Dometic Fridge Not Working on AC

[Sammie]

My friends Dometic Refridgerator does not seem to be cooling on AC. The freezer is all iced up but the refridgerator side seems to be getting warmer. Anyone got any good ideas?

Sammie

[ccook129]

I found this http://webspace.webring.com/people/j...ice_Manual.pdf

[RV Wizard]

Does the control panel recognize 120vac and not have to switch to gas in the "auto" mode? A model number would help but if this is the case it could be a bad heating element. Do you have a clamp on amp meter that can be used on the heating element leads? Let us know what he has and what you have to work with.

[GaryKD]

Hi Sammie,
If the freezer is okay but the refrigerator is warm, check the slider on the right fin in the back of the refrigerator. Move up for a colder temp and down for a warmer temp. Consider moving it all the way up to the top of the cooling fin. Make sure the wire that connects the slider to the refrigerator controls is still attached. Check the temp selector for the entire unit. Put it on the coldest setting.

Whenever making an adjustment, it will take 24 hours for the results to be seen. Let's do the simple stuff first. The other fixes get more complicated and expensive. Please post here with the results.

[Sammie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard Does the control panel recognize 120vac and not have to switch to gas in the "auto" mode? A model number would help but if this is the case it could be a bad heating element. Do you have a clamp on amp meter that can be used on the heating element leads? Let us know what he has and what you have to work with.

So far, when switched to LP manually the refridgerator and freezer works great. There is 120vac at the plug connection at the back of the fridge. It's leading me to believe that the electric heating element may be bad but I'm not sure how to check it out with my digital volt meter.

Sammie

["007"]

Sammie,You say the freezer is all iced up, here is a thread that maybe of interest to you both.
Temporally use a fan in lower vent opening aimed upward and see if box temps will drop over night.
Dometic & Norcold people have had problems this hot summer keeping their box compartment cold.
Your AC element seems to be working ok if your freezer is cold.

[RV Wizard]

You need a clamp on amp meter to check current draw if you do have voltage feeding the heating element(s). The jaws of the meter should be clamped around one, only one, of the feed conductors to the heating element(s).

[Sammie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard You need a clamp on amp meter to check current draw if you do have voltage feeding the heating element(s). The jaws of the meter should be clamped around one, only one, of the feed conductors to the heating element(s).

Thanks Mike, Just found out where the fuse for the heating element is located. We will check it this morning. I don't have a clamp on amp meter with me so any other diagnosis will be out until we are back home.

Sammie

[Wetboy5776]

Just to add a lil bit to the convo here...

If your freezer is working fine, then your heating elements are not the problem. The water/ammonia is boiling just fine and that's the only job of the heating element. The liquid ammonia, the refrigerant, first goes thru the freezer, then the fridge compartment. It seems it is absorbing the heat just fine from the freezer, but not from the fridge.

This could be due to lack of circulation from the fridge compartment, so be sure you have a fan in there. The bigger the box, the more a fan is needed. Also, make sure your fins in the fridge are not iced over. This will actually block the absorption of heat in the box, as counter intuitive as that may sound.

The last thing I can suggest is a fan over the condenser fins at the top of the box on the outside. I made my own from a 10" computer fan and some blue insulation hooked to the 12 volt leads on the back of the fridge. This helps usher that heat out of the rear of the fridge much more efficiently.

One last thing to check is the seal around the fridge. I had a tiny gap on the underside of mine, and that alone added 10 degrees to my box till I found it.

The absorption fridge is amazingly simple once you understand it. Make sure there is no frost in either the freezer or fridge, and then look for good sealing. Next, try to remove all the heat you can from the top radiator, the condenser, especially during the summer.

[Sammie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wetboy5776 Just to add a lil bit to the convo here... If your freezer is working fine, then your heating elements are not the problem. The water/ammonia is boiling just fine and that's the only job of the heating element. The liquid ammonia, the refrigerant, first goes thru the freezer, then the fridge compartment. It seems it is absorbing the heat just fine from the freezer, but not from the fridge. This could be due to lack of circulation from the fridge compartment, so be sure you have a fan in there. The bigger the box, the more a fan is needed. Also, make sure your fins in the fridge are not iced over. This will actually block the absorption of heat in the box, as counter intuitive as that may sound. The last thing I can suggest is a fan over the condenser fins at the top of the box on the outside. I made my own from a 10" computer fan and some blue insulation hooked to the 12 volt leads on the back of the fridge. This helps usher that heat out of the rear of the fridge much more efficiently. One last thing to check is the seal around the fridge. I had a tiny gap on the underside of mine, and that alone added 10 degrees to my box till I found it. The absorption fridge is amazingly simple once you understand it. Make sure there is no frost in either the freezer or fridge, and then look for good sealing. Next, try to remove all the heat you can from the top radiator, the condenser, especially during the summer.

Thanks for the added information. It appears that the refridgerator is working fine now on LP. We will do some more investigation when we return home.

Sammie