Eviejeep Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 So, I have been a motorhome owner for 2 months now and having spent about 5 nights away and countless more nights tidying up and removing random weight (sub woofer anyone?) both myself and the family are really pleased with it. It's a 2003 6 berth Elnagh on a Ducato base by the way. So this weekend the fridge has stopped working on all 3 power inputs - it's a Dometic 411. Repairs look to be the same as a second hand fridge but parts are no longer made so being pragmatic, I would probably gain 2 more years of use out of a repaired/second hand fridge before needing to buy a newer fridge. The replacement Dometic 3 way is £600 ish but have come across Carvin fridges. Are the Carvin fridges any good, can you get spares or is the price (£250) just too good to be true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Suggest you first check if you can remove the existing fridge through the habitation door, some can be quite narrow. They build coachbuilts inside out which can hinder removal of big items. Secondly, if all power sources are inoperative, it may be just a simple electrical connection that needs checking, like the 12v power to the fridge control panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 A MH owner who lives round the corner from me is in process of installing a relacement fridge - and in his case it's costing over £1,100. They are not cheap. But overall, caravan/MH adsorption fridges are reliable and last many years, so you are perhaps a bit unlucky suffering a failure even on a But against the annual cost of depreciation, even a £600 isn't really a very big hit. Think long and hard before spending money on a used fridge, even if it does reduce the immediate cost. Double check that it's not a simple fix and that your fridge has failed and is genuinely not repairable at reasonable cost, then,unless you are not going to keep this MH, bite the bullet and replace with new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 StuartO - 2017-08-21 1:09 PMA MH owner who lives round the corner from me is in process of installing a relacement fridge - and in his case it's costing over £1,100. They are not cheap. But overall, caravan/MH adsorption fridges are reliable and last many years, so you are perhaps a bit unlucky suffering a failure even on a But against the annual cost of depreciation, even a £600 isn't really a very big hit. Think long and hard before spending money on a used fridge, even if it does reduce the immediate cost. Double check that it's not a simple fix and that your fridge has failed and is genuinely not repairable at reasonable cost, then,unless you are not going to keep this MH, bite the bullet and replace with new.Your neighbour is getting a bargain.I put my van in to my local Dealer as it was not working on Gas and giving off fumes. They are Dometic Approved but did not have a clue. They changed a thermistor but that did not solve the problem so they told me they had been on to Dometic Technical who said I needed a new Fridge/Freezer. The cost was (including £150 labour charge for fitting) £2350. That is for a new 8 Series as my 7 Series one is no longer manufactured.I declined this idea and brought the van home. Within 10 minutes I had found a simple electrical fault. I then removed and cleaned the gas burner and exhaust flue. I now have a Fridge/Freezer that works fine. I have not even bothered with the electrical fault, it just means I have to manually select 'Gas' when we park up. The fault is on the PCB for the AES operation and is a very common problem. So remember, being 'Dometic Approved' is not worth the paper it is written on. *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKen1 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Small 3 way fridge here on facebook for sale not sure if its a replacement for yours may be worth a look https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215003471546874&set=pcb.1442456735848883&type=3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eviejeep Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 So 104 views and no support for the Carvin fridge, clearly not working h bothering with. I called my local motorhome workshop and they wanted £1000 to fit a new dometic, that's £400 for fitting which is outrageous! Anyway with nothing to loose, I removed the old fridge, tested everything (240 element blown but everything else fine electrically) and cleaned the gas system. Having found 2 teaspoons worth of crud in the gas supply line, I can now report a very cold fridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Eviejeep - 2017-08-23 10:55 PM So 104 views and no support for the Carvin fridge, clearly not working h bothering with. I called my local motorhome workshop and they wanted £1000 to fit a new dometic, that's £400 for fitting which is outrageous! Anyway with nothing to loose, I removed the old fridge, tested everything (240 element blown but everything else fine electrically) and cleaned the gas system. Having found 2 teaspoons worth of crud in the gas supply line, I can now report a very cold fridge Welcome to forum James i bet you are glad you joined, and got some good advice, and saved money. PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKen1 Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Eviejeep - 2017-08-23 11:55 PM So 104 views and no support for the Carvin fridge, clearly not working h bothering with. I called my local motorhome workshop and they wanted £1000 to fit a new dometic, that's £400 for fitting which is outrageous! Anyway with nothing to loose, I removed the old fridge, tested everything (240 element blown but everything else fine electrically) and cleaned the gas system. Having found 2 teaspoons worth of crud in the gas supply line, I can now report a very cold fridge Nice one Eviejeep ..put the prefix "Motorhome" "Marine" "Classic" in front of any part or job needed and watch the price rocket so watch your wallet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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