Community Forums

BFlinn181 · 05-03-2012, 11:57 AM

According to pg 8 of the DM 2852 manual, "The climate control switch is located beneath the top decoration panel that houses the control panel" So it can be turned off in this model. It also states that when on, "when turned on, the climate control will draw 12 V DC power continuously. Turn it off when a charging source is not available." (pg 5)

The DM 2852 is a 110 v AC or LP gas only, 12v DC for control board, light, and Climate Control.

RV-to-travel · 05-04-2012, 11:03 AM

The 2852 that I have does not have the switch.
Thank you for the information, Mark.
I now just turn off the refrigerator at night when dry camping.
Let me know how your refrigerator runs with the wiring cut.
We just dry camped two weeks at Patrick's Point State Park in California. Mostly rain and cloudy conditions. Last year we camped with the same conditions for 2 weeks, at the same camp site, and did not use the generator.
With the new refrigerator, and under the same conditions, we used the generator quite a bit this time.
I definitely do not like the energy drain of the new refrigerator. We like to have quiet, and be able to hike during the day. We can't do that if the generator needs to be used. We've RVed for years, and almost never needed the generator before this new refrigerator.
If you dry camp often, check to see if there is a climate control switch before getting your new refrigerator.
Dometic told the service tech that the new refrigerators draw more amps, and it is because of the units no longer having a climate control switch.
I will probably cut the wiring on mine.

zackdog · 05-05-2012, 06:17 PM

For anyone that is interested, this is what I did.

1. I took the outside cover off and located the Junction box to find the J2 circuit and noted the diameter of the red wire.

2. I then removed the light cover in the refrigerator and found the two red wires attached to the light switch. I pulled them out as far as I could and cut the one that was a larger diameter than the one identified in step 1.

3. I then attached a female connector to the wire close to the switch and a male connector to the wire that goes through the hole in the refrigerator. I covered the male connector with electrical tape. If I need to use the heater in the future, I just join the two connectors.

By doing it this way, the light still works.

The refrigerator has been running for over 36 hours with no problems and the batteries are still in the good range. I am leaving for a 4-6 week "dry camping" fishing trip on Monday, so it will get a good test.

Mark

RV Wizard · 05-06-2012, 12:43 AM

zackdog · 05-06-2012, 07:09 AM

I just want to make it clear that doing what I did, will void the warranty on your refrigerator. I was going to edit the post to add this, but can't seem to edit.

Mark

BFlinn181 · 05-06-2012, 08:47 AM

Seems like an elegant solution to the problem. I wonder if Dometic could explain why they took the switch out of the newer models when the manual says it has(d) one? Being able to reduce power when boondocking could have been a selling point.

RV-to-travel · 05-06-2012, 10:37 AM

Excellent, informative post and pictures, Mark. Thank you.

Blaznsteel · 05-18-2013, 11:33 PM

Mark, a thousand thank you's. I have ben putting up with dead batteries for over 4 years now and on my second pair of batteries. I had to charge them every 2 to 3 weeks. I have countless hours on the web and days (4-5) wasted cleaning, checking, testing every thing in my toyhauler. I have taken out the panel twice and even removed the generator to clean and inspect the wiring. I isolated the circuit by disconnecting the grounds and hooking in a test light. I turned off all the breakers and every thing else, then pulled all the fuse one at a time. When I found the draw, the fun part was tracing the wire. I used long pieces of wire and my test light to find the only thing that had power was the frig.(I didn't have a helper) Mine frig does not have a switch for the climate control either. I am thinking I will cut out the automatic c/c and put in a mini switch. I just wish I would have found this site and your post a long time ago.

Thanks To All, Gordon in Ca.

beanerz · 06-29-2013, 07:18 PM

A huge thank you from my family and I. We purchased a 1 year old Salem this spring. On our first trip, our brand new dual batteries were dead 12 hours after arriving. Our hearts were broken thinking that was the best 2 brand new deep cycle batteries and very light electrical use would get us dry camping. After searching the internet, I found this post. My Dometic does not have the rocker switch. With no other ideas, I cut the wire as the pictures showed and crimped on connectors. We just returned from our second trip, 8 days of dry camping and only had to recharge my batteries once! I will be sending off a strongly worded e-mail to Dometic very soon!

RV Wizard · 06-30-2013, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanerz

A huge thank you from my family and I. We purchased a 1 year old Salem this spring. On our first trip, our brand new dual batteries were dead 12 hours after arriving. Our hearts were broken thinking that was the best 2 brand new deep cycle batteries and very light electrical use would get us dry camping. After searching the internet, I found this post. My Dometic does not have the rocker switch. With no other ideas, I cut the wire as the pictures showed and crimped on connectors. We just returned from our second trip, 8 days of dry camping and only had to recharge my batteries once! I will be sending off a strongly worded e-mail to Dometic very soon!

We are glad to have you join us here and we look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences. I am sure you will enjoy the website and forums. Good lucl, stay safe and keep us posted.

zackdog · 06-30-2013, 07:22 AM

It has been about 13 months since I cut the wire to the Climate Control heater, and the refrigerator is still working just fine. During this time, I have completed three five week dry camping/fishing trips and have had no issues, either with the refrigerator or the batteries.

I will be honest, though, and say that I still run the generator about three hours a day. I have to charge my deep cycle battery for my trolling motor and I like to have the generator running when I have the furnace on. My camping is from early May to mid-June and then again from the first of September to mid-October at 8200 feet in Colorado, so the nights are pretty cold. I run the generator and the furnace in the evening until about 9:00 and then shut both off. I also have an HDTV that requires the generator if I want to watch a movie.

I wish I had cut the wire two years ago, when I first got the trailer, but I still could not be without my trusty Honda 2000 EUi generator.

Mark