Forum Discussion

slotsavegas's avatar
slotsavegas
Explorer
Sep 05, 2014

Dometic Refrig is acting up - what are my options

Left home the refrigerator was working very well. Outdoor temps were in the high 90's. Fridge was 7 freezer and 38 refrige. Two days out we are now in Arizona and outside temps are 104-106. Freezer is staying around 6 or 7 on both gas and electric. Refrige portion varies between 45 and 61 again on gas or electric. We have even removed all the food to be sure it wasn't overloaded. We have a fan inside the refrige to move the air, we have a muffin fan in the cooling unit space outside. ( I have placed a small 110V inside the CU area as well for the last couple of days ) with no improvement.

A technician was out yesterday and told me the CU was working correctly. There did not appear to be any leaks in the cooling solution, and there did not appear to be any blockage. Door gasket was checked and was pronounced good.

Does anyone have a suggestion or something to try ???

Refridge is Dometic model #RM2862LB It is a 2005 model and has had the
safety recall installed in 2008.

From a historical point, over the last 8 years this refridge has always kept interior temps in the upper 30's to lower 40's regarless of outide temps. Freezer often went down to 0 degrees.

I am desperate for help. If I can't get this issue resolved, I will have to cancel remainder of trip and return home.
  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Sep 05, 2014
    I would check the distance from the outside wall to the cooling unit tubes. The distance should be less then an inch. I used some good insulating board to reduce the distance. I used Liquid nails to attach it to the frame work of the rig.
    Reducing the area makes more air go through the cooling unit increasing efficiency.
    If this is in a slide check to make sure the upper air outlet has air deflector to move air away from the void on top of the refer. Make sure the fans are working.
  • popeyemth's avatar
    popeyemth
    Explorer
    Sep 05, 2014
    Small hints:
    1) keep the door shut. You need only open it for seconds at meal prep times
    2)put drinks in a cooler-see #1
    3) PUSH the door tightly shut after it's opened
    4)Shade the fridge side of the camper as much as you can.
    Good Luck, Mike
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Sep 05, 2014
    Your fridge should work at those temps (mine does - on elect.) but everything has to be perfect for it to do so. If you ever operated it off level and it had a minor amount of damage because of it then those are the temps when it's performance will suffer.
    I would remove the fridge and look for obstructions to air flow in the back. Many are badly installed and have roofing material blocking vents or excessive spacing between the back of the coils and the rear wall. Read the installation instructions or find a site on-line that explains how airflow should be routed around the back of the unit. Fine tuning the installation by stream lining the cavity behind the fridge works wonders for performance. If air has to rise only to hit the flat underside of the roof and then find the vent then cooling won't be as strong as it could be. Every detail matters at those outside temps.
    If possible, turn the fridge off and let all the ice in the freezer section melt. It's possible there's a blockage between fridge and freezer.
    If you haven't already, switch it over to gas - it's more powerful than elect.
    Finally, check the door seal by using the dollar bill method. If it's not tight at those temps then it just can't keep up.
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Sep 05, 2014
    Ours in 90 plus temp with sun on the refrig side, the refrig will show up to 47 degrees. Once the sun goes away it will get back down to 35 or 38. That's fully loaded.

    Also, make sure your thermometer is correct. I had one that read 4 degrees hot.
    It showed 39 at 35 actual degrees.
  • aslakson's avatar
    aslakson
    Explorer
    Sep 05, 2014
    Full sun or shade on the refer side of the RV? If full sun, try reorienting the RV so the reefer side is away from the sun. Double-check the door seal - even if the gasket is good, if the door isn't closing properly, you will get air leakage. Pay particular attention to the seal at the bottom of the door.

    Or head for higher elevations and cool off!

    Good luck.

    al
  • Fresno_Tundra_D's avatar
    Fresno_Tundra_D
    Explorer
    Sep 05, 2014
    Get some ice in an ice chest for the perishable items. With those temperatures the RV units are just overworked and can't keep up. Your unit is most likely working to its best ability. I've had similar experiences when outside temps are really hot. Camping in 90s or lower the unit works great.

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