Help Dometic Fridge (1 Viewer)

[Clive]

I've been away for over 2 weeks now and the fridge has been working on a mixture of gas and electric without any problems. The last week purely on gas. Noticed yesterday that it didn't seem as cold so turned it up. Got up this morning and the fridge is no longer cold and everything has defrosted in the freezer.
Any ideas would be gratefully received

 

[mike mcglynn]

Hi,Clive have you run out of gas ?or is your fridge aes type

 

[Clive]

No gas is fine, fridge is lighting ok, everything but the temperature shows its working

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DavidG58]

This will probably sound bonkers, but mine sometimes doesn't work the colder I try to set it, might be interesting to turn it to a half way setting and see if it improves , although I don't think mine has ever actually defrosted

 

[GJH]

Have you still got your vent covers on Clive? That would make the fridge less efficient at this time of year. We have also found that when the weather is warm the fridge works better if turned down rather than up.

 

[Robert Clark]

Two suggestions

Remove external winter vent covers if fitted

Is the van level?
Needs to be within 6 degrees if level or the coolant can't circulate

Hope this helps

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[JeanLuc]

I had that problem last summer in France. Spent a couple of hours on an aire, dismantling the burner and cleaning the jet, then all was fine.
(Don't poke anything through the jet - just blow it and brush away any soot.

 

[Jim]

When the weather is very warm, you'll find there is a sweet spot for your flame . Turning it high on max cooling can often result in it warming up. Turn it down a notch and experiment to find that sweet (coldest) spot on the dial. Sounds crazy but it works.

 

[Jim]

If you want to properly service your fridge its not to difficult to do

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Clive]

No all the vent covers are off. The sweet spot on mine is 2 lights. Now I'm dressed, didn't want to frighten the locals I've taken the bottom vent off and definitely have a nice blue flame. I've had problems with the terminal block before so I've taken that off and sprayed with switch cleaner. Just a waiting game to see if the burner keeps running and the fridge gets cold again

 

[tonyidle]

When the weather is very warm, you'll find there is a sweet spot for your flame . Turning it high on max cooling can often result in it warming up. Turn it down a notch and experiment to find that sweet (coldest) spot on the dial. Sounds crazy but it works.

Not any more - at least not on a Thetford and probably not on Dometic now. The gas now has a thermostat.

 

[Clive]

Well it seems the terminal block was the problem. Fridge & freezer both getting cold again. Must put cleaning this down as a routine maintenance job

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jaws]

We first noticed the fridge was not great while in Croatia.
The rest of the family went off and I took it apart to see what was what
Lovely blue flame and it all looked spotless.
When we finally got home I ripped it down again and this time removed the burner out and cleaned it all up until it shone.
Also used a proper 'jet pick' and cleaned the tiny hole in the restrictor valve that feeds the burner
When I put it back together I immediately noticed the difference in the sound the burner was making..
Much noisier !
Fridge worked just fine after that.. I now strip and clean the thing at least once a year

I never really noticed the drop in performance until it was quite bad.. It is a slow process I guess and just creeps up on you..

 

[mitzimad]

If you want to properly service your fridge its not to difficult to do

why would you put the burner back and then clean the flue way so any carp falls on the freshly cleaned burner

 

[mitzimad]

and ive just realised he didnt mention testing the gas connection he had disturbed

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jaws]

why would you put the burner back and then clean the flue way so any carp falls on the freshly cleaned burner

You think folk keep fish up the flue ? No wonder so many people have problems !!!

 

[Petest]

We first noticed the fridge was not great while in Croatia.
The rest of the family went off and I took it apart to see what was what
Lovely blue flame and it all looked spotless.
When we finally got home I ripped it down again and this time removed the burner out and cleaned it all up until it shone.
Also used a proper 'jet pick' and cleaned the tiny hole in the restrictor valve that feeds the burner
When I put it back together I immediately noticed the difference in the sound the burner was making..
Much noisier !
Fridge worked just fine after that.. I now strip and clean the thing at least once a year

I never really noticed the drop in performance until it was quite bad.. It is a slow process I guess and just creeps up on you..

What model fridge is it?

Mines a RM7270 and not working on gas (just started another thread).

Any tips?

 

[Jaws]

Makes no odds Pete.. They are basically all the same mate..
I have sorted out identical issues in various fridges from both Dometic and Thetford

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Petest]

@Jaws
I've got the fridge out and the burner in my hand. Looking through it should it be completely clear on the centre hole?

I can see a very fine mesh. (Burner jet 43 according to the parts list?)

Thanks in advance

 

[Lenny HB]

If you want to properly service your fridge its not to difficult to do

I would say that is a good example of how NOT to service a fridge the bloke struck me as a cowboy.

 

[PhilandMena]

What model fridge is it?

Mines a RM7270 and not working on gas (just started another thread).

Any tips?

Yes! Clean the flu. It is a common cause of Fridge failure on gas.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Petest]

Cheers guys. All working again (at least it's alight at the moment.

I've ordered another jet to keep as a spare.

Thanks again

 

[Petest]

Just an update.

I've fitted the new jet, all fired up. Now got to wait to see if it gets cold (the old jet that I wiggled a pin into worked but wanted to use the correct size so watch this space)

 

[PhilandMena]

If it fails to cool down sufficiently, I would check your flue, it may have too much soot in there which will need removing.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Petest]

Only chilling slightly at the moment. Going to leave it over night to see what happens

 

[Petest]

Is the flame size meant to visibly alter when you turn the temperature control (like a hob)?

 

[peterc10]

Is the flame size meant to visibly alter when you turn the temperature control (like a hob)?

Not on modern fridge which are thermostatic. The knob just decides at what temperature the flame is switched on and off

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jezport]

We first noticed the fridge was not great while in Croatia.
The rest of the family went off and I took it apart to see what was what
Lovely blue flame and it all looked spotless.
When we finally got home I ripped it down again and this time removed the burner out and cleaned it all up until it shone.
Also used a proper 'jet pick' and cleaned the tiny hole in the restrictor valve that feeds the burner
When I put it back together I immediately noticed the difference in the sound the burner was making..
Much noisier !
Fridge worked just fine after that.. I now strip and clean the thing at least once a year

I never really noticed the drop in performance until it was quite bad.. It is a slow process I guess and just creeps up on you..

Ive had exactly the same experience and you can clearly hear the difference between a partially blocked jet and a clean one. the clean one has a slight roar.

 

[timdownieuk]

I was rather surprised by the lack of mention of sweeping in the servicing video. Having just removed a heap of soot with this "pull-through" that no amount of waggling with a screwdriver would have removed, it seems a fairly serious omission.