Although you may think one refrigerator work the same as the next, this isn’t correct in the land of RV fridges. It could be trickier than you think to navigate around your fridge to do any maintenance and repair.
For one, you have less space, and you’ll need to remove your refrigerator before you can look around back. So, when you have problems, it’s good tom know there is a Dometic RV refrigerator troubleshooting guide to help you avoid wasting time and effort.
Food and beverages will be in your fridge for a reason, so once your Dometic RV fridge throws up a rare problem, you need to act fast before it spoils.
In our guide, you can learn more about troubleshooting a Dometic RV refrigerator. First, we will cover the main things that go wrong with a Dometic 2852 refrigerator as not everything has issues. By the end, you’ll be able to dive right in and sort out the problem with your DM2852 Dometic refrigerator without driving around searching for an expert. (Read Dometic RV Air Conditioner Troubleshooting)
Why Is My Dometic Fridge Not Getting Cold?
Refrigerator Overheating
Overheating is one of the most common problems with the Dometic DM2852. There are a few things to know when you have a problem. First, although freezers built from RVs use less electricity, you must keep them chilled.
Because of this, you need to install your gadget in a location away from the wall with good ventilation. If your RV doesn’t have space like this, it may need you to install a small fan, mount this to the top of your fridge, and keep it cooling properly in use.
The fan should help maintain airflow and keep your fridge cool, although you may need to change refrigerator coolants if you still face heat issues. Ensure your RV is level before checking to see if your Dometic fridge is not properly cooling.
The Dometic gas absorption refrigerators need to be level for gravity to keep them cool. The condenser fins in a Dometic refrigerator also need a lot of airflow to function correctly, and you can use more fans to improve air circulation.
Last, overfilling your refrigerator prevents air circulation inside your refrigerator and can stop it from cooling to the required temperature.
Why Is My RV fridge not getting cold?
Your device’s ineffective cooling is another issue that it may experience. The primary cause of this may be somewhat inconvenient to deal with is your electrical wiring.
- Check the outlet your fridge is plugged into is in working order.
- Using a voltmeter, you can test the voltage to check for problems.
- It could be you need to change the outlet, or the problem is with the wiring on your refrigerator. This could be overloaded if you have a generator to produce your electrical power.
- Turn off some heady-duty appliances to lessen the electrical draw to fix this.
- Besides this, a Dometic RV fridge can stop working for several other reasons.
- In Dometic RV refrigerators, the control board may be defective; a bad board will cause the same problem symptoms as other areas on your refrigerator.
- It’s best to check these using your multimeter to ensure they are operating as they should. You may find the answer to getting your fridge running is something easier to fix than changing a bad board.
- If your fridge isn’t getting power, check the breaker box. Any time an electronic failure occurs, this should be your initial course of a step.
- You might need to reset a breaker or change a fuse to get power back to your equipment.
- If everything is in order there, you will need to go outside to the side of your RV to locate the back access panel for your fridge.
- Remove the control board cover so you can check the fuses and remove the plastic cover to reveal the parts that keep your fridge working. If you notice a yellow, sulfuric buildup, you have a significant matter on your hands.
If you spot this, your cooling system may have an ammonia leak, preventing proper cooling. Check each connection along the line from the battery to your refrigerator that they are receiving 12-volt or 120-volt power. (Read Dometic RV AC Capacitor Replacement)
Why Is My Dometic Fridge Not Working But The Freezer Is?
Do you have a temp cooling problem with your freezer working yet the refrigerator section isn’t? One day it may work fine, and you have a problem. Here’s a few reasons that could cause this.
Frozen Evaporator coils:
This cooling unit cools the air, keeping food safe and fresh at the right temperature. However, if these coils are freezing up, it stops air from reaching them. This lack of oxygen won’t let your fridge cool. If you check the evaporator coils and observe frost, use a hairdryer to warm them up. Your fridge should generally work once the frost melts.
Broken Evaporator Fan:
If the above is working, try this to figure out why your fridge isn’t chilling to the right temp. If your fridge’s fan isn’t working, it won’t get enough cool air to cool down. The fan’s noise can show a problem. If your fridge is noisy, replace it with the correct part and model. Using the wrong fan can cause problems and cost extra.
Damper Control Defective:
Often, a fridge doesn’t have separate cooling and uses freezer air. The damper regulates cold air from the freezer to the fridge. If this device malfunctions, it could stop the cool air passage, preventing your fridge from cooling. To troubleshoot this section, examine the device and test it to determine if it’s working. If it’s broken, it’s a good idea to replace it.
Faulty Thermistor:
The thermistor takes temperature readings where it is placed on the cooling unit and sends readings to the thermostat. A working thermistor should read 8 to 10K ohms in ice water.
The thermostat limits the flow of cool air to the fridge because of receiving inaccurate information from a damaged or broken thermistor. This exposure can deteriorate them and put you in this problematic scenario, yet you won’t have it on a new fridge cooling unit.
To prevent this, you must frequently check your thermistors to ensure they have not been damaged by electrical current. If they have, you must replace them with a new thermistor to avoid this problem.
Why Is My RV Fridge Not Working On Electric Or Gas?
Reset switches are frequently included with Dometic refrigerators. Some models have it behind the compressor within the fridge. It is located right inside the door on some models. The location of your reset switch depends on the type of your refrigerator. To validate the location of the reset switch on your particular model, check the literature included with your RV.
Unplug your RV from all power sources once you’ve located the switch. Hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds, then let go. This procedure must be repeated several times. Once you’ve reset the refrigerator, you can turn on the power to your RV.
LP Gas
First, circumvent the LP system by placing your fridge on auto while onshore/AC power.
- Remove the fridge’s vent cover while off to test the propane. Next, remove the metal cover under the flue tube near the cooling unit.
- Turn your fridge on gas, not auto, and listen for the sound of flowing gas.
- Once lit, see the blue flame. If not, there may be an air bubble in your line; bleed the line (turn the propane off and light the stove until the flame goes out and there’s no propane in the line before turning propane back on) and try again.
- Next, clean your flue and flue baffle. The flue is the chimney of your fridge, and the flue baffle is a twisted metal component that sits inside the flue tube.
- Dust and accumulation might hinder your fridge’s performance.
Electric
First, circumvent the 120v system by putting your Dometic RV fridge to gas while detached from shore power using only propane and 12v DC power. Turn off the fridge, turn to auto, and connect to shore/AC power. Turn and check if it warms. If not, replace the electric heating element or keep it plugged into gas until you get to a location you can fix it. (Read Dometic RV Refrigerator Reset Guide)
Ammonia Leak
Only clear tubes allow ammonia to alter its state. Possible blockage can be “burped” by turning the fridge over down.
RV Fridge Troubleshooting To Bleed Propane Lines
- Disconnect Dometic Fridge Control Board
- Disconnect gas line
- Snip any zip ties holding things in place (take a picture of where things are)
- Unscrew the frame of the fridge
- Unscrew and disconnect the eyebrow control board
- Remove Dometic RV fridge door
- Carefully pull it out of its location
- Turn it on its side on the floor or table.
- Turn upside down to burp while listening for the sounds of liquid trickling.
- Repeat and leave upside down on a level surface.
- After a few hours, turn it right side up and leave it overnight before turning it back on.
