BKen1 Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Having tried all the possible option to cure the "not cooling "problem. the only thing left seems to be the cooling unit on the rear is not working. Just to recap I have 12v at the fridge heater and 240v when on mains and gas flame when selected the chimney is not sooted up ..the unit gets hot on the different power sources so they seem to work ok but no cooling takes place. The source switch on the front along with the thermostat control all work and light up so they seem ok. I have been told if the sealed unit is leaking you normally get a smell of ammonia and or a yellowish solution appears ,none of these thing have happened so I need a cast iron way of checking the cooling unit before I go down the road of replacement as the cost is to say the least ridiculous (600 poundish). Has anybody had the same problem and have you ever tried to replace the cooling unit ...seen a video on you tube but for a different model (USA ). Any help would be welcome Brian PS Just remembered had the fridge out and stood upside down for 5 hours as someone suggested this my work...it didnt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 If it gets hot on all three power sources, but fails to cool, I think there are only two realistic reasons. Either there is internal corrosion that is blocking refrigerant circulation, or the refrigerant has gone AWOL. Neither will be easy for you to check. However, if you get hold of a Dometic mobile engineer, he should be able to confirm if the refrigerant has leaked out, and may possibly be able to refill and re-seal the circuit. You'd have to ask about the possibility of removing a blockage. If the pipework has corroded through in an accessible place, he may be able to install new pipework. Any of these options should be very much cheaper than buying a new fridge and, if in the end he says the fix would be uneconomical, at least you'd know your only workable option is a replacement. I think you have now reached the practical end of the line for DIY testing, and that it's time for specialist assistance. These types of fridges (mains only, but the same thermosyphon cooling system) are often used in hospitals and nursing homes for drug storage, because they are so quiet, so there are quite a lot around apart from on caravans and motorhomes. The engineers get quite a bit of their work from those sources, so are quite well versed in problem solving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKen1 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Thanks for the input Brian I have arranged a visit to a Dometic Dealer over here and expecting the worst outcome having done all the tests but fingers crossed. I believe its not possible to regass these units according to Dometic Tech Dept. Will keep this post updated as events unfold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Then I hope either I am wrong, or Dometic tech are wrong! Good luck with the visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 This 2008 thread discusses absorption fridge 'regassing' http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/DOMETIC-FRIDGE-PROBLEM/12925/ This Australian website refers to repairing absorption-fridge cooling units http://www.alternategasfridges.com.au/services.html It appears that it may be technically possible to repair/'regas' a cooling unit that is not physically damaged (whan a replacement unit would be needed) but this is a very specialised task. It's quite likely that a Dometic dealership won't be in a position to carry out the task and may well have been instructed by Dometic itself that the task should be considered impracticable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKen1 Posted September 22, 2013 Author Share Posted September 22, 2013 Great links Derek thanks ...certainly clears up some queries I had particularly as to why it was not possible to regass ......except in Aussie...saved the link in my fav.for future reference. Brian K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKen1 Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Well its confirmed the condenser unit is kaput. Either need to replace the unit leaving all the older controls in place not to sure about that or replace the whole fridge. My current unit has a separate freezer compartment(2 door) which I like,I have seen a later model with the single door and a drop down freezer compartment inside which to me seems a bit inefficient as when you are in and out of the normal fridge bit there must be a loss of cooling from the freezer compartment. Has anybody got a large single door fridge and what is your experience with it. The reason Im asking is there are a few good offers on ebay at the moment. Im talking about the 180/190 litre size units RML 8555 models Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKen1 Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 Had to bite the bullit today and had the fridge replaced , fortunately the dealer was able to get hold of the exact model all be it a manual operation as a discontinued line RM7651L, saving thousands of Euros (yes Thousands ). I could have had the condenser unit replaced but the labour cost would have been too high (45€ Hr) So I now have a RM 7655 AES model for Sale with a none working condenser unit ...all the other components are functioning fine ...electronic control panel...gas valve ...electronic ignition...12 and 240 volt heaters...etc. Im looking in the region of 450€ Ideal for somebody a bit handy who can replace the condenser unit. The only downside is its located in Spain . If anybody interested let me know ,can post a pic if required. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I found this while looking for servicing instructions for an AES Dometic fridge freezer. Am I right in assuming that the only user friendly part that can be serviced is the chimney. I have just had exactly the same problem on a 5 day trip to Seville, No cooling, but everything getting warm, and AES working as it should do. On the return trip, the fridge started working again and hopefully should carry on that way. I know its years down the line, but did the original poster keep a note of where the discounted fridges were available in Spain, Indeed if he is still on the forum, as I may well need to replace ours if it is on the way out. With these days of throw away white goods, are there any thoughts as to how long a fridge should last. Ours is 6 years old, and has been fairly well used in that time., Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 flyboyprowler - 2018-03-12 2:21 PM ...I know its years down the line, but did the original poster keep a note of where the discounted fridges were available in Spain, Indeed if he is still on the forum, as I may well need to replace ours if it is on the way out... BKen1’s most recent forum logon was on 6 March 2018 - so you might be in luck. You could try sending him a PM or try emailing him as his Forum Profile includes an email address. As far as ‘maintenance’ of a Dometic 7-series fridge/freezer (manual or AES type) is concerned, cleaning the gas-flue and burner-assembly (and perhaps replacing the gas jet) is about all you can do. And, in some instances, those tasks are very much user-unfriendly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Agreed Derek ... and in my case, that is all that was required for normal Gas operation (of my 12 year old 7 Series fridge/freezer). After my dealings with the Dometic Approved 'experts', I would not believe a word they said about the Gas operation of a Fridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 We have just taken Betsy back to storage, and they are going to leave the fridge to settle for a few days, then start up from scratch and see how it goes, so fingers crossed!! If all else fails I will contact BKen1 but I am not sure where he is in Spain. We are recumbent near Mojacar and the nearest Dometic agent is in Lorca, 1 1/2 hours up the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKen1 Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 Hi Ainsley The replacement fridge I got was from Cruz Caravanas in Elche being the last non AES in stock at the time they offered me some good discount . I looked everwhere for a replacement at a sensible price (as you know they are rediculously expensive ) Ebay had some at the time but P+P was to much .If you need to replace yours look at the 8 series they are the same dimensions although expensive.I would try local motorhome dealers to see if they still have the old model in stock.For me the AES option is nice but I can live with the manuel one. Before you go down the replacement route I would check out the chimney for soot ..strip the burner remove the top section and the spiral inset. drop a string with a weight on it down the chimney and then attach a rag or suitable brush and pull it up and down the flue making sure you have rags or the like at the bottom to catch the soot ( as it gets everywhere ) a running vacuum cleaner is good option also. PS I live in Rojales south of Alicante Brian K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 BKen1 - 2018-03-12 9:11 PM Hi Ainsley The replacement fridge I got was from Cruz Caravanas in Elche being the last non AES in stock at the time they offered me some good discount . I looked everwhere for a replacement at a sensible price (as you know they are rediculously expensive ) Ebay had some at the time but P+P was to much .If you need to replace yours look at the 8 series they are the same dimensions although expensive.I would try local motorhome dealers to see if they still have the old model in stock.For me the AES option is nice but I can live with the manuel one. Before you go down the replacement route I would check out the chimney for soot ..strip the burner remove the top section and the spiral inset. drop a string with a weight on it down the chimney and then attach a rag or suitable brush and pull it up and down the flue making sure you have rags or the like at the bottom to catch the soot ( as it gets everywhere ) a running vacuum cleaner is good option also. PS I live in Rojales south of Alicante Brian K Many thanks for the advice Brian. I suppose it is possible that we had some sort of blockage, and that has moved allowing the fridge to work again, (maybe a blocked chimney) and the weather at the time in Seville was horrendous! We also had a problem last year when Brittany ferries parked us at the front of the ship on a steep slope. Letting it rest and restarting on No.1 power did the trick then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 We have had trouble on gas with heating up but not cooling three times. 1-- Blocked chimney ,spiders webs and soot. 2-- Debris in the gas pipe before the burner gas jet. 3-- Blow back in windy conditions and the flame coming out of the gas/air mixing hole. Brian B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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