Annoying Dometic Fridge door alarm every couple of minutes.

[barryd]

So six weeks into our shake down trip in our new to us 2015 Swift Esprit (and very nice it is too) the fridge has this annoying habit of the alarm going off with 30 beeps like the door is open every couple of minutes after a couple of weeks or so use. It's happened twice now. So I researched it and it's condensation on the door light and the connection. First time I just took the cover off, dried it and went out. It never did it when we got back and was fine for about three weeks.

It started doing it again the other day so I just pulled the plug this time. Later I tackled it again, Dried it all and it stays off for a while then starts beeping again. The only common factor is time. In six weeks we have only been to two locations and it fixed itself after a three hour drive between stopovers then started playing up a couple of weeks later. I wonder if your parked up for weeks if the condensation builds up.

So has anyone found a proper fix for this or do I just live with it?

 

[bigtwin]

Have you tried switching the frame heater on? That’s pretty much what it’s there for.

Ian

 

[Steve and Denise]

I bought some pcb laqueur it’s similar to nail varnish

 

[barryd]

Have you tried switching the frame heater on? That’s pretty much what it’s there for.

Ian

Never heard of it so googled it. Don't remember seeing a button anywhere for that but will have a look.

 

[barryd]

I bought some pcb laqueur it’s similar to nail varnish

Very nice. I'm sure your nails look lovely. Now, about my fridge.

Sorry couldn't resist. What did you do with it?

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[Steve and Denise]

I sprayed the PCB and let it cure never been a problem since

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Ours had the same issue but it turned out to be the board behind the control panel. Some damp on it. Dried it off and cleaned it up. Been OK since.

 

[Hils and Glenns]

We dried ours off and took the cover off the light in ours. It hasn't happened since. Also it could be that the closing mechanism isn't quite catching.

 

[barryd]

We dried ours off and took the cover off the light in ours. It hasn't happened since. Also it could be that the closing mechanism isn't quite catching.

I did notice there is a little metal spring. I wonder if it's that. Maybe needs bending back a bit

 

[barryd]

I sprayed the PCB and let it cure never been a problem since

Is that the circuit board within the light? Not had the cover off yet apart from the plastic clear cover. I read that Vaseline on the connections might work but that sounded a bonkers idea to me.

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[Steve and Denise]

Is that the circuit board within the light? Not had the cover off yet apart from the plastic clear cover. I read that Vaseline on the connections might work but that sounded a bonkers idea to me.

Yes I removed the printed circuit board and sprayed it let the laquer dry then refitted it,
Worked for me

 

[GeoffnDee]

If you have not already seen it there is a Dometic bulletin regarding this problem , that may help , in Resources (bottom of this page) , page 1 in the Manuals for Motorhome Stuff section .

 

[barryd]

If you have not already seen it there is a Dometic bulletin regarding this problem , that may help , in Resources (bottom of this page) , page 1 in the Manuals for Motorhome Stuff section .

Found it. It basically confirms what we have discussed. I'll have another play with it tomorrow.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Lenny HB]

I did notice there is a little metal spring. I wonder if it's that. Maybe needs bending back a bit

Had that problem rebending the spring cured it.

 

[barryd]

Had that problem rebending the spring cured it.

Thanks. I am hoping it's that as it's an easy fix.

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[Plumberz]

Hi had same problem, firstly remove the light cover on the door switch to reveal light and the plug with wiring, remove the plug so light goes out, shut the door whilst fridge is still turned on. After a few minutes check to see if alarm goes off. If not open fridge and check to see if the fridge has dropped temperature slightly. If so it proves you need a new door switch and light assembly as contact inside is warn. Not that expensive off ebay.

 

[FEC]

Interesting thread -I don't have a fix, but just to say in solidarity, we have a Swift too, an Escape, and our fridge tends to bleep too -for no apparent reason. Mostly happens when we're driving. beeps for about 2 minutes then stops. Only does it now and again so it's not a big issue. Haven't got to bottom of it yet but perhaps it is loss of temperature due to door not being properly shut or maybe condensation as you have diagnosed on yours. Thanks for posting and good luck tracing the issue

 

[barryd]

I had a fiddle with the switch just now. It does work as you can press it and the light goes off. Bent the metal bit out a bit but it's still beeping after two minutes with the door shut.

I wonder if the damp has got inside of it. Looks like I'm fishing for beer in the dark tonight then. The old Kontiki never had a problem like this! Well it never had a light to go wrong in the first place!

 

[Minxy]

Just be grateful you haven't got a 'banana' door like we have! It's meant to have a bit of a bow in it due to how the latch works but one side is more bowed than the other so the top left sits closer to the fridge body than the right. We had to live with it for years with bits of foam to make contact with the internal sensor to stop the alarm going off all the time and I eventually managed to get a replacement door under warranty which was sent to me to fit (2 actually as the first arrived damaged!).

The door is still sitting in the garage at home waiting to be fitted as I didn't have the correct tool to take out the securing bolt/screw in order to remove the banana door ... however I don't think I'll have to bother now as the foam dropped off and it's not beeping anymore. . I think over time the top seal has sufficiently squished so the door now sits and seals correctly.

Sometimes doing nothing is good!!!

 

[barryd]

Just be grateful you haven't got a 'banana' door like we have! It's meant to have a bit of a bow in it due to how the latch works but one side is more bowed than the other so the top left sits closer to the fridge body than the right. We had to live with it for years with bits of foam to make contact with the internal sensor to stop the alarm going off all the time and I eventually managed to get a replacement door under warranty which was sent to me to fit (2 actually as the first arrived damaged!).

The door is still sitting in the garage at home waiting to be fitted as I didn't have the correct tool to take out the securing bolt/screw in order to remove the banana door ... however I don't think I'll have to bother now as the foam dropped off and it's not beeping anymore. . I think over time the top seal has sufficiently squished so the door now sits and seals correctly.

Sometimes doing nothing is good!!!

Lol!

I'm the world's biggest expert at doing nothing when it comes to repairs.

You can also guarantee that despite an ever increasing array of tools and spanners I'll never have the right one.

We call this the nanny state van after our 1996 Kontiki. There is always something beeping at you and telling you off.

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[Minxy]

Spoke too soon, the darn fridge had a couple of beeps this morning.

 

[wram49]

I had a similar problem with my Dometic RML 9435 fridge beeping, thought it was the door beeping but the light went out when I put my finger over the sensor. After a bit of googling some said it was moisture on the control panel pcb, didn't seem to be any but put the hair dryer on it and think it was just luck but the beeping stopped. It then never beeped for a few weeks, then it came back but was intermittent - often in the middle of the night which resulted in the fridge getting turned off till the morning. Switch it on and it would be fine again for a bit then beep, no pattern really to when it would do it. It had to either be the control panel pcb or the connection brick pcb, I contacted dometic using their Web form without getting a reply. Decided to order a new control panel PCB, which are about £200 ish but found one at a place in Devon for £140. So fitted that and yippee no more beeping

 

[Hils and Glenns]

I did notice there is a little metal spring. I wonder if it's that. Maybe needs bending back a bit

We've had the beeping problem twice. The first time as I already said was damp in the lock/light fitment which we cured by drying it out and leaving the cover off. The second was when the spring in the locking mechanism broke and the door would close but not lock. We had heavy bottles in the door that kind of pulled the door. Anyway a nice man in a garage in Rye fitted a new spring in the door hooky thing so it locked properly. I'm not techy as you can tell. But I do know that a new light/locking device is at least £80 so someone who could just fit a spring was brill. He didn't even charge he just did it as part of another job. So it might be worth checking the spring in the door lock hooky thing.

 

[NorfolkRed]

Is that the circuit board within the light? Not had the cover off yet apart from the plastic clear cover. I read that Vaseline on the connections might work but that sounded a bonkers idea to me.

Vaseline on the connections has always worked for me. Sorry mate couldn't resist.

 

[barryd]

Vaseline on the connections has always worked for me. Sorry mate couldn't resist.

You see now I don't know it's a joke or not and you are just waiting for me to come on and say I've blown myself up.

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[barryd]

I had a similar problem with my Dometic RML 9435 fridge beeping, thought it was the door beeping but the light went out when I put my finger over the sensor. After a bit of googling some said it was moisture on the control panel pcb, didn't seem to be any but put the hair dryer on it and think it was just luck but the beeping stopped. It then never beeped for a few weeks, then it came back but was intermittent - often in the middle of the night which resulted in the fridge getting turned off till the morning. Switch it on and it would be fine again for a bit then beep, no pattern really to when it would do it. It had to either be the control panel pcb or the connection brick pcb, I contacted dometic using their Web form without getting a reply. Decided to order a new control panel PCB, which are about £200 ish but found one at a place in Devon for £140. So fitted that and yippee no more beeping

The quick solution and cheapest is to just pull the power connector off.

I'll maybe try the vaseline when I establish if it's a wind up or not.

 

[bobnick]

We had a new Dometic fridge door fall off, only took Bailey/Dometic 21 months to fix it. Cost me a fortune in duct tape.

 

[bobnick]

 

[Jerryhunt2]

We had the same warning - beep for 20 seconds - no other warning icons - it is the 'door not shut' warning. The little spring in the latch mechanism in the door had broken in 2, and the door wasn't quite shut. Changed the spring - sorted