Dometic Technician Mess Up at National Rally

[Yoda]

This is a tough call and I know the guy was trying to improve things, but he made them worse.


This is mt aux fridge fan install as documented in this thread.
https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...f-fridge/page5

It was doing pretty good, but I wanted and expert opinion, so I dropped by the Dometic OEM booth and they said he would have the guys check it out. One said the baffle needed to be cut back a little for better airflow out of the top vent. Said he would be by later to do the job. I forgot to check before leaving the rally. On the way to Georgia I found the fridge temps had jumped 6 degrees (50+), so I tried upping the setting to max - no help.

At the Atlanta campground I got my ladder out and checked.

OMG!


He had cut the baffle totally away. This is totally wrong and does not even come close to what I thought he was going to do which was trim it by and inch or so to allow air flow out of the second row on the vent. It does not even match Dometic's instruction for fridge install in a slid either. As a temp fix to get to Georgia I used duct tape to partially rebuild it. Douing that helped get things closer to the 45 upper limit. I usually shoot for 39. Note the silver foil is the back of the fridge

Finally in Statesboro Ga I went to Lowe's and got some copper plated aluminum sheet metal that I thought I could cut with the tools I have. It was actually easy to work with. I was able to score heavily with a utility knife and fatigue bend a couple of times to break off what I needed


This is what I came up with. I bent the curve using the slots between boards on the table. When finally installed the top bend was flattened. It is slightly wider than the opening so I could wedge it in front of the existing baffel - what was left of it.

Note that it extends higher than the stock one that ended just below to cooling fins. This one extends 75% up on the fins. Fridge temps immediately started dropping and within an hour I was back to the normal range of 40 degrees at setting 3 rather than 48 degrees at setting 5 max. Outside temps above 95 degrees.

After installing I could feel air coming through all three slots on the vent. When I get home I need to tweak the fit a bit. or find a bit stiffer material to use. Its currently held in place with 4 screws and duct tape

I would somehow like to get back to Dometic and let the technician know while I appreciated him checking the fridge out (he did full inspection , check the control board and wiring and inside where the temp probe was - all good), but his trimming was a disaster. Any thought on how to do this?

So when the question comes up about trimming the factory baffle, don't. It's set that high for a reason.

Keith

[Cate&Rob]

At a National Rally a few years back there were a number of Dometic gas/electric fridges having cooling issues. Grand Design had received mixed direction from Dometic to whether to baffle the upper opening or leave it completely open. Rigs were built both ways. Dometic techs were cutting the baffles out of rigs that had them . . . just like they did to yours. Which was creating more problems.

I tried to explain that all airflow should be directed through the cooling fins and showed them my fridge where I have done this. Out came the “you have invalidated your warranty” statement. My fridge cools just fine in the sun at 90F with only it’s one original circulation fan pushing all cooling air through the heat exchange fins.

Opening up the rest of the upper opening allows air to take the path of least resistance and bypass the heat exchanger fins.

Just because someone wears a shirt with the manufacturer’s name on it does not mean that they understand thermodynamics.

Rob

[Yoda]

At a National Rally a few years back there were a number of Dometic gas/electric fridges having cooling issues. Grand Design had received mixed direction from Dometic to whether to baffle the upper opening or leave it completely open. Rigs were built both ways. Dometic techs were cutting the baffles out of rigs that had them . . . just like they did to yours. Which was creating more problems.

I tried to explain that all airflow should be directed through the cooling fins and showed them my fridge where I have done this. Out came the “you have invalidated your warranty” statement. My fridge cools just fine in the sun at 90F with only it’s one original circulation fan pushing all cooling air through the heat exchange fins.

Opening up the rest of the upper opening allows air to take the path of least resistance and bypass the heat exchanger fins.

Just because someone wears a shirt with the manufacturer’s name on it does not mean that they understand thermodynamics.

Rob

Thanks Rob
My fridge in the stock form with the full baffle and single fan as GD installed struggled over 85 degrees to maintain 40 in the fridge. Freezer was always good. I added a D size battery cube fan https://www.amazon.com/Beech-Lane-Mu...02433835&psc=1 and it helped stabilize the overall temps down about 3 degree in the fridge, but adding the aux fans as I did got me through 105+ days here out west and the south. At the rally I was thinking something was wrong eclectically as during the trip there I saw more fluctuations than usual, but discovered after the fact it was how the fridge got packed with stuff against the fins. Once I moved the stuff and added fresh battery's to the cube things settled down.

My big mistake was not asking you and the others what you thought of the Dometic technician plans before letting him touch it.

I am now researching changing out to a 12v DC compressor fridge down the road. Why? I overheard an interesting discussion over at the teck shop building between a GD person and the Dometic guy and a new owner of a 12V dc fridge model (Furrion I believe) power usage and temp stability. He was having battery usage issues on drive days. . They recommended he have at least 2 -100AH battery's and double check his trucks 12 V charge line and make sure his solar is working properly which he thought was OK

Its close to 100 here and fridge is holding 39 in the fridge and 3 in the freezer so I am good for now.

I am sure learning a lot.

Thanks
Keith

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Kind of why when I hear the word "tech" associated with someone about to perform work.......I don't expect much. The term is applied to too many people with no real skills.
Sorry to hear of your fridge issues Keith. On the upside, if you decide to go the 12v route, we are sure to recommend some new tools you could buy to accomplish the install.....lol.

[Yoda]

I am about to embark on the final fix for this. But the question of how high should the baffle be. The GD OEM metal one came to just above the bottom of the fins with a slight bevel in. My quick fix goes about 1/2 way up. but interferes with the outside vent letting air flow out the lower slats.

In doing a bit of research on my interior fans I came across this on the RV Coooling seb page https://rvcoolingunit.trueims.com/co..._special__kits https://rvcoolingunit.trueims.com/item/414

Where they bow the baffle in to above the fins. This does allow good air flow down to the lower slats on the top vent cover. It also forces all airflow through the top fins. But is is too restrictive?

Thoughts on this?

Also Howard howson I ran across an old install post you did on the ARP bower fans (at the other place back in 2018) you mounted on the lower vent cover. Did they ever work?

Thanks everyone.

Keith

[ncitro]

Yoda As I recall Howard chased this for a while but it was one of the reasons he ultimately switched to a residential. I do not think much of anything he did ever really helped. I had the same experience, I played with insulation, moving the baffle and fans and none of it helped. When I pulled mine out I ran it for a year in my shop and it was rock solid, just did not do well in the cabinet. Conceptually I would think anything you could do to increase airflow across the fins and out the top compartment could only help.

[howson]

Also Howard, I ran across an old install post you did on the ARP bower fans (at the other place back in 2018) you mounted on the lower vent cover. Did they ever work?

Did the fans work? Hard to quantify. I can definitely state the ARP Fridge Defend device did not record an overtemp event for the entire time it was wired into the Dometic refrigerator. But I can't state the fans are what kept the refrigerator from getting too hot or directing air where it needed to go.

An small (one door) absorption refrigerator that is not in a slide--not a bad option. Why? Vent is oriented above the refrigerator. Any size absorption in a slide? Not the best option because of the side vent configuration.

The primary purpose for replacing the refrigerator was the continuing (relatively) poor performance of the Dometic as mentioned by Neil. Especially after TucsonJim's research / documentation regarding food safety.

I can tell you this--if we ever buy another RV it will have a compressor-based refrigerator. The DW (my "SWMBO") has made that quite clear--there's no comparison between the previous performance of the Dometic to the Haier that's installed now.

Howard

[Yoda]

Did the fans work? Hard to quantify. I can definitely state the ARP Fridge Defend device did not record an overtemp event for the entire time it was wired into the Dometic refrigerator. But I can't state the fans are what kept the refrigerator from getting too hot or directing air where it needed to go.

An small (one door) absorption refrigerator that is not in a slide--not a bad option. Why? Vent is oriented above the refrigerator. Any size absorption in a slide? Not the best option because of the side vent configuration.

The primary purpose for replacing the refrigerator was the continuing (relatively) poor performance of the Dometic as mentioned by Neil. Especially after TucsonJim's research / documentation regarding food safety.

I can tell you this--if we ever buy another RV it will have a compressor-based refrigerator. The DW (my "SWMBO") has made that quite clear--there's no comparison between the previous performance of the Dometic to the Haier that's installed now.

Howard

Howard - Thanks for your input.

I am going to try and experiment. Yep I am in engineering overload, My aux fans were working well until the Dometic guy cut the baffle out and things went downhill.fast. My temp fix helped, but not as good as I had before. My plan is to bow the baffle in and add the interior fans. Unfortunately I wont know until later next year if this works. I do know my aux fans work. Its just the interior fridge brick fan has not lived up to expectations.. Maybe for once I will put my laminar flow knowledge to work. Assuming my AAADD does not kick in.

Last resort is to replace the fridge with a 12V compressor fridge - probably a Nordic, However SWMBO may have a opinion on that

The upside to this as I need a 12V power point connection in the truck bed and convert the useless Furriion solar plug to a 12V power connection. Yep drill another hole in my new truck. I know there is a post on how to do that somewhere here,( convert the solar plug) I just need to find it again.. I just happen to have the supplies on hand.

Now I just need to get my hiney in gear. This last trip really took a lot out of me.

Keith

[howson]

Yoda

Both Brian and I have repurchased the Furrion plug. On my phone so difficult to search--if you can't find the threads post back.