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dgreen1069's avatar
dgreen1069
Explorer
Jul 17, 2015

Dometic Refrigerator Help

I've been camping with my parents for the past two weeks and they are having an issue with their Dometic double door refrigerator. The model is RM1350 and it is located in a slide out. The freezer works fine, but the refrigerator cools intermittently. For the first few days, it was at 59 degrees. It eventually dropped down to 40 degrees but only stayed there for a few years.

My initial assumption was that the fridge wasn't venting properly. I bypassed the thermostat on the freezer coils (behind the upper outside cover) and wired the fans so they would run constantly. Unfortunately, that didn't help.

This model fridge has a thermostat screwed into the roof of the refrigerator. It is not adjustable since it is not on the coils.

I'm guessing all the mechanical parts of the fridge are working since it WILL cool occasionally. I'm suspecting some kind of thermostat or control board problem, but don't know much about these fridges. If anyone has any ideas what the problem is, your help would be appreciated.

8 Replies

  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Jul 18, 2015
    Kjackson wrote:
    Check to see if you can smell freon inside frige..
    That would be extremely unlikely.
  • Kjackson's avatar
    Kjackson
    Explorer
    Jul 18, 2015
    I have the same frige had the same problem. Check to see if you can smell freon inside frige. I had to have the cooling unit replaced, the freon leaked out and you could smell it inside the fridge. Domestic has a two year warranty.
  • dougrainer's avatar
    dougrainer
    Nomad
    Jul 17, 2015
    "This model fridge has a thermostat screwed into the roof of the refrigerator. It is not adjustable since it is not on the coils".

    Explain this. Are you talking about the rear FAN tstat or the tstat that controls the interior refer temp? The rear fans, the tstat should be mounted to the upper condenser fins. The INTERIOR tstat is NOT mounted on any part of the roof of the refer. Your problem may be as simple as making sure the upper outside ventilation door, the area INSIDE has no gaps or dead air spaces to allow hot convection air to not flow out that door but stay inside. BOTH rear fans are running? What is the AC voltage to the unit? Should not be below 110. If it is, then 120 operation will not be as good. Have you tried on LP for 24 hours? Doug
  • midnightsadie's avatar
    midnightsadie
    Explorer II
    Jul 17, 2015
    I reread your post, pull the doors shut with some duct tape or a bungee cord ,check temp before the wait five hours. did this for a friend and we found the door gaskets leaking bad, fixed and you can freeze the milk now.
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Jul 17, 2015
    dgreen1069 wrote:
    It eventually dropped down to 40 degrees but only stayed there for a few years.
    days?
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Jul 17, 2015
    Hi,

    If there is not an internal to the fridge fan, add one. Absorption fridges have no moving parts in the coolant loop.
  • midnightsadie's avatar
    midnightsadie
    Explorer II
    Jul 17, 2015
    I think theres cooling fans on the back of this unit, sounds like your not pulling the hot air away.

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