EXPANDED Dometic recall

[Herk7769]

Lou,

Thanks for the referral to RVCOOL.com

I am ordering one today.

They have a choice of a brand new unit with new boiler stack for 655 or

a reconditioned unit no boiler stack (reuse mine) for 425.

Any idea about going with either?

Thanks,

Steve

Steve,

I have never had to do that particular repair. However, did they go into what to look out for by trying to reuse your boiler stack? $230 bucks could save you a lot of heartache if you need to replace yours when you finally get it apart. Just sayin'

In any case please photo document what you did and how you did it for us unfortunate types who may need to do this repair in the future.

Lou

 

[Knoxford]

Hi Lou,

You are right. Going with the $655 version. All new if I am going to do it ... hopefully once!

After I watched the video you posted another video started up. It was the RVCOOL guys and they made an excellent complete pull out, tear down, replace and reinstall video. To save 1000 plus bucks it is a no brainer.

Thanks again,

Steve

 

[Knoxford]

Lou,


Shoot I meant to post the link to the video ...

Steve

 

[Knoxford]

I did the RVCOOL Replacement for RM2652

Last Saturday I did the cooling unit replacement. I followed the video I posted along with the other video that Lou posted. With these two videos there is sufficient info to do this job.

I think one of the most important things to watch is how they use a 90 degree bent flat screw driver to release the fridge fins from the back wall. Real important.

In the video the cooling unit pried off pretty easy. I did it just like they did with a metal plate to protect the back of the fridge while prying the unit off. But, while doing so I bent a crowbar during the process. It took a good 5 to 10 minutes of pressure for everything to start releasing. The sound of tape and stuff slowly letting go was music to my ears. It came out perfectly.

When going back in with the new unit they show putting a 3/4 inch by 3/16 inch weather strip in the edge of the opening. This is good but beware it make a really tight fit (what you want) but I had to put two 2 by 12 by 12's inserted under the coils and get on and jump up and down till it was in all the way. I know sounds brutal.

Get a metal screw driver strip and keep track of all your screws in the order they come out.

I end up having to take the doors off cause of a narrow hall but that was ok as it made the unit much light and easy to work with.

The good new is this unit they make is AWESOME!!!! The fridge when new struggled to moderately maintain the freezer and the fridge.

The day here are running right at 100 degrees. And without the AC running in the trailer the unit is consistently maintaining 2 degrees in the freezer and 33 degrees in the fridge. The picture of the freezer shows 5 degrees. I was stunned to see 2 degrees and by the time I got my camera out it had already jumped to 5 degrees.

I bought the new unit at RVCOOL and it was 700. I am glad I did because the boiler stack on my old unit was full of leaked out ammonia and bomide and especially as Lou said and extra 200 or so for peace of mind.

Thanks for your help!


How in the world did they get upside down? I even rotated on my pc and saved and replaced them and they are still upside down.

 

[Herk7769]

So glad I was able to point you in the right direction. You ROCK.

 

[Knoxford]

Thank you Sir!

One other thing. There are no instructions in the box. I installed on Saturday. But on Monday I received an email that RVCOOL is going paperless. The email had the instructions attached in a pdf.

All I said about jumping on the unit to make it seat in. Well they addressed that on page 5 ..... grrrrrrr. That was not covered in the video!

 

[Herk7769]

Please attach the PDF so folks can know what is involved changing out the cooling system.

 

[Judytrem]

I have a 2014 ,Salem 27rkss.rv.The Dometic fridge will not get cold.Does anyone have any suggestions or similar problems.Model number DM2652RBX.We use it 8 weeks a year and it is stored the other 10 months. So in total maybe 8 months usage at best. Thank you.

 

[rockfordroo]

I have a 2014 ,Salem 27rkss.rv.The Dometic fridge will not get cold.Does anyone have any suggestions or similar problems.Model number DM2652RBX.We use it 8 weeks a year and it is stored the other 10 months. So in total maybe 8 months usage at best. Thank you.

Lots of threads on this, but start with the basics.

First, I'd run it on gas (cools better on gas than electric due to more BTU's). Make sure the gas is actually on and burning (should feel heat on the outside of the unit).

Second, make sure the thermistor is pushed up as high as it will go to start. The thermistor is inside a plastic piece that slides on the fins. So the plastic piece can slide on the fin, BUT the thermistor can also slide down in the plastic piece. Make sure the actual thermistor is slid up as high as you can get it. Once it's cold, you can slide it down as necessary to adjust the temperature. See pic.



Remember it may take 8 hrs or more to get cold. The freezer should get cold first.

 

[cherokeebill]

We have a 2018 E-Pro 19FD. The trailer has a single door modelRM2551 Dometic fridge. It has stopped working. We had it inspected by the dealer we bought it from. The RV tech said it "is pooched". The fridge needs to be replaced. He said it is on warranty and that Dometic should replace it. Has anyone had any experience going to Dometic for warranty work? Does anyone have any experience with this that might help me make the claim?



Thanks for any help you might be able to provide.

 

[Seachaser186]

We have a 2018 E-Pro 19FD. The trailer has a single door modelRM2551 Dometic fridge. It has stopped working. We had it inspected by the dealer we bought it from. The RV tech said it "is pooched". The fridge needs to be replaced. He said it is on warranty and that Dometic should replace it. Has anyone had any experience going to Dometic for warranty work? Does anyone have any experience with this that might help me make the claim?



Thanks for any help you might be able to provide.

They replaced the cooling unit on mine because it was under the 2 year warranty. The new cooling unit went bad but they would not warrant it because it was outside the warranty. Even though the new cooling unit was under 4 months old the warranty date started from original purchase.
IMO these things are one of the highest priced pieces of junk ever produced.

 

[cherokeebill]

Well that sucks. Did Dometic replace the unit or did Forest River manage the warranty work? Is replacing the cooling unit a DIY project? I am relatively handy but I have never attempted a job like that. In the past we needed to replace the electronic control board on one of our fridges. This a pretty easy DIY. However, according to the RV tech we need a complete new fridge. Does this make sense?

 

[RiderBloke]

It may be worth looking at Youtube for videos on replacing rv fridge.
EG: https://youtu.be/Yte1V3CkDrw
And maybe this firm: https://jc-refrigeration.com
I have not pulled my fridge nor dealt with this firm but the youtube people who have seem to think well pf them.

 

[Seachaser186]

Well that sucks. Did Dometic replace the unit or did Forest River manage the warranty work? Is replacing the cooling unit a DIY project? I am relatively handy but I have never attempted a job like that. In the past we needed to replace the electronic control board on one of our fridges. This a pretty easy DIY. However, according to the RV tech we need a complete new fridge. Does this make sense?

It was covered by the 2 year Dometic warranty. So if you are still inside 2 years you should be good.

 

[cherokeebill]

It was covered by the 2 year Dometic warranty. So if you are still inside 2 years you should be good.

Thanks, we are so we will see how it unfolds. It is interesting that the RV tech said we needed a whole new fridge not just the cooling unit.

 

[cherokeebill]

It may be worth looking at Youtube for videos on replacing rv fridge.
EG: https://youtu.be/Yte1V3CkDrw
And maybe this firm: https://jc-refrigeration.com
I have not pulled my fridge nor dealt with this firm but the youtube people who have seem to think well pf them.

Thanks for the tip. It looks like a labour intensive job. Hope the warranty covers labour too.

 

[cherokeebill]

Good news, Dometic replaced my fridge under warranty. The new fridge is in and working. We ran it today and it froze a cup of water. The camper is winterized so no more camping this year but we will be ready for an early spring. Thanks to Dometic for stepping up.