Before attempting any repairs or testing, check out the gas safety and electrical safety pages.

Models included:
RM360, RM361, RM460, RM461, RM660, RM661, RM760, RM761, RM1300, RM2300, RM2301, RM2310, RM2400, RM2401, RM2410, RM2500, RM2501, RM2510, RM2600, RM2601, RM2610, RM2800, RM2801, and RM2810

The graphic to the right depicts the controls for a typical Dometic manual refrigerator built after 1980 (except for the RM2604 and RM2804). For models built before that, see the separate, standard electric and gas system pages for earlier models. Models included are shown below. The graphic contains a lot of information, so it will be broken down into the gas and electric systems at a later point.

Note:
The graphic shows two 12 volt terminal blocks. Some older 3 way models had just one 12 volt terminal block. Current 2 way models (gas and 120 volt) also have just one 12 volt terminal block.

The purpose of any controls for an RV refrigerator is to provide heat to the boiler of the cooling unit and to control that heat in such way as to regulate the temperature inside the refrigerator. The switch (in the graphic) selects 120 volt AC or 12 volt DC (optional) on the electric side of the refrigerator. When the control knob at the front of the refrigerator is turned to gas, the shaft that runs through the switch turns the gas valve to the open position. The switch also applies 12 volt positive to the igniter (on models that have an electronic igniter), when gas is selected. Some models use a piezo mechanism to generate a spark at the electrode.

The combination thermostat controls the temperature of the refrigerator on both the gas and electric sides. The capillary tube (not shown) of the thermostat runs from the thermostat to the fins inside the refrigerator. It senses the temperature inside the refrigerator and controls the thermostat accordingly. On the electric side the thermostat simply opens and closes the heat element circuit. The thermostat switches the gas flame between high and low flame to control the temperature on the gas side.

Go to the pages linked below for more information on the gas and electric systems:

Manual Electric System
Manual Gas System