The fridge, vent your spleen (1 Viewer)

[Techno]

12 days now and fan blummin tastic
I will as a final step put a 12 volt supply to the frame heater. This is not afforded by the 7 series circuit board as condensation wasn't an issue then.

 

[Techno]

I've just connected the frame heater to the 3 amp electronics feed via a switch. It took its supply off this originally but switched by the old circuit board and front panel pcb
Draws less than 0.3 amps

 

[JockandRita]

I've just connected the frame heater to the 3 amp electronics feed via a switch. It took its supply off this originally but switched by the old circuit board and front panel pcb
Draws less than 0.3 amps
View attachment 109122

Sorry Andy, but what do you mean by the term "frame heater"?

Cheers,

Jock.

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[Techno]

Sorry Andy, but what do you mean by the term "frame heater"?

Cheers,

Jock.

It's unique to the 8000 series Fridge Jock which inherently suffers condensation on the centre section between fridge and freezer doors. This is where the front control panel is mounted (now covered over in carbon vinyl wrap on mine) and suffers from the water hence the need for the frame heater. Great Dometic design eh.

 

[Lenny HB]

Congratulations on having probably the only 8000 series fridge that works properly.

The 7000 in my last van had a frame heater even had a timer that turned it of after 2 hours where as the 8000 one stays on until switched off.

 

[Techno]

Congratulations on having probably the only 8000 series fridge that works properly.

The 7000 in my last van had a frame heater even had a timer that turned it of after 2 hours where as the 8000 one stays on until switched off.

It didn't on mine Lenny but I believe they redesigned the workings at least twice. I will leave mine on
Yes it now works reliably superb but cost me over two years of time and inconvenience.
£140 and my DIY skills was worth it rather than alter the van for a limited number of options. 160 litres is not to be sneezed at

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[JockandRita]

It's unique to the 8000 series Fridge Jock which inherently suffers condensation on the centre section between fridge and freezer doors. This is where the front control panel is mounted (now covered over in carbon vinyl wrap on mine) and suffers from the water hence the need for the frame heater. Great Dometic design eh.

Thanks for that Andy.

Our old Electrolux AES suffers condensation build up at the same place, but only in certain conditions, ie, not all the time. Thankfully, our control panel is above the freezer door.
When in Bavaria last year, I had quite a long discussion with a Dometic agent and engineer. He was tellling me that the Electrolux units were built in Sweden, and were the best of the bunch, and he didn't rate the newer German built Dometic fridge/freezer units at all.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Techno]

I doubt they're built in Germany Jock
It's bad enough that their design department are useless but I imagine the hardware is made somewhere very much cheaper

 

[tonyidle]

I've spent two years doing battle with my (non-AES) Thetford. It hasn't worked properly on gas since I bought the van but finally, after replacing an apparently perfect burner assembly with a new one, it is working correctly. The problem wasn't a faulty burner - it was the wrong burner. Only by studying parts lists did I discover that my burner had 5 flame slots whereas the correct part number had 4. The 5-slot burner is for larger fridge/freezers. I'm still wondering how that happened and if the previous owners sold the van after giving up on the fridge.

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[Techno]

Found enough wire to mount the switch and illuminate it when on
Drilled a tight hole so switch required screwing in and no lock ring (wood too thick anyway)

Removed old control board completely

 

[PhilandMena]

Congratulations on having probably the only 8000 series fridge that works properly.

.

I have the 8000 series fridge and it has been faultless for 5 years. Well apart from one failure a few months ago when it failed on Gas. However, this was quickly resolved by cleaning the Flu and it was back to it's good old self. In the 5 years I have had it, it has never been serviced.
We must be very lucky I guess.

 

[Techno]

Which model?

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[PhilandMena]

Which model?

I have the RMD 8555.

 

[Techno]

I have the RMD 8555.

190 litre big brother

 

[PhilandMena]

190 litre big brother

Yes! It's brilliant, the size is perfect for us and even though there is only the two of us we can store over two months supply of frozen food in the freezer compartment alone. (Three if you ration it a bit, like bacon as we did on our last trip to Moroc. Plus a shed load of beer and still have ample space left for luxury's, like food etc.

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[Techno]

I've just had another 10 days straight on gas and still reliable
So my adopted fix really IS a fix when Dometic fail miserably

 

[currynutter]

Well done.
I did suggest your mod to both Dometic and Travelworld,to no avail.
Dometic came to me again and after investigating suggested an auto electrician check the vehicle wiring .Travelworld wanted to see themselves,so I went there.After checking all voltages etc and fitting a new regulator higher than standard,( all without charge),Ieft to overnight at Henly,only to be woken by the dreaded red flashing light at about 4am.
Annabele at Travelworld said they had done all possible,but would contact Hymer.
I now have an appointment for the 4th August to have a new unit fitted.f.o.c.Fingers legs and everything else crossed.Perhaps I may have to copy your mod.if the new unit fails.Watch this space

 

[DBK]

I'm coming round to the view three way fridges are a thing of the past, when solar wasn't around. These days with a reasonable solar set up and a couple of leisure batteries a compressor fridge would be a much better alternative for most folk. Not just on the grounds of better performance in hot weather but mostly on the grounds of just better reliability.

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[dpsuk999]

I don't necessarily agree that 3 way fridges are a thing of the past. I have a dometic 7855 and in temperatures of upwards of 35 to 40 degrees over the last couple of weeks in Croatia and my fridge has been around 3.4 and freezer -16 running on 240v mostly but similar when running on gas. The only modification is 2 large computer fans in the top grill running constantly and the temperature dial on three quarters. (between 2 and 3 leds lit out of 4).

In the 3 years of ownership other than a yearly service of the gas jet etc and cleaning the flue (DIY) it's been fantastic.

I've found that in my experience there are a lot of factors to take into account when people find they are having problems with cooling but in @Techno experience it definitely is a problem with the circuit boards given his knowledge. For example in a previous motorhome of mine only through perseverance did I finally track down the cooling problem to a faulty potentiometer. I was turning the temperature dial as normal thinking it was working but in reality it was doing diddly squat! In another the fridge door seal was a small gap thus letting in warm air from the van, and in my lack of experience (many years ago) I would just turn the temperature dial up more thinking I needed to cool the fridge more but it had the counter effect!

Overall I would say 3 way fridges are excellent if they are maintained correctly and operated correctly.

Dave.

 

[DBK]

I don't necessarily agree that 3 way fridges are a thing of the past. I have a dometic 7855 and in temperatures of upwards of 35 to 40 degrees over the last couple of weeks in Croatia and my fridge has been around 3.4 and freezer -16 running on 240v mostly but similar when running on gas. The only modification is 2 large computer fans in the top grill running constantly and the temperature dial on three quarters. (between 2 and 3 leds lit out of 4).

In the 3 years of ownership other than a yearly service of the gas jet etc and cleaning the flue (DIY) it's been fantastic.

I've found that in my experience there are a lot of factors to take into account when people find they are having problems with cooling but in @Techno experience it definitely is a problem with the circuit boards given his knowledge. For example in a previous motorhome of mine only through perseverance did I finally track down the cooling problem to a faulty potentiometer. I was turning the temperature dial as normal thinking it was working but in reality it was doing diddly squat! In another the fridge door seal was a small gap thus letting in warm air from the van, and in my lack of experience (many years ago) I would just turn the temperature dial up more thinking I needed to cool the fridge more but it had the counter effect!

Overall I would say 3 way fridges are excellent if they are maintained correctly and operated correctly.

Dave.

True, but with a compressor fridge there is no maintenance and a lot less to go wrong.

 

[Lenny HB]

I can't see a compressor fridge being much use in the UK in the winter unless you have a very large van with every inch of the roof covered in solar. As far as I'm awear they only make small ones anything less than a 150 Lt fridge freezer is unacceptable to us and if they did make one how much power would it use?

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[Techno]

It's already been covered earlier in this thread and they simply do not make anything that will fit as a replacement.

 

[Techno]

Also I did say that if reverting to the bodge that I have failed then the smaller Vitrifrigo was the final option with a microwave mounted above in the space gained. We like our 160 litres 8505
Dometic didn't like it enough to resolve all its issues unfortunately and must have spent a lot of money on engineers.
So now it is a taller narrower 9000 series unit and even those have issues. At Hartlepool Richard's fridge kept failing on gas because the thermocouple wasn't near enough the flame.

 

[Techno]

Now the uk weather is colder I've had to turn my fridge up, the beer is near freezing

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[Drexxer]

Now the uk weather is colder I've had to turn my fridge up, the beer is near freezing

Lucky you,

mines ok on 240v but you cannot switch to other power sources or even switch the bloody thing off!

Andy

 

[Techno]

Sounds like your front control panel has suffered condensation damage but it could equally be the main board.
I no longer have a front board but I have a spare rear

 

[Drexxer]

Sounds like your front control panel has suffered condensation damage but it could equally be the main board.
I no longer have a front board but I have a spare rear

Yes the front control panel is all coroded, any idea of a reliable supplier please Andy

hopefully that will fix it but good to know that you have a spare rear one,

Bugger really as it was one of our favorite must have's, (solar excepted) from moving from a campervan with a 30 fridge!

Andy

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[Techno]

I think the cooling unit has to come out to replace the front panel, not an easy job.
A guy called Phil (Scunthorpe) I think is probably your best hope
Derwent Dometic Service 07944682664

 

[JockandRita]

A guy called Phil (Scunthorpe) I think is probably your best hope
Derwent Dometic Service 07944682664

That's the guy who about four years ago, said he'd find out info on our Electrolux Traveller Genny, and would phone me back when he was in the area, to carry out the repair.............................................I'm still waiting.

Full of bullsh1t.

I did the job myself, with the help of @SteveandDenise.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Techno]

I've had good reports from people who actually had repairs done by him. No one ever scores 100% in life and his failure is not a result of work he did

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