stevlars Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I'm a newbie with a 1985 Toyota Dolphin. The frig works, but no matter what thermostat setting (1, 4 or Max) it gets down to about 12 degree F overnight. After reading, I tried disconnecting the thermistor from the fins in the rear, but get the same result. Does anyone have experience with these older Dometic refrigerators (non-electronic)? Does this sound like a bum thermostat? Anything else I should try before purchasing a thermostat? If it is thermostat, should I have a regular repair place do the work or is a reasonable DIY project? Thanks. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Well how cold is it outside. If it's close to freezing outside it will freeze in your fridge. General rule is they cool to about 40 degrees below outside temps. Turn it off if it's that cold. It will still be pretty darn cold the next morning no problem. I hae it when I forget how cold they get. Wake up to mushy fruit in the morning. On the other hand if it's 100 out there is kind of no way to keep anything really cold. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevlars Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 Thanks for your reply. Makes sense. When say it's 50 degrees F outside (or warmer) do you see any difference in thermostat settings (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or Max)? I'm willing to wait until warmer weather on a trip this summer, but if it is possible to get some flexibility out of thermostat settings, I'd be into replacing the thermostat (if it is bad). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevlars Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 Oh yes, at about 40 degrees F outside the frig will go down to 17 degrees F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I would have to check what I have mine set on. I think pretty much in the middle. The only time I ever changed it was when it was 113 outside. Turned it all the way up and still didn't help much. I saved my food by hanging a wet sheet over the outside vent area. Shade and cooling effect of evaporation was just enough to keep it marginally cold. In normal camping temps they are great though. No electric, propane lasts forever and can still have an ice cream bar out in the wilderness. That's what I call camping Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Cold beer and ice cream how can that be bad? I have two small computer fans that I turn on when it's really hot out blowing on the condenser fins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerRob Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Dometic RM2400 in my Sunland Express. I think my thermostat's broken (turns all the way around with no friction, doesn't seem to matter where I set it) and I can probably source a new one for around $90.00, but it seems like it hovers around 30 degrees in the fridge when it gets warmer so I'm just happy it gets as cold as it does - besides, I'd have to practically gut the thing to get a new thermostat in there. It also depends on how much stuff you have packed in there and how much you access the fridge. I'm super impressed that I can keep everything this cold on that tiny little propane flame - why aren't our domestic refrigerators run on gas for the most part? Electric compressors are heat hogs and use a lot more power... Edited April 10, 2014 by RiggerRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Dometic RM2400 in my Sunland Express. I think my thermostat's broken (turns all the way around with no friction, doesn't seem to matter where I set it) and I can probably source a new one for around $90.00, but it seems like it hovers around 30 degrees in the fridge when it gets warmer so I'm just happy it gets as cold as it does - besides, I'd have to practically gut the thing to get a new thermostat in there. It also depends on how much stuff you have packed in there and how much you access the fridge. I'm super impressed that I can keep everything this cold on that tiny little propane flame - why aren't our domestic refrigerators run on gas for the most part? Electric compressors are heat hogs and use a lot more power... They don't do well when people open the door and stand there wondering what to eat. I had one in an apt. in down town Baltimore (1965) and it was not vented to the outside like the RV one and it got hot from the burning gas and the condenser. They do sell home gas ones to the off grid folks pretty pricey. If my camper one went toes up I would replace it with a new gas one and not even blink at the price there is no way I would want to be tied to any power when it's so easy to transport propane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Do the Dometics actually have a "thermostat", or do you just set it to a level, and that's where it stays? My impression of my brand new 3-way is that it just cools to what setting I have it on. It doesn't put out more effort when the temps go up, or less when they go down. If it's set on "low", it'll just put that high of a flame out, and not adjust itself to outside temps in any way. Correct? I've been trying to get it figured out...so far I've just been turning it down at night, then up during the day. I'm out in the desert right now, so it's 70-80 during the day, 30s or 40s at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Even on gas it does modulate the flame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Interesting. Well, like I said, I'm figuring it out. I'll dig out the manual. One thing I have learned is that my flame will blow out when I drive with the propane on. Maybe I've just been in extreme conditions...a couple times it didn't blow out, but mostly it has. It's been pretty windy around here lately, though. Getting pushed all over the road. It seems like at 50-60, it works great on low. Once it gets even slightly above that, it needs to be on high. But definitely needs to go back to low at night or stuff freezes. I put a couple layers of insulation around it when I installed it, but of course the bottom, front (door) and back only have what the fridge came with, so it's only helping so much. Anyways... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Well I learned that my fridge uses an actual thermostat on 120V and gas, but surprisingly is just "on" when using 12V. No thermostat. Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Well I learned that my fridge uses an actual thermostat on 120V and gas, but surprisingly is just "on" when using 12V. No thermostat. Interesting. Most likely the 12 volt heater is not enough to freeze stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I see. Well, I've been convinced not to use it anyways. Except when it's really windy on the highway, the fridge has been staying lit while I drive. So I'll probably just stick with propane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Yeah I use propane I'm just too dingy to remember to switch it so I end up with a dead battery and warm food. Never had mine blow out even at the beach in gale force winds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Good. Luckily mine has some sensor that shuts off the gas flow if it blows out, so that's nice. I just remember to check every now and then when I'm driving. I have to stop every 170-200 miles for gas anyways, since my tank is so small, so there's not much chance that I'd go much more than a couple hours without the fridge on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bornwithatail Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Has anyone charged their dometic, with refrigerant? If what did you use 410a? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Has anyone charged their dometic, with refrigerant? If what did you use 410a? It's not what most people would think of as refrigerant. These refrigerators work with ammonia and the cooling is brought about by heating and cooling this ammonia solution. Not for the home fixer person. Rebuilt cooling units can be purchased though and replacement is not complicated. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bornwithatail Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 My domestic is workin, it's just not gettin as cold as I would expect. I haven't tried it on propane because I have it pulled out of my coach. I'm a union sheetmetal worker so I have dealt with some refrigeration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Has anyone charged their dometic, with refrigerant? If what did you use 410a? It think that would defy the laws of physics as they apply to AC. 410A is a refrigerant made for compressor-type cooling systems. Not ammonia-based or acid-based absorption systems like a Dometic 3-way. Both systems use refrigerants that boil at temps below 0 F - but the condensing process is very different. 410A refrigerant is made for a system that compresses it and then forces it into a pressure drop very fast. Ammonia in a 3-way only needs heat. No moving parts, no mechanical pressure created. There are also absorption coolers that use salt-water instead of ammonia. None I've ever heard of though that are factory made for an RV. Dometic was a part of the Swedish Electrolux company and came out with an absorption refrigerator around the same time as Albert Einstein filed a patent for his version. Mid 1920s. Electrolux bought the rights to it from Einstein. They were being used in the 1930s in mobile vehicles for cooling. Not sure how different they were as compared to what we use now. The image is the version that Albert Einstein and his student invented and sold to Electrolux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Level your dometic at the collector or you will have issues with freezer over freezing collecting ice inside the evaporator causing the fridge portion to die from dried up chemicals, run gas on high use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the entire freezer section for 10 minutes at 80° let it over freeze again do this three times and your fridge will work like new again this is bad flow causing hot vapor to overheat the cooler going into the collector from chemical build up running the boiler on high with hot vapor from inside uses the frozen water in the evaporator to clean the plumbing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 ? New to these RV Dometic gas and electric. My RV is not as level as it should be and my fridge won’t work but I can hear it click when I plug it into hookups. I did hear they are very sensitive to being almost perfectly level in order to run ???? Please help..... my food is getting spoiled.👎 😖 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.