Fridge problem

[ct0218]

Our Landmark has the Dometic 12 cu ft side by side, and we discovered we had a problem this weekend. We lost power for 40 hours because of TS Fay, and the fridge switched to gas, no problem there. The freezer stayed frozen but the fridge side is 65*. Now that the electricity is back on the temp is dropping in the fridge side. How can the fridge side not work on gas, but it can on 120V? I've noticed on trips a year or so ago that the fridge side did warm up somewhat when traveling on gas, but it was never more than 8-9 hours before it was switched back to 120V, so it may have been this way since we picked it up new. Any thoughts as to what the problem could be?

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I don't know what controls the 12 cu.ft. fridge has but, if it has climate control and ambient temp control and either one of these were on, you would have drained the house battery and possibly caused the fridge to basically shut down. The freezer would have stayed pretty cold. The ambient temp causes the interior light to stay on which would have warmed the fridge. The climate control warms the frame to dry any condensate around the door seals. When running the fridge on gas with no 110 hooked up these controls should be off.

 

[ct0218]

The freezer actually got a few degrees colder, and I have 2 - 105's and they were still almost full. The switches were off. The burner was on the whole time. Really strange that one side got warmer, the other colder.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

The freezer actually got a few degrees colder, and I have 2 - 105's and they were still almost full. The switches were off. The burner was on the whole time. Really strange that one side got warmer, the other colder.

That is pretty strange Clark. Sorry I couldn't help. I have to call Dometic about our door seals. The seal for the main/lower door on ours is separating and has mildew inside the seal. We've had a couple other problems including the recall. We have to defrost at least every 3 weeks, The tube from the relay to the ice maker has leaked twice now. Had a pin hole come up on the supply line to the relay and Holmes on wheels installed some sort of device to fool the fridge thermostat so it would cool better. Now we can use it for a freezer if needed. It now runs 33-34 degrees on setting #1. At least I was able to do the leak repairs myself. I hope you get your problem resolved.

 

[Tankie]

We have a 12 cu ft side by side in our 09 Bighorn and the fridge would not cool down stayed in the 50's. Found out the 2 little fans in back stopped working and the heat would build up and it could not cool it self. The frezzer was fine, nearest dealer is 175 miles away so I went and bought a 7" fan and put in back of fridge cooled it down. Will get it fixed when I leave Colorado. The heat from the gas burning might have builit up heat, when I opened up access panel it was hotter than hubs so heat build up is a problem.

 

[ct0218]

I'll check everything again, not sure what is going on with this fridge.

 

[Forrest Fetherolf]

We have a 12 cu ft side by side in our 09 Bighorn and the fridge would not cool down stayed in the 50's. Found out the 2 little fans in back stopped working and the heat would build up and it could not cool it self. The frezzer was fine, nearest dealer is 175 miles away so I went and bought a 7" fan and put in back of fridge cooled it down. Will get it fixed when I leave Colorado. The heat from the gas burning might have builit up heat, when I opened up access panel it was hotter than hubs so heat build up is a problem.

Tankie,

You might want to check in-line fuse for refrig fans (photo 2) and the thermostat mounted on the cooling fins (photo 5). If fuse is ok, jumper wire across thermostat to verify fans are operating. Thermostat should activate fans above 90 deg.

Forrest

 

[Tankie]

Forrest,

Thanks for the info and photos I did a little looking around back there not much on electricity so I finally got to Dealer and now have a cracked cooling unit which is leaking which is on order. Thanks again, Tankie

 

[Tankie]

Here we go again, fridge is heating up and freezer works. We have defrosted freezer every couple days . 1st time it worked got cold again now it stays in the 50's during day and if we are lucky the mid 45-49 at nite. Have the setting on 5 and checked for error codes but none. Fans are not working but have put a fan back there that runs all the time. Anyone have any new ideas? it is a dometic RM1350. trying to get a moblie tech out here but no luck yet. Help.

 

[delwin46]

We have the 4 door 14 cu ft. RM1350
We picked up our 09 Landmark in Aug and had fridge trouble from day one. It would get up to 48 . Dealer ordered new one and it did the same. They added a third fan
and put a piece of metal in the top of the compartment to deflect the flow of hot air out the vent. It is June and we are back at the dealer because it gets up to 43 and only cools down to 36-39 at night. June 09 we have just had a new cooling unit installed and still not working right. The dealer has been great, just no real input from Dometic.

Today is June 13 we are back at the service center still with Fridge problems. We had a cool front come in and the fridge worked fine till the weather changed and it got back to the 90's .. Fridge still get up to 45 during the day and only down to 40 at night. Dealer said it doesn't look like a Domitic problem, but a design of the compartment the fridge is in.. It look like it is an air flow problem. Fridge will work great when it is out of RV and sitting in the shop pluged in to ac.

 

[CrazyScotsman]

delwin... Look and see if there is insulation above and at the sides of the fridge, along with getting a deflector put behind my fridge, I also had to get insulation, it took care of the problem, of temp in fridge rising during the heat of the day.

 

[KENNY COCHRAN]

Sounds like my ref.
What is the normal temp. On the frig. Supposed to show? Mine is high 30's and low 40's.

 

[katkens-DW]

Not really sure what it should be. But the health department in MO. says food should be held between 36-40 I like my fridge at 34-35 so that the food is held at 36-38 that is my comfort zone. Food is always a little warmer then the fridge so the colder the fridge the better for me. Ours works real good it always is around 35 and I am good with that--------Kathy

 

[KENNY COCHRAN]

delwin... Look and see if there is insulation above and at the sides of the fridge, along with getting a deflector put behind my fridge, i also had to get insulation, it took care of the problem, of temp in fridge rising during the heat of the day.

where exactly are you talking about putting insulation on the frige? What type did you use? Fiberglass or solid foam? Hopefully that would solve my problem. Thanks

 

[delwin46]

Here we go again, fridge is heating up and freezer works. We have defrosted freezer every couple days . 1st time it worked got cold again now it stays in the 50's during day and if we are lucky the mid 45-49 at nite. Have the setting on 5 and checked for error codes but none. Fans are not working but have put a fan back there that runs all the time. Anyone have any new ideas? it is a dometic RM1350. trying to get a moblie tech out here but no luck yet. Help.

Delwin46 here, sounds a little bit like ours. Dealer is saying it looks like we are not getting the right amount of air flow in the back. Waiting to hear back from heartland..

 

[CrazyScotsman]

Kenny.... The crew at the rally put the insulation on top of the fridge, there was none there, thay also installed some type of baffle, so when the 12v fan kicks on, it diverts the hot air so it escapes out the top vent on the slideout. The way it was before, all the warm air was just settling between the top of the fridge and roof on the slide out

 

[Dawg]

HOT FRIDGE! ME TOO!!!! I have a 08 Landmark Augusta with a Dometic RM 3962 fridge. I also have had HEAT PROBLEMS for over a year. Dealer has put in baffels and many other fix's the r. v . manufacturer recomended and still NO FIX!!!!! Dometics answer is ????????? After reading an article in "Highways" from another person having the same problem I have come to the conclusion there is NO FIX!!!! It's a problem with the fridge. being in a slide out and NOT GETTING the proper venilation. Very poor engineering in which the r.v. people don't seem to care about. I have even had to put in bags of ice to cool things down. Respectfully one HOT Dawg!

 

[JohnDar]

For those with refridgerators in the slide-out, do you have slide toppers? Curious if having them reduces the sun load on the top of the slide, thus allowing the refer to work like it should. We have toppers and left the refer on all summer with no problems. When I looked down from the upper vent opening, there is only a single fan and it is clear all the way down to the bottom vent.