During very cold ambient temperatures the refrigerator may stay cold enough to seldom need to operate the cooling unit. The thermister (thermostat) is in the refrigerator and tells the cooling unit when to operate. With the refrigerator staying cold enough because of outside temperatures, the freezer may not be kept cold enough. The Climate Control Switch keeps the light on in the refrigerator when the door is shut so the unit will operate more often, keeping the freezer cold enough. Dometic recommends turning the switch off during warm weather.
can you please send me a model number and who made the refrigerator of course yes it could be a computer board but it also could be power supply to the refrigerator
These often have a recall kit installed that has a thermal fuse in the burner area....when the burner overheats the thermal fuse shuts the hole thing down to prevent fire, the ammonia smell is probably from the cooling unit. check under your burner, to see if you see a bright yellow powder or liquid if you do, your cooling unit is for sure bad and is dangerous to run. The thermal fuse shuts the fridge down completely and can be reset by pushing in the button in the middle.
heating elements are simply resistance wires and allow current flow in either direction
so there is noconsideration for polarity
either way will be correct
Sounds like a possible loose connection somewhere that is shaking when the door is opened. Check the main plug/power connection to the refrigerator for corrosion or just looseness. The inside light is controlled by a door switch so you may have a connection problem there also.
Could be a number of different things.. Start by making sure you have at least 12v on the battery supply.(they act weird when voltage is low). If the voltage is good then disconnect the 12v and unplug the 110v(or you'll get shocked) and go through each connection and disconnect and spray electric parts cleaner on both ends, dry them(compressed air) and re-connect them make sure all the connections fit snug. And pay special attention to ground wires, they tend to be most problematic. Plug it back in and if you still have the problem i would say the circuit board(lower one referenced) is most likely going out and should be replaced. Usually just the relays go bad on the boards...but sometimes other parts do to.
Check burner/pilot assembly for carbon build up which propane can cause. Also check the vent up towards the roof that lets the heat out. If it got blocked for any reason the unit will not work on either gas or electric. There has to be somewhere for the heat to go to the out side.
If your Dometic refrigerator is a tri-power model (12V, 120V, lp gas), check all modes. It is not uncommon for these units to fail to cool adequately in 12V mode, as that mode is only for KEEPING things cold while on the road.
If the failure exists only in 120V mode, replace the 120V heating element. If the failure exists only in lp gas mode, replace the burner and make sure that the jet is clean.
If the refrigerator does not get cold in ANY mode, verify that the door seal is making good contact all the way around and, if it is, you'll need to replace the coil assembly. (They are available on eBay and Amazon at a fairly reasonable price.)
The fridge is supposed to turn on and off, that's what regulates the temperature. If it kept running, eventually , it would freeze everything. If its stops and starts immediately, then I would suggest the start device or PTC on the compressor has failed.
These dual service refrigerators are somewhat tricky. Did you check the gas system for any carbon buildup around the flame/burner area. If the flame is not the proper size it will not get cold enough to shut off. Clean all carbon/dirt from the flame area and check again. Propane causes deposits after a while.
I have seen fins fall off and I do not know how to put them back on. I would suggest contacting
USA
SERVICE OFFICE
Dometic Corporation
2320 Industrial Parkway
Elkhart, IN 46516
574-294-2511
and getting a factory trained technician to address your problem. There may be some adhesive you could use but this problem needs to be addressed by the factory. This may be a product defect and if still withing warranty, could be fixed by the parent company. You will need the model number and serial number when dealing with the parent company.
Usually there is a short in the system when fuse is blown. Check the cord as sometimes mouse can damage the cord. It is a posibility.
Check power to the electronic board.
