Snip-the-tip mod for Dometic fridge

SIMPLE way to verify. Connect the 120 element direct to 120 current for 24 hours. MEASURE a cup of water, NOT the air temp after 24 hours. This will tell you the MAX the refer will cool too. If it gets colder than your existing Temp Thermister will allow, then go with the aftermarket sensor. I have NEVER seen Dometic or Norcold with adjustable tstat NOT get a normal operating refer down to 32/33 degrees on max cold setting. Doug

bob_nestor wrote:
I did a big engineering experiment on the Dometic RM2554 in my Roadtrek 210P last year trying to improve performance camping in hot weather here in Texas. I did fans, baffles and the Dinosaur control board replacement. I wrote up all my findings and posted them at:

Improving Dometic Refrigerator Cooling

Details of how to build the baffles and fan controls are also posted there along with the parts list and where the parts can be obtained.

-bob

Hello Bob,

I am very interested in reading the results of your experiment but the link no longer works. Would you have an updated link? Thanks!
~art

JC2 wrote:

bob_nestor wrote:
I did a big engineering experiment on the Dometic RM2554 in my Roadtrek 210P last year trying to improve performance camping in hot weather here in Texas. I did fans, baffles and the Dinosaur control board replacement. I wrote up all my findings and posted them at:

Improving Dometic Refrigerator Cooling

Details of how to build the baffles and fan controls are also posted there along with the parts list and where the parts can be obtained.

-bob

In your opinion, do you feel the dinasour board would do a better job or this device which is also available from the same people?
http://www.dinosaurelectronics.com/Dom_adj.htm

I haven't played with it so I'm just making a guess here, but from the description the Dometic temp adjustment device is designed for fixed temp units, not variable temp units. My unit, the RM2554, is a variable temp with eyebrow controls, so this wouldn't be a good choice for me. The replacement Control Board I used was designed to totally replace the original Control Board with the added benefit that it contains an additional temp adjustment control. I can't find the reference right now, but I thought when I was doing this I'd found some articles or reports that indicated the Dinosaur Control Board is a bit more robust than the original Dometic board which may be another reason for using it.

I certainly got a lot of improvement using the Dinosaur Control Board, but I think I also gained a lot of performance improvements when I installed the re-engineered Dometic Innovator System. Getting proper airflow over the cooling coils is really important, and most RV manufacturers don't do a good job at that in their installations.

Hope this helps,
-bob

bob_nestor wrote:
I did a big engineering experiment on the Dometic RM2554 in my Roadtrek 210P last year trying to improve performance camping in hot weather here in Texas. I did fans, baffles and the Dinosaur control board replacement. I wrote up all my findings and posted them at:

Improving Dometic Refrigerator Cooling

Details of how to build the baffles and fan controls are also posted there along with the parts list and where the parts can be obtained.

-bob

In your opinion, do you feel the dinasour board would do a better job or this device which is also available from the same people?
http://www.dinosaurelectronics.com/Dom_adj.htm

I did a big engineering experiment on the Dometic RM2554 in my Roadtrek 210P last year trying to improve performance camping in hot weather here in Texas. I did fans, baffles and the Dinosaur control board replacement. I wrote up all my findings and posted them at:

Improving Dometic Refrigerator Cooling

Details of how to build the baffles and fan controls are also posted there along with the parts list and where the parts can be obtained.

-bob

JC2 wrote:
Has anyone heard that the OEM boards used by Dometic are basically "set" for 40 degrees and the dinosaur boards have an adjustment so the temps can be lowered? Thanks everyone for your comments so far.;)

I had a Dinosaur board on my last trailer and it did have an adjustment on the board to make it run colder. I had a very bad venting problem and still ended up using fans(outside and inside) and the thermistor adjuster to get good temps. But....keep in mind, we camp in 100+* temps so that changes everything.

With all the bad press that rv fridges have recently received concerning their cooling abilities, I'm probably expecting to much. We had the "Amish" unit installed in our Dometic NDR1062 several months ago and it cooled rather well at first, with temps in the 33-36 degree range in the box, -5 to -10 in the freezer, when setting the outside panel on 3-4 out of 5. (2) four inch computer case fans were installed at the top of the roof vent and controlled by a rocker switch. Lately, the temps in the box only, using the same setting(s) have inched up to the 38-42 range in the box. Food is not being packed inside to restrict airflow, the door is left open only long enough to retrieve certain items and all door seals are snug. A new thermistor, burner and 325w heating element were installed at change over and the orifice was removed and cleaned. The lp burner has a good blue color when on and a slight noticeable burning sound. 24hrs prior to leaving, I go to the storage unit and turn the fridge on lp and 12-18 hrs later, the freezer is at -5 and the box is 38-40 so it appears to be cooling down correctly. It sounds like some investigative work is in order to make sure everyting was done correctly from the start, ie; installation and sealing. :h Maybe I'm expecting colder temps then are reasonable and thought the "Snip-the-tip" would help. Has anyone heard that the OEM boards used by Dometic are basically "set" for 40 degrees and the dinosaur boards have an adjustment so the temps can be lowered? Thanks everyone for your comments so far.;)

If your refrigerator has exterior temp control like the owners manual states, why would you need another temperature adjuster?
Randy

Installed the snip to tip a year ago. Works great.

bob213 wrote:
If you have a fixed temp. (no outside controls--only fin slider) these work pretty well and bypass the thermistor cable.
thermistor adjuster

I used Dinosaur Adjustable Thermistor instead of the Snip-the-Tip only because I didn't want to cut anything, but both methods appear to work very well.

On my 12-year-old Dometic NDS1292, the fridge temp usually stays between 34-38 degrees instead of hovering around 40.