Refrigerator Replacement August 07, 2019, 10:37:03 am The refrigerator in my 2003 FL has quit working. In my driveway, I discovered it was maintaining 42 degrees in the fridge and 31 in the freezer. Shut it down, let it warm up, took it out for a short drive to run a couple of errands and 'stir things up'. Turned it back on, no longer working at all on either electric (it has power), nor on LP. Shut it back off again, was going to check the vent the next morning, opened the outdoor compartment and smelled ammonia, so that settled it, time for a new fridge. I've read through previous discussions about R & R of the refrigerators and\or cooling units. Even with that wealth of information, I have a couple of questions before I order a new fridge. The unit I have now is an RM3662. In one post, I noticed that for my vintage coach, it is not likely that this is not the unit that came with it from the factory. Just curious if it's already been replaced once before? The Dometic cross reference guide shows the replacement to be an RM3762. Just wondering if anyone has done this replacement, and if so, any suggestions or precautions? It's exactly the same dimensions, so should be fairly straightforward. Mine has 1" foam board on the sides already, but will access once the old unit is removed if I need to modify that. Does the trim piece around the existing fridge work well with the new one? Anything else to be prepared for? Thanks in advance for any help!Bill
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #1 – August 07, 2019, 10:43:51 am Bill, you might want to look at Larry Wade's "Refrigerator Replacement" photo collection; the link to all of his photos is on the home page of the message board.Note: Flickr now requires a viewer to sign in and "register" for an account to view photos.
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #2 – August 07, 2019, 10:49:16 am Bill, I have a 2001 MB and the refrigerator is the Dometic RM 3662 and was the original. I know it is on borrowed time and will be interested in the replies that you get. My refrigerator still works as of last year as we took a 2 month trip to the Northwest but have not used the rv this year yet. We now live in AZ and will take it out in September. Kevin
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #3 – August 07, 2019, 11:13:30 am When the refrigerator would not get sufficiently cold, I replaced it with a dometic DM2862 and it was an exact fit. Since I live in hot country, Tucson AZ, I also added an ARP electronic fan controller along with two additional cooling fans. Also added a 3 fan unit inside the refrigerator. I bought the refrigerator from PPL as they had the lowest online price. I bought the fan controller from RV Cooling warehouse. Just fyi.
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #4 – August 07, 2019, 01:07:58 pm Our 2003's refrigerator blew up on the road, a few years ago and was replaced with a DM2662, it's a perfect fit.I suggest keeping the plastic shelves and trays from the old refrigerator, they a made of heavier plastic and make good spares when the new, thinner, cheaper parts break.While the refrigerator is out, it's a good time to repair and increase the refrigerator's compartment insulation.Done right, it can significantly decrease propane usage.Larry
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #5 – August 07, 2019, 02:03:15 pm "While the refrigerator is out, it's a good time to repair and increase the refrigerator's compartment insulation. Done right, it can significantly decrease propane usage."Amen to that! When I replaced the fridge in my 2003 midbath, I was shocked at how skimpy the factory's insulation was: a few 1" white styrofoam pieces loosely glued between the wooden frame members. A couple had fallen off. I replaced them with 4+ inches of pink foam. Since I was putting in a 12V/120V compressor fridge, which used no propane, I can't testify to how much it would have reduced propane consumption, but multiplying the R-factor by four or five had to have been beneficial. In short, at least in 2003, the factory's fridge insulation was pathetic. By all means, add as much insulation as you can fit.
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #6 – August 07, 2019, 02:08:28 pm Just a comment: 24’ and 27’ LDs have a 6 cf refrigerator; I believe that the 31’ has an 8 cf refrigerator, hence the different model numbers of suggested replacements.
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #7 – August 07, 2019, 04:40:00 pm Summer refrigerationSummertime in the west seems to bring about its own set of problems regarding the functioning of the refrigerator. We have auxiliary fans, inside and outside of our refrigerator, and it does pretty good, but I am nervous about losing food.Was wondering if anyone has combined the use of the refrigerator with a regular cooler . . . i.e. putting block ice into the refrigerator and treating it as a cooler that has SOME power to cool.I've gone the cooler route when our refrigerator decided to not work for the last month of a three-month trip, but haven't tried a combo routine. A refrigerator that can keep up in moderate weather, but falters during really hot weather (SE Arizona), might not really be substantially improved by replacement because the exigencies of the weather itself provide the problem.I know this sounds off beat, but has anyone tried it? Virtual hugs, Judie
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #8 – August 07, 2019, 05:01:23 pm Quote from: Judie Ashford - August 07, 2019, 04:40:00 pmWas wondering if anyone has combined the use of the refrigerator with a regular cooler . . . i.e. putting block ice into the refrigerator and treating it as a cooler that has SOME power to cool.I know this sounds off beat, but has anyone tried it?Judie, while we don't augment the refrigerator with a regular cooler we do frequently carry a 12V thermoelectric cooler as a backup and for our favorite libations that must be kept cold. Charles
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #9 – August 07, 2019, 06:26:34 pm "...we do frequently carry a 12V thermoelectric cooler..."---Brand? Size? Power draw? Any issues? I carried a soft-sided cooler and several ice packs on a recent trip for all the fruit I wanted to haul; next to useless. (And little/no freezer space to re-freeze the ice packs!) I would appreciate hearing of your experiences (and those of others, too!) with the 12V cooler; thanks for any information!
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #10 – August 07, 2019, 07:26:42 pm Quote from: Joan - August 07, 2019, 06:26:34 pmBrand? Size? Power draw? Any issues? We mainly use a Coleman PowerChill cooler that has a 40-quart capacity (37.8 liters or 1.3 cu.ft.). Dimensions are 23.5”H x 15.3”W x 17”D and empty weight is 18 lbs. It draws 5 amps max in 12V. We have a heavy-duty AC power adapter with a 10 amp output for use when we have access to AC or run the generator. Found the cooler at Walmart on sale for $60. Besides power draw the only issue is that it is only capable of cooling 40 to 50 degrees below ambient. We have soft-sided coolers in various sizes also which we use ice packs in to keep cool for short trips and in the car.Charles
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #11 – August 07, 2019, 07:32:22 pm "I carried a soft-sided cooler and several ice packs on a recent trip for all the fruit I wanted to haul; next to useless. (And little/no freezer space to re-freeze the ice packs!) "I guess duration of trip would play a part, but I found that I could change out two half-gallon sized milk bottles in the Lazy Daze freezer with two of the four I kept in a hard-sided cooler in the Sportsmobile on a daily basis without impacting the freezer space for the two of us. Thus each pair of frozen ice packs was changed out every other day. The melt rate seemed to be about 25% in any given container over this two-day period. Thus I'm guessing that it might be feasible to carry and refreeze only ONE extra half-gallon container and still be able to sustain enough cooling.I started out from home with four half-gallon containers at the bottom of a 40-quart Coleman 5-Day cooler that I had lined with Reflectix. The next layer was an elevated (a bit) powdered-coated rack meant for use in cabinets. Then the food, followed by another layer of Reflectix over whatever food was in there. Limiting dead air seemed to be the key. The reason for all of the preservation was because we were parked for two months in a spot that was 70 miles RT to the nearest grocery store, apart from a village market suitable mainly to replenish milk at $5./gallon to make our yogurt. Nido to the rescue.Just now I was at a gas station and noted that they sell ice at ten pounds for $2., and twenty pounds for $3., and wondered if a $3. investment in that much ice would provide several days worth of cooling, or would it melt quickly. Clearly time of year and positioning of the cooler itself would play roles, but it is something to consider if freezer space in the Lazy Daze is not available, but you wish to accommodate an abundant supply of perishables.Virtual hugs,Judie
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #12 – August 07, 2019, 07:53:50 pm As for the use of soft-sided coolers . . . I do that on a regular basis on our weekly (or more often) trips to Tucson for chemotherapy, etc., at the VA Hospital. I have a soft-sided Coleman cooler that I have lined with the small foam meat trays that Italian sausage comes in, with a double layer at the bottom, and another as a "topper". The medium and small Blue Ice packs are the next layer around the edges, and the food goes in the middle of this cocoon.Some days stretch into twelve hours, and there is no noticeable melting of the ice packs upon arrival back home. Even the small shards of dessert chocolate bits are kept solid for the duration.Whether this method would span multiple days, I cannot really say, but I would expect at least two days of preservation, if the most vulnerable items are consumed first. Milk, cheese, yogurt, fruit, even cooked cereal (the things I carry on a routine basis) are fairly forgiving and will be safe to eat for quite a long while past 40 degrees. Virtual hugs, Judie
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #13 – August 07, 2019, 09:20:41 pm I use a small Engel compressor refrigerator carried between the front seats for backup and access while driving. Personal opinion and experience but a thermoelectric cooler is not worth having.The Engel refrigerator is very expensive at around $700 but it works. Mine is 20 years old and still working.
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #14 – August 07, 2019, 09:57:34 pm When an alternative to the built-in fridge is needed, you have three ways to go: an insulated cooler kept cold with ice (or dry ice, if you can find it); a thermoelectric cooler such as Charles's Coleman PowerChill; or a small compressor fridge such as Harry's Engel or my Dometic ChillFreeze CF-50. Each has its pluses and minuses.An insulated cooler is inexpensive and uses no electricity. But it requires constant replenishment of ice (which reduces its usable storage space), needs to be drained as the ice melts, and can't keep food frozen.A thermoelectric cooler is affordable and can keep food colder than an insulated cooler, as long as ambient temperatures are not too high. It can't keep foods frozen (at least not for long), and it does use significant electricity.A compressor chest fridge is expensive, and can keep food frozen (although most models can be a freezer or a fridge, but not both). It uses about the same amount of power as a thermoelectric cooler of the same size, but gives you more cooling per amp.My take is that a cooler is cheap, and for very occasional use may be all you need, as long as you don't need to keep anything frozen. A thermoelectric cooler is affordable, and is probably the most cost-effective solution for folks who need auxiliary refrigeration more than once in awhile. A compressor fridge performs bestow all, if your budget will allow it.As mentioned elsewhere, for the past five years I've been using a Dometic CF-50 (50-liter) compressor fridge in my vehicles, powered by a 100-watt solar panel on the roof, feeding a group 27 Lifeline AGM battery via a Victron 75/15 solar controller. The whole system is completely independent of the vehicle's electrical system and runs 24/7 on solar power. As long as I'm parking in the open, a 100-watt panel has been enough to keep the fridge going full-time. This setup has been extremely useful when grocery shopping requires long drives; it keeps cold beverages available wherever I drive; and of course if my rig's built-in fridge should fail, it's a viable backup system. (Oh, and it's great when defrosting the rig's fridge.) 1 Likes
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #15 – August 07, 2019, 10:07:29 pm Quote from: hbn7hj - August 07, 2019, 09:20:41 pmThe Engel refrigerator is very expensive at around $700 but it works. Mine is 20 years and and still working.Price is $35/year so far and going down.
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #16 – August 07, 2019, 10:57:54 pm RE: Dry IceI can tell you from direct experience that if you put dry ice in a cooler with things that will freeze, it not only keeps them cold, it freezes them! I made that mistake the time that the refrigerator stopped working on the trip. Seemed like a good idea at the time! Virtual hugs, Judie
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #17 – August 08, 2019, 12:44:00 am Good point, Judie. Only use dry ice if you want to keep the cooler's contents frozen!
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #18 – August 08, 2019, 09:59:21 am Thanks to all for the information and suggestions about the R & R of the refrigerator. Joan, Thanks for mentioning Larry's post. I had actually read it some time ago, but found it and did so again last week (out of necessity), had looked at the Flickr pictures, so that was all already on my mind. I followed the Flickr link right from that post. I didn't have to sign in or register. Hmm!Kevin,Thanks for pointing out that you have a RM3662 in your '01. Somewhere in one of the many previous discussions I'd read on the topic, I thought I'd read that coaches of my vintage had a different model. My installation looks original to me, but wasn't sure. Larry,I appreciate your mention of the RM2662. It is among the three that are listed in the Dometic Replacement Chart as a replacement for the RM3662. Though I'm not shopping price necessarily, the RM2662 is a couple hundred dollars more than the RM3762, and is only a 6 cu. ft. model. The RM3762 has the identical dimensions, but is now advertised as a 7 cu. ft. model. According to Dometic, "Thanks to advanced insulation technology, Dometic has expanded the storage space of the New Generation Series Refrigerator, without increasing its outside dimensions." Though I've never found mine lacking for space, it seems that the 7 cu. ft. would be the better choice (resale?), and the price difference would probably pay for the shipping. That said, I wonder if you, or anyone else, knows of any other differences between these two that should effect my decision?Andy,Your comments about your experience reinforces what I'd read, especially because I do have the same white foam on the sides of mine. Looks good from the outside, but now expect I'll probably find something similar to what you did when you removed yours. I will definitely be prepared to upgrade the insulation as much as possible when I do the replacement.I'll update once there is again cold beer in the fridge. ;-)Thanks again and happy travels!Bill
Replacing the refrigerator Reply #19 – August 28, 2019, 11:46:53 pm Quote from: kevin hannah - August 28, 2019, 11:13:56 pmI also tried several times today and no answer. I wanted to know what they recommend for a new fridge for the Mid Bath. Mine is a Dometic RM 3662 and Dometic said in their replace cross reference guide that either a DM 2662 (6 cf) or a DM 3762 (7 cf). Both look like they will fit the opening but the DM 2662 is 2" shorter than the original fridge. I wanted to know what the current refrigerator Lazy Daze is using. I also wanted to know how they get the fridge in and out as the door way is too narrow. Do you just slide the dining window open and it fits through or do you have to take the whole window frame out. Any one know?ThanksKevin
Re: Replacing the refrigerator Reply #20 – August 28, 2019, 11:49:42 pm From a search using "replacing refrigerator"Chris"I don't know how big the chair is that you're talking about but we had to change a refrigerator in our first LD, a 26.5' RB. Hubby, Karl, removed the window over the dinette and we maneuvered it in through the opening. It took 3 of us geezers to do it - we used a "slider board" and pads to keep from damaging the window frame but it went in pretty slick. Yes, the house doors are fairly narrow and I guess we didn't think about bringing it in through the cab. I doubt that a fridge would go in that way and would have been concerned about damaging something anyway. I could just see us breaking the windshield or?"
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #21 – August 29, 2019, 10:20:29 am An update: I called a local RV repair facility and asked for a price on a replacement for my RM3662. The service manager asked a few questions. I explained that both heat sources were working properly but no refrigeration and I could smell NH3. He suggested that rather than a new unit, I just replace the cooling unit. He said "we do lots of them, many more than just replacing with a new unit, and have had very good luck with them". I was reluctant at first, but it would end up being less than a new one, they could do it in four hours while I waited, and, I could come out and see the enclosure while the unit was out to see what the insulation looked like so I could take the unit out later and upgrade the insulation if I wanted to. Though my rig\fridge is 16 years old, the original owners were very gentle with the appliances, so the refrigerator cabinet, shelves, etc. are still in very good condition. Given what I've read about the components in the newer models, I decided to go with the cooling unit replacement. They ordered the replacement (a rebuilt Dometic, identified as a Nordic 39-5462), and I arrived at their shop at 9:00 AM yesterday morning. They came and got me around 10:00 once the unit was out of the wall to have a look, which was as Andy had described earlier in this thread. Came around again at 1:00 PM to let me know it had taken longer than expected to get the old cooling unit removed from the cabinet. By 2:30 they had finished, cleaned up, leak tested and had the unit ON. About 3:20 I walked out with a service person and could feel the outside coils were warm, though still no cooling as expected inside, temps. in fridge and freezer at ambient (84 degrees). Drove home and checked it at 10:30 PM, freezer was 18 degrees and fridge was at 36 degrees. It cooled down faster than I expected. The total, including a $16.00 purchase in addition to the fridge R & R was considerably less than they quoted me originally, which I didn't argue with. ;-) Very pleased with their service and communication during the process, and, I couldn't tell they'd been inside when they finished. Time to get the beer cold!Bill 1 Likes
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #22 – August 29, 2019, 10:41:59 am Did the shop upgrade the insulation in the refrigerator enclosure?
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #23 – August 29, 2019, 11:13:31 am Quote from: Joan - August 07, 2019, 06:26:34 pm"...we do frequently carry a 12V thermoelectric cooler..."---Brand? Size? Power draw? Any issues? Bought our Coleman TE cooler decades ago for a car trip to Monterey. Used on AC in motels & 12V in the car. These days use it to get fresh cold food up to our cabin. A note - it will try to keep cooling below 32F, but if it does, it will ice up and stop cooling. We keep a small digital thermometer with the remote probe inside to keep track. Inside temps seem to keep mid 30's to low 40's most of the time. It can be used horizontally or vertically.Steve
Re: Refrigerator Replacement Reply #24 – August 29, 2019, 12:06:11 pm No Joan, I want to do that myself, if I decide to do it. I just wanted to see what it looked like when the unit was out. I'm not able to use my coach as often as I had hoped, so unless something changes, I probably won't do it. I don't think it'll ever matter enough for the way I expect I'll be using the rig. Easy enough to do if things change.Bill 1 Likes
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