Dometic Refrigerator Repair
Our SCAMP Camper has a Dometic RM2193 3 way refrigerator. This refrigerator is common in smaller campers and truck bed campers (Four Wheel Camper). It worked when we first bought it, but on our first big trip the 12v cooling stopped working and shortly after that the 120v stopped working as well. After some testing (more on that later) I determined that it was the switches that had failed and not the refrigerator (heating element) itself. It looks like most modern smaller refrigerators are compressor driven rather than adsorbtion like the older 3 way units. This made it harder to find replacement switches. Luckily Dometic used standard off the shelf switch sizes that are easily sourced online and locally (12v switch).
Testing the Heating Elements
Per the Dometic Manual "Before working on, or removing the refrigerator, make sure the electrical supply (AC and DC) is turned OFF before leads are disconnected. Shut off the gas supply. " It is also good practice to confirm the power is shut off with a volt tester.
I am not an appliance repairmen, the below information is a summary of my research not a repair manual.
To confirm the issue lies in the switch you will need a digital volt tester that can measure resistance in ohms.
| Power Source | Amp Draw | Ohms |
| AC Heating Element | 1.2 amps | 104 Ω |
| DC Heating Element | 10.5 amps* | 1.14** Ω |
*This value is listed with a couple of different values depending on what manual you look at. This was the highest value I found. Make sure the switch you use is rated for higher than this value as it is a continuous load.
**I couldn't specifically find this value listed anywhere, but according the the element specifications we can roughly calculate this value using R(Ω)=V/A. So =12/10.5 gives us R=1.14 Ω. It may be hard to get a good reading on a value this low with a cheap DMM, a continuity test may be more appropriate here.
Replacement Switches
| Switch | Dometic Part # | Alternate Part # |
| 120V AC | 2951433107 | Soken RK1-01-HS |
| 12V DC | 2951398201 | Cambridge 85924 (Autozone) |
After taking apart the old switches it was clear they corroded inside. This was due to the fact that the switches are exposed to some weather even with the covers on the refrigerator. Protecting this area from the elements when not in use during storage would be helpful to making the switches last longer.
Electrical Diagram
This electrical diagram below is for those interested checking the heating elements to confirm they are still serviceable and confirming its a switch issue rather than a heating element failure.
Turn off all power and fuel sources before testing. Verify no electricity is present before probing the heater terminals.
