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Old 07-05-2016, 07:07 AM   #1
adobronut
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Dometic Fridge in a 2014 Fuzion 371 Problems

Hi out there.
I am really struggling with my fridge keeping and staying cold. it seems like it struggles all the time . The place I bought it from installed another new fridge and then Dometic told them that there is nothing wrong with it even if it takes 3 days to freeze water by the fins in the fridge part on max cold. The dealer says that it has been a struggle for fridges to work properly in the slide out because it tries to side vent and not vent through the roof. Has anyone tried or fixed or modified their unit so that it cools right down. Mine struggles to stay at 34-35 degrees.
Any thought would be greatly appreciated even if they switched to Norcold with good results. And by the way I have the smaller fridge unit not the new side by side door style like the 2015 series.
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Old 07-05-2016, 09:30 AM   #2
Festus2
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You might try using a small, battery-operated fridge cooling fan to place inside your fridge. While this little fan will help with air circulation within the fridge and reduce or eliminate "hot and cold spots" it probably won't do much to lower fridge temperatures.

CW and other RV parts and accessories outlets carry them and cost around $16.
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Old 07-05-2016, 09:34 AM   #3
dcg9381
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I have a Norcold. A freezer above freezing doesn't sound acceptable to me. I've done modifications to fridges (it's hot here). Typical modifications are:
1) Introducing a fan on the inside - helps prevent frosting and distributes the cool air.
2) Venting modifications. For fridges that were vented to the roof, installed fans that "pull" the hot air out.

Our fridge is "slide" installed and it works in that hot air *should* go out the top vent and cold air in the bottom vent. The Norcold also includes fans on the outside to make this happen.


Interesting - on a might-be-related note, Jayco Waves (Toy hauler series) - all went to Norcold Fridges for 2017. Could totally be unrelated reasons. Norcold certainly has quite the historical track record of issues...
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Old 07-06-2016, 04:13 AM   #4
1jeep
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ive found my norcold works great on gas, on electric not so good.

when on electric the freezer will freeze a bottle of water over night but the fridge never gets below 60. Im going to try replacing the ac element.
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Old 07-06-2016, 04:58 AM   #5
adobronut
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Hi
Thanks for some info guys. Just to clarify, yes my freezer works awesome. Always keeps everything frozen on either gas or electric. it is just the fridge part that struggles to keep the fridge cold. I had a Norcold 6 cube in my old toy hauler and it would literally freeze my stuff in my fridge but had a roof mounted exhaust system. This fridge is always on high and struggles to keep it at 36 in the fridge portion. I have tried a portable fan and everything and just does not want to cool to 32 area.
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Old 07-06-2016, 05:56 AM   #6
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mine is also in the slide, at first I thought that might be the cause but how so if it works fine on gas.
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Old 07-06-2016, 07:00 AM   #7
dcg9381
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adobronut View Post
This fridge is always on high and struggles to keep it at 36 in the fridge portion. I have tried a portable fan and everything and just does not want to cool to 32 area.
I think this may be normal... I've never had a fridge that would freeze water (in the refrigerator section) - other than at the cooling fins. What does everyone else think?
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Old 07-06-2016, 08:10 AM   #8
JRTJH
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We have a Dometic 2652 (6 cuft) two door in our Cougar. It has always kept ice cream, popcicles and other frozen foods without any problems. We make ice cubes by double stacking two trays on the bottom of the freezer compartment. It will freeze them solid overnight. The refrigerator section maintains a constant 34F without any issues, both on propane and electric.

Granted, the ambient temperature "up here" is significantly lower than it is "down there", but last year on our trip out west, we encountered 100F days and never saw any problems in keeping things frozen. On our many trips to the southeast in July/August, no problems as well. Our floorplan does have the refrigerator in the main cabin (with a rooftop vent).

We've had a number of 6 cuft and 8 cuft Dometic and Norcold refrigerators and haven't had any issues with refrigerator operation. The only "failure" was in our Springdale. The cooling unit leaked and was replaced by Dometic after about 6 months of ownership.

From my experience, there are a few things to check.

First, be sure that there is insulation on the top of the refrigerator and along the sides. With reduced airflow over the coils in a "slide configuration", any hot air will accumulate above the refrigerator causing it to work harder. Keystone installs a piece of 2" fiberglass insulation on top of the refrigerator, but over time it can shift toward the trailer side wall, possibly obstructing airflow. In a rooftop vent installation, the only way to access that insulation is by removing the refrigerator, in a slide installation, depending on the type of upper vent grill, you should be able to remove the vent and access the insulation.

Second, the fan (s) behind the refrigerator may shift position, possibly even pointing down, significantly hampering airflow. Dust/dirt can settle on the refrigerator cooling fins making them less efficient. Cleaning the fans, cooling fins and making sure the fans are pointing up will help. Some people have added a second (or in large refrigerators, a third) fan to increase airflow.

Third, there is a "vent stack" (usually wooden) block that's built into the vent stack. Its purpose is to funnel all the rising air through the cooling fins. Sometimes the fans are pointed toward the sidewall of the trailer, causing turbulence, be sure the fans are pointed toward the cooling fins. That will help improve the airflow.

Gas absorption refrigeration has been around for quite a long time. Over the years the size of RV units has increased significantly. But "home units" have been in the 10-20 cuft range for a number of years with good results. The two biggest problems with any gas absorption refrigerator are the length of time to "cool down to operating temperature" and the "recovery time after opening the door". Both are a result of "limited/no" airflow in the refrigerator interior. A small battery operated fan placed in the drain pan or on the bottom shelf will help improve airflow over the cooling fins at the upper rear of the refrigerator and almost always eliminate "cold spots" and "warm spots". Some experimentation with positioning the fan will give you the best performance. People tend to "load their refrigerator" differently, so what works best for some won't be the best for others.

As "innovative floorplans" continue to be produced with refrigerators in slides, in corner applications (with both side venting and rooftop venting) and in larger and larger sizes with multiple doors and even ice makers, the attention to airflow both inside and behind the refrigerator becomes a critical factor. Even something as "simple" as parking the RV so the afternoon sun doesn't "hit the back of the refrigerator" can make all the difference in having ice or having cool water in the ice cube trays.
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Old 07-06-2016, 12:10 PM   #9
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John has all good points.
There's a ton of threads on here about Dometic refrigs. I didn't catch if your unit is still under warranty. If it is, Dometic offers extended warranties for what seems a reasonable price. You may also take your RV to any Dometic authorized repair shop. I would recommend that. I received more competent repairs than at my dealer.
There may be a "sticky" on here about adding fans to your refrigerator. I have a hard time determining exactly what was done in the photos but your mileage may vary.
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Old 07-07-2016, 02:39 PM   #10
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I have a Norcold 1210 mounted on a slide and nothing but issues. The freezer works great all the time AC and Lp. the fridge not so much. It's so bad that keystone refuses to do anything about it now. 6 trips to a dealer, and nothing changed. They redid the baffle 3 times, added fans in and out and nothing. I have a 75k toyhauler and crappy fridge.


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Old 07-08-2016, 05:39 AM   #11
adobronut
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Hi Skidooxman

That is the problem. All of the companies are washing their hands of the problem that arises. My dealer thought they would cover my issue and not a chance. They dealer was awesome and spent their own money and replaced my fridge and added all of the upgraded fans and stuff to try and make it work better. It has so far helped a little bit but no where near what I think it should be. He was actually at the convention lately and they are now saying the solution is that they are wanting to install just A/C fridges because of all of the problems encountered. This would be fine except the fact of who will be forking out the cash for an inverter and some batteries to keep this unit running for days without running the generator continuously. Oh well at least I am not the only person with this problem and solutions that only work for some and not others.
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Old 07-11-2016, 09:16 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adobronut View Post
Hi out there.
I am really struggling with my fridge keeping and staying cold. it seems like it struggles all the time . The place I bought it from installed another new fridge and then Dometic told them that there is nothing wrong with it even if it takes 3 days to freeze water by the fins in the fridge part on max cold. The dealer says that it has been a struggle for fridges to work properly in the slide out because it tries to side vent and not vent through the roof. Has anyone tried or fixed or modified their unit so that it cools right down. Mine struggles to stay at 34-35 degrees.
Any thought would be greatly appreciated even if they switched to Norcold with good results. And by the way I have the smaller fridge unit not the new side by side door style like the 2015 series.
I have the same problem, one day it's 40/50 degrees the other 33 but the freezer is always 9 degrees I try on AC or LP makes no difference I replace the thermistor and it makes no diffidence the fans are working. if I unplug the thermistor then it works for a day and than back to 50 degrees. I heard that building a deflector at the top vent works I just think the refrigerator in the slide is a poor design and the double doors are to big. I am ready to pull mine and put a smaller refrigerator in and a pantry to make up the space.
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