Dometic Fridge & Ice Maker

[72moore]

Is there an inexpensive replacement ice maker that works. Is the fridge giving up on me?

When I put the ice maker bar down it tries to work but no ice. I can hear the grinding noise that it's trying to work. Hubby replaced the water line as after we bought the unit it broke & flooded the coach & water was spewing out the fridge.

Now the freezer compartments won't freeze. Ice cream is a soft consistency.

Am I doing something wrong?  Please help ??????

[wolfe10]

72moore,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Let's look at the temperature in the freezer compartment before we conclude that the icemaker itself is defective.  Clearly, if the temperature is at or close to 32 degrees F, it will have a touch time making ice.

Put a thermometer in the freezer and see what it is reading.

Is this on 120 VAC, propane or both?

Is the refrigerator in a slide? If so, are the fans behind the refrigerator working?

 

[mweiner]

Good morning and welcome to the forum. 

We noticed that there's several things that affect temperature in our unit.. first, what's the outside ambient temperature?  If it's over 100 degrees, you may have difficulty keeping it cold in the fridge or frozen in the freezer.  Second, is the sun shining directly on you exterior panels for the intake and exhaust of unit?  We made a sun shield for ours to cut down on heat. 

I understand that these RV units are NOT the same as regular refrigerator/freezer units you find at home..  another thing is it usually takes about 24 hours for the unit to cool down when it's empty and then you should only put "cold Items" in there..not hot or room temperature.. 

I would only expect these units to keep food cool at 50 degrees below the outside air temperature, so, if it's 105 degrees outside, the most you could expect is the fridge to keep things at 55 degrees?   Maybe I'm wrong?  I sure would like to see it perform as "normal" as a regular home refrigerator and keep things at 35 degrees for cold food and below for the freezer. 

I, too, was thinking that my fridge possibly needed replacement or repairs? But, someone told me to reduce my expectations?  

Any thoughts you could share would be very welcome.  

One final question....do you actually SWITCH OFF your propane when you travel?

My owners manual recommends that we do this... also they say to switch to the battery mode when we're on the road... seems like the propane works pretty well, but, they claim it's a safety issue?

Thoughts??

[wolfe10]

26 minutes ago, MWeiner said:

One final question....do you actually SWITCH OFF your propane when you travel?

My owners manual recommends that we do this... also they say to switch to the battery mode when we're on the road... seems like the propane works pretty well, but, they claim it's a safety issue?

Thoughts??

A much-debated issue with good reasoning on both sides.

First, there are a number of alternatives here, depending on how each coach is wired.

For many years now, absorption refrigerators are either 120 VAC or propane.  So, "just 12 VDC" is not an option for most of them.  Yes, you do need 12 VDC for the PC board, but it is not used as a "heat source".

Some coaches are wired so that an inverter can be used to power the refrigerator, others are not.

 

So, if you have a choice because of the way your coach is set up of either using propane or turning the refrigerator off while driving, THAT I believe is the real question.

My personal answer is "leave it on propane while driving".  Yes, I pressure check my propane system annually, check lines visually, and annually do a refrigerator burner area tune-up.

My reasoning is that danger of food poisoning from high refrigerator temperatures is more of a risk than a problem with the propane system if kept in good working condition.

Remember, all propane systems have a high flow cutoff, so even if you cut a line, it will not create a huge propane leak.

Again, a personal decision as to potential risks.  And sure, if I am only going to be on the road for a short time, leave it off.

I ALWAYS TURN OFF ALL GAS APPLIANCES WHEN REFUELING.  Shutting off propane but leaving the appliance on still allows it to use its ignitor (spark).

 

 

[mweiner]

SO, maybe the "recommendation" to switch to "batteries" is more of a legal CYOA thing, then a real safety concern??    I know that propane is highly dangerous or can be... BUT, my rig is 6 years old in excellent condition..has only 27,000 miles and was well cared for...I'm the second owner, having only acquired it since MAY 3rd this year. We were so excited to find a used vehicle in this condition.   

The vehicle has a "three way" Dometic fridge, but, you do have to manually switch it from electric to battery or propane, it unfortunately does not switch automatically.

Just to be certain I understand your point above, when refuelling, I don't have anything burning on the stove, but, I don't go and turn off the refrigerator either...is this a problem? 

I just want to be clear on this point, because, it's important NOT to put yourself at risk with something as important as this...

You wrote-

"Remember, all propane systems have a high flow cutoff, so even if you cut a line, it will not create a huge propane leak."

I DON'T work on my own vehicles, cars or RVs, no exceptions..... I would rather have them professionally worked on.. my decision.. BUT, I want to make sure that I don't make decisions that put myself and others at risk.     SO, when you said that "even if you cut a line, it would NOT create a huge propane leak", please explain that to me. 

Here's a picture of my RS Adventurous...

Finally,  when I take out my rig to really hot climates, over 100 degrees , should I expect that the fridge will not be able to chill food to 35 degrees? Is this too much to expect?

 

[manholt]

If in doubt, turn off the tank!  Nothing will get warm in the fridge.

[wolfe10]

Yes, small RV refrigerator are still available with 12 VDC.  So, that is a viable option for you.

You might put your rig description in your signature, that will help, as there is a very wide range of "how things work".

As far as what would happen if a propane line were cut: Manchester Tank is one of the larger suppliers of RV tanks: http://www.mantank.com/products/rvproducts.htm

 

They don't give much detail, but in the description, this is an important statement (about half way down): Vapor Service Valve — internal excess flow.

Sorry, can't answer your expectation of temperature for your refrigerator-- no experience with that size absorption refrigerator.