Repairing a Dometic Frig?

[Gilda]

If all else fails and it works as an icebox, keep using it as an icebox. We've only had an icebox in our Scamp since we purchased it in 2011 and it works just fine! All you have to do is find some ice every few days, which is usually pretty easy to do.

[Terry in Fowler]

If you have a choice, fix it. It nice to have a couple of steak in the freezer when your 50 mile fro anywhere and you want real food or when you buy a half gallon of icecreak and decide you really can't finish it. Both from experience.

[Woof70]

Check!

[Woof70]

Check, again!

[Civilguy]

Hmm.

I think maybe I'd prefer to have it not working and then I could volunteer to polish off that 1/2 gallon of ice cream before it melts!

[Woof70]

No ice cream is stored for tomorrow. Ever.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

Have you tried the Smithsonian? That thing is nearly 50 years old! They don't last forever. Why dump good money into a tired old POS? Seriously, you'd be money ahead to just scrap it and buy a new one. Yes, they are expensive, but by the time you're done dinkin' around trying to fix that old one, you're still gonna have an old one, that is if you can even find parts=(unlikely,) and you'll end up paying about as much as a new one costs. Some things don't make sense to do, and this "rebuild" is one of them in my book.

For me, the cost of a working replacement is ~$100. Certain models were so popular, that they are available in abundance. Dometic RM211's are very common, RM36's less so, but still available. While the don't last forever, many RV's get used very little. I purchased a used RM211 that looked brand new, no rust and very few blemishes in the paint. The pop up tent trailer that it was in just rotted around it.

If you replace your fridge with an identical model, the the old one should be kept as a source of parts. The time spent dinkin' with it is time spent learning how it works. This is handy when that old fridge breaks down again.

It seems a bit ironic that you are objecting to fixing up something because it is old. Several of the trailers discussed on this site are equally old. Including the one that the OP still enjoys.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

It seems a bit ironic that you are objecting to fixing up something because it is old. Several of the trailers discussed on this site are equally old. Including the one that the OP still enjoys.

I'm old, and I'm always getting something fixed myself, and I'm older than the fridge in question. Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand how someone can enjoy something that's broke and don't work?

Well, Gee. Let me just crank up the old Victrola and play some old wax records too while I'm tryin' to rebuild my 50 year old fridge.
Not!

[David Tilston]

Hey, I get it. Different strokes for different folks. Recently I pulled apart a defective gas valve that goes in the 40 year old gravity furnace in Trilliums. Just trying to figure out how it works has been more fun then playing a video game.

[Joe Romas]

Didn't read all the post but try the simple stuff first
By that I mean that Dometic recommends cleaning the gas jet YEARLY!!
At least on the Dometic on my 1999 Casita 17' SD there is no pilot per say, just a one burner with two flame levels, high and low with lowing being the pilot.

Even if the ammonia has leaked out there's a Amish firm that rebuilds them.

[Dennis McMillan]

I've had spiders & wasps build inside the combustion air tube. Takes about an hour to disassemble clean & re-assemble. I keep a combination wrench of that specific size in our camper kit. D. Mc.

[Woof70]

Thanks. Amish in Ohio. A long way from here.

[Joe Romas]

Originally Posted by Woof70

Thanks. Amish in Ohio. A long way from here.

Actually they have an "Englishman" do the selling and paperwork and they ship you the rebuilt assembly and you ship the old one back using the enclosed prepaid label.
No core charge but also no warranty until they get your old unit.

[offroad]

Originally Posted by Joe Romas

Actually they have an "Englishman" do the selling and paperwork and they ship you the rebuilt assembly and you ship the old one back using the enclosed prepaid label.

No core charge but also no warranty until they get your old unit.

Would be nice if someone gave a business name and contact information?

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by offroad

Would be nice if someone gave a business name and contact information?

Here's one in Arizona. I don't have any experience with them.

Trailer Refrigeration Inc.
Repairing and Rebuilding RV Refrigeration Since 1975
800-950-4874
https://rvrefrig.com/

[Gullygossner]

I recommend doing the cleaning as recommended further back in the post but defenitly check your propane regulator pressure to ensure its operating at 11" h20. I have been chassing a few gremlins in my camper lately and it all came back to a malfunctioning regulator. The regulator was less than 5 years old so I didn't really consider it as part of the problem.

My fridge would cool on AC. The burner would also light for lp operation but it would not output nearly enough heat to fully boil the ammonia.

[Joe Romas]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Here's one in Arizona. I don't have any experience with them.

Trailer Refrigeration Inc.
Repairing and Rebuilding RV Refrigeration Since 1975
800-950-4874
https://rvrefrig.com/

Here's where mine is from.

Pines RV Refrigeration |

But they only sell wholseale, the vendor "Englishman" I got it from is
https://rvcoolingunit.com/AltLink.aspx

Joe

[FRED SMAILES]

I used these guys for the fridge in our stickie 5th wheel
happy with service, shipping to Canada etc.
https://www.rvcool.com/
Fred

[Woof70]

Wow. Huh. Ok. TY!

[dleverton]

-make sure the heat exchanger fins are clean (if they are not, the ammonia cannot fully condense)
-make sure the heating elements are intact (ohm meter either low resistance (good) or open (bad).
-if it works, but not well, find a way to increase air current through the fins of the heat exchanger. The installations which have roof vents seem to work better. Fans work. Part of the problem is that the heat generated by propane or electricity needs to be exhausted without heating the heat exchanger fins which need cooling, and they are both in the same small volume. If you can put up a barrier that helps keep the two from mixing, the fridge will reward you.
-keep expectations in check; higher ambient temperature means somewhat higher fridge temperature.

I like keeping old things working too (including myself). Ammonia fridges evolved from an original Albert Einstein patent, so contemplate that while sipping warm beer.