Dometic refrigerator

[khosier]

I am new to full time. Went out and bought a 2019 Cougar 362RKS and 2019 F350 6.2 4x4 to tow with. My question is has anyone had trouble with 13.5 cu ft 4 door refer? Ours runs between 34 and 44 and it isn't even hot yet. Hate to through a new unit out but thinking of changing to a unit with a compressor not absorbtion. We are afraid when temps get over a 100 the absorbtion unit will not keep up.

[Gary R.]

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

We have a double door Dometic in our Alpine. I, too, was initially concerned about the cooling ability of the fridge on hot days, but I soon learned there is a fan in the rear of the fridge that activates around 80 degrees. It seems to move enough air to keep the innards between 35 an 40 on those hot days.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your new Cougar!

[chuckster57]

If my mind is in gear, I believe there are 4 fans on that refer. Your biggest loss of cooling will be when you open the door and “graze”. It has been said that for every minute you have the doors open it will take like 2 hours to recover.

If your going to switch to a “residential” unit, you will need an inverter any time your not plugged into shore power. That means running wiring and probably changing your battery set up.

[khosier]

Thanks Gary and Chuckster. You are right there are four fans in this model. I have also added a muffin fan in the back and an interior fan inside. As you well know in another month 100's are the norms. I think I can go with a frigidaire 13.9 with very little mods. This one is driving the better half crazy.

[chuckster57]

Muffin pan?

[khosier]

Muffin fan very similar to one that is in a computer. 120 volt.

[chuckster57]

What is it for?

[gearhead]

Call Dometic and be sure the RV dealer registered the refrig and any other Dometic components in your name. Ask how much warranty you have left. They used to have 2 years. Then , if you are registered they will send you an offer to buy more warranty. I would do that. Get crackin'.
I almost ran out of warranty messing around with a mega dealer that couldn't, or wouldn't, fix mine. I ended up with a new cooling unit. Still had a mind of it's own.
Before I spent big money for another refrig I would look into the Amish refrigerator cooling unit.

[gearhead]

What is it for?
Usually installed behind the refrigerator at the top and/or the bottom for more air circulation.

[chuckster57]

Usually installed behind the refrigerator at the top and/or the bottom for more air circulation.
Ok. I will admit I haven’t heard of this. How does it work?

[LHaven]

Ok. I will admit I haven’t heard of this. How does it work?

I'm sure you're familiar with them, you probably just haven't heard the term. The name came out of the computer industry. It's just a cheap ducted fan.

https://www.tools-rvsupplies.com/var/images/product/300.300/51112.jpg

[chuckster57]

I'm sure you're familiar with them, you probably just haven't heard the term. The name came out of the computer industry. It's just a cheap ducted fan.

https://www.tools-rvsupplies.com/var/images/product/300.300/51112.jpg
Got it!! I was in law enforcement (prison) and no computers for 29 years. LOL

With 4 fans already, I don’t really see the need for more myself, haven’t seen any cooling issues in 100+ degree heat.

[hankpage]

khosier, Just a side note .... I have found that the fridge is much more efficient running on gas than electric and it uses very little gas. When the temps rise I switch to gas. JM2¢, Hank

[LHaven]

khosier, Just a side note .... I have found that the fridge is much more efficient running on gas than electric and it uses very little gas. When the temps rise I switch to gas. JM2¢, Hank

Interesting... may indicate you have weak electric heater unit? Appear to average about $70, with some as low as $40.

[hankpage]

Interesting... may indicate you have weak electric heater unit? Appear to average about $70, with some as low as $40.

Than the last four units I have owned over the last twenty + years have all had bad electric heaters. I guess it's possible.

[flybouy]

Just like the water heater, the fridge 120 v ac low amperage (compared to non RV appliances) electric heaters have a lower BTU rating when compared to the propane burner.

[EMTPRescue]

We have a new Montana with an 18 CuFt Norcold 2118 4 door fridge. Same concern and challenges. Runs all the time (seemingly) and as long as you never open the doors, it can pull itself down to -15C and +2C respectively though it struggles to maintain those temps when the day starts to warm up. Use it like a fridge, in other words open a door occasionally and the challenges begin. This straight from Norcold service. Trailer must be level. No brainer there. Check your door seals to make certain that the doors have not "settled" after installation. Big problem with our model requiring the doors to be shimmed. Check to make certain that there is no obstruction to the air flow in the rear of the fridge. Insulation having fallen out of places has been found to be a common source of obstructions. "Try" and park where direct sun light does not shine on the fridges outside venting covers. They are black and absorb a lot of sun light that generates heat in the rear compartment. Check the "thermistor" inside the fridge. It changes resistive values as it's temperature changes. It is the device that the fridge controller references to determine what temperature that fridge is at. Find out what those resistance values are supposed to be and make certain if you are checking it, that you are checking the "Thermistor's" temp and not presuming that the fridge temp is the same. They very seldom are. Use an "amiable" IR thermometer and aim it at the Thermistor. It will be clipped to a cooling fin in the fridge section. In our 2118 it is clipped to the upper 2" of the second fin counting from R-L. Also from an RV tech, Dometic in their "infinite wisdom" now has a defrost cycle built into their controller on some models. This function has created big problems. Who's the brainiac that determined that a fridge that struggles to stay cool, needs a cycle that heats it up to get rid of frost that it is not cold enough to develop in the first place. If you are developing a lot of frost on those cooling fins check your door seals. Humid air is your enemy as it's moisture will condense on those fins dramatically reducing the airflow over the fin and thereby reducing the fridge's ability to cool. Long story short, gas absorption fridges are using 60+yr old technology trying to make it work effectively on fridges that are just too big. Put fans in the fridge section to move the air around more. This helps. Keep the fridge and freezer at least 75% full of cool/frozen product. The more free air occupying the volume you have in both compartments the more free air you have to loose when you open the door(s). That free air is also your enemy. It just spills out each time you open the door and the unit then has to work to cool the new "warm" air down again. Keep it full, of product and the product will help to cool the fridge down again. Additional fans on the outside compartment will help but if Dometic already has 4 of them back there, I find it hard to believe that a 5th will make much of a difference unless they are of a very small CFM rated type of fan. Check to make certain those fans are all working. They are independently "thermostatically" controlled but if one is on they should all be on. Hope his helps.

[razahoryin]

If you have not yet,
purchase a wireless refer/freezer temp gauge so you are not opening the doors frequently to check temp. If there is a refer door temp indicator it may not be as accurate as you would like.

https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Refrigerator-Thermometer-Temperature-Customizable/dp/B004QJVU78

My refer is averaging 32-38 degrees in mid 90 degree outside temps
I have a dinosaur electronics control board installed.

We dry camp frequently so a residential is not an option for me.
Note I already have massive solar/batteries/inverter.

Its also been discussed previously;
a residential refer, many repair techs will not repair unless they are removed from the coach. I am not saying its the right or wrong decision for you but something to consider. A poster this week was trying to figure out how to have a residential refer fixed. They work great until they don't.

As previously stated my absorption refer tends to work better on gas. check the thermoster positioning on the inside cooling grill. It may need to be adjusted. a battery powered internal refrigerator fan will also help the interior of the unit work more efficiently.. don't expect good results for a large refer will little in it. Try and fill some milk jugs with water to fill the void while testing it out and let it run a number of days. I does take a few days for the freezer to draw down frozen items to get to optimum temperature after being filled with food.

I did also found on my unit that the insulation was blocking my roof top exhaust vent. When I resolved that It made a great difference. the insulation installed between top of cooling unit and roof next to vent had shifted.

Cheers

[Bill-2020]

khosier, Just a side note .... I have found that the fridge is much more efficient running on gas than electric and it uses very little gas. When the temps rise I switch to gas. JM2¢, Hank

I agree. Ours will cool down from ambient much faster than electric in the warmer months and recovers faster as well. In the winter I use electric and that does just fine.

[Roscommon48]

here is a resource on fridges. call them with your questions. they helped us out.


https://www.rvcool.com/

[LHaven]

If you have not yet,
purchase a wireless refer/freezer temp gauge so you are not opening the doors frequently to check temp.

Ooh, I never realized such things were available! Thanks for the link!

I lucked into a fire sale on small Taylor 3509 glass thermometers ($1.50 ea, $5 ship from Zoro, but they're gone) and invested in a dozen for all the fridges and freezers on the Ranch, including our RV, so I can monitor that they are maintaining proper temps... but of course you have to open the doors. :(

[wiredgeorge]

Got it!! I was in law enforcement (prison) and no computers for 29 years. LOL

With 4 fans already, I don’t really see the need for more myself, haven’t seen any cooling issues in 100+ degree heat.

I mounted a 117V muffin fan to the outside of the vent on my power converter to draw more air through. The fan installed in the unit is puny. I used 117V as it was easy to wire from the converter and is a fan just like the one pictured. Most are DC fans but look identical.

[flybouy]

Ooh, I never realized such things were available! Thanks for the link!

I lucked into a fire sale on small Taylor 3509 glass thermometers ($1.50 ea, $5 ship from Zoro, but they're gone) and invested in a dozen for all the fridges and freezers on the Ranch, including our RV, so I can monitor that they are maintaining proper temps... but of course you have to open the doors. :(

I've been use tat wireless fridge & freezer thermometer for years. Not only do you not have to open the door it records the min and max Temps as well.

[GeekSquadOfUn]

If this is any help, I've installed additional fans :

1- outside on the upper vent to pull hot air up and exhaust it out

2- inside on the top shelf, to improve air circulation inside the fridge.

Also installed a wireless Acurite thermometer that displays the real inside temp for both fridge and freezer.

It did make a difference. It is cooler.

See the attached pictures.

[Bill-2020]

I've been use tat wireless fridge & freezer thermometer for years. Not only do you not have to open the door it records the min and max Temps as well.

I use one of these also, find it very helpful. I also move the receiver to the TV when traveling and I can monitor the temps while on long, hot drives. Yes, it actually transmits that far. As a matter of fact, I can monitor from the kitchen window out to the backyard while pre-cooling prior to a trip, and that's twice as far away. Well worth the money in my book.

[Newk]

Sorry for opening an old thread, but I’ve got some questions on this refer. I have same trailer as the OP. Spent 8 nights in it in over 90 temps with no issues. Kept it plugged in at home for 10 days between trips. 90+ days, didn’t seem to have issue the few times I was in it.
Now, we drag it 300 miles and it is struggling to keep up. Did something change or did I just luck out first few days.

Second question, where are these fans? Should I be able to see them? I don’t see any fans.

[EMTPRescue]

Do you have a Norcold or a Dometic. Our's is a Norcold 2118 four door.
The fans on that model are very visible. One can be seen with the lower rear access panel removed. I is just below the cooling fins. it points upwards and blows air up towards the top of the fridge cavity. The other two are visible when removing the top rear access cover. They are a a height that below the bottom of that top access area. They also blow upwards. All three are thermostatically controlled and turn on somewhere around 140F to create a positive pressure ventilation environment. As,I have put in this post I installed three more attached to the upper cooling fins. They are at a height where they blow directly out of that upper cavity through the vent cover. I thermostatically controlled those independently and set that stat at 25C or about 75F. The fridge on electric now pulls down as low as -17C and 1C respectively. But it still runs a lot to accomplish those temps.

[Bill-2020]

Sorry for opening an old thread, but I’ve got some questions on this refer. I have same trailer as the OP. Spent 8 nights in it in over 90 temps with no issues. Kept it plugged in at home for 10 days between trips. 90+ days, didn’t seem to have issue the few times I was in it.
Now, we drag it 300 miles and it is struggling to keep up. Did something change or did I just luck out first few days.

Second question, where are these fans? Should I be able to see them? I don’t see any fans.

Regarding the difference between then and now. Sometimes the heat of the sun baking the same side of the trailer as the refrigerator vents can hamper the ability to keep temps. Keeping that side of the trailer in the shade will help. Especially if your fridge is in a slide. Roof vented refrigerators have better ventilation.

[Newk]

Mine is dometic. Is roof vented. Good point on shade. At home it’s inside. Last trip when it was the hottest it was facing away from sun. This current spot is towards sun most of day, other than putting our canopy there, not much option for shade today. Also it’s not as full as it was last trip. Cold food stays cold longer than air.
Good news is we got it cooled down. I put a bowl of ice in it. Temp cooled down and ice isn’t melting very fast at all. We had a residential for the last few years. When we had RV fridge in our previous campers they were the smaller versions.

[Bill-2020]

We’ve used a canopy as well in certain times. Although this larger unit does better than the smaller one we had in a different camper. That camper had a gutter/rail at the roof line I could attach a small tarp to and tie the other end out at about a 45 degree angle shading that area of the side of the camper where the vents were. When I spoke to Dometic about our problems back then, I questioned if the 95 degree heat was just too much for it and the tech assured me they design and test to work up to 115 degrees. They also suggested the shade trick. Funny to tell me to shade it but they are designed to work in 115 degree heat. If I was a full timer, I’d have a residential unit if possible.

[chuckster57]

First thing I did was to add a fan at the bottom access, My refer works very good in all temps including keeping ice cream frozen in 100 degree heat. Mine is roof vented.

[JRTJH]

OP,

Have you done any "close tolerance checks" on the bottom of the left "closing flap" on the refrigerator door?

Typically, that flap doesn't close completley, it either hangs up on the paper sticker that's there or it hangs up on the rubber gasket on the other door. It's supposed to slide under the right door gasket, but often the door is about 1/8" too low and it hangs up.

The fix is to remove the left door, put a couple of washers on the lower pin and reinstall the door. I use nylon washers from Lowe's. They're white plastic and wear very well in that application.

[Bill-2020]

John, your post reminded me of the “dollar bill” test on the door gaskets.

[turbo]

If this is any help, I've installed additional fans :

1- outside on the upper vent to pull hot air up and exhaust it out

2- inside on the top shelf, to improve air circulation inside the fridge.

Also installed a wireless Acurite thermometer that displays the real inside temp for both fridge and freezer.

It did make a difference. It is cooler.

See the attached pictures.

Hi GeekSquad....looks like you have 2019 cougar 315rls as do I. Looking to do the same fridge mod. can you tell me
1) where you connected the wire to power the fans
2) what model of fans did you buy and where?
Thanks!
Tiurbo