Dometic fridge not cold

[Bools24]

I am sure it has been discussed many times but I am new to forum and camping and have no idea where to look. I recently purchased a 2016 Springdale Summerland 2600TT travel trailer that has a installed Dometic fridge. Freezer gets nice and cold, fridge, not nearly as cold as I would like. It is however automatic and does not have adjustment. I did see however it has the useless thermetic sensor along right fin. Web says that by moving it up will make fridge colder. I tried it last night and got no change in temp. Are there other fridges that can be installed in this camper as a option that are bigger and have temp adjustment? if not, it there another way to make fridge colder?

[Tbos]

On electricity it takes quite a while to cool down. From your post it looks like you have on it on at least overnight. They cool best and faster on propane. Adjusting (sliding) the sensor up is supposed to make it colder as you stated. Mine is about 3/4 the way up in mine. Good luck.

[hankaye]

Bools24, Howdy;

First, Welcome to the madness .

Ok, is the gray wire hanging inside the slide? need it to be near the bottom
of the slide. These Do take awhile fo them to cool down to temp. Freezers
generally cool quicker due to the fact most folks don't keep opening and
closing it as often as the fridge. Kind of like the old saying, "A watched pot
never boils."
I live in mine and it has kept everything right about 34ºF for 5 years now.
Give it a chance.

hankaye

[hankpage]

As soon as you open the door on an empty fridge all the cold just dumps out. If you want to test it without loading it with perishables, fill it with empty boxes or newspaper or magazines and then check the temp the next morning. With the thermistor sensor (slide thingy on the fin) slid all the way up the bottom of the fridge should be around 33° to 34° F and perfect for chilling adult beverages or storing apples ... whichever floats your boat. (we use it for both) If this does not work the fridge should still be under warranty.

Just for a point of reference ..... how hot is the outside temp??? Is the fridge in a slide out???? If in a slide, is the fan working????

[Bools24]

I had the sensor out of plastic almost the whole way up the fin as web said the temp of air around sensor adjusts its OHM resistance. It was not getting very cold as day wore on. It did seem colder before I began playing with the sensor. After buying bag of ice and removing beverages and putting on ice, I moved sensor back into plastic holder and slid back down to the bottom of fin. By AM, fridge did seem cold, but was tough to tell as it hadn't been opened over night. The temp outside had been in the low 90 area and I had AC running in camper most of evening. I guess I am not impressed with not having any ability to adjust temp and happen to be expecting it to be colder than it is. Sooooo, I have two options.....#1, I saw a web site that has a small dial adjuster that ca nbe spliced in to replace the thermistor so I can manually adjust the temp.....#2, replace fridge with model that has adjustment on it

[Tbos]

Ok, I'm confused, is the slide supposed to be higher or lower for colder temp?

[Bools24]

The farther up the fin, the colder it is supposed to get if I am understanding the web topics I have read. BTW, I have budget camper, no slides. I had put the sensor at the top of the fin and did not see and improvement over having it at the bottom.

[14george]

I believe it is should be higher on the fin mine has a diagram on it that shows colder or warmer

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Bools24

The farther up the fin, the colder it is supposed to get if I am understanding the web topics I have read. BTW, I have budget camper, no slides. I had put the sensor at the top of the fin and did not see and improvement over having it at the bottom.

You're correct, you have a "budget camper" but that shouldn't affect the refrigerator. It's a Dometic RM2652, the same refrigerator that's in my Cougar and in nearly all the trailers Keystone produces. It's a good absorption refrigerator, arguably the "best on the market".

I'd first ask, is this your first experience with an absorption refrigerator? If so, that may explain some of your frustration. If you've had trailers in the past and are familiar with absorption refrigeration, then you already know that they are "very good at keeping a "full refrigerator" cold, but don't work worth a "tinker's Dang" when they are empty. Normally it takes 12+ hours to cool down on initial startup, so plan on a day of waiting before even trying to load them.

About the only issue I'd think the "brand of your RV" might influence is the type or materials used to build the trailer. As for the construction, it's fairly straight forward, the side vent and the roof vent are "standard across all price levels" and the refrigerator is a "single model offering" that's installed in all the Keystone brands.

So, no, your "price point RV" really hasn't got much (if anything) to do with the operation of your RV. You might find a piece of insulation (or trash) that's shifted behind your refrigerator (and is blocking the chimney) or you might be unfortunate, and have a defective unit. But, it's not because Keystone puts a "cheaper refrigerator" in their "low price units".....

If it were me, I'd fill the refrigerator with milk jugs filled with cold water, let it sit for 24 hours and see what the temperature is in the refrigerator. An empty refrigerator, even if it's at 33F with the door closed, by the time you open the door and take a temperature reading, the "cold air" will have "fallen out of the refrigerator" and you'll get a temp reading above 40F, probably closer to 50F or maybe even higher, depending on your camper's interior temperature.

While it's possible that you've got a problem, if you're a "newbie", my bet would be that it's working just fine and the "learning curve will kick in soon".... Toughest lesson I ever had to teach my DW was not to stand in front of the open refrigerator and then decide why she opened the door.... Preplanning is "key" to a functional refrigerator.....

Good Luck

[chuckster57]

Another good trick: a fan in the refer. I use one that runs on 2 D cell batteries, put it in the condensation tray and it helps a LOT!!!

I'm seeing factory fans in the new 4 door Norcolds.

[hankpage]

The top of the fridge is the warmest area. (heat rises) The sensor should be as high as you can get it keeping it inside the plastic sleeve so it senses the warmth from the fin and calls for more cool. (at least this is what I have found in my last four RVs.) It operates more efficiently on gas. (so I always precool on gas) Load it with cold items so they help to cool it.
You may be surprised at the cost of replacing that fridge... since it is under warranty, give it a chance and if it is a bad unit let Dometic replace it .... You already paid big bucks for the one you have. JM2¢, Hank