Dometic fridge not cooling

Posted on 18/07/2019 12:49 by Tinwheeler

The fridge will only work on 12v when your caravan is connected to the car with the engine running so, in the circumstances you describe, Miggs, there would have been no power to the fridge cooling element.

Posted on 16/07/2019 12:26 by oldpastonian

I have a Dometic RMD 8551 fridge (with separate freezer) in my 5 year old Sterling. I can see there have been other posts about apparent issues with this model not cooling to food safe temperatures. In my case I don't think its worked properly from new and in ambient temperatures of 25 degrees C to 30 degrees C the fridge barely manages 10 degrees C, (and not much below that at all in cooler UK temperatures) although bizarrely the freezer easily maintains well below freezing and quickly freezes ice cubes.

I've always followed the standard advice (level, shaded from sun, limit door opening etc) and removed the ventilation vents and have just now fitted additional ventilation fans, none of which makes any difference. As far as i can tell it has been installed in accordance with Dometic instructions.Using gas makes no difference.

It's not safe to store perishable food at 10 degrees C plus and it's fortunate I have a compressor driven portable fridge I can use as well while here in Brittany on holiday.

I raised the issue with Dometic back in 2016, but they more or less dismissed the problems siting the same advice as I've mentioned earlier. They also said the normal operating temperature for the fridge is 7 degrees C, which to my mind makes it not fit for purpose anyway as I understand perishable foods need about 4-5 degrees C for safety.

Previous fridges used in the same pitch have always worked satisfactorily even freezing in the fridge compartment sometimes in higher ambient temperatures so I'm pretty much convinced there is potentially a design flaw (or manufacturing fault) with this model given the various forum discussions about it (and as I've experienced the issues since new).

Perhaps there is a blockage or narrow cooling tube and maybe related to a design or manufacturing flaw.

Is this issue familiar to any one else and if so any solutions please?

Posted on 18/07/2019 14:30 by

oldpastonian, I have the same fridge / freezer in our Carthago Chic C-Line.  I agree with your figures regarding safety.  Current advice is 4-5 C for the fridge and -18 C for the freezer.  Our achieves this well even in very hot weather.  I have measured with different thermometers, at different times, and different conditions, using both mains and gas.  It will even substantially cool when running on 12v, something that others often say does not happen.  

Posted on 18/07/2019 14:11 by Miggs

That could go some way to explain why it didn't cool down very much!