Forum Discussion

boostedone's avatar
boostedone
Explorer
Mar 23, 2015

Dometic 2652 Cooling Unit Replacement

Well, where to start...
Last season I left my camper at a campground to use on the weekends. After not using it for several weeks I went to pick it up, and found the fridge not cool. It was lit, and "running" on electric, I never use it on gas. I figured maybe one of us just forgot to shut the door all the way. I brought it home, plugged it in and checked a few days later, still warm.

Anyhow, I mentioned it to a friend of mine who said its probably the heating element. Due to a bunch of other things going on, I just filed that in my mind. Now that its getting nice out again, I want to use the camper soon so I went yesterday evening to trouble shoot.

Well, now the fridge lights are off. Checked power feeds, all good. I found the problem is the thermo fuse, which I found was part of some recall. Also found the heating element to have 40 ohms resistance so that was good..

I bypassed the thermo fuse and everything powered up fine. Unit would run on gas, heating element worked on electric.

My problem is, there is yellow deposits all over the solenoid area.. From what I gather, this means my cooling unit probably sprung a leak, discharged, lost cooling, and then in time the heating element got so hot that it melted the thermofuse.

Now I am looking for a cooling unit. I see the Amish units have a good rep, and David Force is the man to get them through? Do his units come with all thats needed to put it in? I saw a video online to replace the unit, and it mentioned a special caulking to transfer the heat to the box.. Does davids units come with that? Also, just what is the difference between the new and reman'd units? Is the new that much better?

I am trying to figure out all I need to get the job done the first time.

Also are there any other worthwile upgrades or things I should do when I have the fridge out? I see David sells a bunch of fans and stuff like that, an adjustable thermister, etc.

Sorry for such a basic question, but I feel like i am getting blasted in the face with a firehose by googling. I think half the hits for new units are multiple domains run by the same guy, and I also want to make sure I dont buy an imposter unit from some guy thats importing******from China and cut and pasting the real info on his site.
Seeking Advice
  • boostedone's avatar
    boostedone
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2015
    smkettner wrote:


    Nobody is talking compact dorm fridge. More like 18+ Cu Ft fitted in the same space and generally has more interior room along with faster and more consistent cooling.

    Search on "residential refrigerator"


    *I* am talking about what (atleast)I consider a dorm fridge.

    Note, as mentioned in the title, I have a Dometic 2652 here(6 cu ft) in a camper, not a 50+ foot coach with a side by side. The fridges most of the people in the threads linked are talking about are the size of my bathroom, haha.

    According to the Dometic manual, my opening is likely somewhere between 53.75 to 54 5/8 tall, 23 11/16 to 24 7/8 wide, and 24 to 26 deep. While alot of the 10 cube dorm fridges will fit the width requirement they are close to 60" tall.

    I didn't want this thread to be another residential vs absorption argument, which unfortunately I now see any fridge discussion turns into. I don't have a problem with a 120V only fridge, even the small ones. I have a fridge in my shop to hold beer and water that I picked up for under 200$ from Pep Boys of all places, and that thing has been running 24/7 with no problems for the past 7 years. My only complaint with it is that it not frost free so the freezer is 30% the usable space it should be. But aestetically something like that would look like absolute hell in my camper. I am not interested in cutting up my cabinets and doing trim work to make a cheap fridge look acceptable only to go to sell it down the road and as soon as someone walks in the door they say "WTH is that?"

    The reason why I made this post was to inquire where to buy the most decent unit, reman or new, and any other parts I should get while the unit is out. I may as well just get to ordering stuff, because as was mentioned time is money and I am burning time.
  • boostedone's avatar
    boostedone
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2015
    smkettner wrote:
    If you are always plugged in... consider a residential compressor fridge as a replacement.


    I thought about that with my old camper when I thought the fridge went out.. But that rig was a heap of junk.. While my current trailer is older(2004) its dang near perfect shape. I really can't stand the thought of fitting a dorm fridge to it from Costco.

    Big Katuna wrote:
    Just did mine at Christmas. Used the Amish unit. They come a tube of transfer gook and tape. BUT he sells them with or without the heaters and fans. I used more tape than he supplied. New unit is much better quality and cools better.

    It's daunting at first but went smoothly. Lots of tedious scraping and cleaning once the old unit is removed.

    A Harbor Freight furniture mover was the perfect height.



    What is this tape you speak of? The video I saw I dont recall tape, just the heat transfer goop in the caulking gun. Is it aluminum foil tape or something?

    Who did you get your setup through? David Force/RV Pines/etc?

    And just noticed you arent too far from me. I'm over in Osteen :)


    rjxj wrote:
    Depending on the age, maybe it's time to just buy a new frig. I have a Dometic that has the recall completed but I have wondered what I will do when it quits. For another $600.00 I can have a whole new frig. My water heater went out so I just bought a new one. It was 14 years old so why take a chance of having something else break on it? It needed $100 in parts or $350 for a new unit. So if I put a price on my labor of at least $200.00 to install the frig coil that brings the difference down to $400 to $450 plus the risk factor of the other old parts.

    Maybe a new frig is just as cheesy as the old one and the replacement coil is better? Sure would be nice to slide the old one out and slide the new one in. Kids and I swapped one out of an old truck camper and put about a 100 rounds of ammo through it.


    I see your point.. Part of the reason for this post is to keep the install time to a minimum. If I end up missing something thats more time lost as I will likely forget how to put something back together if I have to wait too long for more parts to come in.
    To tell you the truth when I realized the problem wasnt a 40 dollar fix and that it could be more like a 5-700$ fix for a "remanufactured" or "aftermarket" unit, I was initially pricing out a whole new fridge as well, since.. Those are in the 12-1300 range plus tax/shipping. But from what I can see, it appears that A) other than the cooling unit, theres not much in there that costs significant money to replace and B)usually aftermarket and remanufactured means sub-OEM new.. From what I have been reading, it seems like these remanufactured and aftermarket units are more like an upgrade than a financial compromise.

    Did you factor in the price of ammo on that? After the 2008 election when ammo became scarce as heck I quit using it on such events haha.

    stickdog wrote:
    I replaced my cooling unit with a Amish unit 3 years ago. I have replaced the AC heating element eight months ago. As of now I'm past the warranty period had I purchased a new one and also the Amish unit. I'm still $600.00 ahead.


    Ok, I feel alot better at this point.. With the current age of my trailer, I am not sure I will have it another 3-5 years anyhow. Buying a whole new fridge just doesnt make a ton of sense. Did you do the new or reman unit?

    I will probably just pay the extra 150 or so on the new unit and be done with it.. I guess i have to call or email david to see if he has the thermo fuses, and what he would recommend for the fan kit on this thing.
  • stickdog's avatar
    stickdog
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2015
    I replaced my cooling unit with a Amish unit 3 years ago. I have replaced the AC heating element eight months ago. As of now I'm past the warranty period had I purchased a new one and also the Amish unit. I'm still $600.00 ahead.
  • Big_Katuna's avatar
    Big_Katuna
    Explorer II
    Mar 23, 2015
    In my case, a new double door 1200 is $3K vs $1100. PLUS you have to take out a windshield to take the old one out and bring the new one in PLUS all the labor vs I did the repair my myself. Well my son helped but I could have done it alone.
  • azrving's avatar
    azrving
    Explorer
    Mar 23, 2015
    Depending on the age, maybe it's time to just buy a new frig. I have a Dometic that has the recall completed but I have wondered what I will do when it quits. For another $600.00 I can have a whole new frig. My water heater went out so I just bought a new one. It was 14 years old so why take a chance of having something else break on it? It needed $100 in parts or $350 for a new unit. So if I put a price on my labor of at least $200.00 to install the frig coil that brings the difference down to $400 to $450 plus the risk factor of the other old parts.

    Maybe a new frig is just as cheesy as the old one and the replacement coil is better? Sure would be nice to slide the old one out and slide the new one in. Kids and I swapped one out of an old truck camper and put about a 100 rounds of ammo through it.
  • gery_L's avatar
    gery_L
    Explorer
    Mar 23, 2015
    When my unit went out, I ended up using www.rvcool.com, they are not Amish built. Wick rebuilds them with a heavy duty, thick wall boiler. Easy to purchase, and following his directions, quite easy to install.
    I was very satisfied with the whole dealings and product. Wick and the staff were very informative with any questions that I had before and after the sale.
    Good luck.
    Gery
  • Big_Katuna's avatar
    Big_Katuna
    Explorer II
    Mar 23, 2015
    Just did mine at Christmas. Used the Amish unit. They come a tube of transfer gook and tape. BUT he sells them with or without the heaters and fans. I used more tape than he supplied. New unit is much better quality and cools better.

    It's daunting at first but went smoothly. Lots of tedious scraping and cleaning once the old unit is removed.

    A Harbor Freight furniture mover was the perfect height.

About RV Tips & Tricks

Looking for advice before your next adventure? Look no further.25,111 PostsLatest Activity: Feb 19, 2025