Dead Refrigerator

So in December I bought a "new to me" 2021 Coach House motorhome. Last week while prepping for a summer long trip coming up, I opened the refrigerator and it was dead. I checked all the fuses and breakers. Check behind the fridge outside to see if there was a visible problem. I called CH, which is 90 miles from me and their one tech said it was likely the fuse in the back that was inaccessible for me, but they could get it. The circuit board is in a sealed "power brick," so I drove the coach down there Sunday night and Monday morning they looked at it. They worked for 3 hours, but they aren't a Dometic service center so since there was no fuse on the back, there wasn't much they could do and suggested I find a Dometic service center.

I found a mobile RV repair business (former Prevost tech and highly recommended) and he did indeed track the problem to the circuit box. Power going in, none coming out. So he removed the power brick and is looking for a replacement.

He called last night. No replacements to be found. . . well, one in Poland and one in Nova Scotia, $1500, 6 weeks shipping time. The fridge is discontinued (I checked this myself and it's true). He wants to come out and measure to find a model that will fit into the spot.

Dometic lists a replacement, an RMD 10.5 XT or a Norcold N4150. Both fit the opening, which, being a B+, there isn't much wiggle room. My nonworking model is a Dometic RMD8555.

I spent last evening researching, trying to find a dinosaur board, etc. no luck. I plan on calling Dometic today and seeing what recommendation, if any, they have.

I plan to leave the 26th, but will be going to Melbourne, FL, first (90 miles away to visit son), then Virginia to visit daughter. Then I'm headed to northern Indiana. Will there about June 8, but calendar is clear after that.

I'm thinking I may just wait till I get to Elkhart and check the surplus places, although there are fewer ones than in years past. I feel like my chances of finding something there might be better. I'm also going to check with the Amish at National Refrigeration who used to do all our repair on our Norcold and replaced the last one.

In the meantime, I would use the fridge as an icebox. . . been there done that. No stranger to it. Inconvenient, yes, but do-able.

Any suggestions or avenues I may have overlooked? In reading through all the forums, I find this fridge has had major problems, which is no doubt why Dometic discontinued it and all the models associated with it.

Dale

Seeking Advice

wa8yxm
Explorer III
May 19, 2023
You might try calling Dino but those boards are fairly standard. I'm surprised you can't find one .

Alternative is a new fridge.. But again you might have size issues.

They have an all electric models now day that only need around 30-50 watts running.. that's about the same as a dual lamp fixture with 1131 bulbs instead of modern LEDs.
Crowe
Explorer
May 19, 2023
Do you have room for a dorm-sized refrigerator? If so, maybe that's a short-term solution. Not sure if the draw would be a problem-someone else can probably answer that.
joelc
Explorer III
May 19, 2023
No matter what you decide on be sure you can get replacement parts. I had to replace my Norcold and did so with a Dometic 12V unit. The fridge works, but it does not respond for temperature adjustments the way I feel it should. I found out to get a replacement thermostat it would take 6 months. No parts, not good. The temps in the fridge are keeping it cold on max. setting, but if I slightly change it then the temps are too warm. Be cautious. It is a shame that manufactures want to sell you a product, but don't want to back it up with parts in the event things go wrong.
K_and_I
Explorer
May 19, 2023
Scottiemom wrote:

I'm thinking I may just wait till I get to Elkhart and check the surplus places, although there are fewer ones than in years past. I feel like my chances of finding something there might be better. I'm also going to check with the Amish at National Refrigeration who used to do all our repair on our Norcold and replaced the last one.
Dale

Why not call the surplus places now to see if they have your part. If they don't, you can move to Plan B now instead of later.

RV Surplus
JimK-NY
Explorer II
May 19, 2023
At what point do you give up and buy a replacement? I have had similar issues with my appliances at home. Once an appliance stops working the cost of repairs, the nuisance of doing without and the wait times are often just not worth it. At a minimum a simple appliance repair means a $150 initial visit, parts perhaps only another $100 and then the cost of a second visit and the actual repair, another $200. So a 5-10 year old washing machine, dryer, dishwasher or refrigerator can easily cost $450 to repair. Getting the repair completed can easily take several weeks.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
May 20, 2023
Shoot, I always try my best to fix anything rather than buy a new one. And I consider a 5-10 year old appliance well worth investing some time and money to get running. I just spent $150 on a used board to get our old clothes dryer working again. It may only be 15 years old, but it's working, and hopefully be good for another 15. Beats the heck out of spending whatever a new dryer costs.
craig7h
Nomad II
May 20, 2023
I do not have a Dometic, but I did replace the cooling unit for my Norcold unit.

I am a believer in JC Refrigeration, from their products to customer service. I did not want to change out the frig for many reasons, we do not boondock and am always plugged in. I went with the 120v replacement cooling method. Its an easy DIY wife and I spent maybe total of 3hrs taking out puting back. I would recomment at least looking into them.
https://jc-refrigeration.com/
Scottiemom
Nomad
May 20, 2023
wa8yxm wrote:
You might try calling Dino but those boards are fairly standard. I'm surprised you can't find one .

Alternative is a new fridge.. But again you might have size issues.

They have an all electric models now day that only need around 30-50 watts running.. that's about the same as a dual lamp fixture with 1131 bulbs instead of modern LEDs.

I did call Dino yesterday. They have none that will work. I also called Dometic. They have nothing and if they did find something, it will be overseas as that's where they are made. So the $1500 and 6 weeks she said was the norm. She gave me two national parts houses to call. Neither one answered their phones. Couldn't even leave a message. But again, if they had one, it will arrive here too late to be of any value right now.

Dale
Scottiemom
Nomad
May 20, 2023
Crowe wrote:
Do you have room for a dorm-sized refrigerator? If so, maybe that's a short-term solution. Not sure if the draw would be a problem-someone else can probably answer that.

The last time we had our 4-door Norcold go dead (we had nursed it for years), we left Florida with ice in the fridge and a few things we needed to keep with us in there. We eventually made it to Shipshewana where Glenn swapped us out a new 4-door Norcold. Swapping out ice every other day was a pain, but it worked, so that's what I'll do.

Dale
Scottiemom
Nomad
May 20, 2023
joelc wrote:
No matter what you decide on be sure you can get replacement parts. I had to replace my Norcold and did so with a Dometic 12V unit. The fridge works, but it does not respond for temperature adjustments the way I feel it should. I found out to get a replacement thermostat it would take 6 months. No parts, not good. The temps in the fridge are keeping it cold on max. setting, but if I slightly change it then the temps are too warm. Be cautious. It is a shame that manufactures want to sell you a product, but don't want to back it up with parts in the event things go wrong.

Their are two refrigerators that fit in the same space. I checked with Dometic when I called them to see if those were still manufactured and parts available.

Dale

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