Dometic comes through!

[dave1]

I'm not sure we should expect a fridge in an RV to be as efficient as one in ( I'm guessing here ) an air-conditioned home in a southern summer.
Easy for me to say, here in BC.

I don't think any of us with frig cooling problems are expecting home frig performance. I would however expect my RM8551, 4.3 frig to keep food at a safe Temp, . This it cannot do above about 80 degrees.
Obliviously domentic and escape both think the frig is not performing correctly and are trying to fix it for us, this I appreciate. I really don't see how your comment has any reveliance on this post, especially since you don't have a frig in question.

Dave

 

[bdornbush]

Yes, but that was before global warming.

Actually, I sold the trailer a few weeks ago so it worked this past summer just fine.

 

[Patandlinda]

How about a resolution for those of that bought the standard 4.3 cu ft refrigerators !? Our 4.3 refer does not adequately cool in any mode when the ambient temps are above 80 degrees F.

Not even refig was on the shade side at beach , outside temps were 70-80 . frig was going up to 48 -15 for freezer . We ran on gas then generator for 120 . Before we left home ran for 2 days on 120 . Only put frozen and cold food and not packed tight . Have a fan inside going . Had a cooler always along . This is the 4.3 . Frig went down about 3 am to 36 . Outside temps were in the high 50's at that time . Have digital thermometers so don't need to open door to check . If you open door takes hours and hours to recover .Also set at 4-5

 

[Patandlinda]

Not even refig was on the shade side at beach , outside temps were 70-80 . frig was going up to 48 -15 for freezer . We ran on gas then generator for 120 . Before we left home ran for 2 days on 120 . Only put frozen and cold food and not packed tight . Have a fan inside going . Had a cooler always along . This is the 4.3 . Frig went down about 3 am to 36 . Outside temps were in the high 50's at that time . Have digital thermometers so don't need to open door to check . If you open door takes hours and hours to recover .Also set at 4-5

Also set 4-5

 

[Patandlinda]

Bob, I did receive some new doors for the 4.3 units. I will ship you one to try out. There are a few other adjustments that can help also such as moving the thermistor away from the fins. Try taping it to the side of the fridge.

Email me you contact info

Reace

We would also like to try that door for the 4.3,we have already moved thermistor taped to wall as you said . Still no luck . Have posted a quote to this read of our recent trip last week .we want the freezer . We use .

 

[gbaglo]

Suggest you email your info to ETI directly.
info@escapetrailer.com

 

[Patandlinda]

I had a 1968 Aristocrat trailer with a Travler by Elixer propane-electric refrigerator and it worked in any weather I camped in including some hot days so it can be done.

Us too. Previous Dometic in 1979 and one in1992 both worked great !

 

[Hogawill]

Refrigerator cooling failure

we have a 15ft 2013 escape with a RM8551 4.3 refrig, actually this is our 2nd refrig because the core in the first one failed within 10 months. We never heard the fans come on in either refrig and assumed they were super quiet, not the case because we discovered a couple months ago that the thermistat was not functioning, removed it and rewired so I can turn the very noisy fans on manually.
all of that being said, neither refrig would cool in warm weather with or without the fans running continuously and now I understand that Dometic has discontinued this model. We have greatly enjoyed the quality of our escape and live in it nearly full time, but the constant refrig problems have made us regret our choice and while escape and Reece have been wonderful to work with they have made some bad choices with their appliances that effect the whole experience of being an escapee.

hogawill

 

[Patandlinda]

We would also like to try that door for the 4.3,we have already moved thermistor taped to wall as you said . Still no luck . Have posted a quote to this read of our recent trip last week .we want the freezer . We use .

Also most important we were level !

 

[cpaharley2008]

Hogawil and Pandandlinda,
Please contact Escape with your concerns, this forum is not in a position to address them here.
Thank you.

 

[Bobbito]

Reading other RV forums I see equal complaints about Norcold and Dometic RV fridges and don't blame Reace or Tammy for choosing what many other RV manufacturers install. I would, however, love to see an Escape users poll establishing what percentage of Escapers who have camped in hot weather (definition required) are satisfied with fridge performance. Without exact data it would be of limited use, but if you could determine that a rough fraction of users were or were not satisfied with their fridge performance in hot weather, it could be useful to all in gauging how big the issue is and on which fridges.
Perhaps additional comments could allow for details on how their expectations were not met, and the comments could help to determine if the Escaper was expecting too much (as in comparing to home fridges). I suggest the poll because you don't know if there is a silent majority out there without fridge issues, so a poll might encourage them to respond. A poll could also show the problem to be more widespread than previously thought. On the other hand polls take a lot of effort to produce and to evaluate. What do you think, Jim?

If Dometic and Norcold fridges have similar reputations long term, recent issues must be related to engineering changes or quality control issues. I am willing to bet (will be getting our 21 in May) Reace will be the one who gets Dometic to fix this, if the current changes aren't already sufficient.

Bob K

 

[Klem]

Hogawil and Pandandlinda,
Please contact Escape with your concerns, this forum is not in a position to address them here.
Thank you.

Are you saying on a public forum we can't voice our opinions if they are real negative opinions? Time for the Site Team to back off and realize that it's official. The Dometic 8 Series refrigerators installed in ANY trailer are weak.

the reason I haven't posted my latest info on our RML8555 is due to the bullying by the site team.

Please do not try to tell us we can't voice our opinions. Dometic has let us all down and ETI is just caught in the middle like many other trailer manufacturers.

Klem

 

[gbaglo]

Klem,

Have you not noticed that the posts in question are still on the forum? You haven't noticed that nobody has censored anybody?
Reace asked that people email him. Many don't realize that this forum does not belong to ETI and that Reace and Tammy have better things to do than religiously follow the forum. That is why I suggested sending email direct to ETI as he requested. Did you notice what time of night Reace posted the news about a Dometic fix? It was 10:23pm on a Friday night.

 

[Karen H.]

Many don't realize that this forum does not belong to ETI and that Reace and Tammy have better things to do than religiously follow the forum.

I think this needs to be stated frequently on this forum. While ETI has a disclaimer ("Please note that these forums are not operated by Escape Trailer Industries.") on their website, many may assume that Reace and Tammy read this forum religiously and will respond to questions/complaints. That may happen once in a while but it is the exception, not the rule. So the suggestion to e-mail or call them directly is a valid one and was meant without ill intent.

Let's all lighten up!!

 

[Jubal]

Hogawil and Pandandlinda,
Please contact Escape with your concerns, this forum is not in a position to address them here.
Thank you.

We are not requesting that the forum address our concerns but to discuss them. Isn't discussion what the forum is for ? I would suggest that if the moderators were experiencing the same failures that we are, the suggestions would be different.

 

[Patandlinda]

Hogawil and Pandandlinda,
Please contact Escape with your concerns, this forum is not in a position to address them here.
Thank you.

Charley believe me we have . Considering this frig is the most expensive appliance with the trailer .

 

[Parker-ESC]

Reace, this is great news. This past fall, every major component of our RM8555 was replaced under warranty. Cooling loop, control board, 12V element (re-used the 120V element), etc. While I was happy to finally have Dometic step up to the problem, the fridge was still barely adequate in the Keys in February. It works fine in cool weather, as it always did. As I've said from the very beginning of these many threads, I believe Dometic simply undersized the cooling loop for these fridges, probably to cut costs. I am really happy to hear that they are finally recognizing the problem and are offering a serious remedy. Thank you.

 

[cpaharley2008]

I'm was merely trying to prevent off topic discussion. Feel free to post your concerns in the correct thread or start one. The site team is merely trying keep the discussion on point.

 

[MyronL]

Whoa. Exactly what serious remedy would that be? It ain't just the R8555 or a few Dometic lemons. This is a great forum. Let it not be a propaganda mill.

All unhappy with their fridge performance should absolutely chirp up. It is taking a long time but, I think it's the noise made here that has perked up concerns and we hope a serious call to action at ETI.

 

[cpaharley2008]

Patandlinda and Hogawil,
Perhaps you may have misunderstood my remark, as others seem to have mentioned. Issues you may have with Escape fixing a problem is best directed to them. Parts or repairs needed should be addressed to them. This forum is not part of Escape Industries. Am I making my point? Please let me or another site team member know if you are unclear about this.