Broken Freezer Door - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

retiredcamper47 · 05-07-2011, 05:53 PM

Got our HiLo out of storage and doing the spring cleaning prior to our first trip out next week. Wife was wiping down the freezer compartment in the refridge when the plastic on the left side of the door snapped. Now she is holding the door in her hand. I printed out the parts list from Dometic on line. Ours is the model RM 2554. I ordered the parts on Monday from Dometic in Indiana and UPS delivered them on Thursday. It was an expensive repair. The plastic door itself is $99.16. I also ordered the two carrier hinge assemblies, and two springs. Parts were $126.80, state & county taxes $9.50, and flat rate shipping charge of $25, for a total of $161.30. It took about a hour for the repair. Have to "wind" the springs to get the right tension to close the door. Just a warning to treat your freezer door gently. I guess the plastic tends to get brittle after 10 years.

Bob

DebW · 05-07-2011, 08:00 PM

Bob,
I have heard a story before real similar to yours from a Hi-Lo owner at a campground. They didn't go to the expense of replacing the door though. They went to the local Wal-Mart and bought one of those spring loaded curtain rods with the rubber tips and they had been holding the freezer door in place for several years they told me. Needless to say I was surprised that it worked but she showed me and yes it did work.

JMDoering · 05-07-2011, 08:42 PM

Bob,

The door you replaced, was it the interior door covering the freezer? Or does your unit have a separate external door?

Jim

retiredcamper47 · 05-08-2011, 08:43 AM

Deb, That was a good idea, but I would be afraid that the door would pop out while traveling. The roads now are not what they use to be.

Jim, The freezer door I replaced is the interior door. My refridge just has the single exterior door. I was surprised to learn that my Dometic refridge was made in Sweden, but headquartered in Indiana.

Bob

cptmoney · 05-16-2011, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DebW

Bob,
They went to the local Wal-Mart and bought one of those spring loaded curtain rods with the rubber tips and they had been holding the freezer door in place for several years they told me. Needless to say I was surprised that it worked but she showed me and yes it did work.

Tell me more about this, Deb. I'd like to know as well.

Our new-to-us 21' has a freezer door that won't stay closed. Is it supposed to be spring loaded?

Sounds like an expensive repair. I was thinking a tiny piece of velcro or something!

DebW · 05-16-2011, 01:26 AM

CPTMoney,
Hopefully I can explain. The spring loaded curtains rods were round and white in color with rubber caps on each end. They were purchased at Wal-Mart. They come in several different sizes don't recall what size she had although they weren't too awful long. She untwisted them to fit. They fit the walls of the fridge across the freezer door. She used one right under the freezer handle and another a couple inches down. She also used them to hold the contents of the fridge on each shelf. She just put them across side to side of fridge inside. You need to make sure they fit snug but not too tight that you would put a hole inside of fridge. She had like I said been doing this for years. I hope I explained this so you understand what I'm trying to say.

DebW · 05-16-2011, 01:59 AM

CPTMoney,
When I said come in different sizes I should of said different lengths. They are round and are alittle bigger than a pencil. I'm actually going to go and buy a couple packages of these before we take our trip in June. They come two to a package and she said they were around 2.00 a pkg. They are where you buy curtains/mini blinds at Wal-Mart. I had been using the double fridge bars that they sell at Camping World/RV Centers but to tell you the truth I like this curtain rod thing better.

JIM L · 05-16-2011, 10:01 AM

HI cptmoney
Before you write off fixing your freezer door you need to find out what broke. I had the same problem coming back from Alaska with a full freezer of halibut. Duct tape was a temp. fix. The part that broke on mine was the spring holders. This part is not attached to the door itself. My fridg is a dometic. I went to the dometic web site (Dometic.com) and downloaded the parts list. To remove the door take a flat blade screwdriver and at the hinge point pry the door toward the other hinge and the door will pop out. The spring holder and spring fit into the side of the fridg at that point. When you see the parts picture its easier to understand. The springs were ok just the holders broken. Ordered the parts left and right from Dometic $9.00 plus each from Dometic and got them in 3 days. Dometics ph# is 1-800-544-4881. Easy fix. Hope this helps and hope your door is not broken. Get back if you have any questions

retiredcamper47 · 05-16-2011, 10:35 AM

Be careful using the screwdriver method because you run the risk of snapping off the "pivot tab" on the freezer door. If you look closely at the "pivot tab" on the door you will find a small hole. I used a small nail punch to push the spring loaded carrier back in order to engage the door with the spring carrier. I used a small blade screwdriver to "wind" the carrier for the proper spring tension to keep the door closed before mounting the door.

Bob

cptmoney · 05-16-2011, 04:03 PM

All right!

Love this place!

I will have to check again this afternoon to try and determine whether my door/springs/etc are in good condition. Really, the only thing I know right now is that the freezer door won't stay closed. It flops down like a dead fish the second the frig door is opened.

I'll give her a look and see what I can find...

Jthiel · 05-17-2011, 12:16 AM

good description! "It flops down like a dead fish the second the frig door is opened."
mine does this too. i haven't even looked at it yet to see what can be done.
this thread is most helpful!

sam · 05-17-2011, 12:49 AM

Still learning after owning a HiLo for 10 yrs. When we had our ref. replaced at the dealership I never thought to save the perfectly good freezer door. I'll will be in tune with saving parts when we replace something.

cptmoney · 06-18-2011, 08:13 PM

Alright - after a month of nothing...I've jumped right in to solve my freezer door issue.

Here's what I found:

What do you think? Looks like it's just the spring holders, just as JIM L predicted.

I'm going to give 'em a call first thing Monday morning and see if I can chase down some replacements. I'm having a tough time negotiating the website, so unfortunately I'll have to call during the work week.

Can anyone confirm this from these pics?

retiredcamper47 · 06-18-2011, 11:02 PM

cptmoney,

It appears by the pic that the only parts you need to replace are the 2 pcs that press into the sides of the fridge. The end of the spring goes into a slot on them. That is what helps the springs hold their tension. The two springs are different, one is for the left side only and the same for the right side. That is why they are different colors. The two carriers they mount on are the same part number. Your pieces on the bottom of the door are removeable. Mine were molded into the door. You can go online to Dometic, and using your fridge model number, download a parts list for the unit. If you can't remember which color spring went to what side, I'll check the old ones out when I get home. I am on my way back home from the HiLo National Rally. Hope this helps.

Bob

cptmoney · 06-19-2011, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredcamper47

cptmoney,

It appears by the pic that the only parts you need to replace are the 2 pcs that press into the sides of the fridge. The end of the spring goes into a slot on them. That is what helps the springs hold their tension. The two springs are different, one is for the left side only and the same for the right side. That is why they are different colors. The two carriers they mount on are the same part number. Your pieces on the bottom of the door are removeable. Mine were molded into the door. You can go online to Dometic, and using your fridge model number, download a parts list for the unit. If you can't remember which color spring went to what side, I'll check the old ones out when I get home. I am on my way back home from the HiLo National Rally. Hope this helps.

Bob

Hey, thanks Bob!

I would appreciate your input. I'm almost POSITIVE that the red spring was from the left side - but I'd love to have you confirm that for me. I'll get those spring carriers ordered right away so I can get back on the road!

Have any good pics/stories from the National Rally?

JIM L · 06-19-2011, 12:39 PM

HI cptmoney
It looks like the only parts broken are the left and right spring holders. On my rv the two parts are different, not the same part number. Since you have not posted the model of your rv or make/model of your fridg I will not include the part numbers as they may be wrong for your fridg. You should have no problem figuring out which is the left or right spring. Even if you are able to get one of the springs in the wrong side things aren't going to work right. One thing I learned at this years rally is that no two Hi-Lo s of the same model and year may be built the same. Wish everyone when they join this forum would include the information on the model/year of the Hi-Lo, their tow vehicle and the state they live in. The advice given here on the forum for one Hi-Lo may be completely wrong for a different year/model Hi-Lo. Call the Dometic phone number I posted before with your model and serial number of your fridg and they will get the correct part numbers for the two spring holders. Get back here if you have any problems contacting them.

retiredcamper47 · 06-20-2011, 12:54 PM

I finally located my old parts for the freezer door. The right side spring is yellow and the left side spring is blue. I have a model RM 2554 fridge. Try and locate the parts locally. Dometic's headquarters in Indiana charges a flat fee of $25 for shipping and handling.

Bob

retiredcamper47 · 06-20-2011, 01:01 PM

cptmoney,

I compared my springs to yours in the enlarged photo. Yes, the red spring is for the left side on your unit. Good luck.

Bob

cptmoney · 06-24-2011, 01:11 AM

OK - back in town after being gone for a few days...

I have the replacement parts; and YES - I should have tried to chase them down locally. Dometic charged me $15 to ship these guys, and they weigh next to nothing. Oh well - live and learn. At $7.50 each for the plastic spring retainer, the repair is right at $30.

I'm going to try and get them installed tomorrow morning, for use this weekend on a camping trip. Wish me luck!

I'll put the red spring on the left and get crackin'.

I'll keep you posted on how it all turns out.

cptmoney · 06-27-2011, 12:21 PM

And just like that...I have a freezer door!

Took about 3 days for the parts to arrive, and an hour of fiddlin' with it all before I finally figured out how to get everything installed - but it was well worth it. Works like a champ.

We weren't anywhere near a computer, so I couldn't do any reading on installation tips - but after trying various approaches, we nailed it. Had I known the proper way to attack it, it could have been knocked out in 2 minutes - literally. EASY repair, and the wife loves it.

Thanks for the help, all! Scratch this one off the list...