Forum Discussion

centerline's avatar
centerline
Explorer
Apr 01, 2018

odd refrigerator issue, Dometic

the unit is a Dometic 2852, it has always worked, but at times it wont get cold.... it will get cooler, but not cold on gas or electric.

sometimes it will get cold and work as it should.

all testing has been done on gas, with shore power disconnected from the trailer, and also on shore power alone with the gas off.

this unit had the automatic temp control with the thermistor clipped on to the fins in the fridge compartment... I thought it may be faulty so I replace it with the "Articca" adjustable thermistor from www.snip-the-tip.com...

this upgrade made a HUGE difference in how cold it gets when it gets cold, but it still has its problem of only getting cold sometimes.
when it works, the new adjustable thermostat will allow the fridge compartment to maintain 20degrees when the rest of the trailer interior is 80degrees... so im certain the fridge still has some useful life, if I can only find the intermittent problem.

the flame burns perfect and works great when it works, but it seems to be a thermistor problem and I dont know how the electrics work on these units or how the thermistor wires connect to the control panel, or if the board they connect to is bad, or where else the issue could be hiding.

im looking for suggestion as to how to further test it in an attempt to find the problem, or get it to fail permanently so that the local tech can find it.

thanks for any help you can offer..
  • I appreciate all the thought that is going into my cooling problem.... if anyone has doubts as to how cold its getting, I can take pictures or video of the readings.

    the simple wall thermometer that I used normally hangs on the post outside my back door... when I brought it in the house, it read the same as my inside thermometer.
    the industrial freezer thermometer I have been using is a certified thermometer. my intent has been to install it permanently so that I can monitor the interior of the fridge without opening the door to read an interior thermometer
    its not difficult to read a thermometer and the thermometers are at least accurate within a degree or two....

    I am positive that the aftermarket thermostat I installed is the reason it gets so cold now, as the original non adjustable thermistor did not allow it to get near as cold..

    since we got back from our last trip (when the fridge quit cooling again) I have had the unit running for two weeks now without any issues.

    with the suggestions I have gotten in an attempt to find the issue, I am more familiar with it, and about all i can do now is hit the road again and see if it remains working... if/when it quits working again, I have some knowledge of what I should be looking for. thanks for all the support.

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