We would like to hear from any Grey Nomads who have replaced a 3 way Dometic RM2555 refrigerator with a compressor model fridge.
We are having issues for the second time with our Dometic and would like some feedback from members who have replaced their Dometic unit.
Bushman has been suggested, the Dometic CRX140 model does not get very good reviews.
The issue we have noticed is many of the compressor models are smaller in literage and physical size.
What have members done to fill in the void around the new fridge?
We are very new to this area and we are sure there are members with much more experience than us.
-- Edited by brandchampion on Friday 1st of April 2022 05:46:54 PM
Peter_n_Margaret said
05:49 PM Apr 1, 2022
If you have gaps to fill, use closed cell polyurethane foam insulation and you will reduce the power consumption.
Cheers,
Peter
86GTS said
07:26 PM Apr 1, 2022
Our Dometic fridge sh*t itself twice on gas & twice on 240V over the first 8 years that we had it from new.
For some strange reason its been functioning quite well for the past 4 years.
Fingers crossed it continues to go well.
We looked at replacing it with a different unit too but all seems OK at the moment.
We still have not much confidence with it.
Whenarewethere said
07:26 PM Apr 1, 2022
As said above, add insulation. Also good air flow for through the condenser. Access to clean dust off condenser after each trip.
you can get a fan kit to boost performance of the three way fridge.
brandchampion said
11:49 AM Apr 3, 2022
The issue we have had twice with our Dometic unit is that the system tubes block up, it only partially works in the freezer for a couple of days then goes totally off.
We have tried it on gas (recommended) and taken it on a long bumpy trip (twice) as also recommended to try to dislodge the blockage with nothing happening.
We have been told that it could be caused by the caravan being stored at a not "perfect" level, the caravan is barely off level so we are very disappointed that this has happened again and that is why we are asking the Grey Nomad Community who has replaced their three way unit with a compressor unit.
Whenarewethere said
12:05 PM Apr 3, 2022
If one really wants gas & a 12v fridge. Buy a compressor fridge kit & install like most boaties do. Cut a hole in the side of the fridge to run plumbing for evaporator. Not difficult stuff.
86GTS said
07:28 PM Apr 3, 2022
brandchampion wrote:
The issue we have had twice with our Dometic unit is that the system tubes block up, it only partially works in the freezer for a couple of days then goes totally off.
We have tried it on gas (recommended) and taken it on a long bumpy trip (twice) as also recommended to try to dislodge the blockage with nothing happening.
We have been told that it could be caused by the caravan being stored at a not "perfect" level, the caravan is barely off level so we are very disappointed that this has happened again and that is why we are asking the Grey Nomad Community who has replaced their three way unit with a compressor unit.
Like previously stated our Dometic Fridge pooped itself 4 times.
We heard every theory known to man as to why it did.
We had a fan installed to assist with cooling, all it did was flatten our battery.
Basically they are unreliable.
We now stand on one leg with our toes pointing in a Northerly direction before opening the door.
This seems to work well.
msg said
10:06 PM Apr 3, 2022
I have had a compressor fridge for the last 10yrs.
I expect that when I open the door the food in the fridge part is cold and in the freezer part frozen. I never worry about whether it is level nor do I worry about fans and having it installed correctly. It just works.
Thats the difference between a compressor fridge and an absorption fridge.
Mousey said
08:46 AM Apr 5, 2022
My van has two 12 volt Engles fridges. Seems to work okay but 12 volt only.
Nothing wrong with only 12v. Less problems. The things some people want to power I am surprised that they don't have 3 phase in their caravans!
Roy E said
04:03 PM Apr 5, 2022
Hello Adrian,
Having had 2 vans from new with absorption or 3-way fridges, I decided my latest new van would not have the Dometic 3-way the maker was going to fit but it was to have a Dometic 12v-240v compressor fridge.
The maker agreed after some discussion and fitted a Dometic 5208 RUC in place of a Dometic 5208 RUA. I'm more than pleased with the Dometic compressor fridge which performs far better than 3-way fridges in my previous vans.
Cheers,
Roy.
KevinJ said
12:02 PM Apr 6, 2022
We have a Dometic RMDX21 three way fridge which is not working on 12 volt at the moment. I am still waiting for a new controller part and have been for more than 5 weeks and it could be another 5 weeks for all I know as there are no parts in Australia. Fortunately it is still under warranty. It turns out the controller corroded but could have been avoided if I knew something I was never told. The van was 18 months old when I bought it and even the previous owner had not been told by the dealer about one of the fridge buttons. See the screen shot attached with the button highlighted by a red arrow. Also, the extract from the manual. The fridge repair people said I should press the button at least monthly, if not weekly to heat the controller to remove condensation on it, especially in humid conditions. I wish I knew before.
Ahh the joys of 3 way fridges. So much fiddling with them.
My fridge works on 12v permanently through the solar and it goes 24/7. There is no worrying about switching from one power source to another when you stop by the side of the road and then switching again when you move on and no hooking up to gas (and the added cost).
Makes for a quick pack up when leaving. Turn off the cooking gas, stow the loose items inside and in the case of a motorhone.... go.
If you are travelling daily and topping it up with the alternator in the car then you only need about 80w of solar. or if you park up for weeks then invest in a larger solar and lithium batteries.
I can hear you say and I probably agree to a certain extent, "but you can buy an awful lot of gas for the $4k or so a lithium solar system would cost." But over the ten years its still only $400pa. and you can be fully powered for independent camping as much as you want. You still have the option of a generator to power your Air con, micro and various other 240v appliances if you wish.
-- Edited by msg on Wednesday 6th of April 2022 01:49:57 PM
brandchampion said
02:10 PM Apr 6, 2022
I understand where you are coming from, but, the issue is we are not in the position to travel as much as you are and this is the second time the Dometic unit has "clogged up".
-- Edited by brandchampion on Wednesday 6th of April 2022 04:10:36 PM
Radar said
07:09 AM Apr 8, 2022
brandchampion wrote:
Hello all,
We would like to hear from any Grey Nomads who have replaced a 3 way Dometic RM2555 refrigerator with a compressor model fridge.
We are having issues for the second time with our Dometic and would like some feedback from members who have replaced their Dometic unit.
Bushman has been suggested, the Dometic CRX140 model does not get very good reviews.
The issue we have noticed is many of the compressor models are smaller in literage and physical size.
What have members done to fill in the void around the new fridge.
We are very new to this area and we are sure there are members with much more experience than us.
Hi, sorry to hear about your disappointing run with your Dometic crx140.
Surely you could locate a small refrigerator mechanic service centres like we have in Brisbane, 2 that I know of, at different times we have used them both, once for a small 3 way and the other for our 12 volt portable compressor refrigerator.
I personally think changing over the refrigerator from 3 way to a compressor style could be some what expensive where a repair maybe a low cost, with both of our repairs the cost was approximately 12% of a replacement cost of a new unit.
A switch on the 12 volt compressor fridge and the 240 volt heat element on the 3 way fridge.
Best of luck with your decision.
brandchampion said
10:47 AM Apr 8, 2022
The thing is the Dometic RM2555 has twice had blockages in the pipe system, the fridge needs to be removed to repair.
Going with a compressor unit we believe will alleviate certain issues.
One other question for 3 way fridge users, if you are using your caravan for a certain period do you switch the fridge on and run it for a few days on a regular basis to keep the "system" working? We were told literally nothing about how, when etc to run our fridge when we purchased our caravan new, nothing was said about how level the caravan needed to be at all. We are not pleading uneducated ignorance as an excuse but surely this is something that needs to spoken about when you purchase a caravan for the first time?!
Radar said
03:56 PM Apr 8, 2022
brandchampion wrote:
The thing is the Dometic RM2555 has twice had blockages in the pipe system, the fridge needs to be removed to repair.
Going with a compressor unit we believe will alleviate certain issues.
One other question for 3 way fridge users, if you are using your caravan for a certain period do you switch the fridge on and run it for a few days on a regular basis to keep the "system" working? We were told literally nothing about how, when etc to run our fridge when we purchased our caravan new, nothing was said about how level the caravan needed to be at all. We are not pleading uneducated ignorance as an excuse but surely this is something that needs to spoken about when you purchase a caravan for the first time?!
Hi, I missed understood.
Our last caravan had RM2555 and it was a pearler of a frig, it would keep the ice cream hard but it is only a small freezer, in some ways a better frig but you will not get the bigger 2 door 184 litre frig of the wife now. She is spoilt.
We generally park up from November to March and we use the frig as a back up over the Christmas period, we only go away for 6 weeks at a time, then a few weeks at home and gone again.
We have never done any ritual with the 3 ways except turn it onto 240volt a day or 2 out before departure and try to chill all products down before loading the frig.
I been told with any refrigeration it should be run whether air conditioning, refrigeration so as not to allow seals to dry out but I am not a professional tradie or worked in those areas.
I did a reasonable amount of refrigerated transport driving, with small amount of service seem to last for every.
Cnewc said
10:14 AM Apr 11, 2022
Hi. I replaced my Dometic 3-way about about 5 years ago with an evaKool 2-door 146L. I have not had any problems whatsoever. It works on 12/24V DC and its stated power consumption is 28.9Watts 2.25Amps (at 32C) which is much lower than the Dometic. Ive just had a look at my manual - it has a winter and summer setting and is designed to be able to operate above 45C in the summer setting. I travelled for 2 years (back in Oct 21) and stayed in caravan parks 5 times and off grid the rest. Size wise, they come in 110L, 146L, 175L and 210L. They are expensive but for me, totally worth it. I do not have lithium batteries, have 2 x 160AH AGM Deep Cell gel batteries and solar panels (2 house solar panels which I bought for $30ea) - no problems.
-- Edited by Cnewc on Monday 11th of April 2022 10:25:38 AM
rgren2 said
12:51 PM Apr 11, 2022
X2 for Evakool, I got mine at a very reduced rate as a second, only damage was a forklift dint in some underneath galvanised iron, was cosmetic and cant be seen. Have a look on their site for seconds. You still get the full warranty.
I replaced the 3way fridge in my caravan with a bushman compressor fridge which fitted in the fridge space perfectly. The 3way simply would not keep things cold while on 12v for traveling , the fridge was quite old I'll admit but given that I had to replace it anyway I went for a compressor fridge as I had in my previous caravan and was very happy with.
I am very happy with my bushman and have had no problems with it at all , I did however connect it to the battery on a separate line with an Anderson plug which I could disconnect separately for storage and defrosting purposes as you cannot turn the fridge off otherwise.
If you have the choice I would recommend a compressor fridge.
Hope this helps.
Smith
brandchampion said
03:00 PM Apr 11, 2022
Thank you very much for your response.
What model caravan did you replace the 3 way and if it is at possible are you able to e-mail me some photos of the unit to hillsralive@iprimus.com.au?
Regards
Adrian
brandchampion said
03:05 PM Apr 11, 2022
Thank you for your response to my question.
If I can ask what model caravan you have and the Dometic you replaced?
Are you able to e-mail images through to hillsralive@iprimus.com.au with images of the fridge and did it fit with no problems?
Hello all,
We would like to hear from any Grey Nomads who have replaced a 3 way Dometic RM2555 refrigerator with a compressor model fridge.
We are having issues for the second time with our Dometic and would like some feedback from members who have replaced their Dometic unit.
Bushman has been suggested, the Dometic CRX140 model does not get very good reviews.
The issue we have noticed is many of the compressor models are smaller in literage and physical size.
What have members done to fill in the void around the new fridge?
We are very new to this area and we are sure there are members with much more experience than us.
-- Edited by brandchampion on Friday 1st of April 2022 05:46:54 PM
Cheers,
Peter
For some strange reason its been functioning quite well for the past 4 years.
Fingers crossed it continues to go well.
We looked at replacing it with a different unit too but all seems OK at the moment.
We still have not much confidence with it.
As said above, add insulation. Also good air flow for through the condenser. Access to clean dust off condenser after each trip.
What I did to my fridge:
https://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t65059593/extra-fridge-insulation-wattage-test/
The issue we have had twice with our Dometic unit is that the system tubes block up, it only partially works in the freezer for a couple of days then goes totally off.
We have tried it on gas (recommended) and taken it on a long bumpy trip (twice) as also recommended to try to dislodge the blockage with nothing happening.
We have been told that it could be caused by the caravan being stored at a not "perfect" level, the caravan is barely off level so we are very disappointed that this has happened again and that is why we are asking the Grey Nomad Community who has replaced their three way unit with a compressor unit.
If one really wants gas & a 12v fridge. Buy a compressor fridge kit & install like most boaties do. Cut a hole in the side of the fridge to run plumbing for evaporator. Not difficult stuff.
Like previously stated our Dometic Fridge pooped itself 4 times.
We heard every theory known to man as to why it did.
We had a fan installed to assist with cooling, all it did was flatten our battery.
Basically they are unreliable.
We now stand on one leg with our toes pointing in a Northerly direction before opening the door.
This seems to work well.
I expect that when I open the door the food in the fridge part is cold and in the freezer part frozen. I never worry about whether it is level nor do I worry about fans and having it installed correctly. It just works.
Thats the difference between a compressor fridge and an absorption fridge.
Nothing wrong with only 12v. Less problems. The things some people want to power I am surprised that they don't have 3 phase in their caravans!
Having had 2 vans from new with absorption or 3-way fridges, I decided my latest new van would not have the Dometic 3-way the maker was going to fit but it was to have a Dometic 12v-240v compressor fridge.
The maker agreed after some discussion and fitted a Dometic 5208 RUC in place of a Dometic 5208 RUA. I'm more than pleased with the Dometic compressor fridge which performs far better than 3-way fridges in my previous vans.
Cheers,
Roy.
We have a Dometic RMDX21 three way fridge which is not working on 12 volt at the moment. I am still waiting for a new controller part and have been for more than 5 weeks and it could be another 5 weeks for all I know as there are no parts in Australia. Fortunately it is still under warranty. It turns out the controller corroded but could have been avoided if I knew something I was never told. The van was 18 months old when I bought it and even the previous owner had not been told by the dealer about one of the fridge buttons. See the screen shot attached with the button highlighted by a red arrow. Also, the extract from the manual. The fridge repair people said I should press the button at least monthly, if not weekly to heat the controller to remove condensation on it, especially in humid conditions. I wish I knew before.
Ahh the joys of 3 way fridges. So much fiddling with them.
My fridge works on 12v permanently through the solar and it goes 24/7. There is no worrying about switching from one power source to another when you stop by the side of the road and then switching again when you move on and no hooking up to gas (and the added cost).
Makes for a quick pack up when leaving. Turn off the cooking gas, stow the loose items inside and in the case of a motorhone.... go.
If you are travelling daily and topping it up with the alternator in the car then you only need about 80w of solar. or if you park up for weeks then invest in a larger solar and lithium batteries.
I can hear you say and I probably agree to a certain extent, "but you can buy an awful lot of gas for the $4k or so a lithium solar system would cost." But over the ten years its still only $400pa. and you can be fully powered for independent camping as much as you want. You still have the option of a generator to power your Air con, micro and various other 240v appliances if you wish.
-- Edited by msg on Wednesday 6th of April 2022 01:49:57 PM
I understand where you are coming from, but, the issue is we are not in the position to travel as much as you are and this is the second time the Dometic unit has "clogged up".
-- Edited by brandchampion on Wednesday 6th of April 2022 04:10:36 PM
Hi, sorry to hear about your disappointing run with your Dometic crx140.
Surely you could locate a small refrigerator mechanic service centres like we have in Brisbane, 2 that I know of, at different times we have used them both, once for a small 3 way and the other for our 12 volt portable compressor refrigerator.
I personally think changing over the refrigerator from 3 way to a compressor style could be some what expensive where a repair maybe a low cost, with both of our repairs the cost was approximately 12% of a replacement cost of a new unit.
A switch on the 12 volt compressor fridge and the 240 volt heat element on the 3 way fridge.
Best of luck with your decision.
The thing is the Dometic RM2555 has twice had blockages in the pipe system, the fridge needs to be removed to repair.
Going with a compressor unit we believe will alleviate certain issues.
One other question for 3 way fridge users, if you are using your caravan for a certain period do you switch the fridge on and run it for a few days on a regular basis to keep the "system" working? We were told literally nothing about how, when etc to run our fridge when we purchased our caravan new, nothing was said about how level the caravan needed to be at all. We are not pleading uneducated ignorance as an excuse but surely this is something that needs to spoken about when you purchase a caravan for the first time?!
Hi, I missed understood.
Our last caravan had RM2555 and it was a pearler of a frig, it would keep the ice cream hard but it is only a small freezer, in some ways a better frig but you will not get the bigger 2 door 184 litre frig of the wife now. She is spoilt.
We generally park up from November to March and we use the frig as a back up over the Christmas period, we only go away for 6 weeks at a time, then a few weeks at home and gone again.
We have never done any ritual with the 3 ways except turn it onto 240volt a day or 2 out before departure and try to chill all products down before loading the frig.
I been told with any refrigeration it should be run whether air conditioning, refrigeration so as not to allow seals to dry out but I am not a professional tradie or worked in those areas.
I did a reasonable amount of refrigerated transport driving, with small amount of service seem to last for every.
Hi. I replaced my Dometic 3-way about about 5 years ago with an evaKool 2-door 146L. I have not had any problems whatsoever. It works on 12/24V DC and its stated power consumption is 28.9Watts 2.25Amps (at 32C) which is much lower than the Dometic. Ive just had a look at my manual - it has a winter and summer setting and is designed to be able to operate above 45C in the summer setting. I travelled for 2 years (back in Oct 21) and stayed in caravan parks 5 times and off grid the rest. Size wise, they come in 110L, 146L, 175L and 210L. They are expensive but for me, totally worth it. I do not have lithium batteries, have 2 x 160AH AGM Deep Cell gel batteries and solar panels (2 house solar panels which I bought for $30ea) - no problems.
-- Edited by Cnewc on Monday 11th of April 2022 10:25:38 AM
www.evakool.com.au/products/factory-specials
I replaced the 3way fridge in my caravan with a bushman compressor fridge which fitted in the fridge space perfectly. The 3way simply would not keep things cold while on 12v for traveling , the fridge was quite old I'll admit but given that I had to replace it anyway I went for a compressor fridge as I had in my previous caravan and was very happy with.
I am very happy with my bushman and have had no problems with it at all , I did however connect it to the battery on a separate line with an Anderson plug which I could disconnect separately for storage and defrosting purposes as you cannot turn the fridge off otherwise.
If you have the choice I would recommend a compressor fridge.
Hope this helps.
Smith
Thank you very much for your response.
What model caravan did you replace the 3 way and if it is at possible are you able to e-mail me some photos of the unit to hillsralive@iprimus.com.au?
Regards
Adrian
Thank you for your response to my question.
If I can ask what model caravan you have and the Dometic you replaced?
Are you able to e-mail images through to hillsralive@iprimus.com.au with images of the fridge and did it fit with no problems?