We just returned from a week long trip to Oregon's high desert.
The Dometic refrigerator in our 2011 SD has NEVER worked right. We've thrown parts at it until we're broke and it still won't work.
It works perfectly well on AC.
It works on propane ONLY when we're actively driving and pulling the camper. Once we get into camp, set up the camper level, switch it to propane, the refrigerator will work for about half an hour and then the fault light comes on. It will attempt to restart, ticking for fifty or sixty clicks, and then fault out (stop) working again. After three times it will stop trying to restart altogether.
Sometimes it will work for a while until the propane furnace comes on, then it will stop and won't work again.
We've had techs look at it. Dometic swore it was because we let the battery drop below 12 volts, something that has never, ever happened. Ever. An RV shop that shall remain nameless (unless you PM me and I'll tell you the name of so you don't waste your money on them) replaced some parts (a thermocouple? a switch looking thing, and a circuit board for the furnace, which we later learned was totally NOT the problem). We think it might be the 'spark'. When the fridge reaches desired temperature, it shuts off, and when the temp rises, it will try three times to restart and then just quit. For good.
It doesn't matter where we are, it won't work. It won't work at sea level and it won't work in the high country of Yellowstone. It won't work in the rain forest or the desert. The only time it works on propane is when we're moving on the road.
We've given up on the durned thing and have gone back to using coolers with ice blocks (as an aside, if you spend the money, the Yeti cooler is the best cooler I've ever seen. It keeps things COLD but it sure is expensive).
We now use the refrigerator solely as a storage space for things that don't necessarily need to be kept frozen or ice cold, like bread.
We have had nothing but aggravation, frustration and disappointment with the refrigerator for 4 years. When I have folks look at the Casita I tell them that the fridge doesn't work. I hope you're reading this, Dometic. I"m this close to exploring a class action suit, although I don't have the money for that.
So imagine our astonishment when, for four days this month (Sep), it worked perfectly. We were drycamping in French Glen, OR. We turned it on propane, more out of what the heck, what have we got to lose frame of mind rather than actually expecting it to work.
It worked. It worked without a hitch, even when we got temperatures in the high 70's, even when we ran the propane furnace at night. No faulting out, nothing. It worked like it was supposed to. When it would restart it would click three times, fire off and then work like a champ.
I wrote down the things that we had done.
We leveled the camper in accordance with a level set in the freezer.
(Attached is a photo I took of our fore and aft bubble indicator. Despite the position, this is what the fore and aft bubble level reads when we use a carpenter's level in the freezer to establish refrigerator level.)
We put out the awning, something we seldom do.
I had put a frozen jug of water in the bottom of the fridge. ( I freeze jugs of water before a trip because jugs provide ice without leakage, and one can drink that nice cold water.)
And before we started our trip, we'd refilled the propane tanks AND my husband had rerouted the hose. We found that Casita had set the bracket to the tanks too low, kinking the hose in the process. (yes, it took us this long to actually get around to rerouting it). My husband raised the tank bracket a bit, allowing the hose to straighten out.
I wrote all these items down, wondering if the combination of or only one thing finally made the refrigerator work.
We left camp and moved further north and west. I thought we'd figured out how to satisfy the demands of the horrid little monster refrigerator.
We set up camp the same way. Awning out, bubble as pictured, fresh ice block in the fridge, both propane tanks on.
NOPE.
Darned thing faulted out just like always. It did NOT work. It stopped working within five minutes of turning it on propane and would not work again.
Can somebody tell me what the heck is the deal with this blankety blank piece of blank refrigerator.
Edited by Meadowlark, 24 September 2015 - 01:32 PM.