Found a dometic RM 190

[jcham1970]

I found a dometic rm190 refrigerator on Craigslist this week. It was at an rv dealership. This is a 12 volt/ propane unit only. I stopped by in the morning and met the service tech and he had it hooked up in 12 volt mode and it was cooling. He couldn't find the propane bottle while I was there, so I left, went to work, and stopped by later in the afternoon. He had found the propane bottle and had it running on that by the time I got there. The fridge was ice cold, and the freezer section was had frozen drops of water on it. I decided to by it for a hundred dollars. It's really clean and does seem to work well. I want to install it in my 13' scamp as the dimensions seem just right for it, but am having second thoughts on designing my cabinets around an older fridge. Does anyone have any knowledge or expirence on this model? Is this fridge able to run 12volt while hooked up to 120volt with the use of a converter? I have looked for manuals on this model, but only seem to find the service manual for multiple models, but not a users manual for this specific model. Thanks!

[Donna D.]

Jeremy you take your chances on any absorbtion refrigerator of just about any age.

I believe the Dometic RM190 was very popular with the popup crowd. You may want to see if you can find a forum for tent trailers and ask the question there.... like if someone has a manual. If they do, SHARE. It would make a great addition to the Document Center

[Thomas G.]

You might find this conversion chart useful to see what you could replace this refrigerator with if and when it dies.

http://www.thetford.com/Portals/0/PD...Chart_2012.pdf

Yes, you can run it off the converter, though on some refrigerators the 12 volt heater was less effective than the 120 volt heater (on 3 way fridges).

[Bob Miller]

I had a similar Dometic DC/LP only box in an earlier RV. I was told that they were popular with truckers as well. Anyway, as it was difficult to get the 10-12 amps it needed on DC with a looooong wire from the alternator, I used the LP when on the road and yes, I ran it off the converter (PD 9260, 60 amp) when power was available.
But, it will draw 10-12 amps, or almost 1/2 of what many smaller converters are capable of supplying.

Because it's a resistive circuit, as long as there are no electronics in place, you can also run the heater off of a 120-12 VAC stepdown transformer. But be careful, it's ok in theory buit I haven't triesd it in practrice.

And for $100, grab it....

[jcham1970]

Tonight, I hooked the fridge up to a 12 volt battery, and after about 20 mins. I could feel the tubes on the back heating up, too hot to touch. Inside, the freezer section was very cold and had frozen condensation forming. The tag on the back says it draws 8 amps 12 volt, so maybe with some decent gauge wiring it could run while driving on a trip on 12volt. Plus, I witnessed it work very well on LPG before I bought it. I guess its worth it, and thanks Thomas for the conversion chart, gives me an idea of space allowance for a replacement, should this frigde die on me. One thing that I am concerned about is vent size. It states on the tag use "only rm190 vents". So thanks Donna, I will look on other sites for more info, and if I find any, I will post them here for sure!

[Donna D.]

Jeremy, here's another replacement chart for sizing, from Dometic: Dometic RV Refrigeration - Replacement Chart

[jcham1970]

Thanks, I think I will plan the cabinet to fit the slightly larger replacement fridge, then shim it down to fit the rm190. When the time comes, it should be simple to change out.

[rynomill]

Jcham,

I'm in desperate search for a 190... any chance you'd like to sell yours? I'm in Oregon... PRETTY PLEASE!

Thank you,
Ryan

[jcham1970]

So, after the previous post, and lots of arm twisting, I was talked out of my dometic rm190! lol. Now I am on the lookout for another fridge and am leaning towards a nova kool dc only. I have a converter, so I don't see the need for an ac/dc model. The efficiency of the Nova Kool seems like it would suit my needs well. If I am boon docking, I have a 2000 watt Yamaha generator if I need it.
I thought I would post a service manual, that I found, which covers the RM190 as well as other models. Maybe it could be added to the document center? http://www.nwrvsupply.com/manuals/do...diagnostic.pdf

[Steve Hammel]

Don't limit yourself to just Nova-Kool. There are several brands of 12v compressor style fridges out there and they are all highly efficient. The most efficient of the 12v are the ones with the Danfoss compressor. Engel uses another style system and although quality units they are more expensive and according to some reports not as good as the Danfoss system. Here is a link to a discussion we had a while back. The link to the comparison between the different styles of compressor is now dead unfortunately.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ges-55758.html

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by jcham1970

I thought I would post a service manual, that I found, which covers the RM190 as well as other models. Maybe it could be added to the document center? http://www.nwrvsupply.com/manuals/do...diagnostic.pdf

I just added it to the Document Center for you Jeremy... as supplied by you. It may take a day or so before approved for viewing by the membership.

THANKS!