Refrigerator Thermofuse by-pass?

[lyonspp]

My Dometic refrigerator (RM 2662) suddenly stopped working. I was able to determine that the problem appeared to be with the Thermofuse (in the flue of the cooling unit). I had trouble determining this because my wiring diagram doesn't even show a thermofuse! But a downloaded Diagnostic Service Manual mentioned that "newer and replacement cooling units have a Thermofuse..." It goes on to say that the thermofuse is nonreplaceable so if it malfunctions, the whole cooling unit must be replaced! That seemed unnecessary (and expensive) to me, so I tried bypassing the thermofuse, and everything seems to be working fine again.

My thinking is that if the thermofuse wasn't even part of the original cooling unit (as evidence by its absence from my wiring diagram and by the wording in the Service Manual), then it is probably safe to operate the unit without it. But in case my reasoning is faulty (which has been known to happen!), I thought I should run this by the knowledgeable RV-ers in this group for your opinion(s). Any thoughts? Thanks.

[theroc]

I wouldn't think it would be safe. I sure wouldn't want to bypass it. The newer cooling units integrated it because of the HUGE recall that was done over a decade ago because of the RV fires that were caused by absorption refrigerators.

It was the DM 2662 that was recalled (HERE) and fitted with a device (an additional burner housing) that supposedly helped. Norcolds were actually recalled to have a box installed what would sense overheating ...I remember having it done on one of the Norcolds we had back then.

Remember this way back when?:

Recall Information for Dometic & Norcold Refrigerators

^ for Dometic (DM 2662 included)

[96 Wideglide]

I would install an ARP Fridge Defend!

[theroc]

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

I would install an ARP Fridge Defend!

Right, I was just going to mention something like that.

Replacing the entire cooling unit is a ridiculous proposition but you do want to protect yourself from having the refrigerator start a fire.

Fridge Defend by ARP Protects your Dometic or Norcold

[Old-Biscuit]

Two types of 'thermofuses' used

One is down behind the burner assembly
Dometic 3851409023



The other one is a snap disc mounted on burner stack
DOMETIC 3850870019



Do an Internet Search using those part numbers
Amazon most likely

[lyonspp]

I do remember that recall, and I had that extra baffle installed. Thanks for your suggestion.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Originally Posted by lyonspp

But a downloaded Diagnostic Service Manual mentioned that "newer and replacement cooling units have a Thermofuse..." It goes on to say that the thermofuse is nonreplaceable so if it malfunctions, the whole cooling unit must be replaced! That seemed unnecessary (and expensive) to me, so I tried bypassing the thermofuse, and everything seems to be working fine again.

My thinking is that if the thermofuse wasn't even part of the original cooling unit (as evidence by its absence from my wiring diagram and by the wording in the Service Manual), then it is probably safe to operate the unit without it. But in case my reasoning is faulty (which has been known to happen!), I thought I should run this by the knowledgeable RV-ers in this group for your opinion(s). Any thoughts? Thanks.

It was NOT deemed safe as originally designed; that's why the safety fuse was added as part of a product safety recall. You can always bypass a fuse, but that only gets rid of the warning and doesn't fix the root problem. Your fridge could be operating a dangerously high boiler temperature. It's conceivable that the Thermafuse itself became faulty, but the odds aren't in favor of that. It's far more likely the cooling unit overheated once, and that is potentially a serious risk. And the fix for that risk is a new cooling unit, not a new fuse.


However, it is also possible a cooling unit overheat could happen because of some transient condition rather than a permanent fault. But if you install the ARP Fridge Defend, you are still protected if the problem still exists or re-occurs in the future. And the Fridge Defend is resettable (in fact it auto-resets)..

[lyonspp]

Thanks for all the constructive feedback. FYI, I ordered a new thermofuse, am only operating the refrigerator on AC for now, and I'm looking into the ARP units.

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by lyonspp

Thanks for all the constructive feedback. FYI, I ordered a new thermofuse, am only operating the refrigerator on AC for now, and I'm looking into the ARP units.

Overheating can occur on AC also!!

Thermosfuse is a SAFETY item.

Did you do a continuity test on your current thermosfuse?
Is thermofuse BAD or tripping?

[Timtoolman]

I used frige defender for over heating safety