Dometic RM2652 climate switch

[camperdave]

I want to permanently disable the 12v 'climate control' heating element on my fridge, (due to a bad experience years ago on my old trailer that led to destroying my batteries).

It's a Dometic RM2652 from the 2004 era. I popped off the panel and the switch is different than my other one. This fridge has two heavier (16awg or so) white wires, and 2 pairs of smaller red/black (~22awg) wires all going to the switch. I assume the 2 smaller red/black pairs are the heating elements and the two white wires are the 12v +/-. I'm questioning myself only because they are both white, which seems odd, and I wonder if I'm not looking at the situation correctly.

I think if I disconnect either of the two white wires my problem will be solved. Does that sound right?

[camperdave]

wa8yxm wrote:
Why mess with wires? Turn the switch to OFF. and slap a strip of Gorilla tape over the top of it to insure you don't accidently turn it back on.

Why mess with tape when I can just disconnect a wire? :B

[wa8yxm]

Why mess with wires? Turn the switch to OFF. and slap a strip of Gorilla tape over the top of it to insure you don't accidently turn it back on.

[bikendan]

SoundGuy wrote:

camperdave wrote:
Soundguy, I hear what you are saying, but I've already got the switch panel off so I'd like to just do it there, ya know? And are you saying that on some models of this fridge the 12v heater is always on with no switch?

That's what I'm saying - even though the schematic may show the presence of a switch to turn off the climate control heating element there in fact is none on later DM versions of this fridge. Not an issue when you're plugged into shore power but certainly is when you're not.

yep, my 2007 HTT had the climate switch, my 2016 doesn't. both were 2652 Dometics.

[SoundGuy]

camperdave wrote:
Soundguy, I hear what you are saying, but I've already got the switch panel off so I'd like to just do it there, ya know? And are you saying that on some models of this fridge the 12v heater is always on with no switch?

That's what I'm saying - even though the schematic may show the presence of a switch to turn off the climate control heating element there in fact is none on later DM versions of this fridge. Not an issue when you're plugged into shore power but certainly is when you're not.

[camperdave]

2112 wrote:
HERE is your manual. Schematics start on page 14

Thanks. This pic most resembles what I'm looking at. R being the switch on both legs (don't understand why Dometic would do that?) and K being the heater elements in series.

It does in fact appear that 12v and ground are both white wires. :? I'm no electrician, but I would not do that. Anyway, it also appears that I can just disconnect/unplug any one of the 6 wires there and it will shut down the heater.

Soundguy, I hear what you are saying, but I've already got the switch panel off so I'd like to just do it there, ya know? And are you saying that on some models of this fridge the 12v heater is always on with no switch? That seems like a terrible design. Almost as bad as putting the switch in the door where kids will accidentally turn it on when getting ice cream. :S :B

[2112]

HERE is your manual. Schematics start on page 14

[SoundGuy]

bob213 wrote:
SoundGuy..do you have both wires going thru your switch? Is the thinner wire for the light?

Thinner red wire powers the light, leave it alone. Cut the thicker red wire and power to the climate control heating element will be cut. After cutting this wire I wired it through a simple SPST toggle switch so I could still use this heating element when running on shore power and conserving battery power wasn't an issue.

To the OP - in the time it's taken to describe you could have cut this wire and been done with it. Your choice. :R

[bob213]

SoundGuy..do you have both wires going thru your switch? Is the thinner wire for the light?

[camperdave]

I'm not planning on cutting anything, just unplugging a wire from the switch. The fridge in my old trailer was obvious, this one is not as simple. It surprised me that there are 6 wires running to the switch, I had assumed it would just be a ground leg going through he switch, but that does not appear to be the case. I think I have 12V + and - both going through. I'm not sure why they would do that?

[SoundGuy]

No need to cut wires at the switch in the eyebrow ... at the interior light there should be 2 red wires, one heavier gauge than the other - cut that and power to the climate control heating element will be killed. Later model Dometic DM2652 fridges have this heating element as well and although the schematic for this fridge indicates there is a switch there isn't so the solution is to cut this heavy red wire and either leave it disconnected or install one's own switch at the light so the climate control can be still be used when desired.