Anyone know about Ranco V35 T-Stats on dometic fridge?

[mophaat]

Hi guys, first time poster, long time lurker, I've got a Dometic RM211B in my Four-Wheel pop-up camper, it works on AC and DC, but not propane, im getting a flame, but measured the test port at 1.5", so im getting the pilot, pulled the bypass and got 11" no problem and a much bigger flame, so i think im looking at a thermostat. I see the thermotat on that is a Ranco V35, which i can find online for $85.

part #2900703-14/7 Gas Thermostat, Ranco V35,with by-pass size 14


Being the cheap bastard that i am, i noticed this guy for $50obo.

New Ranco V35 RV Thermostat V35P0111013 Fits Dometic | eBay

I asked my local rv shop, and they warned me that the v35 came with a different capilarry tubes and bypass screws (they want $100 for theirs), is that true, or was the v35, the v35 and thats it.

Thanks!
Mike

[Francesca Knowles]

I don't know, but my hunch is that there may be something in what your local shop is saying... is it possible that the guy that's selling that "out-of-the-box-but-new" Ranco might have found that out the hard way?

I note that the ad says "comes just as pictured", which seems to me to imply that there may be other parts that should be part of the package.

Caution seems appropriate here...hope somebody more knowledgeable than I pipes up!

Francesca

[mophaat]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I don't know, but my hunch is that there may be something in what your local shop is saying... is it possible that the guy that's selling that "out-of-the-box-but-new" Ranco might have found that out the hard way?

I note that the ad says "comes just as pictured", which seems to me to imply that there may be other parts that should be part of the package.

Caution seems appropriate here...hope somebody more knowledgeable than I pipes up!

Francesca

I figured the guy on ebay found some random OEM units as he's got 7 of them available, what scares me is in the dometic part description they talk about the size 14 or whatever, tells me that there were multiple v35's available for manufacturers to pick from. I may just talk to my RV shop straight up, see if he can be competitive at all (maybe meet the $85 price for exact part # i found online), and assure him that i'll be doing a full rebuild of my camper this winter, and would have a lot more business (windows/doors/siding) for him within the year.

[Francesca Knowles]

That sounds like a wise decision...sometimes it's better to spend a little more and have the local connection to go to if things go awry. And as a longtime RV owner that also buys merchandise online, I can attest to the benefits of having a good relationship with the local RV shops, too. Sometimes there's no substitute for that "real person" second opinion....

Good luck!

Francesca

[William A]

Originally Posted by mophaat

Hi guys, first time poster, long time lurker, I've got a Dometic RM211B in my Four-Wheel pop-up camper, it works on AC and DC, but not propane, im getting a flame, but measured the test port at 1.5", so im getting the pilot, pulled the bypass and got 11" no problem and a much bigger flame, so i think im looking at a thermostat. I see the thermotat on that is a Ranco V35, which i can find online for $85.

part #2900703-14/7 Gas Thermostat, Ranco V35,with by-pass size 14


Being the cheap bastard that i am, i noticed this guy for $50obo.

New Ranco V35 RV Thermostat V35P0111013 Fits Dometic | eBay

I asked my local rv shop, and they warned me that the v35 came with a different capilarry tubes and bypass screws (they want $100 for theirs), is that true, or was the v35, the v35 and thats it.

Thanks!
Mike

Mike,
This is a bit delayed but maybe you are still lurking.
Did you get your RM211 working with a new v35?
(I am experiencing the same - works on elec, not on gas)
Bill

[mophaat]

Originally Posted by William A

Mike,
This is a bit delayed but maybe you are still lurking.
Did you get your RM211 working with a new v35?
(I am experiencing the same - works on elec, not on gas)
Bill

Hey Bill,

We ended up purchasing the ebay one, and it would have worked fine, however the one big problem (and this may have been why they were on ebay) was that the capillary tube junction coming out of the thermostat was super weak and broke at the slightest bend while installing it. to test we took the old thermostat and wiggled the capillary tube around, no breaking, so the ebay one was not up to standards.

my dad is an electrical engineer and helped to make an electronic solenoid that operated the thermostat, it has a small 12v drain but works great. my recommendation would be to either find a newer fridge on craigslist, or pay the $$ and get the right thermostat from your local dealer, or if you can find it on ebay, make sure it has a really good money back guarantee if its not structurally sound. And regardless, be very careful installing the thermostat tube as the junction between the thermostat tube and the thermostat is a stress point.

[William A]

Wow, thanks for the reply.
I am kinda relentless when it comes to getting stuff to work - apparently you and your dad are too.
It's not over yet, so I will probably spend a little bit (on a v35) compared to a new fridge. Will let you know if it works . . .

[mophaat]

Originally Posted by William A

Wow, thanks for the reply.
I am kinda relentless when it comes to getting stuff to work - apparently you and your dad are too.
It's not over yet, so I will probably spend a little bit (on a v35) compared to a new fridge. Will let you know if it works . . .

If you have any soldering and electrical know-how i should have the schematic for what we did. its just a simple thermostat circuit that operates a solenoid to turn the gas on full and releases it to go back to pilot. Could also be implemented with an arduino board if you're more of a programmer. We just didn't want to spend more money on it since i only spent $500 for the pop up camper.

[William A]

Yes! I am interested in your schematic, and what temp probe and solenoid you used and probe placement in the cabinet (prob doesn't matter, just calibration). I usually monitor the inside temp with one of those indoor/outdoor 'weather station' kits that I got as a gift, but never used - the wireless feature is handy for our fridge temp monitoring.
The arduino/pi approach is interesting but beyond easy for me.

[FJ40Jim]

Thread dredge!
I also have an RM211 in an '83 Scamp13, and it is being a PITA.

It has a couple of problems. The big thing is the propane thermostat doesn't work. The frig is currently at -7*F, but the fire is still burning on high. If the t-stat knob (marked 1-10) is turned down below one, then the fire drops down to pilot level. As soon as knob is turned back to 1 or above, the fire jumps up to the big setting. So it always freezes the lettuce .

Is there a schematic& parts list for making an adjustable electronic T-stat?

Or should I just ditch this thing & replace w/ a 12V compressor fridge?

[mszabo]

I just bought a new thermostat on eBay for $39. Fixed my problem, previous owner cut the tube.

[Andy1602]

If anyone has an option to add a 12 volt solenoid to this gas valve I would like to have the diagram. I bought a 1990's Jayco truck camper that had the refrigerator replaced buy the previous owner because he couldn't find a gas valve. He told me the frig was no good. I plugged it into a 120 outlet and it gets cold. The gas valve on ebay is about $85-90 dollars and they are made by ranco with is what came off it. The capillary tube is broke off. That why it quit working. I need a dry camp frig. I have a old coldman 120-12 volt but the inverter board is bad on the 12 volt side. It works great with a 120v 600 watt inverter and only pulls 2.3 amps on 12 volt but I don't know how long a 12 volt deep cycle battery will run it. It did pull 4 amps with the invertor board that was on it so I don't think I will repair it with the two transistors and a two didoes that should fix that board. The compressor on it runs off 20 volts ac using a step down transformer. So if any one know a way to make the valve controlled by a 12 volt circuit and a thermostat please let me know. Thanks so very much. Andy

[Andy1602]

I hooked a gas line up to the fridge today and the pilot light lit right up and I took to top part of the gas valve off to see how it's made underneath. There is just a small pin that sticks up about 1/8 of an inch. When I press it down the flame gets bigger. It got down to 19% inside before I let the plunger back up. It took about 2 hours to get that cold. So to fridge is working on gas great. I just need to either buy a valve or find someway to put a 12 volt plunger solenoid on the valve and make a thermostat circuit to control the fridge or just go ahead spend almost $100.

[Andy1602]

My Dometic rm211 fridge is working. I found a gas valve online for a good deal. Less than $60 shipped. I priced some three way refrigerators and they cost more than I paid for my 1990 Jayco Sportsman's 8 truck camper. So I cleaned rusty pasts off and repainted the cooling elements. There is a lot of information on the internet for repairing these older fridge units. Anyone that has one of these older units good luck. Andy

[StephenB]

Originally Posted by William A

Yes! I am interested in your schematic, and what temp probe and solenoid you used and probe placement in the cabinet (prob doesn't matter, just calibration). I usually monitor the inside temp with one of those indoor/outdoor 'weather station' kits that I got as a gift, but never used - the wireless feature is handy for our fridge temp monitoring.
The arduino/pi approach is interesting but beyond easy for me.

I know this is old, but any chance that Schematic is still available? I have Palomino pop up and the capillary tube on the fridge stat broke, would love to keep using the fridge but can't find replacement parts. Thanks either way