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Old 08-31-2020, 01:52 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Not so Big Al View Post
A month ago we replaced our Dometic fridge. Not because of any malfunction but because we decided we wanted a bigger unit with a separate freezer. We had a Norcold 4151 installed it fit with little modification to the cabinets and a bigger exterior vent.
1st or 2nd gen trailer?
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Old 08-31-2020, 02:22 PM   #22
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Not to be contrary Donna, but I think the OP's main point was that her fridge is not able to be replaced due to not being able to fit a new fridge through the door. I believe even ETI found this to be a design flaw, which may be why they changed that in subsequent models/molds. If I remember correctly, this was a major frustration for those who had the infamous faulty RM8551 in the first generation trailers. So it would seem the issue is not with quality, but rather the lack of foresight in the original design.
Totally Agree ! owner of the famous Rm 8551 that I had to pull and do all kinds of modifications to improve it’s cooling on our brand new trailer . No fun ! One of the problems was the incorrect clearances in the installation I later found out that didn’t help . Pat
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Old 08-31-2020, 06:13 PM   #23
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1st Gen Bob,
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Old 08-31-2020, 06:16 PM   #24
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1st Gen Bob,
Didn't you get the very last 5.0 built? The single axle?
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Old 08-31-2020, 08:05 PM   #25
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There is a reason why I have owned 4 different Escapes in past 8 years, design improvements. Escapes hold their value and with new features very easy to upgrade......
I thought it was because you ran out of propane
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Old 08-31-2020, 09:16 PM   #26
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“Refrigerator cannot be removed through the entry door”. Do they build the trailer around the fridge? I hope not as I’ve got a RM8551. Working well now after a service but if i have to cut it into pieces to remove it ill not be happy
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Old 08-31-2020, 09:19 PM   #27
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When you’re bound and determined to have a new trailer with a new catchy name, it’s inevitable that you make up multiple excuses for changing out. Low on propane, little Nubs are worn off the tires, grey tank is full. 220,221 whatever it takes. Man, I am glad you are back Jim, you take kidding so well. ( And hand it out pretty good too)
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Old 08-31-2020, 10:30 PM   #28
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That was us Donna.
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Old 08-31-2020, 10:51 PM   #29
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There is a reason why I have owned 4 different Escapes in past 8 years, design improvements. Escapes hold their value and with new features very easy to upgrade......
Jim: Glad to see you are back! Hope your recovery is progressing well.
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Old 08-31-2020, 11:53 PM   #30
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“Refrigerator cannot be removed through the entry door”. Do they build the trailer around the fridge? I hope not as I’ve got a RM8551. Working well now after a service but if i have to cut it into pieces to remove it ill not be happy
I am not aware of situations where the existing refrigerator cannot be removed through the door. The issue is fitting a modern replacement through the door opening of the original mold. A bit of a pain and last resort but a possible solution is removal of the cooling unit from the rear of the new fridge and reinstallation on the fridge once inside the trailer.
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Old 09-01-2020, 06:36 AM   #31
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Dometic replaced my fridge when my original one quit. My RV dealer removed the door and door frame and did the replacement. No problem. Took about 2 hours.

I checked as close as I could after all was completed and could not tell the door frame had been removed. Good Job!

On some trailers they routinely remove a window and do it.
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Old 09-01-2020, 07:01 AM   #32
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Dometic replaced my fridge when my original one quit. My RV dealer removed the door and door frame and did the replacement. No problem. Took about 2 hours.

I checked as close as I could after all was completed and could not tell the door frame had been removed. Good Job!
Just a point of clarification...door frame removal is possible on the newer Gen2 trailers because it is a standard RV door. On the original molds with airplane style door there is no frame to remove. One of the reasons Reace switched to that style door was to have more flexibility to accommodate newer fridges.
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Old 09-01-2020, 07:15 AM   #33
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Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
Just a point of clarification...door frame removal is possible on the newer Gen2 trailers because it is a standard RV door. On the original molds with airplane style door there is no frame to remove. One of the reasons Reace switched to that style door was to have more flexibility to accommodate newer fridges.
I didn't know that.

I tried to get a new chair in my Rambler a few years back and that was a frustrating experience. Finally took the rocker platform off and got it in.

May have to do the same with the new fridge in the 1st gen. I mean take some piece(s) off of it.
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Old 09-01-2020, 08:53 AM   #34
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We replaced the refrigerator in our 2018 Gen 2 19 footer twice in our first year of ownership.

We have the standard, 5 cubic foot Dometic fridge, model RM2554, with internal freezer compartment and 3 way operation. The first failed after we returned home from our factory pick up trip and before we took our first local trip, and the second failed before we ever got to use it on an outing. The problem both times was with the cooling unit, requiring removal and replacement with a new fridge, and both times the door needed to be removed to provide the necessary clearance to get the fridge out of the trailer. Though the door has been removed and re-installed twice I really can't tell even on close inspection and that was a big concern to this new, first-time trailer owner. [Another option would have been to replace the cooling unit which could have been done inside the trailer had new cooling units been available from Dometic at the time.]

We were not happy campers but Escape and Dometic both stepped up and helped us through it. Escape, by helping me troubleshoot and confirm the problem was with the fridge (and not something I was doing or had done wrong) and by coaching me in what to look for in a good service tech and explaining how the warranty process should work and what to watch for, and Dometic, who promptly provided two replacement refrigerators under warranty and with no cost to me.

So far, fridge #3 is working nicely on electric (AC) or propane. It keeps frozen foods solidly frozen and cold things cold, even when outdoor temps creep up above the 80 or 90 (F) degree mark we often have during our Virginia summers.

I should add that Reace was puzzled by the failure of my first fridge, explaining that they set them up at the factory and let them run for about a week before they install them, and this was the first of this model that had failed. Similarly, the tech that installed the second fridge set it up and let it run for several days before putting it in and showed me that it was cold when I picked it up. I am sure that Escape is taking notes.
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Old 09-01-2020, 10:47 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
On the original molds with airplane style door there is no frame to remove. One of the reasons Reace switched to that style door was to have more flexibility to accommodate newer fridges.
That may also just be a by-product of the switch in door type. While we all loved the molded "airplane" style f.g. door it was a PITA in some ways. Both from manufacturing and air leakage points of view.

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Old 09-09-2020, 10:31 AM   #36
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The Dometic fridge in our 2004 Escape 17 leaked ammonia after bouncing on the Dempster Highway in 2018. Tammy and Reace offered to replace it with the current model, although the new owners won't do that apparently. There were no issues with respect to getting it through the door nor with the cabinetry.
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Old 09-09-2020, 11:02 AM   #37
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We have an issue woth our 7 year old 17B which has me extemely disappointed with the quality of the design of the trailer. From the first day we owned the trailer we have had issues with the Dolmetic refrigerator. For the first few years, the issues were minor and livable. However for the last two, the issues have become major. The door will not stay on the frame and falls off going down the highway and the control panel is increasingly loose. The model we have is no longer in stock. We have no issues with replacing the frig but it doesn’t appear that we can. We have been unable to find a way to replace ours without cutting a hole into the outside fiberglass, and even then we are not sure how to adapt to a different size. I get it that refrigerators wear out. What I don’t get is a design that doesn’t allow us to replace one. We bought “Gertie” because of the quality Escapes are known for, thinking that we would be able to enjoy her for years to come. Now we are left without a functional trailer in less time than friends who bought much less expensive stick built trailers. Can anyone help us?
We had our door fall off a couple of times. You have to Loctite the screw at the bottom right. Hasn't come off since. Also put a simple latch on the door as a backup. Escape quality is great. It is the fridge that is the problem.
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Old 09-09-2020, 11:44 AM   #38
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Hi Lorrie, I'm wondering what the typical issues have been with the RM8551. I happen to have that in my 2015 Escape 19 and the control board on the 'fridge has gone out. Really expensive to replace that control board , and hard to find one too!

Thanks.
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Old 09-09-2020, 12:04 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Travelers View Post
We replaced the refrigerator in our 2018 Gen 2 19 footer twice in our first year of ownership.

The first failed after we returned home from our factory pick up trip and before we took our first local trip, ...

We were not happy campers but Escape and Dometic both stepped up and helped us through it. Escape, by helping me troubleshoot and confirm the problem was with the fridge (and not something I was doing or had done wrong) and by coaching me in what to look for in a good service tech and explaining how the warranty process should work and what to watch for, and Dometic, who promptly provided two replacement refrigerators under warranty and with no cost to me. ...
I wish we had received like customer service from Escape and Dometic like that!

We love our trailer but have had problems with our refrigerator from the first day of ownership. When I contacted Escape (March 2020) after leaving Chilliwack with our brand-new 5.0 TA, Dustin emailed some instructions to possibly resolve the issue (it would not run on gas), but the problem persisted. Dustin's email also said, "If the above fails to resolve the issue I will have you reach out to Dometic at 1 800 544 4881 and they will direct you towards an authorized service center in your area to have this issue properly diagnosed." Dometic, however, left it up to us to find an authorized service center, which turned out harder than expected because Dometic has a reputation for being cheap when compensating dealers for warranty work and the three or four that I first contacted weren't interested in looking at the problem.

I finally found a dealer an hour away that was willing to look at it, and he diagnosed and replaced the lower control board. Yea! We thought our problems were over. Not! The fridge "works" but not properly.

By accident, we found out that the fridge runs on power or gas even though the panel always shows “Auto Gas”, and we’ve also noticed that it does not switch back to propane automatically after disconnecting from power. We have to turn the fridge off then on for it to run on propane.

We brought it to the authorized dealer a second time so he could confirm the ongoing problems, and he said he that he would have to contact Dometic to figure out what to do next. That was a month ago, and my suspicion is that he's no longer interested in the problem either.

I guess we should be happy that it "works", right? Well, we're not happy with it, because we're always wondering when the fridge is going to completely fail. At this point, we'd be happy with a fridge replacement, but how likely is that?

So, what do you think we should do?

Ron
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Old 09-09-2020, 01:53 PM   #40
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Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
Just a point of clarification...door frame removal is possible on the newer Gen2 trailers because it is a standard RV door. On the original molds with airplane style door there is no frame to remove. One of the reasons Reace switched to that style door was to have more flexibility to accommodate newer fridges.
If we ever need to replace our refrigerator, not worried at all . Lots of solutions . The one item that attracted us to our trailer was the airplane door . We still love it after all these years and we had similar twice before the newer gen trailer door and didn’t care for it . Glad we have our Classic and wouldn’t change . Pat
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