Freezer/Refrigerators, portable

thataway · Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 6:04 pm Post subject:

Not sure how we got to coolers--that is another subject. The coleman Extremes have had excellent ratings. The average ambient temp at Powell in the last week has been about 15 degrees cooler than earlier in Sept. Big difference. Yes, most of us put wet towels/bedspreads over the coolers to use the evaporative cooling effect.

Back to the subject. The LED temp is up to 24 constantly and now the compressor is running about 50%. The alcohol temperature is staying at 13 to 14 degrees, and the IR temp on the top of the ice is 14 degrees. The i/O thermometer is reading about 12 degrees. (this is an alcohol tube type of garden thermometer, and not easy to read).

The problem is the reading of the thermistor/sensor/LCD read out, and probably this is effecting the run time. Most likely we had the real temp in the freezer at Powell close to zero F. or even lower. We will next test the temperature when running at temperatures in the mid 30's--or refrigerator.

If I cannot get the sensor fixed, I can still use the unit and set the temperature accordingly--using a thermometer to measure the temp.

Sunbeam · Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 9:44 pm Post subject:

Will-C · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 9:04 am Post subject: Freezer/refridgerators, portable

[quote="thataway"]Dave,
Part of the issue, is that ice is not good quality on Powell, and lasts 3 to 4 days max, even with good coolers (of course, we are in and out, putting in beer etc.). In our case we have a high end ice chest, and keep a wet white bed spread over the cooler, to help keep the temp down, and decrease the ice usage".

Dr. Bob,
I'm just guessing that this might have been reason the poster brought up coolers. As an aside the ARB units are reported to have a three year warranty.
D.D.

thataway

RobLL · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:39 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the additional details. Holding frozen food for over a week on a small boat is not a trivial task. I may get to that point in a few years, health holding. For now 3-5 days will suffice - that is a trivial problem.

thataway · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:15 pm Post subject:

A bit more research and finally finding a local tech who was kind enough to work witth me (even though he has never seen one of these units)-and will order the part from Dometic. (But it is also on line for $18 to $25.) This is a known and fairly common problem on these units. In fact WAECO was including two of the Thermistors in the units, until bought out by Dometic. You could just switch out the plugs--cost about $2.50 to Dometic! Unfortunately mine only has the original, so I will have to replace it, or just put one inside of the freezer box…There are a number of "solutions" on the internet.

Dometic was no help. After describing the issues, and asking for a tech to reply, I got this:

Robert H. Wilkinson · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 7:52 pm Post subject:

Bob, it is frustrating when you pay big $ for something and it develops a problem just after the warranty runs out. Years ago I bought a Dometic camp refrigerator at my neighbors garage sale. Paid $30. for it and I can't kill it! I have no idea how old it is but it was made in Luxembourgh and supplied by Euroclean Canada. It is a 3 way model # RC160. Claims to draw .65amp on 120v and 6.5amp on 12v. From my experience it uses about one pound of propane per day. The absorption refer units take longer to cool down the contents but after that I have found them very efficient.

Sounds like you have done the research but here are 2 sites that I found.
CUSTOMERSUPPORTCENTER@DOMETICUSA.COM
AND
DOMETIC.JUSTANSWER.COM/

Regards, Rob

P.S. There is also a website where you can punch in your model # and it will check if there has been any recalls on it.

thataway · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:37 pm Post subject:

Thanks Rob. I have had some Dometic products in the past which were great. But I also had a high end ($6,500) 14 cu ft adsorption Refrigerator/freezer in the RV--which just did not work well--replaced with a $1000 Sansumg dual compressor unit, which works better than the home unit.

The customer support site is where I got the bad information--with the exception of the one tech, who is helpful. The "Just ask" is simplistic, and not actually a Dometic site. No recalls on this unit.

There is one resource I have used with other companies, and that is "Investor Relations" I have found that a well worded letter on my company letterhead, often gets good results. I may try this down the line, as I see what develops.

Sunbeam:

gulfcoast john · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:54 pm Post subject:

Hi Bob!
Sorry that unit is not performing right for you.

At last years Apalachicola gathering, when I asked you about any 'preventive maintenance' I could pay a pro for, for the RV Coleman rooftop AC and it's 1 year warranty, you sort of implied (as I recollect, and my memory is not that sharp any more), that it's 'sort of a disposable unit that you replace rather than repair' for $800. As I get more experience with these issues, I now agree with you 100%.

Although it's very annoying when a $1000 item has a 12 month warranty (2 yrs for yours) and it fails like it it has a timer on it, I get irritated too. The $1000 windlass and $2000 Garmin MFD have only 12 month warranties with absurd limitations.

Just as a boating philosophy question...why is your Dometic fridge any different than your Coleman rooftop AC in being a disposable unit engineered to last not much more than its warranty?

Hyundai replaced our 2012 Genesis 5.0 entire wiper motor when it would intermittently fail to work, and the entire Lexicon stereo amp when the stereo would intermittently refuse to turn on, even when neither could be demonstrated to the service manager. If only boat dealers could work like that!

Thanks for the great link to the article comparing these type units; I would never have found that!

Where can I get me a 80 Qt Dometic for $749? that sounds like a steal!

Thanks for your willingness to share your vast experience! We Brats don't thank you enough!

Cheers!
John

Sunbeam · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 10:35 pm Post subject:

thataway · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 10:43 pm Post subject:

John,
Good point. The difference I see is that for the most part the RV air conditioners last years, running almost full time. (I have never had to replace one). The current two units on our RV run almost full time--and are 7 years old now; so that would be $100 a year…or less than $10 a month. It may well be that all of these things last longer if you use them full time. Sorry if you are having any issues with your boat AC unit. I did have to replace a couple of capacitors after lightning strikes nearby. The problem with the air conditioners, as with any sealed compressor, is if you have to replace the compressor, it will cost almost as much as the original unit. Talking to the tech about my freezer today, he mentioned this mentality: If the estimate is over $125 most people would rather buy a new unit, than repair an older unit--so you are not alone. But I agree warrantees should be longer and more comprehensive!

There are a couple of things that we all should do for the RV AC units--that is clean the inside filter frequently (wash in water and dry), and clean the cooling fins and fan on the roof. Have to pull the cover to do that.

I think that the Dometic (WAECO) Freezer/refrigerator is a good unit mostly because of the Danfoss compressor. The problem is not the compressor, but is a cheap electronic component--which cost initially is in the several dollar range. It should be made more reliable--but apparently is not….If it was Mil Spec, I suspect it would be. I'll guess it was made in China…

Dometic CF 80 at PPL RV supplies in Houston is $749. Here is the link:
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-refrigerators/portable-freezers.htm Adventure RV also has the $749 price. I have also had good service from Adventure.

I have used PPL for many years, and they have had good service and good to deal with.

For items like this, Camping World, Defender, Amazom etc are often going to be more expensive.

Sunbeam · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 10:51 pm Post subject:

thataway · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 11:07 pm Post subject:

Sunbeam, I don't think that the PPL is "closeout", since the CF series is still listed as current.

What is interesting, is that WAECO still seems to exist as a subsection of Dometic in much of the World--but in the US, it is just Dometic. I am not sure that the CFX line is available in the US--it comes in the mid size, but available in Australia, Orient, GB etc--but not sure about the US.

CFX: 35, 40, 50, & 65 Quart sizes.

Sunbeam · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 11:10 pm Post subject:

Pat Anderson · Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 12:11 am Post subject:

We bought our ARB 50 quart fridge/freezer from lowrangeoffroad.com, it was $835, free shipping and no tax. We are very happy with it. Looking at the specs on this site, it says average power consumption 0.7 to 2.3 amp hours. This is a little different that what we originally read, which was 1.35 amp hours. But it is still very good any way you slice it. At Powell, we were definitely at the high end - but then, temps were very high there, and we had it set at 15 degrees. It kept everything in it frozen solid. Our solar panels were close to keeping up during the daytime but not quite. I think we ran our Honda 2000 generator only once over 14 days, although we also charged by running the outboard when we ran to Dangling Rope for ice for the Pelican cooler. Like Bob says, the ice at Powell is low quality, two blocks lasted about four to five days in the Pelican (not bad actually). We do see a Honda 1000 in our future, smaller and lighter than the 2000, to bridge any gap between solar panel production and power consumption!