spiders in the burner tube?

I think I had the same fridge in my HW-277, and I cleaned the tube regularly by removing it and simply blowing through it with my mouth. But if yours is installed in some wonky way, perhaps modifying a blow gun will make the task easier.

Then repel or trap the spiders by placing something like these in the bottom of the fridge compartment.

[nvs4602]

If everyone complained about the Dometic refrigerators maybe they would switch to Norcold units. Norcold's are also made in the USA and provide good paying American jobs. I used to do comparison testing on Dometic and Norcold refrigerators and Norcold always out performed Dometic hands down in side by side testing in a simulated RV mounting enclosure.

RV manufacturers don't pay attention to ventilation requirements for this type of absorption units that's why fans are required to move the air across the back of them. Also dead air space above the refrigerators kill the performance and need to be blocked off.

[Mike91]

I have a small portable air compressor and tried blowing it out through side burner holes, without taking burner out. It's worked in the past but not now. Even took gas tubing out and orifice plate. I'm guessing spider/web is where the orifice plate is and why I can't blow it out.

No time to mess with it before the week long trip so I'll just be on electric. I might just pull it out and fab up a compressor refrigerator to go in, down the road when resale isn't a concern.

Completely agree with above post, my Norcold refrigerators were excellent along with my Coleman AC units.

I've had problems with Dometic refrigerators and AC units. Definitely not a fan when competitors offer a better performing and reliable product.

[bukhrn]

I guess I'll be the devil's advocate here, my unit is 15 years old, and have Never had a problem with the Dometic fridge, ever, worked flawlessly in Lake Havasu city in August at 110°, no external fans, or other " fixes", still works great, still freezes the ice cream.

[nvs4602]

Originally Posted by bukhrn

I guess I'll be the devil's advocate here, my unit is 15 years old, and have Never had a problem with the Dometic fridge, ever, worked flawlessly in Lake Havasu city in August at 110°, no external fans, or other " fixes", still works great, still freezes the ice cream.

That means the RV manufacturer got the ventilation and installation correct.

[flyerdp]

Originally Posted by bukhrn

I guess I'll be the devil's advocate here, my unit is 15 years old, and have Never had a problem with the Dometic fridge, ever, worked flawlessly in Lake Havasu city in August at 110°, no external fans, or other " fixes", still works great, still freezes the ice cream.

Might be a case of "They don't make me like they used to"

[Tom48]

YouTube has dozens of videos on portable 12 v refers that seem larger and better than many of those tiny old gas boxes

[acadianbob]

Gas box is great for boondocking though . . . . .