Freezer freezes but fridge don't get cool

[newfiejeff]

I have a friend that has a dometic fridge and the freezer works fine but the fridge dosen't work. Any thoughts?

Jeff

[newfiejeff]

I have a friend that has a dometic fridge and the freezer works fine but the fridge dosen't work. Any thoughts?

Jeff

[Gary RVRoamer]

Door seals?

[newfiejeff]

yes

[RV Wizard]

Make sure the trailer is level. use a mirror and look up the outside vent cover area (cover removed) and make sure no insulation has fallen across the back of the coils. You should be able to see up the the top vent through the center of the coils on back of the refrigerator. What is the model of Dometic you have? How are you powering it. How long has it been running?

[aimtoRV]

Hi Jeff,

Your friend might try moving the thermistor (little clip-on sensor clipped to one of the radiator fins inside the fridge)down as far as it will go.

I had the same problem (freezer cools fine; fridge doesn't cool at all).

Found a thread here (don't know how to place a link to it here, but do a search on "thermistor" and you'll find it), and followed the suggestion of RV Wizard and others...and it worked like a charm! I thought I was in for a big bucks for a new cooling system. But after moving the thermistor down, the freezer registers 10 degrees below zero F, and the fridge 36-38 F.

Problem solved for me...maybe for your friend, too.

Good luck,

Richard

[Doggie]

I have basically the same problem right now. The freezer freezes but the fridge isn't cold enough. I checked everything out and found that some ice had built up in the freezer and it was affecting the door seal. I also just came across northern CA and the NV desert, and spent much of the past couple weeks in 100 degree temps. I'm sure that didn't help any.

[Canuck]

I had the same problem and in my case it was caused by a build up of "dirt" in the chimney. The solution was very simple. Remove the chimney vent cover on the roof (4 screws) and then blow compressed air down the chimney. Make sure the fridge is turned off and the outside cover is removed. I couldn't believe how much "stuff" came out. Tip: To concentrate the air below the screen cover that I found at the top of the vent, I added a piece of fuel line hosing about a foot long to the nozzle of my air gun and then I fed that through the screen openings.
I hope this works for you.
Canuck

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

Yeah, I removed my burner and ran a flexible brush up the flue, followed by compressed air. They do get dirty buildup in there.

I've also found that one of those little fans, powered by two D batteries, really helps the fridge keep cool and keep an even temp. I place it on an upper shelf so it circulates air past the fins. It runs for a week or more on a pair of batteries, and I generally use it when outside temps are high.

[w1wlh]

Wondering if any of you have the Norcold 1200 LRIM, 4 door, refrigerator in your rig? My 2005 Allegro Bay came with this refrig and I'm not at all satisfied with its performance. The freezer gets plenty cold (below zero F) but the refrigerator struggles to maintain a temp close to 35 degrees F. As a matter of fact, the only time I see 35 degrees F is when the outside temps are around 65 degrees F and the relative humiodity is below 50%.

In my view, Norcold knows they have a unit (12.0 cubic foot) that performs poorly in hot outside temperatures (90 to 115 degrees F), unlike the smaller units (7.0 to 9.0 cubic foot), but they're not willing to admit it or provide an improved capability unit to replace their Rube Goldberg! Unfortunately the larger units don't have enough cold transfer area on the back of the unit (fins) to provide sufficient cooling for the large boxes.

I thought a 12.0 cubic foot refrigerator would perform as well as a smaller unit but clearly mine doesn't compare! I'd like to know how yours performs if you'd like to talk about your experiences.

Yes, I use a small cooling fan inside the refrigerator! I even installed a supplimental cooling fan behind the unit, although it helps, it still doesn't solve the problem.

The best I can get out of the refrig after 24 to 48 hours of being turned on (electric or gas, makes no difference), in 95 degrees F, is 38 degrees F, well within what Norcold considers normal performance and that's on the highest thermostat setting (9) available.

I'm really disappointed and will never again buy a unit of that size unless the manufacturer clearly convinces me thay've solved this problem.

What's your experience?

[RV Wizard]

I have the Norcold 1200 LRIM model and it performs very well. I have acutally had it turned up too high after defrosting and frozen things in the fresh food section. Even in Arizona's 110+ days it did well. You may have a bad cooling unit if the venting and installation is correct. To test the cooling unit take the thermistor all the way off and it will run wide open. You should get freezing in the bottom part in 24 hours if the doors are closing properly and the light is going out. Let us know what you find.

[rebelsbeach]

Figured I'd weigh in on this topic as I'm marooned at the dealer waiting on a cooling unit to be trucked in...
Fridge wouldn't get below 48 degrees, but the freezer is cold.
I have a Dometic NDA1402 that's brand new and the tech finally hot wired around the thermistor and board to no avail...

Checked it last night as I've periodically done and it was in "auto defrost" mode.....When I looked at the temps this morning the fridge is 37 degrees
and the freezer is -3.

Strange...

[Doggie]

After moving the thermistor up, down and sideways, removing the thermistor from the fins and finally disconnecting the thermistor from the board, I'm being told the Dometic cooling unit is defective.
The freezer is below zero but the fridge won't go below 50.

[Canuck]

Here's a link to another thread dealing with a fridge not cooling problem. It turned out that the problem was a missing baffle in the chimney flue.
Canuck