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Old 09-12-2014, 04:57 PM   #1
Bit'n'Goldie
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Thumbs up Dometic Refrigerator Fan

We have a new 2015 Cougar 333MKS 5th wheel and recently took it for our first outing, We have an 8 cu Dometic refrigerator and have noticed a fan running continually on the back side of the unit, which we assume is to keep the frig motor cool. However, after arriving home, the fan has continued to run after we have unpacked our refrigerator and turned it off gas and electric. How long does this fan run in 90+ weather? The 5th wheel is not in direct sun and has been running for over an hour. We are sure this fan is going to run down the battery but not sure if we should turn the battery off to stop the fan. Anyone else experienced this fan running continuously?

Also, on the way home we used the pump when we had to run water in the bathroom and kitchen while traveling. The water pump is so noisy and vibrates loudly. In our other TT our pump ran very quiet. Anyone experience the pump noise, too?

I'm sure we can always take it to the dealer but curious if this is normal for this unit.
Thanks for your help
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Old 09-12-2014, 05:20 PM   #2
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There is no "fridge motor" in an RV refer. It might be thermostatically switched and the "switch" may be on the bottom of the cooling unit. If that's the case the cooling unit will have to cool off for the fan to turn off.

Noisy water pumps are usually caused by the water lines vibrating. If you can find the pump, maybe an inspection of the lines will reveal them shaking around.
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Old 09-12-2014, 05:23 PM   #3
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The fan, if I remember correctly, turns on at 95*F and turns off at 90*F. It is designed to augment the "chimney effect" to push warm air out of the box behind the refrigerator which will help flow cooler air over the heat dissipation fins on the refrigerator cooling unit.

There is no motor in the refrigerator, the cooling unit is an absorption system using ammonia, sulfur and hydrogen gas to absorb heat as the evaporation process occurs. The "motor noise" you hear is just the fan running. Once the refrigerator is turned off, the fan should stop. It may run for a while after the refrigerator is shut down, until the temp in that "chimney" cools to about 90*F.

As for your water pump, they are all noisy, some louder than others. There are several threads on the forum concerning how to "soften the noise". Most people use foam to isolate the water pipes from the pump to the fixtures. Isolating the pipes from the surrounding walls/floor will stop the transfer of vibration. Otherwise, it's more a matter of making sure nothing is loose, banging against the walls and then insulate the pump to help. In a way, it's "comforting" to know that when you're dry camping that you don't have a water leak. Hearing that pump turn on and off would be a signal that something is wrong. Usually it doesn't run long enough to be a "real annoyance" so depending on what you expect, it should be "OK" with just a little bit of "tinkering" to fix the vibrations.
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Old 09-12-2014, 06:04 PM   #4
Bit'n'Goldie
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Thank you John and Chuck. Your posts were helpful. The fan finally did turn off 2 1/2 hours later and we'll check with our dealer regarding the pump vibrations to make sure the pipes are secure. It does make a very loud noise and vibrates the entire shower. There is plenty of water therefore the pipes may not be secured good. Have a nice evening. : )
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Old 09-12-2014, 06:20 PM   #5
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Most of us probably wouldn't turn to the dealer to stuff some foam around the pipes where they go through the walls, we'd probably do it ourselves on a Saturday afternoon with a couple of "adult beverages" as armament against the boredom..... It's not really a "warranty issue" as much as an "annoyance issue" with the sound.

The dealership may do a "halfway" job to get something documented that he "fixed it" and you can bet he'll charge Keystone a "pretty penny" for his time and materials, but you'd probably be happier and get a better job by spending some time with a #2 square drive screwdriver and some strips of foam rubber just crawling around in your RV's basement and under the kitchen cupboards.

You'd also be amazed at what you'll remember about where things are that will come in really handy on a rainy weekend when a fuse blows and you remember, "I saw that and know where it is"...... It's never "wasted time" learning what's where in your new RV.

Good Luck,
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Old 09-12-2014, 06:42 PM   #6
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AS JRTJH suggested in his post, you needn't take your unit in to the dealer to have them work on reducing the water pump noise. While it can't be totally eliminated, there are a few things you can do to reduce the noise. First, you need to locate your pump.

After you have found it, cut out some pieces of foam pipe insulation and place them around any water lines that go through wall or cupboard partitions. If water lines from the pump are resting against any partitions or dividers, the resulting vibration will be greatly magnified.

Some of the short, rigid plastic water lines coming into and exiting your water pump can be replaced with flexible, SS lines which will help reduce the noise.

The water pump itself can be removed from the floor and a noise dampening material - rubber, cork, etc., can be used between the pump and the floor to further help reduce the noise and vibration.

Some folks have installed an accumulator tank which also helps reduce the on/off cycling of the pump and therefore the noise.

These are a few things you can try - most of them are a fairly easy fix but you need to know where the pump is!!
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Old 09-12-2014, 06:42 PM   #7
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John is right. I work as a tech and I can tell you from first hand experience, a warranty claim for noisy plumbing is a hard sell. Anything that is "operational" is usually denied.
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Old 09-22-2014, 11:52 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
In a way, it's "comforting" to know that when you're dry camping that you don't have a water leak. Hearing that pump turn on and off would be a signal that something is wrong. Usually it doesn't run long enough to be a "real annoyance" so depending on what you expect, it should be "OK" with just a little bit of "tinkering" to fix the vibrations.
In my mind, that's quite a humorous answer That happened to us, one night, I got up to use the bathroom(over 60 of course), the pump started up as usual. Went back to bed, and about 4 minutes later, the pump kicks in again, and then about 4 minutes later, it starts again, so after about the sixth time, I knew there was something wrong.
So in that regard, your correct it was sort of a warning signal that something was wrong. In the middle of the night, just turned of the pump, knowing I had to repair it in the morning. Without going through all the troubleshooting for the problem, eventually found the problem, and that was a small piece of silicon rubber had stuck in the pump check valve. Personally, I wouldn't have taken the pump apart, without accepting that I most likely was going to have to replace the pump but found the small piece of rubber, so all was good. But yes, a noisy pump can be a warning mechanism, AND EXCEPTIONALLY ANNOYING in the middle of the night!
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Old 09-23-2014, 07:53 AM   #9
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I am on my 3rd RV trailer and all the pumps have been what I consider to be excessively annoying. I tried the water pump silencer kit from Shurflo which just consisted of two pieces of flexible hose. Turned out I had a FloJet pump and only one hose fit with no reduction in sound. I ordered the Shurflo Revolution for its high marks in noise reduction, replaced it myself and am very pleased with the result. MUCH BETTER!
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