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Dometic 3-Way fridge continually blows out on the road


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#1 bcats4life

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Posted 10 April 2016 - 03:24 PM

Hello All,

First of all, thank you to everyone for the wealth of knowledge on this page.  

 

I recently purchased a 2014 Eagle with a Dometic RM-2193 3-Way fridge.  On my last couple trips it appears to blow out relatively easily either on the road or when parked in windy conditions.  Otherwise it works well when parked.  Running it on 12v while driving isn't in option as the amperage draw is too high to allow simultaneous charging of the battery.  Has anybody found any good solutions to blocking the wind or any other options.  I have read about the autorelight mod which I will probably try, but it seems that would be autorelighting non-stop while driving.  The fact that it works well while parked leads me to believe it doesn't have any blockage issues or need to be cleaned.

 

By the way, I don't want this to turn into a compressor fridge vs. 3-way fridge argument.  I like the compressor fridges, just don't want to spend the money on it right now just after purchasing the camper.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Dave


Edited by bcats4life, 10 April 2016 - 03:28 PM.

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#2 Wallowa

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Posted 10 April 2016 - 03:35 PM

Bcats,

 

Not being preachy...but do consider not having any propane on [off at the bottles] while you are driving.  Unless the camper propane alarm can be heard in the cab of the truck.  I have seen RVs that were torched from leaks in propane systems; very sobering. 

 

I take it your truck alternator will not keep the camper battery charged sufficiently to run the icebox while you are driving.  Seems like your alternator should be adequate; that is a puzzle.    Alternate is to add a second battery and or put in a solar panel.  

 

Good Luck,

 

Phil

 

Ps...Check camper battery, it may not be taking the charge


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#3 bcats4life

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Posted 10 April 2016 - 04:04 PM

Phil,

I've read about the propane under way issue, just haven't really found a direct correlation worth changing my habits.

 

The truck alternator keeps the battery where it is when running the fridge underway.  The fridge draws just over 10amps on 12V, so the alternator can't provide enough juice to both charge the battery and run the fridge.  This isn't an issue when I first leave for a trip as the battery is full, but after camping when it's down I am unable to charge with the fridge on, just maintain its state of charge.  Seems like this is a common trend among 12V fridges, just too much draw to do both.


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#4 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 10 April 2016 - 05:36 PM

Bcats,I struggled with the my Dometic 3-Way and the pilot going out while driving and sometimes while parked  with strong wind.

I made a shield out of "flashing" that fits around the burner area. This has worked very well.
Now I can even leave the fridge on propane while driving,most of the time.

 

There are other articles about adding some protection near the upper vent but what I did works for me.

Also make sure the burner area is clean and no soot or cobwebs.

Hope this helps.

Frank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_1301.jpg


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#5 carld

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Posted 10 April 2016 - 11:38 PM

Frank, nice fix for 3 fridge now I have something new to work on.  The last time I was camping the wind was strong enough to lift the top with the back door open.  That night it blew out the fridge, fortunately I had enough beer in there to keep it cool.   

 

My last camper had the larger Dometic 3-way that that had a auto light so if it went out it would restart.  Now I keep it on 12 V while driving.

 

Dave, I can't see why your alternator can't keep up with the 10 amps for the fridge and the battery.  The alternator should supply more than 50 amps if needed.  Do you have two batteries one for the camper with a separator for the truck battery?  It could be that there is too much loss between the truck battery to camper battery.   Normally the truck voltage regulator will try to adjust the voltage (at the alternator) to around 14 V while running.  This should keep battery charged.  If you figure 10 amps for the fridge (more like 8) plus 10 amps for the camper battery, the drop for #16 wire (assuming two wires +/-)  is around 1.3 V (.8 for #14 and .5 for #12), so your camper battery charge voltage may be running around 14-1.3 =12.7 or less.  This may result in the battery slowly dropping over time, you need around 14.5 V to charge to 100%.  Also it could be that the battery separator  senses the voltage drop when the fridge is on and switches on and off reducing the charge to the camper battery. 

 

My solution is  two 50W 2.2 lb flexible solar panels in series on the roof with a MMPT smart charge controller.   I can still lift the roof, both batteries alway stay charged even if I park for months and when on the road I run the fridge on 12V. 

 

Carl


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#6 Wallowa

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Posted 10 April 2016 - 11:55 PM

Wow...10 amps for fridge...I had no idea; my current FWC 130L Isotherm maxs out at 4amp...

 

Completing the circle: what about the battery condition?  Perhaps your truck alternator [my Tundra alternator is 100 amps...so called cold climate alternator] is kicking out enough juice but the battery condition has deteriorated to the level that it can't take or hold the charge..

 

Hey, I am guessing here.  

 

Good luck,

 

Phil


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#7 imix

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Posted 11 April 2016 - 04:17 AM

Driving down the road with an open flame boiling a bunch of ammonia is insane. Not trying to be an ass, I've just seen one too many RV fires in my 49 years, its one thing when you are towing a trailer and you can maybe detach and drive away quickly, but that's not an option with a camper. You are either dead or out a truck and a camper. Put some ice packs in the fridge between destinations if you can, or get an engel. Or just dry camp, no fridge is the best fridge there is. Life is way more important than cold beer.


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#8 Mickey Bitsko

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Posted 12 April 2016 - 10:26 PM

Pretty good ideas how to remedy your issue, had the problem on my '05 Eagle , best way is to find a little aluminum flashing [ ACE hardware has it] and start fiddling with it  around the pilot and burner area till you get it  where you like it.

As far as running the propane while driving, been doin it for fifty years, take a little spray bottle , fill with soapy water spray all fittings 2-3 times a year. not a problem...jeesh.


Edited by Mickey Bitsko, 12 April 2016 - 10:29 PM.

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#9 idahoron

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Posted 13 April 2016 - 11:40 PM

Bcats, I have the three way and I have never had a problem running down the road. I wonder if there is a slight difference with the shape or the vent that is different between my Hawk and the Eagle. 

I have been using 3 ways for about 20 years I personally think it is safe but I don't leave it on when I pump gas. 

I think more fires are caused from faulty wiring than the pilot light. 


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#10 bcats4life

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Posted 14 April 2016 - 02:24 AM

Thank you all for the responses.  A quick question for those who have built a "shield" around the pilot/burner area.  Did you do anything at the top of the stack or just cover down at the bottom around the pilot?  I'm wondering if there is anyway that wind enters through the top vent and then down the stack creating enough wind to blow it out.  I'm definitely going to work on a shield for the burner area.  

 

Carl, not sure about the lack of voltage from the alternator.  I checked at the battery and wound up removing the battery separator as that kept clicking on and off and I have a relay at the engine which disconnects from the truck battery.  On my readings I was showing about 12.6V at the battery with the fridge on 12V and about 13.8 without, so clearly I'm losing enough to not charge the battery.  I'm running 10 gauge wire from the truck back, so shouldn't be losing too much over that.  I think I'll be adding another battery and solar down the line, but would like to have it all working as is.

 

Thanks again all.


Edited by bcats4life, 14 April 2016 - 02:29 AM.

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