Dometic CF 50 issue?

[BobBski]

Received my new Dometic CF 50 today and excitedly unboxed and plugged in and turned on.  Display lit up fine, was able to do all the settings BUT, the compressor won't kick on/unit won't cool.  Tried it on both the AC and DC power cords.  Am I missing something?  Left it plugged in for 15 minutes thinking temp sensor may need some time.  Getting ready to return it.  Disappointed.  :huh: :huh: :huh:

 

[greybeard23]

Received my new Dometic CF 50 today and excitedly unboxed and plugged in and turned on.  Display lit up fine, was able to do all the settings BUT, the compressor won't kick on/unit won't cool.  Tried it on both the AC and DC power cords.  Am I missing something?  Left it plugged in for 15 minutes thinking temp sensor may need some time.  Getting ready to return it.  Disappointed.  :huh: :huh: :huh:

Have you tried the fast cool setting?

Had problems with mine 13 months after receiving and got no help from Dometic. Finally started dealing with someone in Western Australia.  He worked with me testing it out.  Went originally to by a new control board ( over $100 less than any in the states ) and he wouldn't sell it to me until we tested the  whole thing.  Finally sent me a couple parts and returned the rest my money.

Yours is obviously under warranty, but if you need this mans website let me know.

I will never buy another Dometic.

 

[ccbreder]

has it worked after sitting in it's upright position for a day? there also have been reports of plug on wire connections (internal) coming loose in shipping.

 

[highdesertranger]

I don't know what to think of Dometic I e-mailed them a week ago with some questions and haven't heard back. I will try again tomorrow. highdesertranger

 

[greybeard23]

I don't know what to think of Dometic I e-mailed them a week ago with some questions and haven't heard back. I will try again tomorrow.  highdesertranger

I tried working with Dometic for more than a year, they just left me hanging.
 
Good luck with them.

 

[highdesertranger]

greybeard, did you ever make contact with them? if you did how? they are ignoring my e-mails. highdesertranger

 

[SternWake]

greybeard,  did you ever make contact with them?  if you did how?  they are ignoring my e-mails.  highdesertranger

Note to self:

Pretend Dometic does not exist, and never recommend.

While one should not have to do anything to get a fridge to run, i would have to open it up carefully, if there is no tamper proof sticker or other way for them to deny warranty and see if the electrical connections on compressor controller are OK.
  But the fact that it does not work on AC or DC might point to a larger issue.


Not having opened up a chest style fridge, I do not know how involved reaching these connections are. 

Keep us updated.

 

[greybeard23]

greybeard,  did you ever make contact with them?  if you did how?  they are ignoring my e-mails.  highdesertranger

Yes, several times, but each time they would just leave me hanging.

The last time was actually from overseas, Germany I think.  Then I wouldn't hear anything for a week or so, then suddenly I would get a follow up email from someone in Virginia who had been contacted by the person overseas.  But then once again, after one or two emails, I wouldn't hear from them again.

If the unit isn't under warranty, deal with Allvolts in Western Australia, parts are cheap and he won't sell it to you unless he is sure you need it.

 

[greybeard23]

Note to self:

Pretend Dometic does not exist, and never recommend.

While one should not have to do anything to get a fridge to run, i would have to open it up carefully, if there is no tamper proof sticker or other way for them to deny warranty and see if the electrical connections on compressor controller are OK.
  But the fact that it does not work on AC or DC might point to a larger issue.


Not having opened up a chest style fridge, I do not know how involved reaching these connections are. 

Keep us updated.

I opened mine when I first contacted Dometic.  Took pictures of every board in there along with every tag I could find.  My problem was something Dometic was familiar with.  They had known they had been getting bad control boards.  Just told me to run mine on emergency cool, which kept mine around -4 degrees F.
Finally this summer I had it all apart, checking the main control board, upper board and thermistor.  Easy to take apart and put back together.

One thing is that if you have a CF- 35 or 50, they will not run below 11.1 volts.  There is a setting for Low Medium and High which you can set to monitor your battery. I have always kept mine on low making sure my batteries never get that low.

 

[SternWake]

I opened mine when I first contacted Dometic.  Took pictures of every board in there along with every tag I could find.  My problem was something Dometic was familiar with.  They had known they had been getting bad control boards.  Just told me to run mine on emergency cool, which kept mine around -4 degrees F.
Finally this summer I had it all apart, checking the main control board, upper board and thermistor.  Easy to take apart and put back together.

One thing is that if you have a CF- 35 or 50, they will not run below 11.1 volts.  There is a setting for Low Medium and High which you can set to monitor your battery. I have always kept mine on low making sure my batteries never get that low.

Thanks.

Last year about this time I had was running a friend's 50 qt ARB on DC.  The low voltage cut out was set on the least aggressive, but with voltage drop on the 16awg Ciggy plugged power cord, it was cutting out at 12.2 volts measured on battery terminals.

I think their use of thin cable and Ciggy plugs is criminal on these units, especially considering so many Stock Ciggy receptacles are so incredibly underwired.

Does your Dometic use the Danfoss/Secop compressor or had they switched to the Waeco compressor by then?

 

[greybeard23]

Thanks.

Last year about this time I had was running a friend's 50 qt ARB on DC.  The low voltage cut out was set on the least aggressive, but with voltage drop on the 16awg Ciggy plugged power cord, it was cutting out at 12.2 volts measured on battery terminals.

I think their use of thin cable and Ciggy plugs is criminal on these units, especially considering so many Stock Ciggy receptacles are so incredibly underwired.

Does your Dometic use the Danfoss/Secop compressor or had they switched to the Waeco compressor by then?

I've had mine three years now and believe mine has the Danfoss compressor, at least all the parts I researched refer to Danfoss.


What I have found out is most Dometic repair folks in the states no absolutely nothing about waeco, which these are.  That is why I have had much better luck in Australia.  Those guys know these things inside and out. And the power cord can be a problem. AllVolts suggested I replace mine, so I had him send me one. I actually bought a couple extra parts to have on hand, along with the part that was bad.

 

[SternWake]

Been 18 Years Since I was in Australia, but my memories of the place and people are quite Fond. I had an Episode with my tent's zipper and massive insect intrusion, and was looking at replacing tent. Camping Store proprietor did not try and sell me the tent I was looking at, but sent me somewhere where My tent zipper could be repaired.

This place the guy showed me how to fix the zipper and wouldn't take a dime for it, and invited me to dinner at his family's house.

In the states I'd have left with a new overpriced underqualitied tent, leaving a stream of curses in my wake.

Still have the tent. Zipper still working.

Seems both Dometic and Norcold cashed out long ago in the US. Quality lowered to just barely functional for maximum profit.

Sad when things can be made so well, but every corner cut for maximum profit and product basically viewed as disposable.

"just make it last the warranty period, and let the lawyers find the loopholes to deny all coverage even if it fails within warranty period, baby needs a new Diamond."

Shoot the CEO's

 

[akrvbob]

All these are one of the main reasons I just bought a Truckfridge. They have branch office in Tuscon and I can easily walk in and talk to a human being and make him look me in the eye as he sticks the knife in and twists it. Maybe he won't if I'm standing in fromt of him.
Bob

 

[IanC]

All these are one of the main reasons I just bought a Truckfridge. They have  branch office in Tuscon and I can easily walk in and talk to a human being and make him look me in the eye as he sticks the knife in and twists it. Maybe he won't if I'm standing in fromt of him.
Bob

Bob, which one did you get?

 

[akrvbob]

The Tf51
http://www.truckfridge.com/tf51.html
Bob

 

[IanC]

Reading the Amazon reviews for Dometic, people either love them or really hate them - the biggest complaints being that they either didn't work right out the box, latches breaking and bad or non existent customer service. Unfortunately you can't tell from most of the reviews how they were used - as the only refrigerator, running constantly or for occasional camping trips.
I have kind of limited myself because of the space I've already built in to hold a fridge. I need a chest type that opens like a cooler, or a small upright like Truckfridge sells will also fit the space. Or I might just take my chances with a Whynter - I'm beginning to think that every option has it's risks.

 

[ccbreder]

I have an Indel-B. They make the truck fridge. I have no complaints.

 

[Mobilesport]

Thanks.

Last year about this time I had was running a friend's 50 qt ARB on DC.  The low voltage cut out was set on the least aggressive, but with voltage drop on the 16awg Ciggy plugged power cord, it was cutting out at 12.2 volts measured on battery terminals.

I think their use of thin cable and Ciggy plugs is criminal on these units, especially considering so many Stock Ciggy receptacles are so incredibly underwired.

Does your Dometic use the Danfoss/Secop compressor or had they switched to the Waeco compressor by then?

I have a Dometic cf35
After hardwiring directly to the batteries its run like a champ for 2 years now , I love this fridge.
I agree that the ciggy plugs are bad news with these fridges.
Op , you said your compressor don't power on with Ac or Dc , my first thought was a bad connection inside .
Like Sternwake mentioned you could pull the cover and look inside , might just be a connector that needs tightening

 

[SternWake]

The voltage drop on the circuit feeding the fridge is a likely culprit to many poor amazon reviews.  To be 'portable' and convenient( marketable), they have to include a Ciggy plug, but the ciggy plug itself is an insult to DC electricity as it has so much resistance on a circuit with only 12.x volts pressure to begin with.


Basically the higher the voltage which reaches compressor controller, the better the fridge will work.  Equate it with driving on tires with just 22 PSI versus ones with 50PSI.  Sure the tires still roll at 22 PSI but it requires more power to move them, and the tires will  heat up, wear out that much faster when under inflated, while wasting fuel in the process.

So go pump up your tires.
 Cut off the ciggy plug and wire it directly  over the shortest possible wire run to fuse block over 10 or 12 AWG wire.

If one insists on the Ciggy plug/ receptacle, at least get a quality one like the Blueseas,  and wire the receptacle with the shortest possible wire run to fuse block with 10AWG.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Volt-Socket/dp/B004XIWF12

The quality of the ciggy plugs provided with so many 12v items is criminal, and does not take into account the 12v receptacles are usually very underwired to begin with.  Combine these factors and Dismal is the resulting performance, if the fridge even switches on in the first place.

If the fridge does not turn on when plugged into a 12v receptacle, try starting the engine.  If the fridge does then turn on Voltage drop is most definitely the cause of in operation.  The fix is fatter shorter cable to fridge, and a ciggy plug cut off, smashed into a thousand pieces with the biggest hammer one could find and vent all their frustrations upon.

 

[Mobilesport]

Sterwake wrote
[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The quality of the ciggy plugs provided with so many 12v items is criminal.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Yes , that was definitely part of the problem because when you plug them in its obvious that there not mating correctly and it wont turn on or turns on and acting funky , unplug it and plug it into a different female ciggy outlet and it works better , so some ciggy plugs aren't compatable with each other so it would probably be best to buy all quality male and female ciggy connectors for anything that you plan to use them on or hardwire.[/font]