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Old 12-04-2016, 12:39 PM   #21
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I did fix the fridge as tif-texas suggested, I removed the broken plastic in the door and fit in a piece of stainless steel. Here is my solution to stop the door swinging open on bumpy roads, it is a sliding window pin that screws into the wooden plate on the door.
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Old 02-12-2017, 10:48 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ThomasG View Post
Has anyone used the "Fridge Hinge Repair/Damage Prevention Kit" on a DM2663 refrigerator as mentioned in post #1 of this discussion?



I recently contacted Larry Gamble (Little House Customs) and he said he wasn't familiar with that model of refrigerator.



Sarah at ETI told me the 2017 5.0 TA will have a DM2663 frig, so I was going to order one of these kits if I can determine that it will fit that frig.


ThomasG,

TDF-TEXAS may be a little busy with his mods.

Dave (H46DRIVER) is due to arrive at Little House Customs tomorrow. He has the DM2663 fridge on his 21' 2017 Escape. Dave can be our verification. I will text him also and ask him to confirm.
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Old 02-13-2017, 05:59 AM   #23
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21 fridge

Are we talking about the new Escape21 we bought in Nov has that fridge door ? Is the problem going down a road the door opens and breaks the hinge or does it break when door is still closed ?
so keeping door closed with bungee or strap solves the problem and not loading the door up ??
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Old 02-13-2017, 08:57 AM   #24
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We have the RM 2454 and have added the SS hinge plate to both the upper and, lower hinges of our refrigerator . The plate does solve the hinge issue but does nothing for the door shelf issue .
We seldom travel on unimproved roads or carry heavy objects in the door but still the shelves continue to break . The shelves are of a poor design and Dometic knows there is a problem but continues to do nothing to rectify it.
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Old 02-13-2017, 10:34 AM   #25
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The hinge on our fridge door failed when it swung open on a bumpy road.
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Old 02-13-2017, 02:03 PM   #26
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Just to double check....the Dometic RM 2454 is the 4cu ft fridge that is being installed in the 17B as an option correct? Unfortunately I chose the larger fridge so I'm thinking I should just order the dang stainless steel hinge before I get my trailer in March. At least then I'll have it on hand if the hinge fails.
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Old 02-13-2017, 02:18 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by advenas View Post
Just to double check....the Dometic RM 2454 is the 4cu ft fridge that is being installed in the 17B as an option correct? Unfortunately I chose the larger fridge so I'm thinking I should just order the dang stainless steel hinge before I get my trailer in March. At least then I'll have it on hand if the hinge fails.
Or, you could just not put heavy items in the door shelves when traveling, especially on rough roads. I use a bungee cord to ensure the door is shut and secure.
By not following my advice, I did break one of the shelves, but was able to fix it with some epoxy and aluminum.
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Old 02-13-2017, 02:51 PM   #28
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I need to add "no heavy items in fridge door" and "bungee fridge door" to my inside check off list......otherwise I'll forget and we know where that leads......
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Old 02-13-2017, 03:53 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by advenas View Post
Just to double check....the Dometic RM 2454 is the 4cu ft fridge that is being installed in the 17B as an option correct? Unfortunately I chose the larger fridge so I'm thinking I should just order the dang stainless steel hinge before I get my trailer in March. At least then I'll have it on hand if the hinge fails.
The best idea is to install the reinforcement plate before it breaks. That way it won't break and looks better.

Heavy stuff in the door breaking the shelves is another matter. Just don't put heavy stuff in the door.
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Old 02-13-2017, 04:01 PM   #30
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Or, you could just not put heavy items in the door shelves when traveling, especially on rough roads. I use a bungee cord to ensure the door is shut and secure.
By not following my advice, I did break one of the shelves, but was able to fix it with some epoxy and aluminum.
Very good advice, but as I understand it some Casita refrigerator doors failed without heavy stuff in the door so it's perhaps a good idea to put the device on the hinge as a preventative measure.
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Old 02-13-2017, 04:17 PM   #31
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Until this, I had not heard of an issue with the Americana series regarding door hinge failure on the RB2663. I am not on the Casita forums though, but do have two friends with them in other brands of RVs that have not had an issue as far as I know.

Even a Google search of "Dometic RM2663 hinge failure" produced no hits, other than this thread. Are we certain we have the right fridge?
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Old 02-13-2017, 04:50 PM   #32
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My particular interest in this is for the Dometic RM 2454 model fridge which I believe is the 4cu ft option for the 17B I ordered. By the way, thanks for letting me know about the hinge and reminding me to unload the fridge door and bungee it before hitting the road.
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Old 02-13-2017, 05:40 PM   #33
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Too many different replies to too many different refrigerator models. I believe the newer 2017 and 2nd generation 2016 models do not have any issues with the hinge.
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Old 02-13-2017, 06:05 PM   #34
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I believe the newer 2017 and 2nd generation 2016 models do not have any issues with the hinge.
And probably never will if you don't carry heavy items in the door when traveling.
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Old 02-13-2017, 06:26 PM   #35
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Too many different replies to too many different refrigerator models. I believe the newer 2017 and 2nd generation 2016 models do not have any issues with the hinge.
The DM2663 has the exact same hinge as the RM2454 and will have the same issue with cracking at the hinge - usually at the top hinge of the door. I have a Casita with the RM2454 and an Escape with the DM2663 setting in my driveway. They both have the same hinges.

Pictures help explain:
Below is a picture of the Casita RM2454 top hinge. It has the plate installed. After the RM2454 pic are pictures of the DM2663 top hinges on the freezer/fridge doors. Look the same to you?
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RM2454.jpg   DM2663 freezer.jpg   DM2663 fridge.jpg  
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Old 02-13-2017, 06:31 PM   #36
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From Larry & Debbie Gamble: ( as only members can read this)
http://www.casitaforum.com/invboard/..._1#entry199859

Posted 24 January 2017 - 04:08 PM
As usual, I'm late to this party but here's the deal...

Dometic changes the thickness of the bushing about every 30 minutes or so. But not to worry. Our kit was originally designed to replace a totally broken off and missing hinge knuckle, bushing and all. In fact there are more than a few fridges racing around the country without the benefit of any remnants of the Dometic plastic parts present. We have a hardened steel pin passing through a very hard, very close tolerance hole in our stainless plate. It is certainly not essential that the plate lay flat, however in some cases, we take a file to the bushing and make it a bit more thin for cosmetic purposes. We've never had to remove it and I strongly advise against enlarging the hole in our plate. If you do, then you have plastic wearing against steel and you're no better off than when you started.

There has been an on again off again change in the bottom pivot. Some have a stack of thin bronze colored washers on the bottom and some have a washer under the bottom pivot pin. If you need clearance for our plate and no washers are obvious, unscrew the bottom pivot pin and remove the washer that is under it. Don't be confused when you lift the door off the bottom pin. There is a plastic bushing in the bottom of the door and sometimes is stays on the pin when you lift the door. The washers can be found under this bushing.

Once again, our original goal was to repair broken knuckles that are the result of this more than 20 year old flakey design. Yep, I'm not pulling punches as I get older. It's flakey.

Since a replacement door is just shy of 200 bucks, I figured Dometic wasn't entitled to benefit from this anymore so we worked with our friends at OMW and this is not only a solution to breakage but a significant preventative measure as well.

Now for a reality check. We see plenty of Casita from the late 90's and early 2000's with the original door, never had a problem. Don't panic, the odds of yours falling off this afternoon are not all that great. However...IF it does, your only temporary fix is a duct tape hinge. It takes longer to remove the duct tape and clean the sticky residue than it does to install our reinforcement bracket.

Do you need one top and bottom? For most of us we don't think so. Most that we've seen with a broken knuckle have been the top. If the top breaks and then you hit the railroad tracks, the door falls off and breaks the bottom knuckle. While some folks are belt and suspenders sort of folks, I think going with the top only, reduces the opportunity to stress the bottom. Certainly nothing wrong with top and bottom and might be the wise choice if you go to the back country at Big Bend or like to run Chaco Canyon at more than 2 mph.


Hope this helps.



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Old 02-13-2017, 06:34 PM   #37
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I just went out to the trailer to lend a critical eye to my MD2663. The hinges seem quite substantial, but it would have been nice to have a tougher latch than the plastic one, but it did hold to a VERY strong tug. I hate carrying spare parts, but a spare handle might not be a bad thing.
https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-38511.../dp/B00Q015XZ0
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Old 02-13-2017, 06:46 PM   #38
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My eight-year-old fridge is RM2510. Different style hinge.
Pix of top and bottom hinges.
Fridge getting its first service next week. Just a precaution.
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Fridge hinge top.jpg   Fridge hinge bottom.jpg  
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Old 02-13-2017, 06:52 PM   #39
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My eight-year-old fridge is RM2510. Different style hinge.
That style of hinge looks to be more robust than the hinges on mine. I guess just because it's new doesn't mean it's improved.
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Old 02-14-2017, 10:32 PM   #40
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OK, I was at Little House Customs today. Larry Gamble looked at our refrigerator hinge and verified what tdf-texas has stated, it is the same hinge as the 17' Casitas use. He also verified that the plate they sell to re-enforce it will fit. It will require removal of the freezer door to get to the refrigerator door. He did not recommend a plate for the freezer door as it would seem to be un-necessary. However, he felt it would be a very good idea for the lower (refrigerator door) as inexpensive insurance. That said, he also mentioned that Escapes were perhaps less likely to experience the problems Casitas have with the door breaking because of a smoother ride in general. I bought one and will install it later.
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