Date:         Tue, 27 Apr 1999 08:01:28 -0700
Reply-To:     Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Dometic Cooling (gas)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

To all of the people who are questioning the cooling of the Dometic
182B  I would like to say one thing. If 30 degrees F was the expected
drop in temp why on earth would they come with the ice cube trays? You
would by this spec be unable to make ice unless the temp in the Westy
was 60 degrees or less. Who would have much need or desire for ice if
their home was this cold? Obviously, this proves nothing but I wanted to
say it anyway.

    As to the performance issues of the Westy fridge I have much more to
say. I have removed and serviced 6 or 7 of them. In every case the fan
motor was either frozen, tuned slowly and loudly, had a broken blade, or
had hair and string wound around the shaft. IMHO every single stock fan
should be discarded and replaced with a new one. The fan is the most
important single item that will improve the performance of the fridge. I
buy replacements from Camping World for about $25. These fans move more
air than the original. They come with a mounting bracket and I use it.
Do not use the temp controlled switch that comes with them as they turn
on at too low of a temperature. Test the stock switch with a lighter or
some other heat source to make sure it turns on. Make sure it is tight
and in good contact with the fin. When operating on propane, the fan
MUST cycle on and off frequently, or the cooling will be reduced. When I
camp in 120 degree heat the fan will run much of the time.

    The other important and simple rule is to keep ALL of the vents
clear. The floor vent is critical,  as the fan draws cooler air from
there and blows it up through the fins and out the top. Make sure that
the area inside of the floor vent is kept clean as dust bunnies and
dropped food items tend to build up in there. The top vent must never be
blocked. Do not place anything in this area. Even the curtains can
reduce the airflow here, especially when the kitchen top is raised. The
vent on the side is less important and is mostly provided to allow
access to the wiring and the flue pipes.

    Finally, keep the fridge side of the Westy shaded.  I use a small
silver colored tarp to shade this side. The sun can heat the area behind
the fridge enough to cause the fan to cycle EVEN WHEN THE FRIDGE IS OFF.
I believe that this is part of why the fans all seem to be worn out.
Most of the Westy fridges have seen little use but the fans wear out
anyway because they operate even if the fridge is off. Darker colored
vanagons are more likely to have this occur. This is also why the
batteries in parked Westys can sometimes seem to run down unexpectedly.
When the sun shines on the left side of the Camper the fan will likely
be triggered. We all know how hot it can get inside a Westy on a sunny
day with the top down even when it is cool outside.

To summarize:

1. Replace the fan.
2. Make sure the fan is cycling.
3. Keep all of the vents clear.
4. Keep the outside behind the fridge shaded.

I have worked on Dometics with the usual lighting problems but I won't
go into the various fixes here. If you have this problem and have tied
everything else, GET a NEW regulator for the tank. If you have a tank
with a bad Auto Stop Valve, don't despair. The o-ring rebuild kits fit
even the ones that Manchester Tank claims they won't. $25 at RV shops.
Let a pro do this repair though.


Mark Drillock

Joe L. wrote:
>
>    I have heard of fridges with performance like yours but they are very
> much the exception. Unless things have changed drastically since the
> blossoming of  the last Fridge Thread (last spring) the majority of
Westies
> here on the list have fridge performance closer to the "busted" one than
to
> yours. Up until you showed up I thought the owners of the "freezers" had
> simply lucked out but if you know some way to increase performance I am
sure
> we would ALL like to find out what it is. I know I would.
>     I did get some improvement when I cleaned things out last year but
> NOTHING like the performance your have. There seems to be nothing to
"tweak"
> or tune. What did you do?