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Fridge light does not work
The light in my Dometic fridge (RM3662) does not work. Not a very big deal, but a working light would be better. According to the previous owner the switch does not work anymore. However, I'm not sure that is the case. When I measure the voltage I get 11.85 volts when the switch is in "door open" position and some millivolts when I press the switch down. I tried three different bulbs (Sylvania 6411) and then all don't light up. Could this nevertheless be the switch, or do I have to use special fridge bulbs, or what else could be going on here?
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #1 –
Quote from: Nick R.  - 
The light in my Dometic fridge (RM3662) does not work. . I tried three different bulbs (Sylvania 6411) and then all don't light up. Could this nevertheless be the switch, or do I have to use special fridge bulbs, or what else could be going on here?

Check for voltage at the lamp's contact. If none, suspect the fuse is blown
There are two fuses on the control board, one for the 120-VAC refrigerator heating element, the other for the 12-volt powers for the interior light and door frame heater.
http://www.adventurerv.net/images/3850415.01.JPG?osCsid=5hkfrs7nobi0auahc2fd6ko662
Check the 12-volt, 3-amp fuse, it is usually on the bottom, left side of the control board.
Depending on the board, the fuse can be a cylindrical glass-type or a plastic ATO plug-in type.
Fuse - Wikipedia(automotive)
The circuit board usually has the fuse's rating printed on it, in very tiny print.
Before removing the control board's cover, disconnect the 120-VAC shore, generator or inverter power, it is present for the 120-VAC heating element.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #2 –
Quote from: Larry W  - 
Check for voltage at the lamp's contact.
As I wrote before, when I measure the voltage I get 11.85 volts when the switch is in "door open" position and some millivolts when I press the switch down. This measurement is done directly at the two bulb contacts (with the bulb removed). I will also check the fuse, just to make sure.

I think by now, after reading few reviews from people who also needed replacement bulbs, that these bulbs might indeed be special bulbs - as strange as it sounds.
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #3 –
Quote from: Nick R.  - 
When I measure the voltage I get 11.85 volts when the switch is in "door open" position
Note, when measuring the voltage, do it directly across the bulb INSTALLED - either 12V or ground connections could have a fault. If your measurement WAS done this way, the bulb is bad, so I suspect it was not.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #4 –
Yesterday I measured directly at the two contacts of the bulb - without the bulb installed - and got 11.85 volts.

Now I measured again - with the bulb installed - at the two metal ends of the bulb and got nothing. Then I took the bulb out and measured again at the two contacts and also got nothing.

All measurements done with the fridge being turned on and the switch in "door open" position.

I will have to wait until it's a little warmer (right now it's just 41 °F) and check the fuse.
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #5 –
I tried to remove the fuse cover (after disconnecting the shore power, but without at first also switching off the house batteries) and loosened for that the screw at the top after pulling out the 110V plug. I then saw that it is impossible to get the cover off because there is one very thick cable in front of it.

I tried to move this cable but it is too tight. I then put the screw on again, put the 110V plug back in, reconnected the shore power - and now my fridge does not work at all anymore, also not with propane.

I can only hope that I now indeed did something to the fuses - but how do I get the cover off? There is some kind of graphics on the cover that seems to indicate that I have to do something with a screwdriver at the bottom right corner of the cover to get it off, but I don't understand that. The 20 amp fuse at the converter is not blown.

How do I get the cover off? I'm really freaked out now.
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #6 –
Upon looking at the fridge installation instructions I think that what I called "thick cable" in front of the fuse box is actually the drain water hose. In the diagram it goes down, in the Lazy Daze it is placed tightly in front of the fuse box.

Who on earth has it placed it there and why? Is there a way to remove it, or does it have to be cut to get to the fuses?
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #7 –
The drain hose is installed to collect and dispose of condensation that occurs around the refrigerator's cooling coils.
Your refrigerator is an older than I'm used to and I have not seen the drain in that location. .
The drain hose should be removable at the top, where it attaches to the refrigerator. You may also be able to pull it up and out but I'm not sure how difficult it would be to replace. Last choice is to cut  the  hose and, after the repairs are made, to patch it back together with a piece of smaller diameter pipe or rigid tubing, pushed inside the hose, using hose clamps, if necessary.

If you have lost all or more power, odds are the control board has loose wires.
Be careful with the refrigerator, most start failing at the 10-12 year point, a few last much longer but that's not the norm.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #8 –
I think I really (almost) screwed myself up big time. And all that just because I wanted to have a stupid light in the fridge.

I managed to get the fuse box cover loose and knowing that the "thick cable" is a more or less flexible hose I managed to get the cover out of the way. Both fuses are glass and and looked good. All cables looked good. I anyway wiggled the fuses and wiggled the cable connectors - and the fridge works again, with AC and with LP. I'm sitting here crying in front of my computer. Now I still have to get the cover back on without again interrupting something.

Not for the first time I think that almost even better than the Lazy Dazes themselves is this forum here with so much knowledge about just one RV brand. I would not have dared to fumble around there more without your input. Thanks again. I hope to see some or all of you one day on the road.
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #9 –
The fuse and control board cover is back on and the fridge is still working. I hope it stays like that for a while. The fridge light is still not working and I will stay away from this "problem" for some time.

After removing the reigniter and the 110 volt duplex outlet wall plate it was not very difficult to get the board cover on again. Apparently somebody else had problems with this before - some parts on the left side of the cover had been cut out to make it slide easier onto the fuse and control board.

That was an exciting and sometimes frightening Sunday morning. I could use a recovery nap now.
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #10 –
Note that even on AC mode the fridge electronics run on 12V from the batteries/converter. It sounds like you may have some corrosion going on causing your problems. Start with where the 12V connects behind the outside access door, and trace until you find the problem.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #11 –
"I would not have dared to fumble around there more without your input."

 ;D  Just chalk it up to another glitch on the LD Learning Curve! O:) At least you've been there and you wont hesitate to go back a 2nd time.   ;)
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #12 –
Hi Nick. I have bad contacts in the switch inside my refrigerator, and usually the light won't go on when I open the door. If I really want the light on, I flip the switch lever a few times to dig through the lead oxide on the surface of 'tinned' contacts.
Dometic could have put a little plating of better contact material in the switch, but either they were too cheap, or ignorant (or both). A few cents worth of gold would make that problem go away.  That may be all that is keeping your light from working. RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #13 –
Quote from: RonB  - 
Hi Nick. I have bad contacts in the switch inside my refrigerator, and usually the light won't go on when I open the door. If I really want the light on, I flip the switch lever a few times to dig through the lead oxide on the surface of 'tinned' contacts.
Dometic could have put a little plating of better contact material in the switch, but either they were too cheap, or ignorant (or both). A few cents worth of gold would make that problem go away.  That may be all that is keeping your light from working. RonB

For the fridge in our '83, I gold-plated the contacts to permanently solve that problem. At the time I had access to a metal evaporator in a clean room, so a more reasonable current solution would be to polish the contacts with a pencil eraser. Effective for a few years at least.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #14 –
Gee Steve. I worked in a clean room on a Perkin Elmer 4400 sputterer with Ti-Au targets and also pure gold targets. Back metal on 4" wafers...that was a while ago! I also took care of a small sputterer for putting a thin layer of Pt, about one angstrom, on samples to look at in one of my SEM's. That was to conduct electrons away from the beam, otherwise looking at photoresist, the electrons would accumulate and repel the beam making everything really fuzzy, where you were trying to look. Cleanliness wise , putting tinned parts and pvc in the vacuum, tch tch! Hard to maintain a vacuum at 1x10-10 Torr. 
   They have small gold electroplater pens, but about $60. Back to that eraser, and a little silicone grease. RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #15 –
Quote from: RonB  - 
Gee Steve. I worked in a clean room on a Perkin Elmer 4400 sputterer with Ti-Au targets and also pure gold targets. Back metal on 4" wafers...that was a while ago! I also took care of a small sputterer for putting a thin layer of Pt, about one angstrom, on samples to look at in one of my SEM's. That was to conduct electrons away from the beam, otherwise looking at photoresist, the electrons would accumulate and repel the beam making everything really fuzzy, where you were trying to look. Cleanliness wise , putting tinned parts and pvc in the vacuum, tch tch! Hard to maintain a vacuum at 1x10-10 Torr. 
 Supposedly they have small electroplater pens at atmosphere now.  RonB

I only understand "Gee Steve."    ;)
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #16 –
Sorry Ed and Margee, A bit esoteric there. Not too many of us have ever been in a cleanroom, but I didn't know Steve had worked with sputter machines too. Way!! off topic. RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #17 –
Quote from: RonB  - 
Cleanliness wise , putting tinned parts and pvc in the vacuum, tch tch! Hard to maintain a vacuum at 1x10-10 Torr. 
   They have small gold electroplater pens, but about $60. Back to that eraser, and a little silicone grease. RonB

I didn't put the whole assembly in! I just removed the contacts from the switch, which were merely copper or copper plated spring steel, as I recall. This was a very old, all manual 3-way Dometic. Of course I burnished the contacts and put them through a full 3-stage cleaning cycle before running the process. This is also NOT the unit we used for wafer processing.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #18 –
"I worked in a clean room on a Perkin Elmer 4400 sputterer with Ti-Au target..."

So extremely cool, Ron! Thanks for sharing.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Fridge light does not work
Reply #19 –
Quote from: RonB  - 
Gee Steve. I worked in a clean room on a Perkin Elmer 4400 sputterer with Ti-Au targets and also pure gold targets. Back metal on 4" wafers...that was a while ago! I also took care of a small sputterer for putting a thin layer of Pt, about one angstrom, on samples to look at in one of my SEM's. That was to conduct electrons away from the beam, otherwise looking at photoresist, the electrons would accumulate and repel the beam making everything really fuzzy, where you were trying to look. Cleanliness wise , putting tinned parts and pvc in the vacuum, tch tch! Hard to maintain a vacuum at 1x10-10 Torr. 
   They have small gold electroplater pens, but about $60. Back to that eraser, and a little silicone grease. RonB

wow, another fab geek.  That tool is pretty old but I remember it.   I've been in semiconductors for the last 36 years.  Started on 3" and 100 micron line width .  Today I'm still going strong.  The wafers are 12" and line-widths, as you probably know, are under 10 nm.  How the world has changed.

Bob
2006 RK