Dometic fridge troubleshooting

[Zeppo]

Hello, another question!

My dometic fridge in our boler, appears to be original, works excellently on propane. When switched to electrical it doesn't work. I had it plugged in for 24 hrs and stayed warm. Any advice how I should determine the problem?

Thank you

[Raz]

Welcome to the forum.

With the power disconnected, first look for a bad fuse. Next, on mine there is a heating element for DC and a second for AC. They both are inside the chimney. Find the element wires and measure them with an ohmmeter. If open, replace the element. Resistance values should be in the service manual or you can use Ohm's law : R = V/I . If that's ok work your way back to the supply looking for a bad switch or loose connections. Good Luck, Raz

[Zeppo]

Thanks for the tips Raz. Will be picking up an ohmmeter and doing as you suggested. I found where the fuse is. Never used a fuse like this before (haven't tinkered with RVs or anything this old before). It's long cylindrical and plastic with the metal on the outside exposed. It's in a housing that sort of twists apart and is connected to the wires. If its no good, I'm assuming the metal would just be broken, right?

Thanks again.

[John_M]

If it looked like one of these, then yes - the metal would be broken.

[Raz]

Yes , if blown they will be broken, might appear melted. If they look like the ones John shows they might be tough to find locally. You might need to replace the holder and fuse. More importantly if blown then why?

Do you have a manual for the refrigerator. If not, check in the appliance section of the document center. (Just under resources, left hand column).
Raz

[Thomas G.]

I've noticed a common thread in electrical questions on this forum - lack of knowledge on how to use a multimeter. You can get an acceptable multimeter for $10 or less - free at Harbor Freight with a coupon.

Lots of good how-to videos on YouTube including this one.

THE BEST Multimeter tutorial (HD) - YouTube

[Bob Miller]

Fuses
If your Dometic uses "Torpedo" fuses, they are well known for building up corrosion/resistance at the ends where they contact the fuse holder. It's a good idea to just replace it with an in-line fuse holder. Those that had air-cooled VW's are very familiar with having to go to the fuse block and roll each of the fuses in their holders to get something working again. If you are having trouble finding those fuses, try asking for "Old Vokswagen fuses".