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I am replacing a my Dometic RGE410 fridge/freezer after 15 years of reliable service. The replacement I'm lookin at is the Dometic RUA8408X, which is a similar size and supports gas/12V/mains. It will be used in an off-grid house, in gas mode, in Australia.

Unlike the old model which had mechanical controls, current Dometic models have an electronic control for setting the power source, temperature, etc.

Where does the power come from for the electronic controller? Does the fridge need to be connected to 12V or mains power even when running in gas mode?

I've searched online but haven't been able to find out. I don't think it has it's own battery because I didn't see anything in the manual about replacing it.

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  • Tried asking the manufacturer?
    – keshlam
    Commented Feb 3 at 3:23
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    Yep, used the "contact us" from their web site, but they won't get back to me til Monday and the FAQ didn't have anything relevant. I spoke to the retailer too but their techs aren't there today so they won't have an answer til Monday either. The current fridge is out of action so I was hoping to order one today if possible, because there's a 3-4 day delivery.
    – WileCau
    Commented Feb 3 at 3:45
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    It needs DC power (Car battery) at all times for the electronics
    – DIY75
    Commented Feb 3 at 5:02

2 Answers 2

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From the manual:p43

Power Input:

  • 325W (240VAC) or
  • 275W (12VDC)

Power Consumption:

  • 240VAC :5.8kWh/24h
  • 12VDC : 420Ah/24h

So, yes, it has to be plugged into some power source.

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  • Thanks, I think those values are for the entire fridge though, when running on mains or battery power only. If the fridge is in gas mode the cooling "power" comes from burning the gas, so the electrical power should only be a few Watts at most for the controller and fans. I can do without the fans, but not sure if the controller is required to be powered always, I couldn't find that information.
    – WileCau
    Commented Feb 4 at 0:51
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This is the information I received from Dometic support and an independent technician ...

The RUA series of fridges requires a 12V supply to operate the electronic power boards, the lights, and the piezo ignition of the fridge. Without this supply you cannot turn the appliance on, and will not have operation of the cooling system on any power source.

The battery required depends on what is being used to recharge the unit. The fridge does not use a lot of power when running on gas alone, but still requires the battery to be recharged. The battery is not included as part of the fridge installation.

To help anyone searching by model number, these are the current RUA models (the 'A' in "RUA" seems to indicate "Absorption" i.e. gas):

  • Dometic RUA 5208X (153L)
  • Dometic RUA 6408X (188L)
  • Dometic RUA 8408X (224L)
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