Dometic CDF-11 Questions & Answers

Hi. I would try disconnecting the bypass switch. Just pull one wire off and see if that fixes the issue. If it does the switch is faulty.

Hi Jack, There is a red emergency over-ride switch located next to the power input socket. the correct position for this switch is in the down position. (in the up position the fridge will run continuously as per your fault)

If this is already in the down position, I would suggest your controller may be faulty. (I am not a fridge tech)

Buy a new power lead. When the leads fail the compressor kicks in and out continually and they freeze everything.

Hi. Sorry to hear you are experiencing problems. I am no expert but two thoughts come to mind regarding the fan. The first is that the fan has died. This would be the best problem to have and one which you could fix yourself. The fan is most likely to be a computer fan and readily available from retailers such as Jaycar - just take it in and get them to match it. You would probably need to put terminals on the ends of the wires to fit it. Otherwise Goodgle the part number on the old fan and you will probably pick up an exact equivalent.

If the fan isn’t faulty this could point to a circuit board problem which would require servicing by a Waeco repairer. If you phone them they may help with diagnosis of the problem, for example through error codes indicated by flashing lights.

I trust the repair goes well. Regards, Ian

Hi Shannon, I am not a refrigeration mechanic. If the fan is not running, the fridge can not get rid of the heat that the compressor generates when compressing the refrigerant gas and the fridge will struggle to cool. Regardless of any other fault the fan needs to be going for the fridge to work properly. Try removing the fan connection and testing. I believe the fan part # is MW-925L12S available from Jaycar for about $20

The ice build up could also be caused by a faulty or missing door seal.

Good luck

Best regards

AllanP

No, not at all , the ute is an extra cab that has plenty of room behind the seat and I was well aware that the fridge would need ample ventilation. As it turns out that particular fridge has a cheap Chinese compressor (wanbo, I think) that is prone to failure.

Ok that's good to know I was looking at getting one sometime will certainly check out the compressor before purchasing thanks.

For some reason i don't actually have access to the question you asked. My CDF-11 has a Domus compressor which has had no problems in more than 3 years of use. I also have a CDF 25 with the Chinese compressor and it also has been trouble free over two years. I have a CF40 and CF25 with Danfoss compressors and they have also been fine over several years of use. I have owned several CDF-35 units with Danfoss compressors and one was over 8 years old when I sold it - it still worked perfectly. Because Waeco offers a longer warranty on the German compressor I would assume they are more reliable. However in practice I have not noted any reliability differences.

Sorry, but I don't know what the error 2 message signifies....(I've never had a fault condition on any of my many Waeco fridges)....Is a fault manifesting itself in any way? Is it doing anything "wrong"? If so, what's the fault, and does switching the red switch, from normal to emergency, have any effect? .....Most fault conditions are commonly caused by poor battery supply voltage problems...Does it act up on AC & DC supplies, the same way? I hope this has been of some help.

The first thing you need to do, is to provide a stable & consistent 12 or 24 volt DC power supply, and rule out all the faults that can occur if using what may be just a "grotty" outlet socket. Use a Waeco/Mobitronics AC adaptor, or a second good battery, with a clean cigarette lighter socket directly attached. In a situation like yours, you must rule out the biggest cause of potential problems first, a poor &/or unstable power feed...I hope this helps.

Without sounding like a "smart ar5e", one could also ask "how long is a piece of string?"....If comparing this task for the CDF11, versus putting a typical Esky cooler brick in a normal household freezer, I would anticipate it would take twice the time, AT LEAST... There are many variable factors in play here...A very short answer would be "overnight"...

I'm having trouble with a CDF 11 also...it was supplied by my employer for the truck i drive...it doesnt' know when to turn off...it doent matter what temp you set it at or where the red switch is, it will do the same...it has done this right from the beginning...it now 6 years old and running fine...but it wont cut out...i recently installed a new thermister sensor to see if that would change things...but no luck...i was thinking of changing the control panel (up top) they are hard to get online and are $100..but ive since read something on these forums thats got me thinking that it may be the power controller board (down behind the plug outlet) but i'm not sure anymore...anyone know anything i dont?