Help with RM8550 Dometic Fridge (1 Viewer)

[Dotplus6]

Going on our first trip tonight in the Bailey 760 which we bought a couple of months ago but we can't seem to get the fridge working. The light is coming on inside so I assume it wouldn't if the fuse was done. I kept the electric plugged in last night but it didn't do anything. Hubby has eventually gotten gas working about 30 mins ago but it doesn't seem to be doing anything although the dial is moving into the green.

There is no noise - I assume this isn't normal as any fridge I ever had always made a noise. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

Dot

 

[Wildman]

a fridge on gas will not make a noise as there is no motor running. You say the dial is moving into the green so it must be working, just a matter of how well. If in time it does not get cold enough it may need the flue and jets cleaning check the freezer box for frost. It does take a good few hours to get down to temperature. It will not run on 12v unless the engine is running and even then most vans will only maintain the temp rather than actually get cold due to insufficient wire size being fitted by tight builders causing too much voltage drop. Having tried it on 240V with no success, did you establish the power is getting through, Light would be 12v not 240 so means nothing. Is there power at other sockets? If power is there then the 240V element may need replacing.

 

[Inthezone]

signs of life in the fridge on gas can somtimes be heard by lisening at the outside vent for the burner working, if there is a small roar for want of a better word then it indicates that its working, the best way to observe is to put a thermometer in there it should get to about 3 to 6 degrees Celcius. if there is no reduction in fridge temperature on 230v then its probably but not always the mains heater element, this is a small cylindrical thing they range between 70 and 90 watt depending on the fridge model.

as said in earlier post the 12 v will only work whist the engine is running and is only good enough to maintain the chill in the fridge.

hope this helps

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[Dotplus6]

Thank you Wildman & Inthezone for your replies. We had to do without the fridge as I couldn't get it working (was away with 2 friends on the maiden voyage) and the milk etc went sour. Anyway, I'll check out your suggestions & hopefully it will be sorted for our next trip on Thursday.

Dot

 

[Heyupluv]

Dot...If you are still under warranty go back and let them look and repair if needed. .now our Rapido 9090DF motorhome fridge freezer is a Dometic RMD 8505...and ours stopped working about a month ago while we was in the UK....everything worked on face value just to look at it...the digital read out showed no FAULT or error...when on gas you could hear the hiss as it came on and off on the outside vents...electrics was working...and you could see it kick in on 12v when the engine was running....BUT neither Freezer nor fridge got cold.....we contacted a dometic agent in the Durum region....he said the part would around £243.00 plus the vat & labour..but could not get the part for about 3 weeks and as we was due back in France booked on the tunnel and we had the builders 2 days after we arrived home....so off we go to the Rapido agent(also dometic agent)....without looking he said the part would cost 780 euros then labout +vat.!!!!!!****** wow..so off we go to Calais caravans / Burstener agent who is also a dometic agent...he looked and sent us the written cost to repair.see below....it was the same price or near enough to the RAPIDO dealer..1126 euros.....I also had a quote from another uk dometic dealer Clitheroe who came recomended Jeff.. http://www.leisuretechservices.co.uk/ ...now Jeff's quote was first class All in with labour £450.00......the only trouble is I am now back in France .... and to go back to the UK would cost me this time of year on the tunnel with vets fees and diesel around £598.00 + the £450 cost of parts and labour for Jeff to do the work !!! and if it did go wrong under the warranty I would have the same travel cost's again...so the French dealers have got me by the Bulls..
Here is the quote and the dealer at Calais, who is doing the work on 4th of August and taking 4 days to do it ????? although he says 5 hours 59 mins
And all the Dometic agents said it was the cooling system gone down !!!
The price of the work below from the Calais dealer

Bonjour,
REMISE de PRIX

Pour remplacement agregat sur frigo camping car Rapido *******

Depose frigo double porte
Depose et remplacement agregat
Repose et essais.
soit... MO 5h 59mins......EUR 295,00.EUR TTC

1 agregat RMD 8505 ....756,00EUR
Divers mastic thermique,vis joints ...75,00EUR
---------------
Total TTC ....1 126,00EUR

Delai reception agregat 8 à 10 jours
Delai actuel travaux atelier fin Juillet.

Bien à vous

Marc DEPREZ

 

[Dotplus6]

Hi Heyupluv - Thank you for taking the time to reply. Hubby got the gas working yesterday around 4pm but at 10pm last night although the freezer was slightly cold it was no-where near where a freezer should be. I'm going to phone the domestic dealer today.

The prices you were quoted seem really expensive - would it not be cheaper to buy a new fridge? I must go & look up the prices. Have a fab time in France!


Dot

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[Heyupluv]

Dot.....no ...the new fridge freezer starts from around £1680.00 upwards plus labour and vat !!!!!!!!! for a new one

 

[Heyupluv]

Dot... I should have said for me/mine... NO.....the new fridge freezer starts from around £1680.00 upwards plus labour to install plus the vat !!!!!!!!! for a new one....and that is in the UK...and my guess the cost of the Dometic fridge/freezer would be three times the UK price???? (like the the repair cost)...plus vat over here is 20%......so for us... NO

 

[Dotplus6]

Ok - well then Heyupluv, you were better to get it fixed Fortunately for me, the Bailey is 1 year old on 30th August & as I haven't had it for 3 months until end of this month I can pay the warranty of £35 to retain the warranty, so it is booked in with a Bailey dealer next week to get sorted - otherwise I would have taken it out & bought a coolbox!!

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[Heyupluv]

(take it out and buy a cool box) hehehe.....Dot ...our motorhome is only 3 years old from new !!!.......your problem may be nothing... or something simple ...but better safe than sorry

Mel

 

[Techno]

Dometic RMD8505 is £950 new at Magnums.
Mine too is faulty again but works on 12 volts/230volts OK
On gas it lights and burns well but the fridge turns it off before it is cold.
If it were the cooling unit it would not work on any power source, last time they replaced the circuit board. Still under warranty so no charge but they are so unreliable for the money.

 

[Techno]

A Dometic service chap is coming out tomorrow to try resolve whatever is faulty with mine.
Hopefully I will have a result and not have to reschedule Shell Island.

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[Techno]

Call out found no issue in the hour visit but we have since discovered that all three power sources are affected. The fault tends to not develop until a few days away and it defrosts.
We have always had this fridge on maximum cooling setting 5 and I'm informed that 2 or 3 should be adequate most of the year but ours has never got anywhere near cold enough from day one.
Dometic are arranging for my cooling unit to be replaced.

 

[Reallyretired]

I have noticed that on mine turning the thing up to maximum cooling, particularly when on gas, actually cools less than when on a medium setting. I don't have a theory why, unless its just that there is too much heat round the back and it makes it less efficient.

 

[PeteH]

Have you had any "Smell" vaguely like Ladies Hair colouring products?. These type of cooling systems work by the separating and combining of different gasses at what is called "Partial Pressures". The process is "powered" by a small heat source, the electric element or the Gas Flame. Occasionally the gasses leak via microscopic "pin holes" and the refrigerators gradually lose efficiency. A new cooling unit is the only solution in that event.

A few years back there was a whole spate of failures in American Dometic Units, Fitted to R-V`s. Many of those who had issues fitted a non Dometic "after market" unit made with different (more robust) materials.

Pete

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[Techno]

My fridge having had a new cooling unit fitted has coped in 40C heat this holiday but only on mains. The first few days I tried on gas but it wasn't coping. This morning as we're on hook up I stripped the burner off and cleaned the pressed aluminium metering jet with the bristle of a toothbrush and blew through the burner. It now works on all three supplies like it never did from new. So nearly two years of a pain in the arse but now sorted. Just before the warranty expires next month.

 

[Techno]

Trade price to engineers for a cooling unit for 8505 is under £240 btw . Compare that with earlier posts and robbing unscrupulous dealers.

Quote by Liesuretech earlier was very reasonable

 

[Techno]

My freezer finally freezing

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