WITHOUT FRIDGE DEFEND YOU ARE NOT PROTECTED
Dometic & Norcold reliability and fire safety, can you live without it?
WITHOUT FRIDGE DEFEND YOU ARE NOT PROTECTED
Dometic & Norcold reliability and fire safety, can you live without it?
Fridge Defend by ARP® controls the high temperatures that can lead to fridge failure and safety issues, our fan controller improves efficiency and repairs fan problems without removal of the fridge in most cases for Dometic, Norcold & Amish RV Refrigerators.
Instructions: Subjects are listed on left. Click the link to the right to go directly to the subject matter on this page.
The Fridge Defend by ARP is a patented automatic temperature monitoring device. Where patented means no other device offers this protection and automatic means that if your Dometic or Norcold cooling unit overheats, the ARP Control senses the "abnormal temperatures" and Defends your fridge by turning off the heater that drives the refrigeration process. The ARP will automatically restart your fridge if an overheat situation arises. Neither the Dometic thermofuse (thermal switch) nor the High Temperature Sensor (HTS) # R-010. can claim to protect the cooling unit from failure or automatically restart your fridge.
Here is a partial list of reasons that your RV fridge can overheat, neither Dometic nor Norcold controls address any of these issues:
Please click to see video How ARP Protects my Fridge
The Fridge Defend monitors the cooling unit "normal" boiler temperatures. The cooling unit boiler of your Dometic or Norcold will run at constant normal temperature as long as the cooling unit is preforming in a safe manner (see link above). When the cooling unit boiler temperatures rise above the "normal" temperatures, damage to the cooling unit results. Cooling unit damage can lead to premature cooling failure or even worse, the cooling unit boiler can crack due to excessive thermal stress and cause the fluids to leak externally resulting in an RV fire.
Fridge Defend by ARP
Rated
4.8 stars based on
154
customer reviews
Product Description: We have two models of controller, the Basic Fridge Defend & Fridge Defend + Fan Control. Both controls protect the cooling unit by monitoring the boiler temperature. The Fridge Defend + Fan Control has an an additional fan controller which improves the fridge efficiency. ARPs products range in price from $147.50 to $225.00
So what is up with these numbers?
Out of the total number of customer ratings, these graphs show how many people that bought
an ARP Control felt that their family was safer, their fridge was more reliable, and that the
ARP + Fan Control made their fridge more efficient. Please note that none of the pets that were
left alone in the RV reported, but an independent survey (the dog next door) stated that 100% of pets insist their
master is goofy if they do not purchase an ARP Control for safety.
Our Standard device comes with everything needed to install it yourself - the Controller, Platinum Temperature Probe, wiring, screws and wire connectors (some installs require unique power and ground connectors not included).
This control offers economy and ease of use while fully protecting your fridge from boiler overheating. The v4.0 may be used on all Dometic and Norcold & Amish fridges with roof type venting for the cooling unit with some exceptions, please see purchase page for details. Please see the Norcold and Dometic specific install pages for more information.
The v5.0 has extensive diagnostics, but lacks the fan temperature sensor found on the v5.1x. For example, the operator can view a startup function test of the control. If any errors occur you will receive a message. Also, the RV fridge troubleshooting keeps getting better by recording power issues and giving the diagnostician the ability to read the fridge voltage from the Fridge Defend screen.
This control offers economy and ease of use while fully protecting your fridge from boiler overheating. It may be used on virtually all Dometic and Norcold fridges roof type venting for the cooling unit (not recommended for side-vent applications). Please see the Norcold and Dometic specific install pages for more information.
The price for our Standard v5.0 Absorption Refrigerator Controller as pictured is $165.50, click here to order.
The ARP + Fan Control is the last word in RV fridge control. In addition to the great protection offered by the standard ARP, the Fan Controller has a precision temperature sensor that precisely controls when your fans run, this results in a safe and efficient RV fridge.
This item comes without fans so the end user can use their existing fans if they wish. This control can be used on any Dometic or Norcold fridge to improve the efficiency. In our testing we found that using our blower fan with the ARP + Fan Control in a roof vented type cooling unit, the fridge ran about 25% less time in hot weather, this is a huge efficiency increase!
For side-vent or slide-out cooling unit installations this is a must have item. This is because these installations have known cooling air circulation issues. We recommend using one of the controls below that comes with a power blower fan in side-vent or slide-out cooling unit installations. To better understand what a side-vent install is, please click on the RV Fridge Fan link below and look at the second drawing on this page.
The price for the v5.11 ARP + Fan Control is $195.50, click here to order.
This is the above described ARP + Fan Control with the exception that it is sold with one high volume blower fan. See fan specifications below.
We recommend the #3 package for roof vent applications. One blower mounted properly will work in most applications if economy is desired. The next control (#4) is recommended for side-vent applications to further increase efficiency.
The price for the v5.11 ARP + Fan Control + High Efficiency Blower Fan is $225.50, click here to order.
This is the above described ARP + Fan Control with the exception that it is sold with 2 high volume blower fans. See fan specifications below.
We recommend the #4 package for roof vent and side-vent applications. Having one fan at the bottom and one at the top vent really moves the air! The second image shows the side-vent type fridge install with a blower mounted on the top vent door. This has the advantage of sucking the hot air out of the top of the cooling unit compartment.
The following image is the lower fan pushing the cool air up so that the upper fan has a boost making it easier to get that hot air away from your RV.
The price for the v5.11 ARP + Fan Control + 2 High Efficiency Blower Fans is $255.50, click here to order.
Low Noise If your fridge needs help cooling, we had this blower fan built just for your RV. It is a 12 VDC @ 0.3 amp datasheet specification, ball bearing blower with dimensions of 120 x 120 x 32mm. This centrifugal blower moves 25 cubic feet per minute of cool air across your cooling unit. The speed is 1800 RPM and the noise is a quiet 39 decibels. This fan has the best power, noise, and air flow performance for your fridge!
NOTE: We recommend 2 blowers, one top and the other bottom for side-vent applications. If you have the small bottom vent door like is found on some Winnebago's we recommend 2 blowers, one top in the roof vent and the other bottom on the small vent door.
We have very limited availability on our "Data/Interface/Monitoring" Absorption Refrigerator Controller. This particular device is also installed inside the RV. The difference is it has a "Data Port" for computer interface monitoring. A Software interface package for a PC is included with this product.
NOTE: Data Collection devices are not going to be produced for the next production run. Please use the Contact Us in the info menu at bottom of page if you would like to purchase one of these diagnostic devices while supplies last.
The Data/Interface Absorption Refrigerator Controller is available for $210.00
If you do not have a v4.x or newer Fridge Defend by ARP, you are missing out on some very cool benefits (pun intended). The v5.1 Fridge Defend controls have the following improvements recommended for all Dometic and Norcold RV fridge. Here is a list of refrigerators that see large improvement with our new controls: Norcold N3150, 1200 & 1210 series, and the 2118 series.. Also, improvements are needed on all Dutch Aire (Amish) cooling unit and Dometic side-by-side fridges including the RM1350.
The v5.1 controls, all of the factory settings can be restored by the push of a button.
An advanced proportional-integrated-derivative (PID) control scheme has been added. The advantage to this type of control method is temperature tracking which improves control of new style Norcold, older Dometic, and high quality aftermarket cooling units such as Dutch Aire (Amish) and other makes.
Starting with the v4.x series of controls, introduces a smart startup error checking system, if errors exist, they are reported on the display. In addition, every day the control will check itself again. The daily periodic test is combined with the algorithm that stops the fridge from going into the defrost cycle which improves cooling performance in hot weather. If the user chooses, the periodic test and defrost defeat cycle can be turned off.
v5.1 Fridge Defend Introduces New Level of Safety
Introducing a new pinnacle of development for an RV refrigerator safety device. Fridge Defend, the leading
add-on for the prevention of RV refrigerator fires, now meets international safety standards which surpass
Dometic and Norcold safety devices. RV fridge fires are a real problem. The Fridge Defend is a real solution
that prevents the overheating of the fridge boiler.
The new Fridge Defend model v5.x is designed with international safety standards at its core, taking the
safety controller to an international level of performance. What does this mean? International standards
require a stricter level of self-testing than what is required by present RV standards. For example, any
fired boiler such as found in a Dometic or Norcold absorption refrigerator is required to have safety
protection to help prevent fires. The v5.x Fridge Defend brings your fridge up to the standards considered
acceptable internationally, using the design principles established by the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC).
v5.1 improved fan controller increases fridge cooling efficiency by adding more cooling fans with increased control range (can handle up to 5 amps of fans!). In addition, the fan temperatures are easier to fine tune with 5 degree steps for all settings.
Increased number of cooling unit parameters stored resulting in accurate history which makes the RV Tech's diagnostics job faster and easier. For example, if a wire has a short on it, it is reported for ease of troubleshooting.
The error reporting takes into account the cleanliness of the power supply which can be an issue on many RV's. The RV industry has coined the term "clean power", thus we make sure that the delivery of power to your fridge is reported in a manner that can be used to confirm power issues that affect your fridge. This function has been moved to the main display so the end user can easily check their own power without special equipment.
Fridge Defend Housing
v1.0-v4.x: 4.06" x 2.07" x 0.57" (inch)
v5.x: 4.06" x 2.07" x 0.955" (inch)
Blower Fan: 4.72" x 4.72" x 1.26" (inch)
Circuit Breaker: 2.18" x 1.38" x 0.57" (inch)
These images give all of the dimensions (inch) for the Fridge Defend when combined with the Quiet High Performance Blower Fan and the Circuit Breaker sections above.
