Dimplex Fireplace-Fire!!

[barmar]

last night our fireplace created a major incident--there was a sudden short circuit, sparks, flames and a fair amount of smoke--it was rqather scary until the cicuit breaker finally failed and things settled down somewhat. On investigation this morning there was significant damage--burned/melted components, wiring etc and quite a mess. The terminal board was a lump of charcoal and several wires were burned/damaged--not certain it's fixable!! The 120v power cord had completely severed. In any case, this was a serious incident and we were lucky!! There msy be a design flaw here but not an expert--the area in/around the terminal strip should be checked regularly for fitment and wiring..
I'm going to leave fireplace as is, but unplugged until we get home then follow up perhaps with a repair but perhaps a complete replacement fireplace--are there suitable models available, other than Dimplex??

[snfexpress]

Do a search on this. We had a fire on our 2006 model. Dimplex has a "rewire kit" just for this situation.

[RVWheels]

Try this link to a post by H. John Kohl:

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...erms=fireplace

[MIMF]

The fireplace I installed 4 years ago did the same thing this last fall. The early Dimplex fireplaces where known for this issue whenever it would happen because, not all of them were affected. So now, when I de-winterize the old Challenger this spring, I need to install a new fireplace and converter. OH, the joys of RV ownership.

[Ozz]

Yep, mine did the same thing. They made errors in their wiring set-up.
Resistance heat is really just shorting a wire assembly and making it red-hot, so if not engineered and assembled correctly, serious problems happen.
I would stay with the fireplace, you can wire around the problem, your case may be too severe for the kit, but I would get it and try, you can get a cord at Lowe's, or Home Depot. Try and get the 12 gage.
One of the mod's I (and Sue and the cats) am happiest with is the electric heater I built-in where the vacuum is. I think Keystone should include this in the new models.
http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/n194/JimsSue13/Ozzsmods101/Electrical%20pics/Heater%20built%20in/

[wingerphil]

we had the same thing here on our 07 3400. Our extended warranty took care of the cost for a replacement and I installed it myself. Their designs have changed a little over the years so I had to do some minor mods to the wood fascia but nothing major.

Phil

[8.1al]

I would report this to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
http://www.cpsc.gov/

[Irlpguy]

I have now replaced two electric fireplaces in RV's in the last year, neither of them were Dimplex, however they are basically all the same in design. I have a Dimplex in my Monty and another in my family room at the S&B. I have not had any problem, but have checked the wires on the one in the Monty.

Any Dimplex sold or imported into Canada must have CSA approval, that means the wiring is adequate for the current and voltage being used by the heater. The problem in both of the cases I replaced was that the connections were not tight which results in too much current trying to pass through a loose connection, creatng temperatures hot enough to melt the insulation and the components around the loose wires. In one case the screw holding the wires was not tight enough, in the other it was a poorly crimped wire end. Both resulted in the same shorting when drawing high current.

I would recommend soldering these 120V wire connectors where the crimp is and make sure the small screws holding them to the component are tight.Also check that no wire is exposed to the high temperatures near one of the lights or a wire that could be squeezed between two metal pieces of the heater when it was assembled and was not noticed. We have all experienced poor QC as RV owners.

As mentioned if there is a repair kit, I would certainly get it, with luck you will be able to salvage the remainder of the unit, and have a safe workable fireplace.

[fauch]

the plastic 'lighting' grade terminal lug cant take the heat.

get this type:http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/2025224...2#.UPD5Y6V0r0s

[fauch]

the plastic 'lighting' grade terminal lug cant take the heat.

get this type:http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/2025224...2#.UPD5Y6V0r0s