Zman65 Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Hi All We just got back from first trip. All went well for first timers. But on morning of third day, our dometic fridge/freezer started beeping. I powered it off and on. Also looked in manual and only thing it said is if there is an ice buildup it would beep. Didn't really have any ice buildup but wiped off what little we had. Nothing helped. Finally just put everything in a cooler and turned it off. Called in to service department at dealer several times to see if they had any ideas but never got a return call. This is brand new unit. Was hoping someone here might have some ideas to try. Thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Since it is still under warranty, I wouldn't do more than what your owner's manual suggests. I would call the nearest RV service to get it looked at as most RV service shops can do warranty work for Dometic, even if they don't handle the make of RV that you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Second Chance Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Does it have an LCD read-out on the front and, if so, is it flashing an error code? Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 no lcd readout. Just an on/off and auto button. The service center said 3 weeks out and we have another trip planned for july 4th weekend so was hoping to see if something simple,. thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 34 minutes ago, Zman65 said: The service center said 3 weeks out and we have another trip planned for july 4th weekend so was hoping to see if something simple,. If you can post the model you have we might be able to help more. There are service manuals for most models available online, if you know where to look. They typically give more and better information than do owner's manuals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 13 minutes ago, Kirk W said: If you can post the model you have we might be able to help more. There are service manuals for most models available online, if you know where to look. They typically give more and better information than do owner's manuals. Sure thx! It is model dm2872rbx thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 I am looking for a service manual but so far have only found the operation & installation manual. Is the display looking normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXiceman Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Dometic and Norcold , both tightly control any service manuals. I was trying to get service info on a Norcold and the main office told me to contact an authorized service center and that they did not release service info due to liability issues. No doubt with the fires and lawsuits that they do not want any technical literature out. I have worked in industrial refrigeration and have designed much larger ammonia absorption systems. I finally figured it out enough to make the repairs. Just do not expect any service info. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Kirk W said: I am looking for a service manual but so far have only found the operation & installation manual. Is the display looking normal? Kirk Yes that is the one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 FYI As far as I could tell the fridge/freezer continued working fine. Just couldnt handle the continuous beeping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Well I will try to call GM tomorrow from dealership. Being brand new maybe he/she can light a fire. Would love to have it working before july 1 trip. thx again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 6 hours ago, TXiceman said: Dometic and Norcold , both tightly control any service manuals. While that seems to be true, there are several user groups and also Bryant RV Service who make them available for download in .pdf format. I have copies of several and often refer to others online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted June 24, 2020 Report Share Posted June 24, 2020 Where you plugged into shore power for your trip? I ask, because if you weren’t that beeping could have been a low battery warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Yes, I was plugged into shore power. Yesterday afternoon I plugged 110 to the rv and turned on fridge. It beeped right away and then after a couple off and on's it stopped. I checked this morning and fridge is cold. Will let it run for a day or so and see if it starts beeping again. The whole thing is a bit puzzling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 While a battery shouldn't fail so quickly, it sounds very suspicious that it may be your problem. Do you have a good volt/ohm meter? If you do, try lifting the negative cable from the coach battery and then measure the voltage between the two battery posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Thanks. Is it possible that even though plugged into shore power, the fridge is using the battery to run? thx again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 3 minutes ago, Zman65 said: Is it possible that even though plugged into shore power, the fridge is using the battery to run? An RV refrigerator always uses 12V direct current to operate the controls, even if you select 120V for energy. All that is ever supplied by 120V is the heating element. It is that way because it is the most reliable power and allows you to operate in automatic. That 12V power can either be supplied from the RV battery, or from the RV converter, but it must be there for things to operate. A bad battery will occasionally cause the converter to stop supplying 12V power but if taken out of the system, the converter will take over as long as you have 120V power from the pedestal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Ok thanks, makes sense. So it primarily uses the battery but if batt fails or drains it will switch to converter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docj Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 14 minutes ago, Zman65 said: Ok thanks, makes sense. So it primarily uses the battery but if batt fails or drains it will switch to converter? No, it uses 12V which is supplied by the battery and the converter. There is no "switching" involved. If you are connected to shore power the converter should always be on. Any lights or other devices that use 12V will be powered by the battery bank which is backed up by the converter. There's no way for you to tell where the electrons come from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Okay. The dealer I bought from said I should turn battery power off by the disconnect switch installed when not in use. So when I plugged the 120 in yesterday and it started beeping could that be because I had the disconnect switch off? They provided a "rv course" prior to delivery but really didnt cover any of this or some other vital stuff thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 27 minutes ago, Zman65 said: So when I plugged the 120 in yesterday and it started beeping could that be because I had the disconnect switch off? Yes, that would do it. The refrigerator was trying to tell you that it lost 12V power. The disconnect in most RVs is connected to turn off all 12V power to appliances and lights to prevent the discharging of the batteries when the RV is stored. In many RVs the disconnect does leave a few things like the propane detector and the CO detectors powered and yours might still supply a few things but it probably doesn't supply the refrigerator. The disconnect is not intended to be used if you have things inside of the RV that you wish to keep operating. In most cases, the converter power is connected to the 12V system at the battery since recharging it would be the largest load that it usually sees. It would be very unusual for the converter to be able to supply power to appliances with it open as that would defeat the purpose of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Okay. So only thing left is why did it beep at campground and was connected to shore power and battery and switch was on. thanks again all for helping this newbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman65 Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Argh. Guess I spoke too soon. I went back out and checked. Fridge still working but now it is beeping. Shore and battery power connected. Dont have a load tester but battery monitoring switch show batt is full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orca Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 This might be too simple, but check that the door is not ajar or that the light switch is actually turning the light off. On my first trip with my motorhome i heard a beeping and in searching for the source i found the door to the fridge ajar. Didn't even know there was an alarm. Hope your problem is as simple! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 53 minutes ago, Zman65 said: Dont have a load tester but battery monitoring switch show batt is full. Those standard battery level indications are one of the more useless things to be found in an RV. They do not actually measure battery condition, but only give a rough idea of the voltage at the location of the meter. You can tell just a little less by turning on a light to see how bright it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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