Community Forums

Dian · 05-06-2013, 07:51 AM

I have a 1988 Georgie Boy Encounter. It is our first RV and we are learning the hard way that you just cant trust people anymore and never buy a used RV that isn't hooked to power and water. The guy we bought it from said the fridge needed a new thermostat. We found out that the circuit board on the back of our Dometic 3801 was bad and had been patched before. (It wouldn't even try to switch to anything but propane.) So we spent the $150 for a new board. Then we found out that the heating element was bad. $45 later that was fixed too. So we fire it up and wait to see if it is going to work. Well it did not cool at all! It was heating instead. Now we know we have an ammonia leak and the whole back side will need to be replaced. (Never even got the chance to check the thermostat.) So we are switching to an ac only fridge. Okay, with all that said. My problem now is how do we remove the Dometic Royale Rm3801 from our money pit Georgie Boy.

Would love some ideas and thoughts or advice from someone who has done it before.

Thanks, Dian

AKJohn · 05-06-2013, 10:00 AM

I've never removed an RV fridge before but I did a quick web search and found this;

How to Remove an RV Refrigerator | Trails.com

Have you measured your fridge to see if it will fit through the entry door? I know that sometimes you have to remove a window or the windshield to get the fridge out of the RV and get the new one in.

Good luck.

Dian · 05-08-2013, 07:56 AM

Oh man, I hope not. We dont know the exact size of the old fridge but the new one is in the rv already. They are not the same size. I will take some modification to put the new one in.

bruceisla · 05-08-2013, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dian

I have a 1988 Georgie Boy Encounter. It is our first RV and we are learning the hard way that you just cant trust people anymore and never buy a used RV that isn't hooked to power and water. The guy we bought it from said the fridge needed a new thermostat. We found out that the circuit board on the back of our Dometic 3801 was bad and had been patched before. (It wouldn't even try to switch to anything but propane.) So we spent the $150 for a new board. Then we found out that the heating element was bad. $45 later that was fixed too. So we fire it up and wait to see if it is going to work. Well it did not cool at all! It was heating instead. Now we know we have an ammonia leak and the whole back side will need to be replaced. (Never even got the chance to check the thermostat.) So we are switching to an ac only fridge. Okay, with all that said. My problem now is how do we remove the Dometic Royale Rm3801 from our money pit Georgie Boy.

Would love some ideas and thoughts or advice from someone who has done it before.

Thanks, Dian

Don't have a GB but here is a link to my replacement of a Dometic in my 1997 Holiday Rambler.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/repla...ss-149497.html

TXiceman · 05-08-2013, 04:48 PM

Rather than go to an A/C frig, why not replace the cooling unit on the frig and keep the versatility of the RV frig. You can reuse all of the electric from the old one.

RV Cooling Unit Warehouse LLC Home Page

The Amish Cooling unit works so much better than the OEM junk. Plus you will not have to rework the cabinet to fit in another unit.

Ken

bruceisla · 05-08-2013, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

Rather than go to an A/C frig, why not replace the cooling unit on the frig and keep the versatility of the RV frig. You can reuse all of the electric from the old one.

RV Cooling Unit Warehouse LLC Home Page

The Amish Cooling unit works so much better than the OEM junk. Plus you will not have to rework the cabinet to fit in another unit.

Ken

The Amish units are awesome but you are still dealing with a 25 year old "everything else". IMHO this is a case for "New" regardless of whether it's residential or LP/electric.

JC2 · 05-08-2013, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

Rather than go to an A/C frig, why not replace the cooling unit on the frig and keep the versatility of the RV frig. You can reuse all of the electric from the old one.

RV Cooling Unit Warehouse LLC Home Page

The Amish Cooling unit works so much better than the OEM junk. Plus you will not have to rework the cabinet to fit in another unit.

Ken

I agree with the above. We just replaced the rear cooling unit of our Dometic NDR1062 with the Amish Cooling Unit and it works absolutely great and didn't have to do any expensive cabinetry work.

chastainat · 05-08-2013, 09:08 PM

I just pulled my Norcold ( removed a side window and out with the old and in with the new. Resealed the window and reinstalled it. )

New fridge looks like it has always been there!

Dutch Star Don · 05-08-2013, 10:29 PM

Dian.....You can get the specs on your current Dometic, (download the manual) which will give you the measurements of the box with and without the doors. Typically, you remove the doors and carry it out your front door. I just replaced my Norcold with a Samsung residential. I had to remove the door stop/stay at the top the door so it would swing all the open. I then removed the passenger's front seat and laid it on my sofa. This gave me a 26" door opening and the large Norcold 12 cubic foot was only 24" deep with the doors off. I'm guessing your Dometic won't be any deeper. Worse case scenario, you can remove the doors off of the Dometic and if it won't fit, you can remove the cooling unit which will make it more shallow.

If you have a Harbor Freight near by, they sell the rolling furniture dollies cheap. Buy one, add some wood to it so it's the same height as the bottom of your current refer. When you remove it's easier to roll the old one around on the dolly.

YC1 · 05-09-2013, 09:15 AM

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/sams...dq-102210.html

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/sams...er-159692.html

Do a search using Samsung, and Diplomat Don as the user and you will find 100 pages of great information. The two links are from Don and you will see some great pictures.

My rv neighbor changed his out and things came out the front door.

bruceisla · 05-09-2013, 11:31 AM

Here is a link to the Dometic cross-reference to current models:
https://www.dometic.com/2c6030b1-1d2...ccab1c04.fodoc

If I read the cross-ref correctly your current dimensions are 55 7/16" H x 23 11/16" W x 24" D. You should not have a problem getting your old unit out the entrance door. However, you do have a problem matching up a residential reefer since your current height is quite small .... depth is adequate as long as you select a new reefer that is designated "counter depth".

Dian · 05-10-2013, 08:33 AM

We bought a small ac fridge already and have been using it in the living room area. It will fit in the spot where the rv fridge is but is not as tall so we are thinking about building a shelf above it. could use the extra storage anyway. Someone was telling my husband about a rv salvage place near Joplin, Mo. We will probably go there and see what we can find. Need a new hot water heater and a few other things too.

Thanks everybody for all the advice I will check out the links and do more research before we pull out the old fridge.