Your problem is in the defrost cycle. When the 12 volt power is turned off or interrupted the fridge starts a new defrost cycle. It will defrost 60 hours after the cycle started. So, if power comes on at 1:00AM it will began defrosting at 1:00PM the worst time to do so. I start mine at about 11:00 AM. That way it will defrost at night around 1:00AM and without cooling down much it will recover by morning before the heat of the day. The 110 v. runs the ammonia cooling while the rest is run by the 12 v. from your battery and converter. Both have to be off to set the defrost cycle.
Dometic rm1350 - need help!
- Thread starter KENNY COCHRAN
- Start date
enolacamper
Member
To all the folks with RM1350 fridge cooling problems. It was suggested to check the flap on the left door. Confirm it is coming all the way forward when the door is shut. Oterwise the right door will not seal. Sounds to simple!! Ours was not. So whenever we get into the fridge we shut the left door and pull the flap forward. Fridge has been not been higher than 36 degrees. Taking it to the dealer next week to see if they can adjust it. 
ChopperBill
Well-known member
Just started reading this thread. Going to be boon docking this summer for the first time with this trailer. Can you just manually shut the fridge down and turn it back on a 11:00 AM or do you have to disconnect the battery momentarily.
KENNY COCHRAN
MCNEESE STATE COWBOYS #1
you can manually turn it off whenever you want to and turn it back on.
well i left my bighorn at my rv dealer for storage for the winter. the refrigerator wasn't working. called before i picked it up and was told that the dometic reps and techs came out and stated that it had been repaired. i pick up my rv drive it 300 miles set it up and guess what? i know this will surprise you, but the refrig doesn't work. this is by no means the fault of the dealer. i would go back to him in a heartbeat. dometic, you are another story. now the dealer is paying to have someone come to work on the iceless box again. why he has to pay for it is beyond me. i'm just hoping against hope that they will install a different make and model. at this point i'm too mad to be mad. i just want the problem fixed once and for all. i have started warning people i know who are considering buying an rv, if it has a dometic, don't buy it. i am really at a loss as to what else to do. i brought my mini refrig from my basement just so i have place to put some food. this is not the rving i had planned on doing.
danemayer
Well-known member
Wolfrat1,
I don't know if you've read the many, many comments in this very long thread, but many people who have had problems have resolved them.
To cool properly, there are only a couple of things needed:
1. The rig has to be level. The refrigerant won't flow properly when the refrigerator is off level.
2. The cooling process begins by heating the refrigerant, so the temperature of the heating elements has to be right. Since the refrigerator has separate lp gas and electric heating units, if it cools well on one but not on the other, that would indicate a heating element problem.
3. Heat transferred out of the refrigerator and freezer compartments has to be moved to the outside. Airflow behind the unit does this, but sometimes doesn't work effectively enough.
4. The cold air in the refrigerator has to stay there and not leak out either through bad seals, poorly adjusted doors, flaps that don't move into position when the doors get closed, or by leaving the doors open for a long time while loading food or trying to decide what's for dinner.
If the refrigerator cools ok on LP but not on electric, or vice versa, you may have a problem with the heating element.
If your freezer is cold enough, but the refrigerator is not, you may be leaking air out of the refrigerator. There is a flap on the left refrigerator door. When you close the left door, it rotates into position sealing the gap between left and right doors. If this binds, the refrigerator loses cold air quickly. You can check the seals yourself with a dollar bill. Trap the bill when you close the door and pull. There should be some drag.
If the refrigerator runs a lot without successfully cooling, you may not have adequate airflow on the backside of the refrigerator. The air flows from the bottom louvers on the outside of your kitchen slide, up and out the top louvers. If it passes by the fins that exchange the heat to the outside, the heat transfer doesn't occur and the cooling is sub-optimal. Your unit is new enough that the baffling inside the louvers should take care of this, but maybe it's out of position. Also, Dometic has a ventilator kit that adds a fan to that air to increase the air flow - it's thermostatically controlled so the fan runs primarily in hot climates. Many people have added locally procured fans to increase airflow.
If you keep the doors open like we all are used to doing with home refrigerators, you'll find the temp climbs and takes a very long time to recover. The fix here is to close the doors quicker.
There can be other problems - I just recently had a problem with a loose fuse that was affecting inside lighting and fan operation.
Don't despair. They should be able to get things working well.
I don't know if you've read the many, many comments in this very long thread, but many people who have had problems have resolved them.
To cool properly, there are only a couple of things needed:
1. The rig has to be level. The refrigerant won't flow properly when the refrigerator is off level.
2. The cooling process begins by heating the refrigerant, so the temperature of the heating elements has to be right. Since the refrigerator has separate lp gas and electric heating units, if it cools well on one but not on the other, that would indicate a heating element problem.
3. Heat transferred out of the refrigerator and freezer compartments has to be moved to the outside. Airflow behind the unit does this, but sometimes doesn't work effectively enough.
4. The cold air in the refrigerator has to stay there and not leak out either through bad seals, poorly adjusted doors, flaps that don't move into position when the doors get closed, or by leaving the doors open for a long time while loading food or trying to decide what's for dinner.
If the refrigerator cools ok on LP but not on electric, or vice versa, you may have a problem with the heating element.
If your freezer is cold enough, but the refrigerator is not, you may be leaking air out of the refrigerator. There is a flap on the left refrigerator door. When you close the left door, it rotates into position sealing the gap between left and right doors. If this binds, the refrigerator loses cold air quickly. You can check the seals yourself with a dollar bill. Trap the bill when you close the door and pull. There should be some drag.
If the refrigerator runs a lot without successfully cooling, you may not have adequate airflow on the backside of the refrigerator. The air flows from the bottom louvers on the outside of your kitchen slide, up and out the top louvers. If it passes by the fins that exchange the heat to the outside, the heat transfer doesn't occur and the cooling is sub-optimal. Your unit is new enough that the baffling inside the louvers should take care of this, but maybe it's out of position. Also, Dometic has a ventilator kit that adds a fan to that air to increase the air flow - it's thermostatically controlled so the fan runs primarily in hot climates. Many people have added locally procured fans to increase airflow.
If you keep the doors open like we all are used to doing with home refrigerators, you'll find the temp climbs and takes a very long time to recover. The fix here is to close the doors quicker.
There can be other problems - I just recently had a problem with a loose fuse that was affecting inside lighting and fan operation.
Don't despair. They should be able to get things working well.
I had the exact problem with my Big Horn, Dealer determined the problem to be the cooling unit, Dometic stalled and debated for a week, and then authorized the control unit under warranty, during replacement the tech discovered the real problem, the assembler had not used the thermal transfer gel between the cooling unit and the refrigerator fins. Repaired in March and has performed as advertised since and we are till on the road on our way home.
well my wife and i are fed up with this box. i can't call it a refrigerator. it has to get cold before i call it that. i like heartland and we may get another one but not if they get using dometic. i known this is extreme move over a non working refrig, but we're tired of having to throw away food and cutting our vacations short. dometic is not doing anything and i should get a good trade allowance. does anyone know if heartland is still using dometic units? if so, we may get something else.
danemayer
Well-known member
Wolfrat, sorry to hear you're having problems. Reading between the lines in your post, I'm assuming you've had it in for service and the techs haven't been able to fix it.
By chance have you taken a look at post #166? There are a number of things that sometimes get overlooked - it may even be something you can correct yourself. If not, you may end up being able to provide enough guidance to the service tech that the problem can finally be corrected.
As to whether Heartland is still using Dometic Refrigerators, I believe you can get a new rig with a Norcold instead of the RM1350.
By chance have you taken a look at post #166? There are a number of things that sometimes get overlooked - it may even be something you can correct yourself. If not, you may end up being able to provide enough guidance to the service tech that the problem can finally be corrected.
As to whether Heartland is still using Dometic Refrigerators, I believe you can get a new rig with a Norcold instead of the RM1350.
more with the ongoing saga. the refrig leaked into the bottom drawer soaking everything in the drawer. we are definitely getting rid of this trailer. along with a number of small irritating problems, this bighorn is just not worth the headache for something less than a year old. don't know if we want to try another heartland or not. i'm just tired of fighting with dometic to get this thing fixed. glad heartland switch to norcold.
jnbhobe
Well-known member
Or maybe the drain tube isn't coming out the bottom vent.
Ray LeTourneau
Senior Member - Past Moderator
I'd suggest it's the ice maker supply line. Many issues on the forum regarding those.
wdk450
Well-known member
Just a seasonal note for everybody.
Local temps high 90's - 100's. For the first time in a long time fridge was a little too warm. After going to Gas, and max colding the thermostat, in the middle of the evening I remembered the "special weather" switches on the door frame. I labelled these "Hot Weather" and "Cold Weather". I turned the "Hot Weather" switch ON and a few hours later, things are better.
Local temps high 90's - 100's. For the first time in a long time fridge was a little too warm. After going to Gas, and max colding the thermostat, in the middle of the evening I remembered the "special weather" switches on the door frame. I labelled these "Hot Weather" and "Cold Weather". I turned the "Hot Weather" switch ON and a few hours later, things are better.
boatto5er
Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
????? - I've never seen nor heard of these. Picture please...
no they never did. i would like to think that after four trips to the dealer, the dometic techs would have at least connected the water lines correctly. we like our dealer very much, so we will see what other lines he sells. our little north trail never gave us any problems. this is very frustrating.
wdk450
Well-known member
I have a Norcold NDR1292 (Made in Sweden!) Here is a link to the Manual: http://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/operating/ndr1292.pdf In reading about these switches (The Climate Control Switch and Low Ambient Switch) in the manual, If I understood it right, the Climate Control Switch draws heating current from the 12 volt battery EVEN WHEN THE REFRIGERATOR IS TURNED OFF, thus possibly draining your battery when the rig is in storage.
boatto5er
Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
Thanks for clarifying Bill. I have a Dometic and they don't have that switch.
enolacamper
Member
Just an update on my RM1350. Last April when we noticed the flap was not coming forward when the left doo closed. Thus not sealing the right door. The dealer said a washer was missing on the bottom of the left door. They fixed that. Since then the doors seals and locks and all is well. Benn on all summer but for about a week. and I have had no problems. Sometimes less tech and mre common sense.
Hello, I am new to this forum and I don't own a Heartland. I bought a new Mobile Suite in 2010. I have had trouble with the Dometic rm1350 refrigerator. It just stops cooling all of a sudden. The freezer is 45 degrees and the bottom is 59 degrees. I have had the cooling unit replaced, two boards, limit switch, two electric heaters and a flowmister. We are getting our 3rd cooling unit replaced sometime this week. I was reading your threads and would like some information about adding the fans and baffles. Where do you place all them at the back of the refrigerator? Any help would be greatly appreciated. We full time and this is really getting to be a big headache. Thinking about getting an electric household refrigerator if I can find one that fits. We don't boondock, so this would not be a problem to have. I know it would de-value the rig and that is the reason I am still worrying with the rm1350. Again, any help would be appreciated.
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