Dead Refrigerator

[Scottiemom]

So in December I bought a "new to me" 2021 Coach House motorhome. Last week while prepping for a summer long trip coming up, I opened the refrigerator and it was dead. I checked all the fuses and breakers. Check behind the fridge outside to see if there was a visible problem. I called CH, which is 90 miles from me and their one tech said it was likely the fuse in the back that was inaccessible for me, but they could get it. The circuit board is in a sealed "power brick," so I drove the coach down there Sunday night and Monday morning they looked at it. They worked for 3 hours, but they aren't a Dometic service center so since there was no fuse on the back, there wasn't much they could do and suggested I find a Dometic service center.

I found a mobile RV repair business (former Prevost tech and highly recommended) and he did indeed track the problem to the circuit box. Power going in, none coming out. So he removed the power brick and is looking for a replacement.

He called last night. No replacements to be found. . . well, one in Poland and one in Nova Scotia, $1500, 6 weeks shipping time. The fridge is discontinued (I checked this myself and it's true). He wants to come out and measure to find a model that will fit into the spot.

Dometic lists a replacement, an RMD 10.5 XT or a Norcold N4150. Both fit the opening, which, being a B+, there isn't much wiggle room. My nonworking model is a Dometic RMD8555.

I spent last evening researching, trying to find a dinosaur board, etc. no luck. I plan on calling Dometic today and seeing what recommendation, if any, they have.

I plan to leave the 26th, but will be going to Melbourne, FL, first (90 miles away to visit son), then Virginia to visit daughter. Then I'm headed to northern Indiana. Will there about June 8, but calendar is clear after that.

I'm thinking I may just wait till I get to Elkhart and check the surplus places, although there are fewer ones than in years past. I feel like my chances of finding something there might be better. I'm also going to check with the Amish at National Refrigeration who used to do all our repair on our Norcold and replaced the last one.

In the meantime, I would use the fridge as an icebox. . . been there done that. No stranger to it. Inconvenient, yes, but do-able.

Any suggestions or avenues I may have overlooked? In reading through all the forums, I find this fridge has had major problems, which is no doubt why Dometic discontinued it and all the models associated with it.

Dale

[Scottiemom]

StonedPanther wrote:
Its nice how some of the RV component manufacturers put a screwing to their customers. Dometic is one, Lippert another, and perhaps the king of it all.

Dometic made a 7 Cu Ft absorption fridge, the DMR702, starting around 2015 for a few years. They were in almost every Rockwood Travel trailer from 2015 to at least 2019, and Rockwood is one of the largest manufacturers so that's a lot of trailers, and fridges. They were also used by Lance and a lot of other builders. This DMR702 was made in China, branded Dometic, and problems became evident early on. The first was the handles would break just by being used. Another was a heater that would turn on intermittently to prevent frost on the exterior between the doors would melt the plastic case. The biggest problem was when it was turned off and you had an ice buildup in the freezer, that ice would melt and the water would make its way to the eyebrow control board where it eventually would corrode and short the eyebrow board. The kicker is/was you can not get a replacement eyebrow board for this DMR702, they are not made or available despite this model being out there in the 10's of thousands. Dometic will tell you too bad. The handles are available but a a right hand handle is @ $15.00, a left hand is @ $35.00. If the eyebrow board ***** out you buy a new fridge that will fit the hole or go to one of the re-builders in Elkhart IN who apparently can replace both the eyebrow board, main power board, and wiring between the 2 with a bandaid of their own design for @ $500.00. Rockwood and other manufacturers were still installing these fridges in 2019 and possibly later. I wont even get into Dometics garbage AC units, that's a whole other story.

Lippert (LCI) is even better at it. They have their hand in about everything. Just have to buy a slide out motor replacement from them for one of their junk slide systems and see what that sets you back. 800.00 for a 12VDC motor that is made in China for probably $15.00, but you have no choice as its designed to be proprietary. I looked at a new Grand Design TT recently and everything in it or on it was Lippert from the frame to the hardware including all the appliances (Furrion), and furniture (Thomas Payne). Absolute junk.

Do I know you, StonedPanther? Goshen, Indiana, is my hometown! Graduated in 1968. I agree with everything you said. Try not to buy anything Lippert. The Dometic fridge I just replaced was discontinued by Dometic (the entire line) and they are no longer making parts for it. It was built in Germany.

Dale

[StonedPanther]

Its nice how some of the RV component manufacturers put a screwing to their customers. Dometic is one, Lippert another, and perhaps the king of it all.

Dometic made a 7 Cu Ft absorption fridge, the DMR702, starting around 2015 for a few years. They were in almost every Rockwood Travel trailer from 2015 to at least 2019, and Rockwood is one of the largest manufacturers so that's a lot of trailers, and fridges. They were also used by Lance and a lot of other builders. This DMR702 was made in China, branded Dometic, and problems became evident early on. The first was the handles would break just by being used. Another was a heater that would turn on intermittently to prevent frost on the exterior between the doors would melt the plastic case. The biggest problem was when it was turned off and you had an ice buildup in the freezer, that ice would melt and the water would make its way to the eyebrow control board where it eventually would corrode and short the eyebrow board. The kicker is/was you can not get a replacement eyebrow board for this DMR702, they are not made or available despite this model being out there in the 10's of thousands. Dometic will tell you too bad. The handles are available but a a right hand handle is @ $15.00, a left hand is @ $35.00. If the eyebrow board ***** out you buy a new fridge that will fit the hole or go to one of the re-builders in Elkhart IN who apparently can replace both the eyebrow board, main power board, and wiring between the 2 with a bandaid of their own design for @ $500.00. Rockwood and other manufacturers were still installing these fridges in 2019 and possibly later. I wont even get into Dometics garbage AC units, that's a whole other story.

Lippert (LCI) is even better at it. They have their hand in about everything. Just have to buy a slide out motor replacement from them for one of their junk slide systems and see what that sets you back. 800.00 for a 12VDC motor that is made in China for probably $15.00, but you have no choice as its designed to be proprietary. I looked at a new Grand Design TT recently and everything in it or on it was Lippert from the frame to the hardware including all the appliances (Furrion), and furniture (Thomas Payne). Absolute junk.

[opnspaces]

Good to hear you got it resolved. Here's to hoping the new one runs trouble free for many years.

[Scottiemom]

Got to my appointment with National Refrigeration in Shipshewana, Indiana, about 6:50 a.m. for my 7 a.m. appointment. They had the new fridge sitting out and they got busy right away. 90 minutes later my brand new Norcold was in and cooling. Cost $1008.00 and that includes everything including removal and disposal of my old Dometic.

Glen told me the RMD 8555 I had in there was a helium system that Dometic tried. It didn't work very well and especially if it got really hot outside, it just couldn't cool well enough. The Norcold 4150 fit right in the same slot.

They are great people to work with and do A/C as well. They replace cooling units on the fridges as well, if you don't need the entire fridge. But mine was dead and that fridge has a bad track record. Glen said they changed out 8 or 9 last year.

Done with buying ice every day! Did it for 2 weeks!

Dale

[Scottiemom]

Gjac wrote:
The refer and MH is only 2 years old, seems strange to me. When you say the refer is dead do you mean not lighting on propane and not working on electric? Maybe the techs did all this already, but I would hook the electric element directly to 120v and see if it cools. If so, you refer is still good and your board or the circuitry to the board is bad. Is your board a potted board, (electrical components incase in plastic) or a open board where you can see all the components soldered to the main board? If the latter I would call a company called Parts for Tech, they service and rebuild boards. They have helped me several times with boards that have gone bad and were obsolete. My MH is 27 years old and when the board went on my steps, repairs shops wanted $1200 to replace the whole step unit because Kwikee no longer sold just the board. They told me over the phone what to check for and I replaced a burnt-out resister for $3 with their help and all was good again. Most shops and RV techs are in the business of just replacing bad control boards not repairing them.

Thanks, Gjac, for your response. The mobile RV guy did all kinds of testing on it and determined the circuit board was bad. It was totally dead, wouldn't work on electric, 12V or gas. Just no power out of it at all, even though the plug was live. This particular refrigerator was new when the coach was manufactured in 2021, but the series is several years old. I forget when Dometic quit selling them. My DH and I RV'd for over 40 years and fulltimed for 15, so we are very acquainted with the trials and tribulations of Norcolds and Dometics. The one I have has lots of reviews, mostly terrible. So I am looking for a different model that has a better reputation. My DH passed away almost 3 years ago and I know nothing about this stuff, but the mobile guy I called was very nice and very well recommended by more than one person.

I am on my way now and next week I will see Vernon in Shipshewana and hopefully they can help me out.

Dale

[Gjac]

The refer and MH is only 2 years old, seems strange to me. When you say the refer is dead do you mean not lighting on propane and not working on electric? Maybe the techs did all this already, but I would hook the electric element directly to 120v and see if it cools. If so, you refer is still good and your board or the circuitry to the board is bad. Is your board a potted board, (electrical components incase in plastic) or a open board where you can see all the components soldered to the main board? If the latter I would call a company called Parts for Tech, they service and rebuild boards. They have helped me several times with boards that have gone bad and were obsolete. My MH is 27 years old and when the board went on my steps, repairs shops wanted $1200 to replace the whole step unit because Kwikee no longer sold just the board. They told me over the phone what to check for and I replaced a burnt-out resister for $3 with their help and all was good again. Most shops and RV techs are in the business of just replacing bad control boards not repairing them.

[joelc]

Scotiemom:
Responding to your blog. My unit is brand new, with no parts available, so why would I get another Dometic or other fridge and throw $1500 out the window. It is running on MAX but on any other setting forget it.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Had a fridge go out early on a 3 week vacation. Dry ice was our best friend. Wrap it in a towel or two and you're good to go for several days.

[Scottiemom]

StirCrazy wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:


Their are two refrigerators that fit in the same space. I checked with Dometic when I called them to see if those were still manufactured and parts available.

Dale

I would see if you can find an almost new one that will fit. if not a direct fit, then one with slight modifications of the cabinet. then you know you have one that will be supported for a while. my RM2510 still has most parts available for it and it is 30ish years old.

I don't want any mods done. . .In fact, I don't think any can be done to make the opening larger. It's in a B+, CoachHouse, and every inch of space is in use. So the two that are direct fits are what I am looking for. Both are still manufactured. One is Dometic, one is Norcold. BTW I just sold my 2004 B+ which had an 18-year old Dometic in it that had always worked perfectly. LOL The Amish deal with scratch and dent, overruns, excess inventory, take outs, etc. They last put in a new 4-door Norcold in our Phaeton 3 years ago. They normally give a 3 year warranty on their installs. And if they know you're coming, you are in/out in a few hours.

Dale

by mods I meant if you find one that is an inch shorter or narrower, you can just do a filler strip to make it look right. but if those two are current and exact fits your golden

Thanks, Stircrazy. I wouldn't mind filling in a bit, but I don't want to do any cutting. The Dometic one is a direct replacement, or so they say and Vernon told me the Norcold slides right into the same space. Hoping I get lucky with one or the other.

Dale

[StirCrazy]

Scottiemom wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:


Their are two refrigerators that fit in the same space. I checked with Dometic when I called them to see if those were still manufactured and parts available.

Dale

I would see if you can find an almost new one that will fit. if not a direct fit, then one with slight modifications of the cabinet. then you know you have one that will be supported for a while. my RM2510 still has most parts available for it and it is 30ish years old.

I don't want any mods done. . .In fact, I don't think any can be done to make the opening larger. It's in a B+, CoachHouse, and every inch of space is in use. So the two that are direct fits are what I am looking for. Both are still manufactured. One is Dometic, one is Norcold. BTW I just sold my 2004 B+ which had an 18-year old Dometic in it that had always worked perfectly. LOL The Amish deal with scratch and dent, overruns, excess inventory, take outs, etc. They last put in a new 4-door Norcold in our Phaeton 3 years ago. They normally give a 3 year warranty on their installs. And if they know you're coming, you are in/out in a few hours.

Dale

by mods I meant if you find one that is an inch shorter or narrower, you can just do a filler strip to make it look right. but if those two are current and exact fits your golden

[Scottiemom]

StirCrazy wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:


Their are two refrigerators that fit in the same space. I checked with Dometic when I called them to see if those were still manufactured and parts available.

Dale

I would see if you can find an almost new one that will fit. if not a direct fit, then one with slight modifications of the cabinet. then you know you have one that will be supported for a while. my RM2510 still has most parts available for it and it is 30ish years old.

I don't want any mods done. . .In fact, I don't think any can be done to make the opening larger. It's in a B+, CoachHouse, and every inch of space is in use. So the two that are direct fits are what I am looking for. Both are still manufactured. One is Dometic, one is Norcold. BTW I just sold my 2004 B+ which had an 18-year old Dometic in it that had always worked perfectly. LOL The Amish deal with scratch and dent, overruns, excess inventory, take outs, etc. They last put in a new 4-door Norcold in our Phaeton 3 years ago. They normally give a 3 year warranty on their installs. And if they know you're coming, you are in/out in a few hours.

Dale

[StirCrazy]

Scottiemom wrote:


Their are two refrigerators that fit in the same space. I checked with Dometic when I called them to see if those were still manufactured and parts available.

Dale

I would see if you can find an almost new one that will fit. if not a direct fit, then one with slight modifications of the cabinet. then you know you have one that will be supported for a while. my RM2510 still has most parts available for it and it is 30ish years old.

[Scottiemom]

JimK-NY wrote:
At what point do you give up and buy a replacement? I have had similar issues with my appliances at home. Once an appliance stops working the cost of repairs, the nuisance of doing without and the wait times are often just not worth it. At a minimum a simple appliance repair means a $150 initial visit, parts perhaps only another $100 and then the cost of a second visit and the actual repair, another $200. So a 5-10 year old washing machine, dryer, dishwasher or refrigerator can easily cost $450 to repair. Getting the repair completed can easily take several weeks.

Very true. I likely have no choice, since the unit is no longer built. Even if I could find one like it, I've been reading a lot and it has a terrible track record. It's been discontinued and Dometic says parts are not available.. . at least not easily. Dino does not make a replacement board.

So I have a ways to go with it.

Dale

[Scottiemom]

K_and_I wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:


I'm thinking I may just wait till I get to Elkhart and check the surplus places, although there are fewer ones than in years past. I feel like my chances of finding something there might be better. I'm also going to check with the Amish at National Refrigeration who used to do all our repair on our Norcold and replaced the last one.
Dale

Why not call the surplus places now to see if they have your part. If they don't, you can move to Plan B now instead of later.

RV Surplus

I know where all the surplus places are since those were haunts my DH loved. Goshen is my hometown. Yesterday I called the Amish in Shipshewana.. . they said they have the boards, plus they knew exactly the fridge I have and they have the Norcold that fits perfectly in the opening. If they sell and install your unit, I know they used to warranty it for 3 years.

Dale