RM2454 Burner / Orifice Access in Older Oliver Install – Looking for Owner Experience (Hull #184)

[csevel]

Hi Oliver Fam,

I'm hoping to hear from owners who have actually serviced the Dometic RM2454 burner system in an older Oliver installation.

I haven't been on the forum for a while, but I own Hull #184 (2017 Legacy Elite II). I also had the same RM2454 three-way refrigerator in my Casita for about 10 years before moving to the Oliver, so I'm fairly familiar with the unit.

Recently, I've noticed the refrigerator is not cooling as well on propane as it does on electric, especially when ambient temperatures are over 80°F. The flame appears normal, steady, and blue with no orange/yellow. The fridge was in normal use at the time—not empty, but not heavily packed or overfilled. I've already worked through the usual troubleshooting steps, including adjusting the thermistor position, running the auxiliary cooling fan, and reviewing common recommendations from both this forum and elsewhere online.

At this point, I'm trying to determine whether the issue is related to a dirty or partially restricted burner orifice, a partially obstructed burner, propane pressure, or something else in the LP system.

I've attempted to access the burner compartment, but even getting to the baffle screw was more difficult than expected due to the tight working space and awkward access.

Looking at the burner/orifice area and chimney, it doesn't appear to be a straightforward space to work in with wrenches. Most of the access is on the right side, and as a right-handed person with some limitation in my left hand, it feels like a very constrained area to safely get proper tool control.

For those who have actually worked on this specific installation:

• Were you able to clean or remove the orifice for cleaning in alcohol?
• Have you checked propane regulator pressure as part of diagnosing this issue?
• What tools or approach worked best in this tight access area?
• Was it realistically doable, or did it turn into a refrigerator removal job?
• Any lessons learned or "wish I knew this first" tips?

I'm not currently looking to replace the refrigerator. I also carry a separate 12-volt auxiliary fridge, so I have some flexibility. I'm mainly trying to understand whether this is a reasonable maintenance task or one that effectively requires pulling the unit.  I have cleaned a gas jet before (a few times) on my Casita as part of maintenance.

Those who know me from the forum know I tend to be a very hands-on owner and do most of my own maintenance work when possible.   I have the interest, but sometimes not the tools or mentorship to pull it off.

Appreciate any firsthand experience.

Claudia
Hull #184

[topgun2]

Claudia - 

Good to see you bad - but - I wish it was under better circumstances.

Hopefully someone here has taken this thing apart and can convey wisdom your way - good luck.

Bill

[routlaw]

We probably have the same Dometic unit though I have never checked its model # but my hull is #70 so not too far apart. No issues on mine so far. Given your description I would be inclined to think you might have to take the unit out of the Oliver to work on. You are already much further down the pike of knowledge on this thing than me.

Best of luck with the repairs and working through this.

Rob

[jd1923]

15 hours ago, csevel said:

Recently, I've noticed the refrigerator is not cooling as well on propane as it does on electric, especially when ambient temperatures are over 80°F.

Likewise, good to hear from you again Claudia. We've conversed here before and I remember you being quite DIY capable! 😎

Re your statement above, it means two things to me. First, I've always noticed that ours works a little better on LP which is the opposite condition. And that has me thinking about what you wrote, when temps are over 80F.

Have you installed a better fan in the exterior vent area?

You might think, why would that matter when it cools properly on AC/DC?  I'm not certain, but a viable hypothesis may be the fridge on LP creates more heat than when powered by electric. Our fridge used to perform on-and-off and ever since adding the Beech Lane large dual fan it performs excellently under any power source. When we set it on #4 the freezer will approach 0F and the fridge will get down to 32F (Ruuvi temp sensors) and when it does so we switch the cooling level to #3.

Chris was a restaurant chef for a few years and she keeps me well nourished! 🤣 That means she keeps a very FULL fridge! We now have an extra fridge in the truck, always with space for grocery shopping.

If you reply that you already have a similar fan (not the little OEM fan), then I'm at a loss in what to advise. But if not, do this before you do anything else. My installation is presented at the bottom of page 1 on this post: