Dometic DM2852 Refrigerator Troubleshooting

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bmckune

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Jul 29, 2019
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I have a Dometic 2852 refrigerator in our 5th wheel that has worked for 6 years without any issues.  We leave the 5th wheel at a campsite year-round, parked on concrete and it is level and plugged into power.  We leave the fridge on all summer long.  This past weekend the fridge and freezer decided to stop cooling.  The light inside the fridge still turns on, the check switch light is not on.  I checked the fuses outside and both are good.  If I have someone turn off the refrigerator inside, I can hear one click while outside but don't hear anything else running.  I also tested it with gas and got the same results of only a click noise on the outside.  The single click does not sound like the gas ignitor.  Any troubleshooting or solutions suggestions are greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance. 
 
Look/check the coils for ammonia smell or yellow stains.  No check lights Im suspecting cooling unit failure.
 
Could be a leak in the system but given the age, a board problem would be high on the list. You should have a troubleshooting guide for the fridge in the information package for the 5th wheel. Follow that through and you should be able to determine if you have a bad board. If you do not have the troubleshooting guide for the 2852, it is available online or possibly from another member here.
 
Thank you for the response. Next weekend I?ll take a look at the couple of suggestions above and let you all know what I find out. Thanks.
 
Looks like there is some yellow liquid below the gas connection and below that. Thinking it?s the cooling unit. I attached a picture. Would you all agree.  Everything on the board seems to be working based on my test.
 

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I don't think it's what you suspect.

One tell-tale of a failed cooling unit is a yellow powder below it, usually near the burner. It's the sodium chromate anti-corrosion component of the coolant.  It would never be liquid - the coolant is gaseous (ammonia + hydrogen) that evaporates almost instantly if it leaks (and leaves the yellow powder behind).
Not sure what that liquid might be, though. Especially along the gas line. Can't see it very clearly in that photo, but there should never be any liquid there.  Is the condensate drain tube feeding to the outside as it should, or is it maybe dripping to the interior?
 
I wanted to follow up and thank everyone that commented on my post.  Changed out the cooling unit on the fridge and we are back in business. 
 
grandmasue50 said:
Hello.............i am new to all this. I just joined and saw that you had anwered some questions about the 2852 frig. Hopefully you can help. It is so hard to get a tech. to help with questions.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum.

I suggest that you create a separate post, specifying the issues you're experiencing with your Dometic. This way you will hopefully get more answers, quickly.
 
We ordered the camper new. Its a 2020 Rockwood Mini lite. The Dometic frig stopping working when we came home. The frig is not cold nor the freezer. Its out of warranty already and have no idea what to do. The fuses were checked and all working. Just trying to figure out what needs to be replaced.
 
Sorry, but to help we need more detail than "it's not cold".
  1. Is the fridge cooler than room temperature? If yes, about what temperature in both fridge & freezer.
  2. Same whether on 120vac electric or LP gas?
  3. What lights are on the fridge control panel (sometimes called the eyebrow panel)? Any error (check) lights?
  4. When you try gas mode, do you hear the burner light or at least try to light (a "snap-snap-snap" sound from the DSI sparker)?
Oh, I see you did start another thread with your Dometic question. Let's take the discussion over there.

Dometic Frig

Hello..........i am new and need information on how to fix a Dometic DM2858 that doesnt get cold or freeze. Its in a 2020 Rockwood Mini Lite. Used it over the 4th of July. During the trip where we were camping, the breaker box where we were plugged in kept tripping. We had our frig set on...
www.rvforum.net
 
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