Dometic Fridge Help

[Pete and Kathy C]

Hello All,

We have a boler with with Dometic 2-way fridge(110v/propane) Model #23a prod # 9263507 that works by making frost on the coil in the freezer but does not seem to keep the entire fridge cold. Would this be an insulation issue E.G needs to be removed and re-insulated???

Please advise if you know about these appliances.

Thanks so much

[J.R.]

I don't know about your model, but several years ago we had similar problems and took the trailer to a dealer who had it fixed in less than a day. I was told they had to "burp" the refrigerator which if I remember correctly involved turning the unit upside down for a few hours, then reinstalling and waiting a few more hours before turning the unit back on. You would have to ask a professional before doing this yourself.

[Pete and Kathy C]

Thanks J.R. Interesting!

[beemerphile1]

Is the thermistor in the correct position?

[Pete and Kathy C]

I will get hubby to double check that Tim. He's that handy one.

[kellyben]

I have a Dometic 211 that was having a similar issue when run on propane (didn't experience the issue on 110v). Despite running for up to 8 hours, the temp in the fridge wouldn't drop below 50 degrees.

Yesterday, I pulled the jet, soaked it in alcohol and then blew compressed air through it. I also cleaned the burner, the connections on the thermocouple and the flue, then used a wire brush to lift old dirt/dust from the coils and fins and blew compressed air over those as well.

Performance is instantly better. Within about 6 hours, I was able to drop the temp from 70 degrees down to 33 and it was still headed in the downward direction when I shut the fridge off at that point.

I'm also going to be picking up one of these little battery operated circulation fans, which others have stated speeds the cooling process considerably.

In summary, your fridge may just need a good cleaning. Seems to be all mine was in need of.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Pete and Kathy C

that works by making frost on the coil in the freezer but does not seem to keep the entire fridge cold. Would this be an insulation issue E.G needs to be removed and re-insulated???

The frost makes it sound like it is working. These fridges take a lot longer to cool than the ones at home. There are many threads on adding fans inside and outside, venting and "almost good venting" plus insulating your fridge to improve efficiency. All good things to look up.

[Pete and Kathy C]

Great info kellyben. Hubby is going to remove the fridge and give her some good TLC with hope it will work optimally again. :-)

[IslandBlue]

Wondering if I can tag a question here regarding the Dometic 211. I was advised by the PO not to run our fridge on propane due to it's age and a friend of his said "With the age of these things its ill advised to use it on Propane in case of leaks.

So, can anyone tell me where I can leak test the 211 to know if it IS safe to run on propane? I know so little about these things.

It doesn't work on 110v so propane is my only option as it's not connected to 12V.

Thanks so much!
Richard

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by IslandBlue

Wondering if I can tag a question here regarding the Dometic 211. I was advised by the PO not to run our fridge on propane due to it's age and a friend of his said "With the age of these things its ill advised to use it on Propane in case of leaks.

So, can anyone tell me where I can leak test the 211 to know if it IS safe to run on propane? I know so little about these things.

It doesn't work on 110v so propane is my only option as it's not connected to 12V.

Thanks so much!
Richard

Richard, The gas in the fridge is ammonia, with traces of hydrogen. I don't believe there is a danger of combustion. I have never heard of a leaking fridge causing any problems, other than a non working fridge. There are probably thousands of RM211's being used today. The PO was over cautious.

If it works, use it.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by IslandBlue

Wondering if I can tag a question here regarding the Dometic 211. I was advised by the PO not to run our fridge on propane due to it's age and a friend of his said "With the age of these things its ill advised to use it on Propane in case of leaks.

So, can anyone tell me where I can leak test the 211 to know if it IS safe to run on propane? I know so little about these things.

It doesn't work on 110v so propane is my only option as it's not connected to 12V.

Thanks so much!
Richard

The age of the fridge doesnt really matter - its whether or not your propane fitting are leaking or not and that can happen on new fridges and stoves as well. Also the condition of the burner should be checked. Checked for leaks or take it to an rv shop and have them check all your propane fittings - which should be done reqularly anyways.

[IslandBlue]

Great advice, thank you! Good to know age not so much the concern, but rather the fittings themselves.

Cleaning burner best down with wire brush, or low-grit sandpaper?


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Carol H]

Richard if you go to the Documents Center on the home page of this list you will find service manuals for many different types of fridges to download. If you can't find one for your model just down load another of similar model as the servicing on them is pretty common to all of them.

[Pete and Kathy C]

This is all such great advise. Thanks for mentioning the documents section as I didn't know it existed. Cheers!!

[Bob Miller]

Going all the way back to the starter thread.

The absorbtion refrigerator does not make your beer cold by making frost. If it is making a lot of frost it usually indicates that your door seal is leaking air and, in that case, it will never get really cold. In fact, just like in your old home refrigerator, frost on the cooling coils actually reduced the efficiency of the refrigerator.

The Model; 23 was the original refrigerator in your Boler, I had the same one in my 1973 Hunter until recently and it worked fine until I pulled it for one with more inside space but, that said, I hardly ever saw any frost on the freezer section.

I suggest that you look at the seal around the door and also check and see if the door itself might be warped. Go around the edge of the door and if you can easily slide a 3x5" card in between the door seal and the case, air can get by as well.

What else helps is to use extra latches on the door, one at the top and one at the bottom, to keep is sealed when closed.

But also keep in mind, it is 40+ years old and was very sensitive to be running out of level over it's life.

[Pete and Kathy C]

Hi Bob,
I am so glad I joined this site for brainstorming-its great. Thankfully hubby is handy, so we will definitely be paying attention to the door/seal , as we plan on removing the fridge to give it some needed tlc. Hopefully it will function better after that. We are camping this week and just using coolers.

Take Care and thanks for the advice!!
Kathy

[IslandBlue]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Richard, The gas in the fridge is ammonia, with traces of hydrogen. I don't believe there is a danger of combustion. I have never heard of a leaking fridge causing any problems, other than a non working fridge. There are probably thousands of RM211's being used today. The PO was over cautious.

If it works, use it.

Thanks everyone! I took the plunge.. leak tested everything.. and after several attempts got the old beast and in less than an hour.. COOOLD!!! So pleased... appreciate the encouragment!