RML8555 Replacement by Dometic

[cpaharley2008]

Has anyone had their single door model replaced with the dual door model and if so what were the costs involved, just wondering? Also what was the time frame involved? Maybe worth a trip to Chilliwack for best service?

[paulw]

I have it scheduled for June 24.... 3 hour job $125 cost.

[Chapitre]

Originally Posted by paulw

I have it scheduled for June 24.... 3 hour job $125 cost.

Was the authorized dealer aware of the exchange agreement?

[jamman]

Dometic RML8555 replacement update

After some emails with Tammy, I took the trailer in, even though the Dometic customer service folks could find nothing about the replacement. As of now, Dometic has authorized the replacement but have not yet given a ship date for the new fridge.

(You can go to anyone authorized to do Dometic warranty work - which is almost any RV shop. But if I lived, or were going to be, anywhere near ETI I would pay them do it.)

My shops *estimate* is 2.5 hours labor.

And again - THANKS TO ETI FOR GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND. (And yes, I was shouting.)

[cpaharley2008]

I have decided to have mine replaced. This trip to Osoyoos had the refer all over the place, from 36 to 46. Although no spoiled food, I decided to replace mine.

[LeonW]

We got our fridge replaced at ETI after the rally. On the way out to the rally, the old fridge was having a very hard time keeping things cool. The only time the morning temperature in the fridge was below 40 was after we got to British Columbia. Other than that the morning temp was in the low 40s and the afternoon temp (after driving all day) was in the high 40s or close to 50. Today we are near Port Angeles, WA on the Olympic peninsula the trailer has been sitting all day, and the fridge temp is 36 degrees on 4 bars (using electric). I am going to try turning it down to 3 bars and see what happens.

Bill (of Bill and Earline) said that he had found some information on the web that indicated the RMD 8555 draws more power than the RML 8555. Since I had the manual for both the RML 8555 and the RMD 8555 I could easily compare specifications. They both draw the same amount of 12volt power. But on 120 volts the RMD 8555 is rated at 250 watts vs. 190 watts for the RML 8555. For the consumption of electricity/gas over 24 hrs, the manual says the RMD 8555 will use ca. 4.2KWh/15.5 oz of gas while the RML 8555 will use 3.2 KWh/13.4 oz. The RMD weighs almost 8 lbs less than the RML model. My impression (but this is just an impression) is that the new fridge is a bit narrower inside than the previous fridge -- maybe there is more insulation in the sides?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by LeonW

My impression (but this is just an impression) is that the new fridge is a bit narrower inside than the previous fridge -- maybe there is more insulation in the sides?

Good eye. The RMD 8555 is 52.3 cm wide, while the single door RML 8555 is slightly wider, at 53.02 cm. At 9/32" narrower, that's not much, but it would also explain the slightly narrower interior.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Good eye. The RMD 8555 is 52.3 cm wide, while the single door RML 8555 is slightly wider, at 53.02 cm. At 9/32" narrower, that's not much, but it would also explain the slightly narrower interior.

Maybe then I can totally cover the sides of my 4.3 and the cabinet with insulation and add my fan and I should see some improvement . Pat

[jamman]

Originally Posted by jamman

Dometic RML8555 replacement update

After some emails with Tammy, I took the trailer in, even though the Dometic customer service folks could find nothing about the replacement. As of now, Dometic has authorized the replacement but have not yet given a ship date for the new fridge.

(You can go to anyone authorized to do Dometic warranty work - which is almost any RV shop. But if I lived, or were going to be, anywhere near ETI I would pay them do it.)

My shops *estimate* is 2.5 hours labor.

And again - THANKS TO ETI FOR GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND. (And yes, I was shouting.)

UPDATE: The shop has the replacement fridge and Dometic will cover 1 hour of the labor. I have asked them to take up to an hour extra to install insulation if it makes sense. It is supposed to be ready early next week.

[cpaharley2008]

Doug,
Is there a contact person at Dometic we can refer our repair person to contact for further info?

[jamman]

You should not need to.

You MUST wait until ETI gives you the go ahead. They have to pass your info on to Dometic.

[Bill and Earline]

Originally Posted by LeonW

We got our fridge replaced at ETI after the rally. On the way out to the rally, the old fridge was having a very hard time keeping things cool. The only time the morning temperature in the fridge was below 40 was after we got to British Columbia. Other than that the morning temp was in the low 40s and the afternoon temp (after driving all day) was in the high 40s or close to 50. Today we are near Port Angeles, WA on the Olympic peninsula the trailer has been sitting all day, and the fridge temp is 36 degrees on 4 bars (using electric). I am going to try turning it down to 3 bars and see what happens.

Bill (of Bill and Earline) said that he had found some information on the web that indicated the RMD 8555 draws more power than the RML 8555. Since I had the manual for both the RML 8555 and the RMD 8555 I could easily compare specifications. They both draw the same amount of 12volt power. But on 120 volts the RMD 8555 is rated at 250 watts vs. 190 watts for the RML 8555. For the consumption of electricity/gas over 24 hrs, the manual says the RMD 8555 will use ca. 4.2KWh/15.5 oz of gas while the RML 8555 will use 3.2 KWh/13.4 oz. The RMD weighs almost 8 lbs less than the RML model. My impression (but this is just an impression) is that the new fridge is a bit narrower inside than the previous fridge -- maybe there is more insulation in the sides?

Update on the RMD 8555
Our 2-door was installed when we picked up our 21 in November.
On this trip we have been traveling for 6 weeks and finally hit hot weather a few days ago in Montana--97F (36C). Even when traveling at highway speeds at this temp, the fridge held steady at 36F (2C) in the fridge and 6F (-14C) in the freezer. This was on five bars on propane.
A few times we have had to reduce bars to four, when ambient temp is moderate. This afternoon with ambient at 65F (18C) the fridge was at 32F (0C) and freezer at -9F (-23C), so we lowered it.
We have found 120volt and propane to perform similarly and 12 volt able to hold a temp when we start out in the mornings, but we switch to propane if needed or if we're about to camp without connections and need to let the solar build the batteries back to 100%.
We did carefully measure every interior dimension with Tom and Arlene's single door, and nearly all dimensions are slightly smaller in the 2-door, verifying Jen's impression.

I repaired the hinge pin in the freezer door that had earlier been reported. An easy fix if anyone else has that issue.

Bill

[gbaglo]

Gotta love good news.

[PGDriver]

On the RMD8555 topic, one thing I found out mainly by accident was that if I put the ice cube tray on the little shelf at an angle with one corner touching the door the cube in that corner did not freeze, all the rest did. Once moved away from the door it froze. So after looking at the door I came up with the following idea at add more insulation.

This was done by simply cutting a piece to match the contours of the recessed area on the door and pushing it in. This has made a difference to the overall freezer performance needless to say we are quite happy.

Cheers
Doug

[cpaharley2008]

Good idea Doug and thanks for the picture, it helps explaining what you said.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by PGDriver

On the RMD8555 topic, one thing I found out mainly by accident was that if I put the ice cube tray on the little shelf at an angle with one corner touching the door the cube in that corner did not freeze, all the rest did. Once moved away from the door it froze. So after looking at the door I came up with the following idea at add more insulation.

This was done by simply cutting a piece to match the contours of the recessed area on the door and pushing it in. This has made a difference to the overall freezer performance needless to say we are quite happy.

Cheers
Doug

Hi: PGDriver... As long as the Gin Martini mix doesn't freeze in the freezer... I'm ok!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Jeff and Karen]

Hi Doug -

It looks like you did a great job. I have a few questions.
1. Did you use polyurethane rigid foam?
2. If so, can this be purchased at local stores like Home Depot?
3. How is the foam attached? Tape? Glue?
4. How in the world did you cut the contour of the foam to match the contour of the recessed portion of the door so perfectly? it looks like you did a beautiful job.

Thanks, Jeff

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by jamman

You should not need to.

You MUST wait until ETI gives you the go ahead. They have to pass your info on to Dometic.

Got the OK like others in April; have just sent another email to ETI to see if we're good to go now.

Originally Posted by Bill and Earline

Update on the RMD 8555
Our 2-door was installed when we picked up our 21 in November.
On this trip we have been traveling for 6 weeks and finally hit hot weather a few days ago in Montana--97F (36C). Even when traveling at highway speeds at this temp, the fridge held steady at 36F (2C) in the fridge and 6F (-14C) in the freezer. This was on five bars on propane.
A few times we have had to reduce bars to four, when ambient temp is moderate. This afternoon with ambient at 65F (18C) the fridge was at 32F (0C) and freezer at -9F (-23C), so we lowered it.
We have found 120volt and propane to perform similarly and 12 volt able to hold a temp when we start out in the mornings, but we switch to propane if needed or if we're about to camp without connections and need to let the solar build the batteries back to 100%.
We did carefully measure every interior dimension with Tom and Arlene's single door, and nearly all dimensions are slightly smaller in the 2-door, verifying Jen's impression.

I repaired the hinge pin in the freezer door that had earlier been reported. An easy fix if anyone else has that issue.

Bill

Just got back from a month long trip and was the first time we had experienced any prolonged warm weather conditions. At times the RML8555 couldn't get below 52 degrees. Also noticed the freezer developing icing on its fins. Looking forward to a replacement and better performance.

[PGDriver]

Jeff and Karen

Hi Doug -

It looks like you did a great job. I have a few questions.
1. Did you use polyurethane rigid foam? Yes 2 pieces of 1/2 inch.
2. If so, can this be purchased at local stores like Home Depot? Yes but I got it at Lowes.
3. How is the foam attached? Tape? Glue? Friction fit.
4. How in the world did you cut the contour of the foam to match the contour of the recessed portion of the door so perfectly? it looks like you did a beautiful job. Put it this way buy enough for an extra piece just in case. Measure it slightly oversize and make you cuts on a slight bevel and it will fit tight.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by PGDriver

1. Did you use polyurethane rigid foam? Yes 2 pieces of 1/2 inch.

I can't find polyurethane foam sheets on the Lowe's website - was this perhaps polystyrene or polyisocyanurate? If it's polyurethane, do you recall the brand?