Dometic fridge is dead

[huntr70]

You looked into the DC fridges and you felt they were too small compared to what you are using now? Most of the absorption fridges in trailers today are 6 or 8 cubic feet. The Norcold 10 DC compressor fridge is 9.7 cubic feet and fits in the same space as the 8 cubic foot absorption model. And if it is like any other DC compressor fridge I have used, it will keep ice cream good and hard and refrigerator items good and cold.

But any fridge will have a tough time keeping things cold if the door is being opened all the time. For kids I would just keep a Coleman cooler with ice packs and drinks. I have a 54 qt Coleman Cooler and use Cooler Shock ice packs and it will keep drinks very cold for several days. No mess from melting ice either.

But I can see getting a residential if one needs more than 10 CF. But then, if you want it to run while towing, you are going to have to install an inverter if you don't already have one. Whereas the DC fridge can run all the time with no modification or additions to the the electrical systems. I don't think some realize that a DC compressor fridge and a residential fridge are the very same critter. A residential fridge just converts AC to DC internally and does the very same thing as a DC fridge. At least the DC fridge is built for mobile applications and can take more abuse.

THe OP has a 12 cf fridge now, so he would be going smaller with a DC comp refer.

[ncitro]

Update: After thinking the fridge was dead, we stored the trailer for a month while we continued on to our in-laws' place in Vancouver, B.C. When picked the trailer back up, woila, the fridge started working again. So it was problem was definitely due to our parking very out of level for a couple of hours at that orchard.

Now the problem we've been having is, on very hot days (90+ degrees F), we end up with some very high internal temps - up to 48 degrees! That's not good for the food.

I may end up trying the internal and external fan mods. If that doesn't work, I'm ripping the dammed thing out and getting a residential fridge. We don't boondock ever, so I'm not worried about the power. I looked at those DC fridges. They're too small for our family of 5. I would love to have an icemaker and hard ice cream as well!

With 3 kids, the fridge gets opened and closed constantly as well. On this last trip we had to resort to putting our drinks in the ice chest and leaving the thing inside so the kids would just use that. We also kept a bunch of drinks in the small outside refrigerator (which btw cools a zillion times better than the Dometic).

I'm sick and tired of having to worry about fridge temps! I'm strongly leaning towards a residential unit.

I'm about a month into my residential conversion and I absolutely love it. Easily twice the space of my Dometic 12cf, makes ice and no problem keeping up with temps. Best upgrade I've made to the rig. I just got to the point where I had no confidence in my fridge, and was always wondering if I was going to have throw my food away today. I'm at the national rally and I've talked to at least 5 people with the same issue.

As far as the 12v compressor units that sounds great but they're way too small and too expensive for what you get. I'm sure the residential unit I bought was cheaper even after my inverter (which admittedly I already had), and it's bigger.

[ncitro]

You looked into the DC fridges and you felt they were too small compared to what you are using now? Most of the absorption fridges in trailers today are 6 or 8 cubic feet. The Norcold 10 DC compressor fridge is 9.7 cubic feet and fits in the same space as the 8 cubic foot absorption model. And if it is like any other DC compressor fridge I have used, it will keep ice cream good and hard and refrigerator items good and cold.

But any fridge will have a tough time keeping things cold if the door is being opened all the time. For kids I would just keep a Coleman cooler with ice packs and drinks. I have a 54 qt Coleman Cooler and use Cooler Shock ice packs and it will keep drinks very cold for several days. No mess from melting ice either.

But I can see getting a residential if one needs more than 10 CF. But then, if you want it to run while towing, you are going to have to install an inverter if you don't already have one. Whereas the DC fridge can run all the time with no modification or additions to the the electrical systems. I don't think some realize that a DC compressor fridge and a residential fridge are the very same critter. A residential fridge just converts AC to DC internally and does the very same thing as a DC fridge. At least the DC fridge is built for mobile applications and can take more abuse.

Most of the Grand Design fifth wheels are using the 12cf fridge.

[PHMadness]

Most of the Grand Design fifth wheels are using the 12cf fridge.

I think most are 18 CF now.

[ncitro]

That’s what I meant lol.

I think most are 18 CF now.