We keep our van in the cave while at home.I took it for granted that the vans Dometic fridge was still on/ operating on AC, and keeping our door seals from drying out on the lowest setting (1).
On Friday night while showing some folks the van, I opened the fridge door to check the temp. Not working..
Our van is a 2015 Jayco Outback Pop top.
The Dometic is a 3 x AC/ DC /Gas RM2553 173lt unit. I did the following checks, Power lead plug in to the wall and on. Lead still connected to the van as it should. The fridges power lead connected and switched on. The power was on indicated by the red confirmation light. Fridge set to AC. Zero.
Looked up Mr Google. Ok the fridge is run on Ammonia gas and how it works. Interesting read. Stay calm Old and Grey and use your problem solving brain here.
So over time the Ammonia gas can settle at the bottom of the tubes and consolidate, thus the unit go's hot. How can this be so, if it was running. Could the AC heater unit have burnt out after five years.
So If the heater were to be turned up by changing the setting to (4) and left for 24hrs would that get the Ammonia gas moving again. Oh yes it did the Trick. This morning she is going again.
DC working. Gas . Turned the dial over to gas.Tried the first bottle, depressed the gas fuse and Pushed both buttons on the fridge over and over. ZERO. Tryed the Stove jets x 3 Zero.
Switched to second bottle plus moved the selector to same. Hit the stove again and 123 all lit up. I left them run while attempting to Start the fridge. Bingo Fridge up and going on the gas.
My thoughts are the gas lines are FULL of air till the gas pushes the air through. As I always run the gas out before turning off the gas bottle before leaving the overnight stop.
So today I will run the fridge on Max AC, and report back. Hope this may be of some of our fellow nomads.
Also read that one chap was told his fridge had bit the bullet by a service dealer. He rang another who told him to take his unit out and turn it over on its sides, over and over to move the gas from the bottom to the top.
Reinstalled and has worked ever since.
So We hope this might help some here save $$$ before heading off to a service centre for no need.
Say safe and have a Merry Xmas.
Old & Grey
-- Edited by Old and Grey on Sunday 20th of December 2020 11:57:03 AM
There's absolutely no sense in running a fridge of any type full time, wearing out heater and thermostat and other bits just to keep seals (the cheapest part of a fridge to replace) from "drying out". I hope there's only 2 people who do this, you and the genius who told you.
So leave it off and you won't need to Head off to a service centre.
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Chris & Sharyn.
Tea Gardens. NSW.
2015 VW Touareg V6 Air suspension, 2012 Jayco Sterling 21.
Ammonia gas also builds up crystals that block the pipes up.
With smaller camping fridges, turning them upside down helped overcome that problem but with bigger van fridges, that is hardly practical.
And with people winginging about cost of power these days, global warming, I'd only run the van only if I really needed it.
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Warren
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
There's absolutely no sense in running a fridge of any type full time, wearing out heater and thermostat and other bits just to keep seals (the cheapest part of a fridge to replace) from "drying out". I hope there's only 2 people who do this, you and the genius who told you.
So leave it off and you won't need to Head off to a service centre.
Oh Chris,
What load of hog wash.
If running a fridge on the lowest setting for the past five years can burn out a heater. Then you better let the people over at Dometic know about the heater they use.
As for the Thermostat,They are good in most cases for 10 -12 years without trouble. The rubber O ring seals, cause the most problems drying out and letting the gas go.Letting the fridge get hotter and hotter, till you have to chuck the lot, and restock, till the penny drops.
Looking after the fridge seals will look after your well stocked fridge and keep the fridge at a much cooler running temp around the clock.
There's absolutely no sense in running a fridge of any type full time, wearing out heater and thermostat and other bits just to keep seals (the cheapest part of a fridge to replace) from "drying out". I hope there's only 2 people who do this, you and the genius who told you.
So leave it off and you won't need to Head off to a service centre.
100% agree, I got told the same thing with my Engle nearly 30 years ago - it is just not true
Not working.
. How can this be so, if it was running. Could the AC heater unit have burnt out after five years
. Gas 
