refrigerator failure in 2012 FF FDS due to poor ventilation

[JackA-FUN]

I have a 2012 Fun Finder FDS purchased in June, 2012. There have been only a few minor issues until last week when the Dometic DM2652 refrigerator quit while driving in 110-115 degree temperatures.
I took my trailer to a Dometic factory authorized service center. They found that the cooling unit had failed and needed replacement. They were reluctant to do this because they thought that ventilation of the refrigerator cabinet was inadequate for proper cooling.
The Dometic installation manual states that the minimum distance from the floor to the uppermost vent slot is 56". In my trailer it measures 49 1/2". This places the cooling fins of the condenser unit (at the top of the refrigerator) above the vent opening. Has anyone else had this problem?
The dealer who sold it to me and the Cruiser customer service rep do not want to talk to me about this.

 

[profdant139]

Uh-oh

On my 2012 X-139, the cooling fins are below the level of the vent opening. The installation clearances are posted on a big sticker on the back of the fridge. If Cruiser violated those clearances, I would think that they would be liable for negligent installation, even if the unit is out of warranty.

Now suppose you get a new fridge -- what then?? Would you have to tear out the cabinet in order to raise the top of the box to 60 inches above the floor?? And would you have to cut a new vent opening? That is not easy in a fiberglass unit!

Have you googled this problem to see if anyone else has reported it?

 

[shadow-FUN]

Same issue with 189, i added A150cfm cooling fanto force air into the top section, use about .25 watts. So far so good, this replced the original fan that was 80 cfm, noisy and a power hog. Cost $12

 

[sesky]

Poor Ventilation

We have a 2013 Fun Finder 189 FDS and the refrigerator never worked if the outside temperature rose above 65 degrees. The freezer would still freeze. LP or electricity hook up did not make a difference. I took it to the dealer twice and they could not reproduce the problem until we told them to put it outside in the sun. I was told by the dealer that the fix was to put in a fan that is surprisingly loud that seems to run all the time. You can hear it inside and outside of the coach. They said it was basically the same type of fan that is put in computers and we would not notice the drag on the battery but I have my doubts based on how much noise this thing makes. On the bright side, the refrigerator seems to be working fine now. I plan on contacting the manufacturer to see if this is actually what they recommend. From what I understand when the refrigerator is in the slide out part of the coach that it does not provide enough ventilation for the refrigerator.

 

[JackA-FUN]

Dometic refrigerator failure

Since I first posted on August 26, 2013, I have had some correspondence with Dometic. Even though the problem appears to be due to poor design of the refrigerator enclosure, they agreed to add a baffle above the unit to prevent accumulation of warm air and added a second fan and bracket to improve circulation around the cooling fins, at their expense, in addition to doing a warrantee replacement of the cooling unit. So far so good. I am impressed with Dometic's level of service