Dometic Refrigerator Model 2862 - Temperature

cjbearden

Visitor
Curious to know what experience others are having with their fridge temperature or if anyone can tell me what to expect in the way of a 'normal temperature'. I have read the Landmark issues but their refrigerators sound like they are larger than mine, which is closer to 8 CF and does not have the ambient switch, etc talked about on the Landmark threads.

My fridge averages 46-50 degrees with temp control set at 4. White clip on the fins is at the top of first fin. Have positioned it up and down and even on third fin and don't notice any appreciable change in temp. Also, there is a loose floating wire near the white clip that I have clipped next to the fin with the white clip. Does anyone else have this floating wire or know where it should be positioned? Sorry, did not get a picture of it and won't be at my BH until Wednesday to even get a picture.

I have had no problem with food spoilage but sometimes it seems that drinks could stand to be a little cooler. Just want to know what to expect to try to get in the way of a normal temp.

Thanks,
CJ

This was written when we owned a 2006 Bighorn 3400RL. As of 6/20/08, we upgraded to the 2009 Landmark Augusta. We have the four-door fridge, which had to be totally replaced a few months into ownership. We note that when we are in warmer, more humid climates and with direct evening sun on the fridge slide the fridge does warm up but thus far not to the point of concern. Setting is on '5'. Digital numbers on top of fridge don't seem to mean anything. We keep a thermometer hanging inside the main fridge section so we can monitor whether temp is going into the danger zone. Freezer section is good but doesn't always keep ice cream hard.
 
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DennisZ

Well-known member
I leave mine on 6, and the temperature ususally sits in the low 30's. I did have a problem with mine that the temps would go like yours, and found that the cooling fan on the back outside of the fridge was not running, it turned out to be a bad thermo-switch that was set to turn on at over 140 degrees instead of 100 ish degrees, that made a difference.

You may try to get a small fan to blow up and over the fins on the rear of the unit to see if that helps.

Good Luck

Dennis
 

Forrest Fetherolf

Senior Member
cjwigley2,

The refrig should maintain a steady temperature in the mid to low 30s. I keep a thermometer in the refrig as a quick check. I have a larger side by side with icemaker and the setting has never been higher than 3, even in Boulder City, NV with 97 deg outside air temp. In cooler weather the refrig is set on 1 or 2.
40 to 50 deg temperature is not acceptable. I would get it check immediatly before you spoil the contents.

Forrest
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
We have the 10 cu. ft. in ours and on 4 using AC our fridge is 40 and the freezer is 12 to 14. We have the ice maker and I THINK that might affect the freezer with fresh water coming in for another load of ice. Our white clip is in the same position as your's.
 

cjbearden

Visitor
Thanks, everyone for your input. We will check the refrigerator Wed. before heading out Thursday for Elkhart so we won't put food in it until we see what the temperature is. If we think there is a problem, we will have it checked when we get to RV Capital for other repairs. The freezer has been great so hopefully it is something minor if there even is a problem. I remember I had something sitting in the drip tray under the fins and that might have been blocking some air flow or something causing the temperature to not be as cold as it should have been on our last trip. Oops!:mad:

CJ
 

katkens

Founding Illinios Chapter Leader-retired
The DW is Supervisor at a hospital and there is a U.S FOOD SERVICE CODE that they have to follow for food temps. The refrigerator food should be 34-41 degrees and the frig it self should be 32-36 degrees to maintain food temps of 34-40 degrees. They have to throw the food away if its at 41 degrees for 2 hours or more.
They keep there freezer temps at -10 degrees because they are in and out all the time and they should stay between 0 - 5 degrees. She finally went in the other room and I hope you grasp this better than I do.:) I know if ours was at 40 degrees it would be in the shop or I would not hear the end of it.;) Ken per Kathy:p
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Ray,

I am not expert on this but I can tell you a little about how the water is controlled and gets to the ice maker.

The water to the ice maker is controlled by a solenoid that is basically an electrically activated water valve. The valve is located at the bottom of the refer on the back. A piece of 1/4" hard clear plastic-like pipe feeds water to the solenoid. A 1/4" clear, flexible vinyl-like pipe connects to the output side and runs up the back of the refer. I think it enters the freezer at the top of the refer box. A heating wire is wrapped around the solenoid and runs up the pipe to the top of the refer.

I suppose a small amount of lower temperature liquid could be present at the ice maker but under little pressure.

Jim
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Being Full Time and living in the unit has us at a disadvantage when it comes to servicing our Bighorn. Every attempt I've made at having a dealer look at the fridge has resulted in dissapointment. Every dealer want's to look at it at their convenience. I have a request in for the fridge to be checked at the rally.
We have had no problems with spoilage and everything in the freezer is like a rock. It's just that our temperatures are not where I think they should be. I can't imagine a few ounces of water coming into the freezer at ambient temperature would make a difference or cause a lower than desired temperature in the freezer but who knows? I've never had an RV with an ice maker. Hopefully this can be resolved at or after the Rally.
 

Forrest Fetherolf

Senior Member
Ray,
My side by side refrig with ice maker doesn't have a problem as you and others indicated. Nobody will convince me that making a few ice cubes every +/-30 minutes will overpower the cooling ability of the refrig. I would be more suspect of improper ventilation over the exterior cooling tubes. One other thought is to check the temperature with another thermometer to verify accurate readings. I learned that with a tire gauge that was reading 15 lbs light.
Forrest
 

cjbearden

Visitor
Straight from Dometic's Mouth

FYI Everyone - Here is what Dometic emailed me:


Your refer should maintain 15 degrees or below in the freezer box and 43 degrees or below in the refer box when the ambient temperature upto 110 degrees.
The thermistor is the temperature sensing devise in your refer box it is located on the metal fins at the back. By raising or lower this on the fin, you can adjust the temperature.
Cooler temperatures can be achieved by raising the thermistor upwards.

If you are in need of any Dometic refrigerator or air conditioner or A& E awning parts you can call us at 1-800-544-4881 or purchase from any dealer or Camping World location.

If we can be of any future service do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for choosing Dometic product lines.

Customer Support Center
Dometic Corporation



I am pretty close to the 43 degrees but will continue to check with thermometer. I called to clarify that the "thermistor" is the loose wire I saw and it should be under the white clip and at the top of the first fin for max cooling.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Good info CJ - thanks. As suggested by a few on the forum, a couple of us are taking on the task of creating a contact list with various numbers/emails for Heartland and suppliers of various components. When complete, we'll post it in a place of prominence and we'll try to keep it up to date. I'd also like to start a downloads section that is not part of the forum but part of the Club website (accessible to all) that is organinized in a matrix format by coach model and by item/device type.

Jim
 

katkens

Founding Illinios Chapter Leader-retired
If the box is 43 the food is warmer and for me that is to warm. Our box runs about 35 so there for our food is about 37 and that is much better for me I work with food and there for the colder the better. Food poison is nothing to mess with. :eek: Kathy
 

phranc

Well-known member
Shakedown trip last weekend revealed the box at 33 to 34 with the overhead button on #4.. We did go through a time last year when the reefer was not operating at expectations.. the dealer did some magic with repositioning the thermo sensor and cooling fan and adding some aluminum to smooth out the hot air flow. All is well now .Keeping in mind that our reefer is in a slide and exhaust cooling is a bit of a problem.Those reefers not in a slide use a chimney and are somewhat more efficient .
 

Larryheadhunter

X-Rookies Still Luving it
Hi everyone,
This thread is 3 years old, but I have a Dometic Fridge model 2862 and can't seem to get the fridge to stay at 43 degrees or lower, usually 45. My freezer is perfecto. I have tried the following already. I opened the freezer and at the inside top is an on/off button and I made sure it was off. I also put the thermistor on the first fin on the right, (while facing the fridge), and up as high as possible. I got a fridge fan, and put it inside facing the coils. I also tried a method everyone should try, regardless of the model. I took a dollar bill and put it all around the inside of the seals, checking while closed if the seals were tight, and they were already everywhere. Is there any other suggestions to get the fridge cooler. I am on #5, and in the past #3 was exactly 40 degrees. My fridge is not on a slide, and I know of no way to check the vent flow. Any ideas about cooling my fridge?

My DW suggested getting the Dometic fridge and A/C extended warranties, and of course I listened. So if there is no other options, I guess I will call Dometic for assistance.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
I believe the Dometic fridge has a 3 year warranty on it. There is a fine print line in the warranty statement in the manual about having it inspected annually to maintain that warranty. That said, I've got a DM2862, mounted in a slide, so it has an upper vent, along with the bottom one. This is the second season we've used it, and once we're set up on our seasonal site, I leave it on until we pull off in the fall. I leave it on Setting #3, and the freezer is good. The slider on the fridge fin is about one inch from the top and the fridge maintains 35 deg. F. So, the ice in the bourbon is solid and the beer is cold. Caveat to this: after reading the fine print bit, I had the dealer inspect it last fall and they told me to keep the work order/receipt in my owner's packet, just in case.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Larry:
Your fridge is 3 years old. Have you always had this temperature problem, or is this something new? Do the problems happen in both modes of heating? Do the problems happen in all outside temperatures?
If it is something new, happening in both modes, and in all outside temperature conditions, you probably have a sealed cooling unit malfunction. An expensive repair if you are not covered by warranty.
There is only 1 thermostat for the refrig, and it is run by the thermistor sensor in the refrig. The freezer is designed to be a certain amount cooler than the refrigerator temperature. There is no freezer adjustment like in home refrigerators.
BTW, I have the opposite problem. It is hard to keep my refrig above freezing. My wife likes it on the low end of the safety scale (about 33 degrees), and with the sensor at the top of the fin and the control on 3 (midpoint) it runs about 32 degrees and the condensate on the cooling fins keeps freezing.
The guy I bought my small Class A from had been RVing for about 20 years all over, including remote areas of Central America. He bought a new rig when I bought his old one, and was fed up with ammonia refrigerators. In his new RV, he yanked out the ammonia refrigerator and installed a small home-type compressor refrig. He planned to use an inverter when going down the road to keep the refrig going.
BTW, I have the opposite problem with my refrig
 

Willym

Well-known member
Thermistors can be checked for proper resistance per the Dometic Service manual:

Disconnect the thermistor harness from the P2,
2-pin terminal on the lower circuit board. Place
the thermistor in a glass of ice water, approximately
33°F to 35°F. Wait 2 to 3 minutes. You
should get a reading of approximately 7,000 to
10,000 ohms.

I would expect that one with a high resistance would result in a cold fridge (resistance increases as temp rises), and vice versa for a low resistance. As someone else suggested, checking the temperature with an independent thermometer is the best way to see what is going on. The fridge display tells you what the unit thinks the temperature is, and if the thermistor is out of whack, then the display will not be truthful.
 
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