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Dometic RM2351 Fridge Not Cooling on Gas

jhqpzjg
Explorer
Explorer
Hello forum folks. I’ll try to be as brief and organized as I can. Thanks for your help in advance.

I have a Dometic RM2351 refrigerator made in 2013 in my Gulfstream Kingsport travel trailer, which I purchased used (the trailer). The fridge has had intermittent cooling problems since I bought it.

Initially, a couple seasons ago, I noted the venting was very poor, so I installed baffles to improve efficiency. I also noted a moderate kink in the copper gas line, just before the burner/jet assembly, so I replaced the line with gentler bends. This seemed to improve the efficiency. On my last camping trip, however, it seemed to cool well in the days prior to the trip, then fail to cool during the trip. We were operating on gas during this latest trip, as we had no hookups. I am pretty obsessive about leveling whenever we run the fridge, so I don’t suspect that. I did the ‘pre-cool' before the trip on 120v at my house. All the food that went into it before the trip was pre-cooled in our home fridge. The two previous trips this year, we had hookups, so ran the fridge on 120v, with no cooling issues. I have never had a cooling issue while running on 120v, so I’m assuming it’s a gas issue, unless someone believes otherwise.

The propane tank was lower, but all other gas appliances (stove, heater, water heater) worked properly during the entire weekend trip. The burner flame ignites quickly and stays lit either when 120v power is lost in auto mode, or when gas is selected manually with the button. The flame is blue and is centered below the flue. I cleaned the burner and flue in place with compressed air, about 25-30 psi, when I got home from the trip. It did not really appear to be very dirty. I have checked for propane leaks with soapy water between the tanks and the fridge, but given that the other appliances are working and the fridge flame appears right (does it?) I don’t suspect a leak to be the cause. There is no evidence of a cooling system leak (no yellow residue).

The frustrating part is that it has been running on propane now for about 48 hours, and the temps are fantastic (the only things in the fridge now are thermometers and a rock hard bottle of water in the freezer. Fridge is in the mid 30s, freezer at about 0. I’m wondering about the propane regulator and the rubber pigtail between the tank and regulator. Also the rubber line between the regulator and the rigid pipe that is plumbed under the trailer. Is the regulator going bad? Has one of the rubber lines delaminated inside causing an intermittent constriction? I have not done a pressure test on the propane, as I don’t have the equipment to do so, and I wonder if there might be other troubleshooting steps I can take before I invest in a test kit. Could the gas pressure have been low enough, given the tank was getting a bit lower, that the fridge wasn’t working but the other appliances were? Are fridges that sensitive to the gas pressure? What else am I missing? Where should I be looking that I haven’t looked? Am I barking up the wrong tree while focusing on the gas?

I tried brevity...clearly I’m not very good at it, but I wanted to make sure I covered all the troubleshooting I’ve done. I'm not sure how to post a photo from the dialog here on the forum.

Thanks for any help,

Jason
8 REPLIES 8

MT_BOB
Explorer
Explorer
Wow,sounds more like it was not working at all, for that temp. rise. Are you sure it was even working? You can touch the "chimney", and it will get very hot, enough to burn you. A few other things--
Check the DC voltage, while the camper is plugged in to your house.Will leave a link with some tech info.
Then check the DC voltage when the camper is unplugged. They should be almost the same, the unit requires DC even on gas.
You also can perform the "running on gas" tests at home, with and without the camper being plugged in to your home.
Anyway, more stuff for you to consider, and here is the basic manual.
https://www.gas-refrigerators.com/pdf/RM2351-manual.pdf

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
jhqpzjg wrote:
Hey John and Kathy, no, its not in a slide. Both the intake venting and the discharge venting are through the side wall of the travel trailer.


This is one problem. Lower and Upper Side vents are NOT the best way to exhaust hot convection air on a refer. When you have upper side vent doors it is best to install a small 12 volt fan blowing OUT the door. This will help remove the hot air after it moves thru the Condensor fins. Normal RV refers(the majority) have a roof vent and this allows the hot air to flow up and out with great ease. So, install that fan. Also a minor drop in LP pressure will have a GREAT effect on RV cooling. Normal pressure is 11.5 inches Water Column(WC). If below 10.5, you will notice lack of correct cooling and there is NO WAY TO DETERMINE PRESSURE WITHOUT A MANOMETER. Just looking at the flame will not tell you anything. Just buy a Manometer for the $50. It will be a great tool to have when RV'ing and you will be a hit with campers and friends if they know you have one. Doug

jhqpzjg
Explorer
Explorer
Hey John and Kathy, no, its not in a slide. Both the intake venting and the discharge venting are through the side wall of the travel trailer.

jkwilson
Explorer II
Explorer II
Is the refrigerator in a slide? If so is that slide in the same position at home as when you were camping?
John & Kathy
2014 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS
2014 F250 SBCC 6.2L 3.73

jhqpzjg
Explorer
Explorer
Hey John and Kathy, On this past weekend trip, the fridge temp started in the mid 30s when I left my house. I did not have a thermometer in the freezer, but the water bottle in there was frozen rock solid. We left on Friday afternoon, and by Saturday afternoon, the fridge temp had risen gradually to the low 60s. The water bottle in the freezer had melted completely. At that point I turned it off and moved the food to a cooler. Thanks for your thoughts,

Jason

jkwilson
Explorer II
Explorer II
What are the refrigerator and freezer temperatures when it’s having problems?
John & Kathy
2014 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS
2014 F250 SBCC 6.2L 3.73

jhqpzjg
Explorer
Explorer
Hey MT Bob, Thanks for your thoughts, and the link to the DIY manometer. Others have suggested an issue with pressure...possibly a faulty main LP regulator, so it looks like I will test that and see...

Jason

MT_BOB
Explorer
Explorer
In my experience, single door Dometics always work better on A/c. And, the whole "off level" is blown way out of proportion for any Dometic made after the early-mid 1980's. If you had a blockage,I doubt it would be intermittent. But you cold remove the hoses and check. I would check the pressure.You can even make a manometer easily and cheaply--
http://redroverroadtrek.com/FridgeManometer.html
Also, look at the flame, you would have to remove the cover to do this, and compare with pictures/videos on youtube/net. If it appears low, you possibly have junk in the jet,or in the cut off solenoid, or the tube, all easily cleaned.
Other things that greatly affect--- ambient temperatures different?, wind, and sun load on that side of the camper. Smart to catch that you had too much clearance in the back, happens a lot with camper builders. Also, too much clearance on the sides and top. Good luck.
The refrig uses very little fuel, not like a stove/oven or water heater, and pressure or restriction can greatly affect it.