PSU1999, Up till this point, that's exactly what we all have been doing. The 1st affected units were produced 10 years ago. The fact that this is just now being brought up tells me the risk has got to be low. I believe Dometic's main objective now is damage control. By making such a statement, they are limiting their liability.
As far as the actual risk, it is there, but who knows what the actual odds are. The cooling core is charged with ammonia, hydrogen, and water. If a crack occurs in the boiler area, the hydrogen escapes rapidly. The boiler is in a well ventilated area & hydrogen is lighter than air. In addition, due to the warmth here, air is normally moving up and away from the burner. All of these factors work to minimize the odds of combustion and the hydrogen would likely be carried up and away without incident. However, rate of leak, exact location of crack, wind gusts, temp of cooling core, and mode of operation, will all affect chances of combustion. These chances are greatly reduced if running on electric only (no open flame). In my 13 years as an RV technician I have seen this type of fire twice and an explosion once. Of these 3 incidents, none were caused by one of these recalled Dometic refers. What I'm saying is the chances are slim, but since the results could be catastrophic, it's best to play it safe and follow Dometic's recommendations. And yes, I realize it's very inconvenient. Tim
