Dometic Wont Turn On...

[Moondogyaz]

So I finally was able to find the necessary screws to take out so that my Dometic fridge would slide out of its tight little space in my Trillium. The problem now is that it will not turn on at all (it never has since I bought the trailer). Is there anyone out there who could give me some pointers on what I can test to see what is broken? Does anyone know of a place in Tucson, AZ that would be able to service the fridge? Will "burping" the fridge (turning it upside down) bring it back to life? Any info is much appreciated!

[Byron Kinnaman]

Look in the yellow pages for RV repair places. Call with model number. Since you've already go it out it would be a good idea to take in some place and have it cleaned. That might be all it needs.

[BCDave]

Some have suggested in the past that the best way to turn it on is to stroke it gently while talking softly ...

Otherwise, as usual- I agree with Byron

[Tim Wood]

Chad, Does it not work on 110v or propane ?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Moondogyaz

Will "burping" the fridge (turning it upside down) bring it back to life?

Try it, what do you have to lose? But, I agree... cleaning may help a whole lot too.

[Moondogyaz]

Originally Posted by Tim Wood

Chad, Does it not work on 110v or propane ?

It does not seem to work on 110v. I am guessing that I should hear some noise when I plug it in, no? I have not tried in on propane yet, would it possibly work on propane if it does not work on either 110 or 12v?

[Carol H]

Chad you will not hear anything when you turn it on! It will also take a number of hours to cool down and it will not cool down if you keep opening it up to see if its cold yet :-))))

I turn mine on the day before I go anywhere and I put a frozen jug of water in it to help it out. I also put some water in the ice cube tray and check it the next morning to make sure it is working.

Yes it is very possible for it to work on propane and not 110.

What model of fridge is it. Check the Document section of this list to see if their is a manual that tells you how to trouble shoot it.

[Tim Wood]

Chad, Yes like Carol says it can work on propane and not on 110v. I would try it on propane to see if its working on gas. On 110v it could be the heater element, and if you have a meter you can test to see if it is. I've had to replace a 110v heater element before in one of my trailers, its not hard to do. If it does work on propane you will at least know that the fridge is OK. Here is a good link to find problems with your fridge. RV Mobile, RV and Gas Refrigerators
I don't know if you have had your fridge working on propane lately, if not it may have a pretty dirty burner. But you can still test the 110v heater to see if its good or not. Tim

[theman]

Don't know if this will help but the one I had in my previous RV was not working. When you plug it in 110v let it stand for at lest 3 hrs. If the element is working you should have some heat coming out from the back. If you have heat and it is not cold in the inside, I would suggest a ''burping'' 12hrs on each side and up and down. That is a hint that I got from my RV repaire place. I have also cleaned-up the chimney from all combution residu and dismounted the burner to clean it too.

After all these step I was surprise to found that I had kind of a brand new fridge.

Good luck Fred

[Donna D.]

Buy an Indoor/Outdoor thermometer and put the Outdoor guage inside the refrigerator. That way you can "see" if it's getting colder without opening the door. Great way to keep track of the temperature while camping too. There are good thermometers to be had from inexpensive to $$$. I've been using a $10 one from Wallyworld for years.

[Carol H]

Chad, dont forget to let us know what worked or didnt work in the end.

[Moondogyaz]

Hey All!

OK, so after letting the fridge sit on its top/side for a few days I have realized that it is the switch in the back that seems to be faulty. If it is perfectly in place, it will switch on and the coils in the back will get hot! I am pretty sure that everything else will work just fine, if I can just get the switch replaced. I have no intention of using the fridge on 12V, only 110 and LP. Have any of you replaced the on/off switch on the back with an "aftermarket" switch of sorts? Perhaps something that is just on and off?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Moondogyaz

.......... Have any of you replaced the on/off switch on the back with an "aftermarket" switch of sorts? Perhaps something that is just on and off?

Make sure you don't bypass the function of the switch to allow only one heat source at a time.

[Moondogyaz]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Make sure you don't bypass the function of the switch to allow only one heat source at a time.

When you say heat source, are you speaking of the different "zones" that the diagram shows on the back of the fridge?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Moondogyaz

When you say heat source, are you speaking of the different "zones" that the diagram shows on the back of the fridge?

Sorry, what I meant was that it cannot be allowed to operate on, say, both 12 volts and gas, or both 12 volts and 110 volts, at the same time.