Dometic Fridge Issue

MikeWild · 09-17-2023, 08:51 AM

So our fridge is acting up. It will keep running on propane continuously until the thermofuse trips then the entire fridge stops working. (No power or cooling) I've checked the 2 fuses on the circuit board behind the fridge and they are fine. I suspect that it's either the thermostat inside the fridge or the thermofuse itself. I'm leaning more towards the thermostat as the thermofuse does its job by tripping when it gets too hot.

We tested briefly when hooked up to the generator and once we reset the thermofuse it powers up again. Haven't fully tested with generator power as we're currently boondocking.

Am I on the right track or do you fine folks think it could be something else before I load up the parts cannon to fire away at the fridge?

Thanks

**chuckster57** · 09-17-2023, 08:55 AM

The thermal fuse on the chimney would be my first suspect, AFTER checking the burner and the flame.

MikeWild · 09-17-2023, 09:04 AM

Thanks chuckster, what am I checking for with regards to the flame or burner? It does seem to be louder than normal and sounds like a jet engine when ignited but I wrote that off due to having removed a few shrouds and the outside cover.

**chuckster57** · 09-17-2023, 01:26 PM

Make sure the flame is “strong” and centered.

You may need to clean the flue. There is a long curled metal ribbon in the tube that the flame heats and it may have an obstruction causing too much heat.

MikeWild · 09-17-2023, 02:49 PM

Flame seems strong. Not sure about obstructions but I got to thinking again and wondered if being off level could produce the same symptoms. We had to use the Anderson levels at the site. I checked the bubbles on the trailer and confirmed with a construction level and all indications say we were level, but now that we're at a different spot and still showing level everything seems to be functioning normally again.

**chuckster57** · 09-17-2023, 02:58 PM

You can be up to 3 degrees off level.

MikeWild · 09-18-2023, 05:46 AM

Thanks for the tips Chuckster, we've had the trailer for 6 years and never had any issues with the fridge. Not sure what to think now, but with it functioning normally again I guess we'll just keep an eye on it and maybe have a back up thermal fuse just in case it acts up again.

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