Dometic fridge not cooling

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Kingranch

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Joined
Mar 10, 2019
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Replaced the heat element bc it showed open circuit...now it at least will start to heat up the ammonia but the fridge still wont get cold.  I can feel the plastic trim around the front of fridge feels really hot but when I open and feel inside freezer and fridge no sign of cooling off.
Any ideas of where to troubleshoot next?
 
Hi welcome to the forum!
Considering I have no clue of how long you've been rv'ing and what you know about RV fridges I'm going to ask some basic questions, and give basic answers, please don't be offended.
How long are you waiting to check the temperature? It can take a good 24 hours for some fridges to cool down.
Is the fridge empty? Using pre-chilled bottles of water, and some ice in the freezer will help speed things up.
Are you measuring actual temperature? If so, how? If using a regular fridge thermometer, by the time you focus on the reading after opening the door it will already be giving you a bad reading, and the reading gets worse the emptier the fridge. Get one of these:
https://m.harborfreight.com/1-inch-pocket-thermometer-46586.html
and put an inch to inch and a half of water in a small glass, then drop the thermometer into it. Set the glass in the fridge. Take note of the beginning temperature, then give it a look about 6 hours later.
 
Find the service manual for your model of Dometic at http://bryantrv.com/docs.html

Run it on propane and compare results. If neither propane or electric produces much cooling, odds are the cooling unit is failing.
 
Its been 24hrs and I've owned the rv for 2 yrs now it is a 2011 keystone.  Usually it would feel at least cool to touch after couple hours on the paneling inside but its definitely warm...no thermometer needed its 75 outside and fridge definitely isnt cooling down.
My main question is why would it be so hot/warm around the trim specifically where the door seals touch
 
Kingranch said:
My main question is why would it be so hot/warm around the trim specifically where the door seals touch
Click to expand...

Your fridge may be equipped with a door frame/seal heater. What model is your fridge? We may be able to direct you to a manual for it.
 
Kingranch said:
Its been 24hrs and I've owned the rv for 2 yrs now it is a 2011 keystone.  Usually it would feel at least cool to touch after couple hours on the paneling inside but its definitely warm...no thermometer needed its 75 outside and fridge definitely isnt cooling down.
My main question is why would it be so hot/warm around the trim specifically where the door seals touch
Click to expand...

Have you opened the bottom access door on the outside to see if there is any indication of a yellow substance in there?
 
Swapped out board and now its cooling.
I'm guessing the last time it was used it was in west texas 115 deg heat when it stopped cooling.  My guess is the elec heating element and board died at same time from heat
Thanks to all for help.. learned alot about these crazy systems along the way
 
Kingranch said:
learned alot about these crazy systems along the way
Click to expand...

I would suspect that a lot of us do our best learning when the DAMN thing quits working...But then you get that good feeling when you get it running.
 
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