Update 8.3.18 It appears that Dometic is making this right! More info when I have it.
/endupdate
This is a bit of a PSA/Rant as the folks at Dometic have been giving me the run around, I thought I would pass along my experiences so you can weigh them accordingly as you evaluate fridge vendors:
Background:
I have a CF-80 that has been blowing fuses since day one. I originally thought it was something in my power setup or not enough circulation and did tons of troubleshooting around that. I eventually decided to attach it to a battery in the garage and let it run to see if it popped a fuse out of the rig. Sure enough... popped fuse. So I contacted dometic (still under warranty) to find out what to do, as it turns out everything is handled thru service centers. Also turns out none of the service centers in Denver have any idea what a CF-80 is or how to look at it. Closest one I found is in Colorado Springs and they are 60 days out for an appointment and I still can't confirm that they actually service the CF-80 (scheduling girl asked what kind of RV it was in, and didn't understand that it is a cooler or why you would want one in a 4x4).
I finally got a hold of someone at dometic and explained what was going on and directed them to this thread from a South African forum regarding a batch of CF-50s with THE EXACT SAME ISSUE (Waeco CF50 blowing fuses.......?) and after a week of back and forth I got this response:
"The cooler just has to have a good 12 volts all the time. If the voltage starts to drop and it goes to kick in and pull its going to blow the fuse. We recommend a good full 12 volts source at all times. Some people who camp a lot in the desert hook up a solar panel to their battery to keep that power going . That is also an option. "
I then pointed them at section 6.4 of their manual:
"The device is equipped with a multi-level battery monitor that protects your vehicle battery against excessive discharging when the device is connected to the on-board 12/24 V supply. If the cooler is operated when the vehicle ignition is switched off, the cooler switches off automatically as soon as the supply voltage falls below a set level. The cooler will switch back on once the battery has been recharged to the restart voltage level."
... I'll add more later as I collect info.
8.21.2018
After 3 months I was finally able to get a replacement fridge from Dometic. Plus side they upgraded me. Down side - I spent most of the camping season with a fridge that blew fuses every day or 2. All the same wiring in my rig - no blown fuses with the new fridge after 6 days of run time.
I had 2 very recent comparisons of customer service - CVT Tents and PowerStop brakes.
On CVT I had 2 warranty items, the telescoping ladder and an awning pole, both broken, both debatable as to wether they should be warranty items. CVT didnt even blink, they asked for pictures and sent out a new pole and ladder the next day. AMAZING
On Powerstop - this was most certainly NOT a warranty item. I called them up and told them what happened to my drivers rear pad and rotor (freak rock from a water crossing on Ophir wedged in between the pad and rotor) and they offered a one time courtesy replacement which i had in my hands in under a week, also AMAZING.
IMHO Dometic needs to take note from these two companies on how to handle customer service. I love the new fridge and it seems to be working very very well, however it should not have taken the bulk of the camping season for me to get this sorted out.
/endupdate
This is a bit of a PSA/Rant as the folks at Dometic have been giving me the run around, I thought I would pass along my experiences so you can weigh them accordingly as you evaluate fridge vendors:
Background:
I have a CF-80 that has been blowing fuses since day one. I originally thought it was something in my power setup or not enough circulation and did tons of troubleshooting around that. I eventually decided to attach it to a battery in the garage and let it run to see if it popped a fuse out of the rig. Sure enough... popped fuse. So I contacted dometic (still under warranty) to find out what to do, as it turns out everything is handled thru service centers. Also turns out none of the service centers in Denver have any idea what a CF-80 is or how to look at it. Closest one I found is in Colorado Springs and they are 60 days out for an appointment and I still can't confirm that they actually service the CF-80 (scheduling girl asked what kind of RV it was in, and didn't understand that it is a cooler or why you would want one in a 4x4).
I finally got a hold of someone at dometic and explained what was going on and directed them to this thread from a South African forum regarding a batch of CF-50s with THE EXACT SAME ISSUE (Waeco CF50 blowing fuses.......?) and after a week of back and forth I got this response:
"The cooler just has to have a good 12 volts all the time. If the voltage starts to drop and it goes to kick in and pull its going to blow the fuse. We recommend a good full 12 volts source at all times. Some people who camp a lot in the desert hook up a solar panel to their battery to keep that power going . That is also an option. "
I then pointed them at section 6.4 of their manual:
"The device is equipped with a multi-level battery monitor that protects your vehicle battery against excessive discharging when the device is connected to the on-board 12/24 V supply. If the cooler is operated when the vehicle ignition is switched off, the cooler switches off automatically as soon as the supply voltage falls below a set level. The cooler will switch back on once the battery has been recharged to the restart voltage level."
... I'll add more later as I collect info.
8.21.2018
After 3 months I was finally able to get a replacement fridge from Dometic. Plus side they upgraded me. Down side - I spent most of the camping season with a fridge that blew fuses every day or 2. All the same wiring in my rig - no blown fuses with the new fridge after 6 days of run time.
I had 2 very recent comparisons of customer service - CVT Tents and PowerStop brakes.
On CVT I had 2 warranty items, the telescoping ladder and an awning pole, both broken, both debatable as to wether they should be warranty items. CVT didnt even blink, they asked for pictures and sent out a new pole and ladder the next day. AMAZING
On Powerstop - this was most certainly NOT a warranty item. I called them up and told them what happened to my drivers rear pad and rotor (freak rock from a water crossing on Ophir wedged in between the pad and rotor) and they offered a one time courtesy replacement which i had in my hands in under a week, also AMAZING.
IMHO Dometic needs to take note from these two companies on how to handle customer service. I love the new fridge and it seems to be working very very well, however it should not have taken the bulk of the camping season for me to get this sorted out.
Last edited:
