OH! my! "throwing parts" maybe not a great choice of words to emphasize a point, but in any case probably just a way to put one's case for accepting the problem for what it really is.
True there is a very low incident of unit failure. The chances of anyone's cooler failing is quite low. It's also true if it wasn't for the forums only a very few would know of the recall, and all others would continue using their refrigerators just as they always did. So taking all this in consideration, one might choose to continue use of their reefer as if there was no recall. Considering the low failure percentage so far of 0.01% they could very well be right in believing there is little chance that their units will fail.
However, as the units age, it wouldn't be reasonable to believe there will be no other failures in the future due to boiler tube failure, this is a gamble, and as with any gamble there are odds.
I guess there are some of us who would like to increase our odds of "not" having a boiler tube failure. Myself, I believe replacing the original heating element with one that conforms to the Dometic spec's reduces the stress on the boiler tube while operating in the 120v mode. This replacement "I believe" reduces my chance of having a failure. Parts, repairs are much more expensive here in Canada. A rebuilt cooling unit will run about $1000 plus labor. The heating element cost me $100 and my own labor, so I consider it a cheap type of insurance. In some of the earlier posts of this thread we read of units that have already failed, their owners not too happy about the fact.
I know that even with the new element, there's "no" guarantee that failure has been prevented, it's still a gamble, however I "do" believe I've hedged my bet against one.
Why do a replacement? I suppose each ones reason will be different. It's easy to do and not overly expensive. For us, My wife has MS, her mobility is quite impaired. If replacement of that element prevents any failure (this we'll never know for sure) then safety wise it has been worth doing. Cost wise, well living on pensions it's a fortune in savings.
In summation, no matter what you do regarding this recall it's a gamble, all you can do is play the odds. I'm retired now but before, I had 17 years as a communications technician (electronics), from there a course in instrumentation followed by 15 years as a technician, doing repair and maintenance of quality control testing machines. Most of these machines had to maintain close temperature control and measurement. Much more sophisticated than the Dometic's on/off cycle. In addition I also qualified as a mill wright, however technology has long since passed me, so I'm no longer an authority, if I ever was one :B.
Cheers Willis
