Dometic Fridge not working

dougrainer wrote:

motc777 wrote:

jkwilson wrote:

motc777 wrote:
This thing ran all night long and all day long on electric. I just got home and while still cold I noticed that the pipe on the outside cover is not as hot as it was. It’s lukewarm and the coils on the back of fridge are cold. The frost on the fins has gone away too. It’s like it’s not working again.

I read that if it work son propane but not on electricity then likely it’s the element. But I literally just replaced that a few days ago. Did I get a bad element? Is there some other problem?

Turning the heat on and off is how the refrigerator controls the temperature, so if the refrigerator thinks it is cold the element may not be hot.

An easy check is to make a short cord with blade terminals on the end to apply power directly to the element. The unit will run wide open and probably ice up. If it gets really cold after a day running like that, the element and cooling unit are fine.

OK, not to be thick, but just double confirming. So when running on AC, it is normal for the heating element to cool down and warm up depending on if the fridge thinks it cold or hot?

I have a new thermistor that I haven't installed yet. Should I just go ahead and do that? Mind you, prior to all this ****, both the freezer and the fridge would ice up bad, but since replacing the heating element, hasn't happened at all.

The Thermister sends a signal to the control board when the set cold temp has been reached. The board turns off the 120 element. It also turns off the LP if on LP. When the fins start to warm up, the Thermister sends that signal to the board and the board starts the appropriate Heat source(120 or LP). A BAD Thermister will test(OHM out) correctly, so replacing is the only sure way of knowing. BUT, the standard practice for professional Technicians is to wire the 120 element DIRECT to 120 for 24 or 48 hours to get the lowest possible temp. I use a Temp LOGGER that I place in the refer. It takes temp measurements every 15 minutes. I then download the LOG and print out the graph for my use and to show the customer. VERY accurate and VERY good tool to verify operation of a Refer or AC system. Doug

PS, AS I stated earlier, you need an AMP reading multiplied by the actual LINE voltage to get the wattage. Most 120 elements are in the 325 watt range, but the spec sticker on the refer will state the Wattage required. LOW AC voltage will affect the operation on 120. Anything below 115 volts will have an adverse affect. WHAT is the line voltage at the refer?