Refrigerator problems

**IBEW Sparky** · 11-13-2021, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by deerislandbrew

My setting for this fridge is #5 the max, coolest setting possible. The fridge performed poorly from the beginning with stock fans. That is why I have done all the mods I can. I'm not an engineer, so I only go by the principle that cooler air, or any air at the bottom of the compartment, being pulled in, and exhaust fans at the top vent, pulling air out, should be beneficial. By baffle, your refering to the fixture of metal angled over the top of fridge on outside to move air out the vent? I also stuffed insulation into the corners and sealed all that with duct tape. So...over engineered? Hum...

You could definitely just have gotten a bad refrigerator. When my 2019 337RLS was new the refrigerator started acting up in the first month. Temps outside would go down to 60° at night and my refrigerator was at 47-51°. After several trips back to the dealership and them telling me it was fixed, only for it to do the same thing a day or two later. My new RV was in the shop way too much, once for 6 weeks! They had tried so many different remedies and nothing worked. I cancelled trips, I lost food, I lost money on camping deposits, and I finally lost my patience. I sat down with the owner of the dealership and told him I wanted a new refrigerator and he said he would have to check to see if he would get reimbursed for it. I told him I didn't buy it from Dometic, I didn't buy it from GD, I bought this RV from HIM and I expected HIM to step up to the plate and make it right...and that I honestly wasn't concerned if he got reimbursed for it! The next day he personally called me up and said my refrigerator was ordered and would be in the following week. This refrigerator has been much better, the highest temps I've ever seen was 38° and that was when the doors were open frequently while preparing dinner on a warm day. It normally stays in the 33-34° range on setting #5.

Pay attention to the time of day when you start the refrigerator. Noon to 2pm is optimal as it puts the defrost cycle to operate during the night when the doors aren't opened which allows a quicker recovery to colder operating temperature.

**Bigfitz** · 11-14-2021, 12:59 PM

The large double door is a different beast compared to yours

**deerislandbrew** · 11-14-2021, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by IBEW Sparky

You could definitely just have gotten a bad refrigerator. When my 2019 337RLS was new the refrigerator started acting up in the first month. Temps outside would go down to 60° at night and my refrigerator was at 47-51°. After several trips back to the dealership and them telling me it was fixed, only for it to do the same thing a day or two later. My new RV was in the shop way too much, once for 6 weeks! They had tried so many different remedies and nothing worked. I cancelled trips, I lost food, I lost money on camping deposits, and I finally lost my patience. I sat down with the owner of the dealership and told him I wanted a new refrigerator and he said he would have to check to see if he would get reimbursed for it. I told him I didn't buy it from Dometic, I didn't buy it from GD, I bought this RV from HIM and I expected HIM to step up to the plate and make it right...and that I honestly wasn't concerned if he got reimbursed for it! The next day he personally called me up and said my refrigerator was ordered and would be in the following week. This refrigerator has been much better, the highest temps I've ever seen was 38° and that was when the doors were open frequently while preparing dinner on a warm day. It normally stays in the 33-34° range on setting #5.

Pay attention to the time of day when you start the refrigerator. Noon to 2pm is optimal as it puts the defrost cycle to operate during the night when the doors aren't opened which allows a quicker recovery to colder operating temperature.

You don't mention what the replacement fridge is? Or even the original model # of the Dometic? Glad you have a good one. Mine has not been as bad as you describe yours. Cooler nights help. Mine was 34* this am.

**IBEW Sparky** · 11-14-2021, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Bigfitz

The large double door is a different beast compared to yours

I do have the "large double door" in my 337RLS... same beast as the OP was referring to.

**IBEW Sparky** · 11-14-2021, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by deerislandbrew

You don't mention what the replacement fridge is? Or even the original model # of the Dometic? Glad you have a good one. Mine has not been as bad as you describe yours. Cooler nights help. Mine was 34* this am.

Sorry, I thought it was a given which refrigerator was in the 337RLS. I had a dometic dbl door RM1350 SLMX in there from the factory and they replaced it with the same thing. One thing I also do now is leave my refrigerator turned on when we're back home in between trips. It's plugged in at my place and the refrigerator doesn't use much electricity when it's not being opened. We keep condiments in the fridge and frozen foods in the freezer that we might want on our next trip. Sometimes it's on for 3-4 weeks straight while sitting at home, since it's only getting opened occasionally I can keep it on the #4 temp setting and the refrigerator temps stay around 35-36°F.

**deerislandbrew** · 11-15-2021, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by IBEW Sparky

Sorry, I thought it was a given which refrigerator was in the 337RLS. I had a dometic dbl door RM1350 SLMX in there from the factory and they replaced it with the same thing. One thing I also do now is leave my refrigerator turned on when we're back home in between trips. It's plugged in at my place and the refrigerator doesn't use much electricity when it's not being opened. We keep condiments in the fridge and frozen foods in the freezer that we might want on our next trip. Sometimes it's on for 3-4 weeks straight while sitting at home, since it's only getting opened occasionally I can keep it on the #4 temp setting and the refrigerator temps stay around 35-36°F.

OK, so your replacement was with same model, 1350 slmx. Glad its working better then the original. The only question I have is about your location and temperatures where you have used the new fridge. Mine works fine in average 60s, 70s. Its the hot weather that drives the preformence down. Mid 80s and higher. Have you camped in warmer weather yet?

**IBEW Sparky** · 11-15-2021, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by deerislandbrew

OK, so your replacement was with same model, 1350 slmx. Glad its working better then the original. The only question I have is about your location and temperatures where you have used the new fridge. Mine works fine in average 60s, 70s. Its the hot weather that drives the preformence down. Mid 80s and higher. Have you camped in warmer weather yet?

We purchased the RV in early May 2019 and the refrigerator was replaced mid September 2019.... so yes since that time we have used it in hot weather. I'm located in SE Pa. but in the past 2 years we have been in many warmer locations were the temps have been in the high 80's to mid 90's. for several days in a row. We try and pre-cool or pre-freeze most everything that we load up for a trip, when at our site we try and only add warm beverages & water bottles to get cold in the refrigerator in the late evening... this way everything has about 8 hrs to chill down without the refrigerator being opened.

**Neil387** · 06-09-2023, 11:10 AM

Can anyone recommend a good replacement for the Refrigerator Rm1350 I own a 2018 Reflections Travel Trailer

**deerislandbrew** · 06-09-2023, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Neil387

Can anyone recommend a good replacement for the Refrigerator Rm1350 I own a 2018 Reflections Travel Trailer

What kind of problems are you having with yours?

**deerislandbrew** · 06-09-2023, 12:38 PM

Update to my cooling issues with a dometic 1350 slmx dbl door absorbtion refrigerator.
I did pretty much all the mods to get my fridge working properly. My fridge is mounted in a slide, so venting heat is very important. Besides stock lift fans, I added one at the bottom vent to pull air in, and two small fans at the top vent to push hot air out. Additional insulation was set at the top baffle and duct tape used to seal off hot air from being trapped above the fridge. Two small fans were mounted on the top surface, inside the fridge pointing at the evaporation fins. All these extra fans are controlled by a ARP fridge defender unit . The fridge still would creep up to the 40's and occasionally low 50's during summer weather in the high 70's or warmer. I was pretty discouraged with the dometic 1350 fridge.
Then I did the one thing that changed it all. I removed the two small fans inside the fridge and installed a three fan unit directly to the evaporation fins. I should have done this sooner. Problem solved! It is controlled by my fridge defenders fan circuit. It's mostly 35* to 38* all the time and maintained its cool, when in the SW during 90's outside temperatures.
So far, so good.