How bad a dealer's service dept can be

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My experience with DC on a number of fridges over the years is that it doesn't work as well as AC.
I have heard of some people placing an invertor in the tow vehicle to run the fridge on AC while towing. They usually don't draw but 200 watts or so max so it doesn't need a very large invertor.
Food for thought.  

One of the best things we ever bought for camping is an ARB 12V compressor "ice chest".   That thing is amazing and it pretty much stays in our FJ Cruiser.   It draws about 5 amps running but doesn't run much.   
 The wife even uses it when grocery shopping, doesn't have to worry about rushing home with cold or frozen food.   It will even go down to 0 deg.
When I built my own interior in my Four Wheel camper I installed a NovaKool marine 12v fridge.   Best thing about 12V compressor fridges is there is no concern whatsoever about parking level.

One thing about the RM8501 is if a replacement is needed- it doesn't have the same dimensions as any other fridge Dometic sells in the US.   Yesterday I emailed Dometic Customer Support asking for a manual on the 8501 and also asking why it doesn't seem to be sold in the US.    They sent me the manual but chose not to comment on the US part

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Budward Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2014 Location: SC/NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 438	Topic: How bad a dealer's service dept can be Posted: 04 Jul 2014 at 3:28am
	My experience with DC on a number of fridges over the years is that it doesn't work as well as AC. I have heard of some people placing an invertor in the tow vehicle to run the fridge on AC while towing. They usually don't draw but 200 watts or so max so it doesn't need a very large invertor. Food for thought. One of the best things we ever bought for camping is an ARB 12V compressor "ice chest". That thing is amazing and it pretty much stays in our FJ Cruiser. It draws about 5 amps running but doesn't run much. The wife even uses it when grocery shopping, doesn't have to worry about rushing home with cold or frozen food. It will even go down to 0 deg. When I built my own interior in my Four Wheel camper I installed a NovaKool marine 12v fridge. Best thing about 12V compressor fridges is there is no concern whatsoever about parking level. One thing about the RM8501 is if a replacement is needed- it doesn't have the same dimensions as any other fridge Dometic sells in the US. Yesterday I emailed Dometic Customer Support asking for a manual on the 8501 and also asking why it doesn't seem to be sold in the US. They sent me the manual but chose not to comment on the US part
	2014 179 Towed by a 2015 Ford Transit Diesel Supervised by a German/Aussie mix and a Labradoodle!

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 05 Jul 2014 at 12:32am
	I agree that a compressor-based fridge would be better, they'll cool no matter how warm the ambient temperature is. Looks like an equivalent size unit uses about 4.5 amps while running (about a third of what the 8501 uses!), I'm curious what the typical duty cycle is. At 50% a typical 110 amp deep cycle would last 24 hours down to 50% SOC.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

Budward Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2014 Location: SC/NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 438	Posted: 05 Jul 2014 at 3:04am
	The insulation is apparently pretty good in the ARB. A couple of times it has accidently come unplugged and when discovered hours later the temp has barely risen. I leave it in the tow vehicle and plug in an adapter to the 7 way on the trailer when parked overnight to use the camper batteries to power it.
	2014 179 Towed by a 2015 Ford Transit Diesel Supervised by a German/Aussie mix and a Labradoodle!

2dogseniors Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2014 Location: Hixson, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Posted: 02 Sep 2014 at 4:21pm
	Hey Doug, Reading as much as possible before we pick up our Pod mid month. We had problems with our fridge on the 94 Itasca we just sold. What was the final solution to get your fridge working on all three modes? Tks. Ann
	2dogSeniors 2004 Ford Expedition 2015 R-Pod 178 with risers

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 02 Sep 2014 at 5:53pm
	Still no solution. I've run tests, rechecked the orifice, tried a different propane tank, and it still won't cool in propane mode. The flame looks good. I have to verify but I think it starts off cooling and then stops. Cools great in AC or DC mode.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual