Dometic 12V Fridge ISSUES! (Deadwood Museums & Salts Gone)

[@richarddickieson2196]

If your thermostat is in the fridge portion only, then with it bring cold behind the fridge is keeping the refrigerator section cold enough. So it doesn't cycle enough to keep the freezer frozen. There are videos on youtube. You need to warm the cavity behind the fridge.

[@WanderingWagners]

It is warm and insulated behind the fridge. It's done this many times day or night, warm or cold outside it doesn't really matter. Like we said, no rhyme or reason to it. It actually worked better during the night on this trip and messed up during the day when it was warm and sunny outside.

[@lorencolt]

Pam of the Pam's purple door was a good friend of our family. She had a great sense of humor.

[@WanderingWagners]

That's so cool!

[@timallen3848]

What a cool video. Thanks for sharing.

[@WanderingWagners]

Appreciate the comment!

[@hsmith3844]

cool vid

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks! We had a great time here

[@CampingRandy]

It’s the fan in the freezer. I had the same issue. Replaced the fan for $18 instead of $259 from Dometic.

[@WanderingWagners]

We will look into that to see if that's the issue

[@lorencolt]

On top of the hill to the east of the campground the Sioux would put their dead on scaffolds. I can remember some still standing there in the 1960's. and 70's

[@WanderingWagners]

That's pretty wild! Love the area

[@wdm289]

Check with Circuit Board Medics in South Carolina about the control board.

[@WanderingWagners]

We will look into them- thanks!👏🏻

[@donwheeler1683]

Cool idea with the lawn sprinkler for cleaning the chassis! Maybe a short 4" piece of PVC in the water line to help place it under the middle? I've had a similar problem with my 3 way Dometic frig in my 22' Airstream, but could run it off of the propane as needed. Haven't had a problem recently. Go figure. It was windy and cold on that particular trip, so maybe same problem of it being too cold for it to work?

[@WanderingWagners]

The sprinkler does a great job with the chassis! Our fridge is a 12v fridge not a 3 way and it's been doing this off and on for probably 6-9 months with no rhyme or reason

[@danpayan9468]

Get a roving sprinkler for under carriage

[@WanderingWagners]

We have considered it but just keep using what we have🤣

[@bryanspears2045]

check the DC power connection.. could be loose

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks, Everything was tight- we checked

[@markteel8346]

Did you check the dc voltage? Read someone was having a voltage drop from 14 gauge wiring and he changed to 12 gauge. Probably not your issue though but worth checking dc voltage.

[@WanderingWagners]

@markteel8346 not our issue, but appreciate the help😊

[@davidreneek7026]

love you guys and love the pups as well. Hope you get the frige thing figured out.

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks! We aren't sure what the issue is, but on the trips after this tht fridge has been good. But that's what it does... It'll mess up a bunch, then be good for a few months and repeat. If anything we will replace it with a residential fridge since we have the solar and battery for it now

[@askmslynnllc5363]

Compressor refrigerators have trouble cooling when it is cold outside. You may want to try adding some heat source behind the refrigerator. You can hang a propagation mat behind the refrigerator.

[@WanderingWagners]

What's funny is we had 0 problems last Winter and I'm pretty sure it was colder.. it seemed to stay on all night at the lowest temps but stopped working during the day when it's warmer and sunny. We thought the same thing but it's insulated behind the fridge. Guess time will tell😩

[@debbitagge7656]

We had trouble with ours when it was really cold outside. We figured it out and blocked off the side vent.

[@debbitagge7656]

Well please keep us updated 😁.

[@larryandamy]

This is the first time I saw your channel and I like it. I am an electrical engineer and I just had to comment on your fridge issue. Odds are that you will probably notice that your fridge probably works just fine when the temperature outside is above freezing. Dometic is probably correct on what they told you. It probably is a low voltage fault and YES, Dometic has the worst customer service on the planet! You probably have lithium batteries on your RV and the battery voltage drops significantly in cold. To prove or disprove this is easy Just take a voltmeter... Which is a MUST tool for RV'ers... And measure the 12VDC right at the fridge DC input terminals on the back of the fridge when you have a fault condition. It will probably be below the safe threshold that the 12VDC compressor can run at without damaging the compressor. I don't know the value, but probably below 11.4VDC. Dometic has to put this fault in to protect their compressors. I could be wrong, but the conditions and data that you provided point to low voltage fault due to low temperatures... Good luck!

[@WanderingWagners]

Welcome to the channel and thank you for the comment. However, our batter is inside the living room at ambient temps and behind the fridge is insulated. Oddly enough, the fridge seemed to stay on during the night (coldest temps) and had issues when it was during the day. Plus, the fridge has been doing this for probably 6-9 months any time of year, any weather conditions, with no rhyme or reason.. We check voltage and it's all good. It's been good for the last few weeks after this, and we were in the same cold temps haha We will probably end up changing it out with a residential fridge since we have ample solar and battery now, unlike when we originally got the fridge.

[@rvfuntimes6144]

Just wondering what you found out with the frig. We bought one, after five months its started flashing its was running but the fan had quit. Luckily we are near a Dometic Repair facility. they found the fan had quit. Just wondering what you found out with yours.

[@WanderingWagners]

Nothing honestly haha after the year warranty ran out it started doing this every few weeks/months for no reason.. Didn't matter the weather or outside temp or how full or empty it was. It just has episodes and in order to get it"fixed" we'd have to get it looked at as soon as it started flashing which we don't know when it will do that. Pretty sure it's the control board but as of now it's been working again after being faulty a few times out west. I will say if it does it again I bet Mike will just replace the fridge with a residential before I could say let's get the 12v fixed😂

[@lorencolt]

There should have been a mounted eagle in the Adams that my great grand father shot in the 1930's that was killing his sheep. It is pretty different in there from when I was last in there in the 1970's. There was so much stuff on display you could not walk without bumping into them. I have drove by the museum almost every day for the last 35 years going to work at Homestake mine now lab that I just thought it was the same as in the 70's. I need to go again.

[@WanderingWagners]

You should definitely go again so you can see all the differences from then to now!

[@todd-617]

The fridge issues might be from running it in the super cold temps. I don't live far from Deadwood and our garage fridge dies the same thing in the winter time. The compressor doesn't like cold air feeding it. It's been doing it for 20 years and it's still running strong

[@WanderingWagners]

It's insulated behind the fridge and we had 0 issues last Winter and it was much colder temps. Also, it ran fine at night, during the day with the full sun is when it would stop for no reason. We're pretty sure it's the control board but dometic won't sell us anything.

[@gregoryfisher6156]

Sometimes a pan of hot boiling water placed in the freezer will do the trick

[@WanderingWagners]

Haven't heard of that one before... We will have to try it next time it messes up!

[@tonyalphonse8455]

Thanks for giving news on Deadwood. Very interesting

[@WanderingWagners]

Thank you, we had a great time here and would absolutely go back, especially in Winter when it's not busy😁

[@johnc3225]

If you have enough battery and solar then residential might be a good option, as long as it’s made for an RV. I’ve seen other RV’ers go through a few residential ones because they just don’t hold up to the pounding of the roads and such! It seems there are more 12V made for RV’s out there, you just have to pick the right one. I watch a guy do reviews on regular refrigerators, he said look at the wiring schematic before you buy, if it has too many electronic components, keep looking for one with less. I think that’s good advice all around, especially in an RV! My GE only has a temp setting knob, that’s it! I had to install my own 12V, 30amp on/off switch, which I did, with a pilot light. Not saying a GE is the best, but it was a great fit for our space, there was no modifications necessary.

[@WanderingWagners]

We have enough solar and battery (now) haha we have looked into a few different options but haven't decided on anything yet

[@richardbaker8887]

While camping in the cold have you done anything to keep your black and grey tanks from freezing?

[@WanderingWagners]

Yes we go over that in this video if you haven't seen it and would like to:3 Year Update: Nexus Wraith 34W Super C RV kzbin.info/www/bejne/epO9fGifgcyYmpY Our fresh is inside so it stays ambient. Black and gray we added outlet and permanent space heater in dump bay

[@seanmorden7411]

Hello. A residential fridge will give more bang for the buck. 😊

[@WanderingWagners]

Yes it would! Haha at the time, we didn't have the solar and big battery and other things that would make a residential fridge right for us. Now we do, so it opens that door if we go that route

[@BikesBoatsBivouacs]

I'm wondering if there is a loose wire or corroded ground on the fridge? Glad to see you made it home.

[@WanderingWagners]

We took the back off and we were looking over everything and everything looked great. Just another mystery we have to try and figure out I guess. Ugh! Always something haha

[@glamfamcampers]

Kudos to the jeep. We have a different brand 12v fridge but same thing happened to us on a brand new rig. We did everything but it ended up being the board. Apparently everybody had issues with that model and was returning them. Annoying

[@WanderingWagners]

Jeep for the win! It also doubles as a Winter fridge and freezer in a pinch😂 Really wish we could buy parts ourselves and fix it but dometic makes things really difficult

[@traveller9625]

Now I'm no expert but one thing I know about refrigerators is they don't like cold. If the back of your frig is exposed to cold temperature the inside will not work very good or not at all. Being it is on the outside wall of the camper I would think that is pretty cold, considering where you went. The fact that it started working when you came down to livable (haha) temps it started again I think that's the problem. I find it funny that after visiting the brothels the next morning you run into hoar frost. Luv

[@WanderingWagners]

It's insulated behind the fridge and it would work all night and stop during the day. Also it's done this when it wasn't cold outside a few times previously. No rhyme or reason when or how long it does the mess up.

[@steveandrews6280]

Sorry about your fridge problems, thanks for sharing Deadwood

[@WanderingWagners]

Thank you for that. We are hoping we can figure out what's wrong with it without too much more cost and worry. Deadwood was such a great place to explore, so glad you enjoyed it through our videos😁

[@HighWayStar844]

Insulate the outside vent or purchase what they call a garage Kit for the thermostat.

[@WanderingWagners]

It is insulated and it worked great last Winter and it was cooler then too. It seemed to work at night and stop during the day when it was hot and sunny🤷🏼‍♀️ there seems to be no rhyme or reason to when it shuts off which is the frustrating part. We will look into the garage kit for the thermostat- thanks!

[@roadhog6603]

Your dogs got excited when you mentioned “burgers”. They want their fair share.😉

[@WanderingWagners]

Haha you're probably right about that!

[@bertkelly7650]

Just think of the thousands gallons of you know what that was shot in that brothel for over a hundred years! Sorry, If you were eating.

[@WanderingWagners]

🤣🤣 I hope the bedding was clean!

[@randygyulay5114]

Great job editing the Deadwood video. Keep having fun so I can follow along from the comfort of our home.

[@WanderingWagners]

Thank you! We had a great time here so it was great to share that with everyone. See you on the next one😁👏🏻

[@fitfifties]

Just a thought for a very short term fix, you could have packed some snow or ice from outside in the trash bags and packed them in the fridge. Before you laugh, remember that's how Ice boxes (early fridge) worked. The iceman would come on a regular schedule and put a new block in the family Ice box.

[@WanderingWagners]

We had water jugs we filled and froze outside and put in the fridge👍🏻

[@barbarapalmer268]

We went through Deadwood on our honeymoon in 1969. I loved the area.

[@WanderingWagners]

That's awesome! Hopefully these videos have been nostalgic for you♥️😊

[@louisanthony6242]

Hey I really enjoyed the video it was very good and I liked the info that you did on the Deadwood brothel that was really cool how it helped the community can't wait until the next one and good luck on the fridge

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks! We loved learning about the history. Super interesting stuff. Appreciate the comment, Louis😁

[@robertl9065]

Did you replace a gas/electric fridge with a Dometic 12v? If so did you upgrade the 12v wiring going to the fridge? Depending on distance of fridge from the power source, you want 10 gauge wiring. If you’re using 12 or 14 gauge wiring for the power to a dc compressor fridge you’ll have problems especially if it shares a circuit with anything else. It will cause intermittent issues and can fry boards. I’ve seen incorrect wiring in new RV units. Our Dometic 12v has been flawless. The ambient temp has nothing to do with it. Unless it’s sub zero inside your RV anyways. Our RV manufacturer actually uses 8 gauge wiring when they put in 12v fridges.

[@WanderingWagners]

We did replace our gas fridge and ran 10ga wire when we swapped it out.

[@vince8705]

I wasn’t impressed with Deadwood when we were there years ago, I’ll go back this summer and follow your stops.

[@WanderingWagners]

We had a great time and loved it in the snow with no people. It's not for everyone but we really enjoy the old west history/historical places

[@gabel408]

Keep us posted on the Dometic as mine did the same thing last summer on a brand new unit! I liked the 12v idea nd assumed it was the better option for an RV fridge but now im not so sure.

[@WanderingWagners]

Yeah it's been difficult to love the fridge but now we can't trust it fully. There's no rhyme or reason when it decides to stop working which makes it even more hard to love it. We may go to a small-ish residential fridge if we can't figure it out

[@ryanschnitzler7771]

I had nothing but problems over the years with the 12v units. Our current rig has the residential fridge and we love it. It’s much bigger and it holds the temp great. Knock on wood, no issues in 3 years.

[@WanderingWagners]

@@ryanschnitzler7771 thanks for the info. We are considering the residential now that we have the solar/battery and other upgrades in the works to better support a residential fridge

[@coloradonative4997]

FYI I saw a meet trick get one of those tractor lawn sprinkler, lay the hose link wise turn the arms of the sprinkler angled up let the sprinkler wash full length by itself

[@WanderingWagners]

That's awesome! We have thought about getting a different sprinkler for this job but this does the trick, just takes a little longer haha

[@keepaeyeonit2709]

Thanks for a brief look at some interesting places, that sucks you’re refrigerator is not working correctly, I was thinking about going to that one too but I will watch how it all plays out for you. Safe travels 🍻

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks! I think you'd enjoy Deadwood😎 The fridge is another issue haha it was a pain to worry about it working every day we'd leave the RV. We had to throw out food before and luckily Winter camping means the Jeep is also a fridge/freezer haha

[@joewatanabe5543]

What a great idea to use the sprinkler under the Wraith!

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks, It works like a charm! 😁

[@jasoncruz3506]

How many gallons do you guys usually go through while cleaning underneath and the whole outside?

[@WanderingWagners]

@@jasoncruz3506 of water? We've never metered it before. If you're referring to salts gone, it takes very little product no where near a gallon

[@jasoncruz3506]

@@WanderingWagners sorry was referring to salt be gone

[@grover2727]

@ 5:20 listen closely to the joke about the brothel.

[@WanderingWagners]

The "beat it"?

[@larrywade9041]

Thank's again for the follow-up Deadwood series. It's a great place to visit. I didn't see camera shots on spraying the roof of your rv. Just curious if you climbed up a ladder off camera & sprayed it or sprayed upwards & the water just fell on the roof? Have a beautiful day! Illinois, USA

[@WanderingWagners]

Yes we get the roof👍🏻😁

[@johnc3225]

Mike, if you do switch it out, we purchased a GE for about $1K 2 years ago. So far it’s been running perfectly compared to our Norcold LP!

[@WanderingWagners]

This fridge is great and we love it... However after this trip it let us down. It did this previously but we thought it was a fluke because it never did it again until this trip where it turned off many times during the day. Seemed to stay on all night but we couldn't trust it so we unloaded it a few times at night. If anything we have looked into residentials that would fit in our space. We'll see!

[@jockosboy17]

That Salt Gone Wash Station price is insane.

[@WanderingWagners]

It is expensive but we love this product! It Protects our vehicles so we can use them year round without hesitation. You could probably buy the bucket of salts gone and build your own pump kit cheaper

[@jockosboy17]

@@WanderingWagners I use salt gone as well. Didn't know they had that wash station until I watched your video. I was just surprised of the cost.

[@WanderingWagners]

@jockosboy17 yeah, it's pretty expensive for what it is but love the remote control so we can use the hose seamlessly

[@davidcline9547]

I prefer the gas and electric ones. Our new rig has a compressor, and this is the first year . So far, it has been good, but I miss our gas and electric one. Good luck with the 12v one!! I had to have the dealer order me the parts I wanted.

[@WanderingWagners]

The RV fridge we removed just didn't have the space inside we wanted and we were constantly having to defrost it because it stays on all day everyday so that got old. We may go to a residential if we can't get answers on this one!

[@davidcline9547]

The salt gone is cool!! You two should get them to sponsor you! I have never seen that product before!

[@WanderingWagners]

We've been quasi partners with them for a few years (they use some of our content for their ads and commercials) been using it and showcasing it as much as we can for several years and it's amazing!

[@grayfox9911]

Glad you had fun in Deadwod!> Be careful!

[@WanderingWagners]

It was a great time! Absolutely loved it

[@kenlivengood3743]

While you have been out visiting local brothels. It is called horror frost!!

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks, never heard that term before, we just call it frost❄️🤣

[@sunshineviking9933]

I think you mean "hoar frost".

[@kevink4914]

Is that why Mike chooses to take your jeep Lynn then take his jeep? So he doesn’t have to wash his 🤷🏻‍♂️😉😅😂

[@WanderingWagners]

Haha he's washed it before but he was busy and we were on a time crunch so I just did it quick by myself😁

[@thecasualrver]

It drives me crazy to have salt on our coach and dirty, coming back to Michigan from Lafayette Indiana having LiquidSpring suspension installed in January the roads were terrible with salt, although better than no salt on the roads, it took me 8 hours to clean the coach and toad.

[@WanderingWagners]

Yeah it's nasty stuff which is why we LOVE salts gone! Makes easy work off removing salt and grime

[@Road_Warriors]

Dometic is full of B.S. We had a 2023 Nexus 34tcs very much like yours and our refrigerator did the same thing while we were wintering in Florida. Dometics answer was to replace the refrigerator with a new one. An RV dealer in Florida handled it and it was a real hassle. We have since gotten rid of the Nexus so we don't know what might have happened to the new one. My suggestions is find a different brand that will fit in the space and has good reviews.

[@WanderingWagners]

Makes me wonder what makes them do this.. if we could buy parts ourselves we could figure it out a lot quicker because we are NOT taking this to our local dometic dealer (which is camping world... Hard pass on that lol)

[@docholiday1034]

Just noticed your a ham radio operator. Extra….. nice Just came off the road after 49 years O/O running your area to my qth of new england Ole outlaw iron hauler. Only a tech ham now 10 meters been open lately. Great vids……

[@WanderingWagners]

Nice! Congrats on getting off the road, that's a long career👏🏻 always nice to meet yellow hams

[@OldManandtheSuperC]

Nice video about deadwood. Bit you seriously teased us when you showed Mike with a load of cable from u dear the Wraith. Making us wait a week is kinda cruel.

[@WanderingWagners]

Haha I guess the teaser did it's job then😁

[@horizon42q]

Deadwood is nicer in summer. We were there summer of 2020. The fridge problem is a crazy gremlin.

[@WanderingWagners]

We were through the area, just traveling through last summer but that's when we decided we wanted to come here in the Winter with the snow! Best decision we made❄️😁 Hopefully the fridge well straighten itself out because we don't want to keep worrying about it working or not everyday

[@thelmahenriques6454]

I have no clue why anyone thought 12v fridge in an RV was s good idea. I would never, ever buy an RV with one.!!

[@WanderingWagners]

We love the interior space and that we don't have to defrost it (like the RV fridges) every few weeks because it's on all day everyday

[@robertl9065]

12v compressor fridges have been used in boats for decades. They work great. The probable is RV manufacturers don’t know how to wire them properly. They use to small of a wire gauge or wire them on the same circuit as other things.

[@alexanderdavila4087]

That’s good news wash the rv motorhome and the Jeep

[@WanderingWagners]

Thank you! They were due for a great wash😁

[@alexanderdavila4087]

@@WanderingWagners that’s good 😊

[@sidqcampbell6892]

Glad you traveled to areas you wanted to see. Always nice to caravan with friends.. was hoping for warm weather for wraith bath )))) thank you for taking us along with you...spoke too soon HOT TUBN

[@WanderingWagners]

It was a great time with friends for sure. It was fun seeing them in the snow since they're from Florida😁 definitely too cold for a bikini wash haha

[@kevink4914]

Sounds like possibly you have a domestic 12v made in the USA 😂 Elkhart, Indiana model. Buy USA 🇺🇸 folks pay them CEO s big bucks who have no care in the world for their customers. Seeing a lot of USA made things lately and companies will not warranty them.

[@WanderingWagners]

The warranty is only a year, unfortunately and we have surpassed that. We just want the ability to fix it ourselves but they don't sell parts anywhere unless it's to a certified tech which is stupid in our opinions

[@juliansettle]

Lynn love the videos Please stop playing back ground music in the videos. It is not an asset when the music is playing in the background it is hard to understand what you saying. God Bless safe travels!

[@WanderingWagners]

Appreciate the feedback👍🏻

[@musicman2001]

Much love you guys really cool seeing the Deadwood stuff. 🤣And pip down Piper! love the pups. Really enjoy all of your videos cool ass couple having fun and showing me places I would never go. Enjoying the ride!💜

[@WanderingWagners]

Thanks for the great comment! We loved Deadwood and honestly didn't want to leave haha the dogs enjoyed playing in the snow everyday too❄️😁 Hopefully you continue to enjoy our travels👏🏻