GuyCanRV
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Joined Nov 20, 2010
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Re: Dometic Servel RGE400 fridge too cold
Thanks very much. The list of models on the first page mentions mine (RGE400) so it should work with mine too. But even after having read the instructions and looking at mine, it isn't clear where/how I should be making the cuts. I think I'll try to contact the seller for more info on this.317Views0likes0CommentsRe: Dometic Servel RGE400 fridge too cold
Well they aren't exactly cheap at $250 CAD. But I would gladly buy a backup to keep my fridge going in 'x' number of years should it ever fail. Maybe you could help me out with one other critical component I forgot to mention. It's the rubber seals that hold the door shut. They haven't been holding the door as firmly closed as I 'd like for quite some time. I don't know if any air is seeping in or not. I looked into replacement rubber seals quite a while ago but couldn't find anything. Maybe you could suggest something for this?325Views0likes2CommentsRe: Dometic Servel RGE400 fridge too cold
Thanks for helping out StirCrazy! I finally fixed the freezing problem. 🙂 More than 10 years ago when I was replacing the original bad thermostat I had problems connecting the temperature control rod to the thermostat. I gave up on it and just set the temperature blindly to something that seemed to be around 4/10 on the thermostat. I didn't really care about not being able to adjust the temp with the control rod because in the previous 10+ years I never touched the temp. When I had my cooling unit in for repairs about a year ago I must have adjusted the thermostat a bit. Because for the past year I had this freezing problem. Well a week or so ago after the new thermostat still hadn't solved the problem I decided to have a go again attaching the control rod. I found the plastic piece that was critical to connecting the rod to the thermostat. I did the whole operation with the fridge standing upright, which was quite the challenge! Once everything was connected properly I set the thermostat to around 2-3. It seemed to have fixed the problem but I didn't want to celebrate too soon. I waited a week or so before I was confident there was no more freezing. The food was still quite cold so that's why I wasn't sure at first. So now that everything is working properly again I really don't know if the new thermostat was necessary or not. It's quite possible that had I done the same operation with my existing thermostat it also would have fixed the problem. I am keeping the old one just in case and am thinking of actually buying another new one as a backup. I was surprised to be able to buy this new one. But it said it works on many Dometic models so it wasn't my model specifically. In the 26 years that I have been using my fridge (which I love) I have learned there are only two critical components; the cooling unit and the thermostat. Do you think I should buy another backup thermostat while I still can?398Views1like4CommentsRe: Dometic Servel RGE400 fridge too cold
Still don't know what my next move should be. The thermocouple is only needed if gas is being used right? The thermostat has two holes, one on each side. I stuffed the pipe into the right side. I cut off the left side pipe many years ago when I was having trouble removing the thermostat. It goes to the gas burner. I had it left open like that for more than 10 years with no issues. The food was not freezing like now.438Views0likes0CommentsRe: Dometic Servel RGE400 fridge too cold
Thanks Joe. Well I ordered a new thermostat and it arrived today. I have a couple of questions about it. There are two pieces of black tape on either side of the unit that seem to be covering something. What are they for? Should I leave them as is? It came with two tiny rubber 'o rings'. What are they for? Where do they go? Thanks.521Views0likes0CommentsDometic Servel RGE400 fridge too cold
Well it's been almost a year now since I revived my RGE400 fridge for a second time. As I mentioned in my last post about the fridge when I put it together the control rods were messed up and I didn't want to spend too much time with them. I was also missing some end caps etc. So basically I was operating the temperature control blind. After getting the fridge to work (electricity only) it was far too cold. So I removed all the food and laid the fridge down to gain access to the control rods at the back. I tried turning the rod once again to a lower setting (blind, once again). Since then I haven't touched the temp control, but the adjustment didn't make a difference. The fridge is still way too cold. A lot of the food actually freezes! I'm open to suggestions. I think the thermostat is probably malfunctioning. Is there a way to test it/fix it? There is something else I thought of. I recall reading somewhere that the thermostat coil that feeds into the fridge from the fins, can be adjusted. Pulled inside the fridge more or less. I remember reading that this can be used to adjust the fridge temperature as well. Again any guidance would be appreciated.Solved853Views0likes14CommentsRe: Troubleshoot fridge problem...
Well the solution wasn't obvious at all. I had to go back to my notes from a couple years ago to get some ideas. When I got back the cooling unit then, installed everything and turned it on, it didn't work then either. I was having problems connecting the control rods at the bottom of the fridge, so only installed the ones I needed: thermostat control and gas/off/electric. For some reason the far switch was set to gas or off two years ago and that's why the fridge didn't turn on. I only use electric. So I focused on the controls again. For some reason this time I thought the far switch was the thermostat. I turned it to a position I thought would be a good temperature. Little did I know I had turned the fridge Off again! After I got that straightened out, the fridge still didn't work! I was running out of ideas now. A last ditch attempt. I turned the fridge upside down and then back upright. It finally worked! 🙂766Views1like0Comments
