Dometic Fridge cooling unit replacement

[SmokeyBare]

After doing a fairly good search on the Forum I've not found any posts covering this subject.

I noticed the fridge not keeping the freezer quite as cold as it always had done before. Thinking I should defrost the frost build up (Making Ice with Ice Cube trays does increase frost in the freezer). When I opened the freezer to this morning I noticed the frost was now laying on top the shelf. Checking the outside, I removed the vent and discovered what I feared happened. The dreaded "Yellow" stains around the base of the fridge burner. Not a good sign at all !!

So after viewing my options I will now be learning how to remove and replace the Cooling Unit on a Dometic Fridge. Providing it arrives on Wednesday ( 12/15/2010 ) I hope to have a working unit that evening or the next morning.

Question I have is... has anyone else replaced their cooling unit ? Has anyone watched it done ? As always, any help is greatly appreciated and welcome.

I will work at taking photos as I stumble through this and I will post them here so Wish me Luck...

 

[jnbhobe]

Marv; Sorry to hear of your refrigerator problems. I have replaced a few refrigerators but not the cooling unit alone. It can't be that hard since its a sealed unit. Mostly plug and play I would think. Let us know how it comes out !!

 

[SmokeyBare]

Thanks Jon,

I talked to one of the many suppliers on line today. He described the process over the phone step by step. Your right about "Plug & Play" install. I'll take photos as I go about this task and post those after I find out if It was a successful install. Oh heck I'll even post the "Blooper Photos" too if there are any.

Marv

 

[jmgratz]

Good Luck Marv. If you need any help check out this link http://www.shop.everythingrvtv.com/main.sc;jsessionid=E2F3FC442CEECFF0DF9E231178A79BC7.qscstrfrnt02

The Texas RV Professor Terry Cooper will give you some help too if you contact him. It is his Mobile RV Academy.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

Hey Marv. How did you find out that the cooling unit was leaking? Do they do a pressure test for that? Just curious-- Can you keep us posted as to how you fix that? Tom M.

Tom, I would imagine Marv saw something like the picture below. Our cooling unit failed not too long after the recall was completed. You can see how warm the shield got by the color of the label. Slightly yellow/brown charred like appearance. Also notice the yellow leakage through the galvanized shielding. This picture was taken with the flat shield removed.

 

[SmokeyBare]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

Tom, it was pretty much as Ray stated. I noticed the temp rising in the Freezer late one evening. I started to defrost the freezer in the AM, only to find it had started before me and was melting some. Went outside and noticed the yellow stains around the burner as shown in Ray's Photo. I have another thread posted and I will take photos of the change out of the cooling unit.

Marv

 

[JohnDar]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

Just out of curiousity (and future reference), when you replace that, do you need to pull the refer out of the cabinet or is it accessible from the lower outside vent panel?

 

[SmokeyBare]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

It has to come out of the Cabinet.

This is for a Dometic Fridge: Model RM 2862

I was told to remove the following screws.

Inside the Freezer there are 7 screws behind a plastic shield... Remove
Inside the Refrigerator there are 4 screws holding the fins in place... Remove
On the front of the Fridge there are 2 screws on top and 2 on the bottom holding it to the cabinets... Remove
Remove the two doors and empty the shelves and drawers from the Fridge
Remove the plastic trim above the doors holding the controls & Unplug wires. (On - Auto - Gas - AC Controls)
On the back (through the vent) there are 2 screws holding the Fridge frame to the cabinet... Remove
Un-plug the 110 Volt AC Power cord.
Remove the 12 Volt DC Power wires and tape the ends of the wires to prevent a short (prevent blowing a fuse)
Turn off the Propane gas at the tanks and then disconnect the propane line from the gas valve

Slide the Fridge box out of the RV cabinet and lay it on its front side making the back side facing UP.
There will be a few more screws that will need removed, maybe the gas valve as well as the Cooling fan
I'm sure I'll need to clean the burner area & any of the yellow stains from the sheet metal & floor of the cabinet.

From there I will have to wait for the written instructions as to a very few screws that will next need to be removed before the cooling unit can be pulled out of the back side of the Fridge box. There will be a special type of mastic that will need to be applied to the pipes so the Cold can transfer properly into the Freezer & Fridge compartment. Then I believe it's just reassemble the fridge once again. We shall See....

Marv

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

Just out of curiousity (and future reference), when you replace that, do you need to pull the refer out of the cabinet or is it accessible from the lower outside vent panel?

John, I believe your reefer is in a slide out and may have access to the drain line through the upper vent on the back wall. You'll have to remove that vent to get a visual.

 

[JohnDar]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

I was asking about the cooling unit, Ray. So far, from Marv's description, it looks like major surgery and not all that easy with a 3670 kitchen layout. Having an all-inclusive extended warranty with a $100 deductible may be a good thing. Cooling units are covered in mine.

But while we're on the subject of the drain tube, I'm curious how something that is in an enclosed cabinet, shielded from direct sunlight, can be degraded by UV exposure. Maybe I've been out of the lab too long, but I would think the continuous heat in that confined space is what causes embrittlement of the thin plastic tube by driving the low molecular weight (aka. cheap) plasticizers out. But I'm sure Dometic has dedicated countless hours to analyzing the situation.

 

[boatto5er]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

But I'm sure Dometic has dedicated countless hours to analyzing the situation.

At least 30 minutes .

 

[SmokeyBare]

Re: Replacing Refrigerator Drain Line

The Plastic Drain on ours has broken in places the Sun never cast a ray onto !

 

[traveler44]

Thanks Guys for the replies. Now Im know what to keep an eye out for. Good picture Ray. Tom M.

 

[SmokeyBare]

For those asking for information on the drain line.

This applies to my Dometic RM 2862 Refrigerator, but in general, it should cover others models as well.

To replace the drain line completely which is what I would recommend since the one I replaced was breaking every place along the line.

Some Heartland units have the fridge in a slide out room. I doubt you will be able to reach the line going through the top vent with out first pulling it from the cabinet, but for sure I would look to see first. The space between the pipes of the Cooling Unit and the back wall of the refrigerators cabinet is quite narrow.

The fridge will need to be pulled out of the cabinet. (there are 4 screws in each corner of the front of the fridge & 2 screws at the ends of the frame rails behind the fridge) Before you pull the fridge out of the cabinet your going to need to un-plug the 110 Volt power cord and then disconnect the 12 Volt wires, tape those with electrical tape to prevent blowing the 12 Volt fuse.

Next you will need to turn off the propane gas at both propane tanks. The gas in the lines will need to be burned off. Simple way to do this is to light a stove burner, allowing it to burn until it goes out... Turn off the Stove burner valve. Finally the propane line must be detached (unscrewed) from the fridge gas valve. Now you should be ready to pull the fridge box from the cabinets. I used a folding step stool to support the fridge after pulling it from the cabinet.

Because I was also replacing the cooling unit from this fridge, I removed both doors before I pulled it from the cabinet. I do believe if your ONLY going to replace the drain line you could do this with out removing the doors. If you leave the doors on, the weight will be much heavier. Especially if you have wood faced doors as I do.

The plastic drain line is held on with 1 or 2 plastic wire ties. There is caulking or putty around the drain connection and the back of the fridge to seal any air leaks into the fridge.

The photos show how the drain line was routed through the pipes as well as how it attached to the plastic drain port. I used some clear plastic vinyl tubing with 1/2 inch inside diameter. The plastic drain port has ridges to help hold the drain line securely to prevent it from slipping off. The wire ties tighten that slip fit enough to hold.

Have FUN... Marv