Date:         Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:40:06 -0700
Reply-To:     mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: cognitive dissonance and refrigerators
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2009081312084820@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

In spite of the problems you had with yours, many of us have had years
of useful service from the stock Dometic 182 fridges. I have camped and
traveled for weeks at a time with 3 different ones in 3 different vans
in hot weather. All kept our food cold and properly managed they held
most of what we needed them to. None had any special mods done other
than a side exhaust fan on 2 of them to pull the heat to the outside in
hot weather. All had Valterra Fridgemate behind fridge fans installed to
replace the stock fan of the same design. All attempts to use muffin
computer fans failed to work as well as the stock type. What does
GoWesty sell for replacement fan? A computer muffin fan. Very cheap and
thus a money maker for them but less air velocity and not designed for
an open air application.

Mark


Roger Sisler wrote:
> I know that the way that it cools, my Dometic is not worth keeping; many
> others say similar, but certainly not everyone. I do not see how a
> manufacturer can expect someone to buy a unit that cools like these do now,
> when new, and these 182's are being replaced today with absorption units
> that work as people expect refrigeration to be-- Without unreasonable
> compromise; keeps the food from going bad in summer when parked for a day,
> including da beer. Ask Rocket. Mine was giving me about 55 degrees--this,
> after attempting all the maintenance and modifications I could find or
> invent. I did all kinds of testing. I won't list here all what I did to help
> my Dometic be the best it can be, as I am certain I would leave a few out at
> this much later date, but I can say that I did them all. I researched books,
> the internet,talked to people in the industry, and I read and asked here on
> the list for suggestions, and I tried them all. Today, I have lost
> interested in this box, and cannot find any reason to remember all that I
> learned about it.
>.............