Dometic recall, part 2
In my last post about the Dometic cooling unit issues, I said:
This recall does nothing to actually fix what is a defect in design and construction, it simply makes it so that when your thousand dollar plus appliance fails after a few years, it will not destroy your entire RV
It appears there may be hope, though, as Dometic has put up a web page for people to enter serial number and model number information to receive information about the upcoming recall.
According to information I have from this thread on the RV.NET forums
If you previously paid to repair or replace a Dometic refrigerator that failed due to this defect, you can be reimbursed for your costs pursuant to Dometic´s Pre-Notification Reimbursement Program.
So… there might well be a starting of Dometic planning to step up to the plate, and repair refrigerators which have failed prematurely.
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January 27th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Good morning Chris,
Assuming I have the higher wattage element in my refrigerator, would you recommend replacing it with the 325 watt model, even at my cost. I certainly would feel safer and would not be stuck with a huge repair bill down the road. I would have the recall fix done anyway.
Casey
January 28th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Yes, I would definitely replace the higher wattage element with the 325 watt element. The couple of units I have seen fail both had the 354 watt element.
I would also save the bill for possible reimbursement (no word yet on whether a new element will be included in the recall, which in my opinion it should be).
– Chris
January 30th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Hi Chris, can I order the element from you at Byrant RV? Do you have the elements in stock? Thanks. Casey
January 30th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
I looked and RV Mobile has an aftermarket element for under $30. I’m kind of unsure about using an aftermarket element- given the liability and warranty issues, but I would probably go ahead and use it in mine (and keep the old one and put it back in in case of failure, but you didn’t hear it here ;)).
January 30th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Thanks Chris. I appreciate your candor. Will go get one from RV Mobile. I will just feel better knowing I have the lower wattage unit in there and the job does not look very difficult.
Casey
February 15th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I WONDER IF YOU USE A LOWER WATT HEATER WHAT IS THAT GOING TO DO WITH THE UNIT WORKING CORRECTLY, AND WHAT ABOUT HOW A PERSON MAINTAINS THERE RV.??? TIME AFTER TIME I ASK CUSTOMERS ABOUT HOW THEY MAINTAIN THERE RV AND THEY SAID THEY DO EVERYTHING CORRECT????? BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TIMES THEY RUN IT OFF LEVEL AND DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT A HOME REFER. AM HAPPY Dometic IS DOING A RECALL BECAUSE THAT SHOWS ME THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THERE IS A PROBLEM
ANYWAY TO SLAM Dometic IS WELL NOT VERY GOOD. NOW Norcold THERE WAS A BIG PROBLEM THERE.
ANYWAY LET JUST TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM.
HAVE A GREAT DAY
February 19th, 2007 at 6:37 am
Rick, so far Dometic’s handling of the issue leaves something to be desired. Try calling them to discuss the issue with them and you will see what I mean. Also, the official letter they posted is confusing as it seems to say don’t use the fridge but also go ahead and use it but check it.
Chris, interesting that some folks are changing the heater element in their rigs and finding that the original elements are stamped 325 watts even though their refrigerators are covered by the recall. Was Dometic using the two rated elements at the same time or simply stamping the higher watt element “325″. This whole thing is rather bizzare to say the least.
Casey
February 19th, 2007 at 9:09 am
I’m not sure if the ± 10% tolerance has something to do with it- 354 watts is just about at the limit of this.
I do agree that communication is the key- I have people calling me for appointments for the recall, but I still have heard nothing through “official” channels about it- so I’m having to put them on a list for when I do hear about it.
–Chris
March 11th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Like spring out today. Trailer out of storage today and the element measured 37.5 ohms. Glad I ordered a replacement. Just hope it is closer to 44 ohms.
April 29th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Question: If we replace the heating element - does this solve the fire hazard?
If not, can the line that is known to crack be replaced?
April 30th, 2007 at 8:29 am
The recall has to be done to ensure safety, and it will contain any fire that might result from coolant leaking (which is very rare).
The lower wattage (higher ohms) heating element puts less stress on the area in question, so will make it far less likely to crack.
I’m afraid the only fix for a leaking/cracked boiler tube is to replace the whole cooling unit- Dometic seems to be replacing cooling units that have failed.
April 30th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Thanks Chris. I talked to Dometic today and am in the process of
trying to get an apptment at a local repair shop. Dometic rep told
me that if I shut off the gas and ran the unit on only electric that there
would be absolutely no fire hazard. Do you know if that is true?
Nina
May 25th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
We ran outs on electric only and the tube developed a leak and the coolent ran out. I believe that this is covered under the warranty but am trying to find out.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Hi Chris,
I have gone to the trouble of replacing the refrigerator with just a standard plug in unit from Home Depot. The RV is in a stationary setting and the gas option is not needed. What really upsets me is the poor customer service from Dometic. Trying to get through from the west coast is impossible after 1;45PM EST. I had hauled the defective refridgerator to a proper recycling depot and was billed $20.00, so I did not have a serial number. I sent a letter to Dometic with pictures of the unit and it was sent back with a notice of “need serial number”. It took just a quick call to Fleetwood and I had the serial number. This is something that Dometic could have done. All that I asked for was the $299.00 for the new refridgerator. I did not ask for the $20.00 recyle fee or my time and miles. So far, I am waiting for a reply. It has now been 3 days. Have any others had such a poor response to a “potentially dangerous” situation as listed on the recall? Does the DOT know how badly they are handling this?
Thanks for your site!!!
Gregg
June 6th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Once you get hold of the right person, they’ve been pretty good, so far.
–Chris
June 19th, 2007 at 12:48 am
Chris,
The retrofit for the recall: you mentioed that the new part “will contain the leak, if it occurs” once the containment fix has been applied is it removable? This seems like a patch only to reduce the risk of personel lost or injury. I’m sceptical on this “patch” approach, if the tubing or boiler (?) is faulty and failing prematurely then the proper remody seems to be to replace the defective part. I do not think the lower wattage burner is acceptable as a fix due to the cause being fatigue, the failing part is already started to be fatigued from the moment it was put in service. Total replacement of the defective part is the FIX, Dometic do the right thing! As with most defective recalls the choice was made in manufacturing to put profits over dependability. We bought the particular unit due to the appliances included based on past performance and track record.
June 19th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I do understand Dometic’s position on this (though I do believe they should be replacing the heating elements).
They are- so far- repairing refrigerators which leak, which is a good thing.
Right now the estimates are around $35-40 million, but if they replaced every cooling unit, the cost would probably go up by a factor of 10, or approaching a half billion dollars.
When Norcold had to do the same thing, the number of units affected was far smaller, so it was easier to simply replace the cooling units.
I’m not thrilled with the recall- I think there are still some issues with the design, but if they both A) Make them safe, and B) Repair any that do fail, then I have to give them a bit of slack.
– Chris
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:37 pm
The customer service at Dometic was horrible today, just like it was in October 2003 when I argued with them about the original failure!
August 1st, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Does anybody know where on the tubing this stress fracture occurs? I’m thinking of putting some JB Weld or other putty epoxy product around that area to strengthen it.
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:49 pm
We recently had our Dometic that was on the recall list retro-fitted with per Dometic’s kit.Ever since when we have the fridge on auto it will turn off 5 or 6 times before staying lit.If you are at a RV park and move out you might not even notice that it went out.Is anyone else out there having the same problem.This has never come up before and is agrivating.
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Had our recall done a month ago. Thought that meant they had fixed the
problem. Not too bright! Yesterday there was a trail of yellow liquid coming from the back of the refrigerator. Didn’t know till I saw your web site that the problem had never been fixed. Do you know if Domectic will step up to the plate and cover this or are we just out of money to fix this ourselves. Good site. More education is a good thing.
Ellen
August 24th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Hi Chris - I did have my Dometic unit recalled by
it’s number. I made an appointment and had to wait
more than two weeks for the repair, I do not think
that they checked the elements as I have a problem
of 0 to ten degrees in the freezer and about 30 de
-grees in the refrig cavity of a two door unit.
How do I check the Thermostat which is pre set in
the electronics? Thanks for the on line input, it
helps a lot. Bert
August 28th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Joyce asked-
I would bet that the burner just needs cleaning- probably the installation of the kit knocked some debris loose. I would try vacuuming or blowing out the burner area (of course, because of the kit, the burner is more difficult to access).
Ellen asked-
SO far I have had no problems getting Dometic to repair failed units- no matter what the warranty status. Some models have a bit of wait for parts, but I was given a 2 week estimate for an RM2852 cooling unit, yet I had it in hand in a week.
Bert asks-
This is a fairly common failure on most new electronic controlled refrigerators. The temperature is sensed by a thermistor, which should plug in to the circuit board- most on the upper left, a 2 wire connector (the only 2 wire connector there).
You can see the “sensing” part in a white plastic clip on the right hand side of the fins inside the refrigerator compartment. The “official” test is to remove the sensing end from the clip and dunk it in a glass of ice water. Then measure the resistance in ohms with it unplugged from the board- the resistance should be between 8,000 and 10,000 ohms. They usually fail “open” (or no continuity), which keeps the refrigerator running full blast.
–Chris
September 16th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Chris,
I am having the same problem that Joyce (item 20 and 23) is having. I clean out the burner and still have the problem. Where can I find a list or documentation on exactly what was done in the fix?
Thanks Ron
September 16th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I have the recall instructions at http://bryantrv.com/docs2/temp/recall2.pdf.
Hope this helps.
–Chris
October 13th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Called the recomended service center which turned out to be a guy working out of his garage.Daves trailer service installed the recall parts tried to charge me 60 dollars because he had to come to my home and said it was a service call.Dometic said it would not cost me anything.Dave left and when I started my generator to test my refer. it tripped a breaker and blew a fuse.Dave did not watch the instruction video as there are 3 connection to the electric element.Minewas rubber and when installing schematic plate he put a screw though the rubber connecter for the element.Dave said he would take care of element and the generator which now only produces 90 volts.My diesel pusher RV was in perfect condition everything worked.I now have a refer. and gen. that do not work.Dave will not fix as he promised and my wife will not go RV ing because the fear of fire as Dave has already ruined the part he was supposed to correct and doubts if he did the recall safely.Thanks Dometic for your safety concerns the poorly qualified person you recommended and the situation you have left me in.I wiil never buy a Dometic product again.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I received the recall letter last week and went out to my plugged in 5th wheel to check for serial numbers. Upon inspection I discovered that my unit had already failed. There was yellow residue below the burner and the Ammonia had leaked out. Thankfully my gas supply was turned off. I called in to Dometic with my numbers to report the situation. After several calls and being assured that I am in the “Data Base” I made an appointment with our local service dept. I’m waiting for word back how Dometic will handle my problem. Do you know of others who have experienced a failure and whether Dometic will cover the cost of a cooling system replacement?
December 12th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Dometic will send a new cooling unit and pay for its replacement under warranty, no matter the age.
The recall will still be performed, though, on the new cooling unit.
– Chris
December 15th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
My unit went out and the Dometic Company replaced the
cooling system at no charge. And the new unit had the
recall kit on it. Hope all is well, this is a new
trip for me.
December 16th, 2007 at 11:55 am
I have a Question:
Is it better to leave the refrigerator on all the time? or cut it off when not in use
I have heard both ways.
Thanks
December 16th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
That’s a tough one- it *used* to be that the major failure in absorption cooling units was either clogging up of the boiler tube, or leaking in the evaporator (inside the box). To prevent these failures, simply running the refrigerator all the time was the best thing.
But… with the failures of the boiler tube externally, it would be best to only run it while you are using it, in my opinion- the reason being that the failures are due to thermal stress from cycling on and off.
–Chris
December 31st, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Since my post on Dec 11th I have received a call from my service dealer saying that Dometic is replacing my failed cooling unit under warranty. I am not the original owner and the unit is beyond warranty.
My concern now is that will the replacement unit be the same as the problem ones, and if so, what happens when it too fails later on?
January 8th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Any company that claims to be superior but doesn’t back their junk is not worth my allegiance.
Bought a used 2005 RV in Dec. Dometic 2862 leaked ammonia / failed since I first looked at it. Owner used RV about 6 months in the less than 3 years he owned it.
Dometic told me sorry, second owner…
Replaced with Whirlpool Apt size Residential Fridge. Did have to sand down the woodwork to make it fit - 24″ wide much vary…Then just plug it in and it cools down in 30 minutes. Much less expensive than paying for a replacement cooling unit or the bother of removing the old one and installing a new one. Guess we’ll just have to stay at Campgrounds with power…
As a newbie, I’m very frightened by all the Dometic stuff in or on my RV given this simple technology failure demonstration of presumably the most expensive Dometic item on board.
March 8th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
My unit, NDR 1292, is not covered under the recall but has just experienced the same failure as the recall, ammonia smell and yellow substance on the gas burner. Will Dometic pay for repairs on this unit?
March 11th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I kind of doubt it- the side by side cooling unit uses 2 smaller elements, and is built on a different assembly line than the recalled units, so it doesn’t have the same issues.
Unfortunately, some units of every make and model do fail there though.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
My Grandfather has an RV equipped (unequipped at the moment) with a Dometic NDR 1292 refrigerator. The unit has failed apparently the result of a faulty cooling unit. Finding the yellow powdery substance on the components in the back. I called Dometic and without even getting through to an attendant was immediately prompted to a recall message on 2 door refrigerators. Seems there is a recall due to coolant coils becoming fatigued and consequently leaking, in this case ammonia. Not only dangerous but now no working refrigerator. But, the NDR 1292 is not said to be covered under this recall! Without being a refrigeration tech this seems to be what is going on and I am only wondering if others who own this unit or encountering this same problem. Don’t yet know if this issue is going to be covered under warranty and it looks like rebuilt units run about $795 plus shipping. Any thoughts or suggestions?
April 17th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I have a 2001 keystone with a domectic rm2652 that is on the recall list.
In late march the unit went from electric to gas on the automatic cycle when eleticity was diconnected.
The ammonia gas chamber overheated to a boiling point and gases escaped into the trailer. Uppon notifying Dometic they said it would not be repaied under the recall and I would have to buy another cooling unit. I am looking for anyone with the same results for a class action law suite.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I would keep on Dometic- they have been known to repair units even past the warranty period. Most likely you will have to pay labor, and maybe shipping, but I would spend some phone time with them to get a new unit supplied.