The original fridge in my 2015 Fun Finder was an Atwood Helium POS. FINALLY, Atwood agreed to replace their fridge with a Dometic 2662 (I think that's the model).Anyway, although Dometic told me that the "climate control" system (keeps ice from forming on seals?) has a switch that turns it on and off, they gave me wrong information. There is no switch. It is always "on" with no way for me to turn it off. Further emails from Dometic told me that the climate control system uses .5 amp hours. That's a lot for a boondocker! Does anyone know if this climate control thing runs 24/7, or only when needed, based on moisture, perhaps, or temperature? Dometic told me if I added (I couldn't do it myself) a switch, it could void the warranty. Do you think a switch could easily be added? Thanks.

It would run all the time, but you should be able to simply disconnect it at the back- worst case, you would lose the interior light, but most have separate feeds.

0.5 amp is nothing this boondocker sweats.

Another opionon Every additional 24/7 0.5amp draw takes a toll from the storage bank

Here are two pics I took yesterday when trying to find the on/off switch Dometic said I had:So, would modifying this somehow to turn off the heater thing be easy, or even doable?

Yeah- 12 amp hours per day adds up- a little here, a little there.

Dometic Refrigerator | Good Sam Community

Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Aug 28, 2015
It would run all the time, but you should be able to simply disconnect it at the back- worst case, you would lose the interior light, but most have separate feeds.
2oldman
Explorer II
Aug 28, 2015
0.5 amp is nothing this boondocker sweats.
KJINTF
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
Another opionon
Every additional 24/7 0.5amp draw takes a toll from the storage bank
xzyHollyxyz
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
Here are two pics I took yesterday when trying to find the on/off switch Dometic said I had:

So, would modifying this somehow to turn off the heater thing be easy, or even doable?
Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Aug 28, 2015
Yeah- 12 amp hours per day adds up- a little here, a little there.
xzyHollyxyz
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
KJINTF wrote:
Another opionon
Every additional 24/7 0.5amp draw takes a toll from the storage bank

And I am of your opinion...that's 12 amps every day. I say OUCH.
2oldman
Explorer II
Aug 28, 2015
If you don't have solar, a very small or weak battery bank, and only recharge every 5 days, then yes, 0.5 is a lot.
Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Aug 28, 2015
mitch5252 wrote:
Here are two pics I took yesterday when trying to find the on/off switch Dometic said I had:
<<..>>
So, would modifying this somehow to turn off the heater thing be easy, or even doable?

You do this from the back- here is the current wiring diagram, but you need to check your particular one. Notice terminal J3 on the board just powers the climate control- just disconnect that wire, no cutting, no voiding warranty.

Older models had both the light and the climate heater on the same terminal- very early the wires were siamesed, later twofer'd, finally like they are now.
xzyHollyxyz
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
Chris Bryant wrote:
...You do this from the back- here is the current wiring diagram, but you need to check your particular one. Notice terminal J3 on the board just powers the climate control- just disconnect that wire, no cutting, no voiding warranty.
.

So, here is the diagram from my particular fridge. I am going up north (where I come from) in a few weeks and will see an old friend of mine (N9AYH) who has been a ham for decades.

Which wire would I tell him to disconnect in order to make that seal heating element thing (that .5A sucker) non-functional?

ON EDIT: I have no idea how to read these things, but I don't see a 12V heater on mine like you had in your drawing...
Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Aug 28, 2015
Thanks for the pic! On your unit the heater is labeled "K", and is run with the light off terminal J2. To disable it, you would access the wire inside the light assembly- there will be 2 wires coming in to the switch, one will be +12 volt hot, the other goes to the heater- disconnect it.
Or, just disconnect the wire from J2 and do without the light, as well.