Topic: Dometic (02/02)
Presenter: Bill Hendrix, Dan Stevens
Try to get products serviced at an authorized service center. "Team 2000 Service Center" is the very best. If you're in a warranty situation, you should never have to pay up front. If they insist you pay first, go somewhere else. You can find the closest authorized service center by calling the locater service at: 1800 544-4881. Today's warranty is 2 yrs labor, parts and freight to original owners; third year parts and freight only.
Maintenance...Most important thing to do is to keep burner clean. Need to keep out soot, as otherwise will shut down. Access is typically from outside compartment directly behind fridge. Side by side are lower left corner from outside; and top fridge is lower right. Take out the 1-3 screws. Knock soot off with a scredriver, and blow it away with compressed air or simply a plain straw. Service center maintenance should be performed annually. [Note: this may be a condition of warranty, though assertedly in this class it is note enforced].
There is little difference in efficiency between propane and electric. Be sure to be reasonably level so the fridge will operate efficiently, and the cooling unit will last longer. Can run 4-6 hours during the day with fridge off (e.g. while traveling) with no significant impact on fridge temps -- so long as you keep the door closed.
Also look for spark gap for propane ignition. Small stainless steel wire (electrode) sparks down to the burner. Don't ever bend the wire; but do bend the metal so that it's 3/16" away. Only spare part to take is an extra ignitor (e.g. trip to Mexico or Alaska). Should be around $20-$30.
To clean flue: remove burner and use low pressure compressed air and blow it up and out as you're slapping on the flue enclosure. The clean burner out and reassemble.
On inside the most important thing is the door gasket. Clean vinyl door gasket impeccably. Any food spills on the gasket should be cleaned up immediately. Gasket has accordion fold, and especially on the top of the door need to clean down into that fold. Small vinyl tears can be repaired with vinyld cement. apply, close door on was paper and let it sit for a couple of hours.
Don't use abrasive on inside of fridge. Ivory liquid in warm water and wash it down. Few drops of vanilla in rinse water will leave fresh pleasant odor after cleaning.
Temperature and frost. If you want to know food temp, find an aquarium thermometer for 99 cents and keep one in a glass of water. Olive jar works well. That water will be the same temp as your food. You'd be amazed how steady the food temperature is compared to the air temperature.
No such thing as "cold" -- it is essentially the absence of "heat". Take it away, and things get cold. Transporting heat from one place to another. Frost is the enemy. If heat has to go through big layer of frost, it's inefficient. Fridge doesn't care. It'll do its best. Mild or cold weather not too important. But in warm weather it has to work much harder. Frost is always at highest place in coldest areas. How often should you defrost? In warm weather you'll need to do it more frequently.
Temps: Dairy will keep at 43 degrees. Household refrigerator will give you around 40 degrees. 38-40 degrees should be optimal for RV refrigerator. In warm to hot weather you may need to be running the cooling unit all the time. But frost will build up on aluminum fans. If you accumulate ice on fins you either are running it too cold or you have a giant air leak on your fridge door.
Note the fridge has settings from 1 to 5. 1 is warmest setting, 5 is coldest. Ideally it should be correct with a setting of 3. Fans come in two types. One is inside, and the other is in the back of the cooling unit (more effective). They help, but probably not needed in most applications. Consistently hot ambient temperatures is where this may help.
Bad door seal? Dollar bill test doesn't work any longer. Now you'll need at least a twenty. (joke) Put it in if it falls down you have a problem. Gasket is permanently attached to door. If you want a new gasket you need to replace whole door. There are replacement gaskets, but very complex to install successfully.
Should you keep refrigerator running while in storage? If that's an option, it makes no difference. He suggests leaving it on. At a minimum the heat keeps the beasties out of some hard to get to places.
Ambient switch. Low ambient switch. If it's colder than freezing outside, turn it on. To give an added heat load, which will keep it cooler. Climate control is for high humidity. If condensation on partition between freezer and fridge turn it on. Only needed in conditions of humidity.
Icemaker issues. Whatever temp reduction freezer accomplishes needs to be shared with everything else in freezer. They will produce about 3# per day, with harvest period being about 3 hours. AC needed for harvest. Ideal temperature for making ice is around -5 to +5 degrees. Temp that is available is usually 30 degrees different between middle of fridge and middle of freezer. Thus 38 in main unit will equate to about 8 in freezer. Lowest temps are in top of freezer, and top of food unit.
Air conditioners. Designed to reduce temperture 20 degrees. That's all it's designed to do. Take an ordinary probe thermometer and put it close to one of the discharge points. Take same thermometer reading at air intake point. High humidity gets maybe just 16 degrees difference; low humidity may get you 24 degrees. Keep doors and windows closed, otherwise it won't "work". Note front air conditioner usually has to handle 75% or so of the job, with much less space to cool than in the bedroom. Not much for owner to do in terms of maintenance. Need to clean return air filter, using warm water and dishwasher detergent. You need 103.5 volts for compressor to energize.
Pull your awnings out; park with windshield away from afternoon sun; use your sunscreens. Run on high fan speed