Refrigerator servicing, do you remove yours for full access?

[John E Davies]

I have been putting off servicing my RM2454 fridge, but I have some issues. Here is what I submitted to the Service Dept.

 

1 - The cooling fan is bad, when it runs in hot weather the motor squeals loudly. It is located midway between the lower and upper coils, so removal of the fridge is required to reach it. I think the fan was added by Oliver, it is not shown in any of my fridge manuals. If this is an Oliver add-on, is there an access point where I can disconnect the power wire for the fan? And where is the fuse? I need a wiring diagram showing this circuit!

 

2 - The fridge appears to require complete removal for even routine servicing of the burner area; all I can reach from the outside is the gas jet and valve. Is the owner supposed to remove the entire unit annually to access the burner and flue? That seems very unreasonable. I bet most owners just ignore the maintenance completely until there is a failure. Why was there no thought given to better access from outside?

 

Can we discuss this?

 

Do you regularly remove your fridge or pay a shop so they can do the routine maintenance like inspecting and cleaning the flue? If so, do you have any pictures of the removal process?

 

Do you have a fan that was added by Oliver, and do you have a diagram for it?

 

Have you ever looked at the lower access point and thought, "what were they thinking?"

 

My unit seems to be working fine, but if I am expected to take it completely out often, which requires re-taping the vent area afterwards, it is going to get replaced with a DC compressor fridge. Then I can just block off those two outside openings completely.

 

Thanks for any comments.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

EDIT, added a pic and a video link. Here is a still from my borescope inspection.

 

[attachment file=Fridge fam Screen Cap.png]

 

Here is the video showing the insides of the fridge and the buried fan: ... 

 

Found an EXCELLENT Diagnostic Manual here ....https://fourwheelcampers.com/NewDometicRefrigeratorManual.pdf

 

And here is what is visible from outside, everything to the left of the red line:

 

[attachment file=RM2554 Rear Equipment.png]

 

JD

 

 

 

 

[Mike and Carol]

I’ll be interested to see what everyone does.  We turned on our refrigerator 3 years ago when we picked up our Oliver and haven’t turned it off since.  It’s on 110v in storage and when we have hookups and on propane when boondocking and traveling.  We’ve had it on 12v a couple of times when going through tunnels where we had to turn propane off.  Mike

[KountryKamper]

I clean the burner area and that's about it. I have cleaned the exhaust tube on other campers but never really got much out of them so don't worry about it anymore.

 

Most any camper you would have to pull the fridge to change a fan. On ours you can disconnect the ground wire at the terminal block and kill the fan. We had lots of problems with one of our Escape fridges and had to pull it 4 times. Its really not a big deal and is just a few wires, propane line and a few screws.

[mossemi]

I’ll be interested to see what everyone does. We turned on our refrigerator 3 years ago when we picked up our Oliver and haven’t turned it off since. It’s on 110v in storage and when we have hookups and on propane when boondocking and traveling. We’ve had it on 12v a couple of times when going through tunnels where we had to turn propane off. Mike

 

Mike,

Do you turn off the propane off when refueling your TV? I never have but I’m not as experienced as a lot of other members. I recently saw a posting about the safety issues of leaving it on while traveling and refueling. Then as I read your response to John's question, I remembered I needed to ask that question.

Mike

[ScubaRx]

Our refrigerator runs almost exclusively on propane.  On a short trip (less than 1 month) it's unlikely we'll be plugged in at all.  A longer trip means we will probably stop by a friend or relative's house somewhere along the line and sponge 120 volts off them. We do not turn it off when fueling. I don't have a cooling fan and have never needed one to keep the fridge cool.  It seems I'm guilty of probably being like most of all the other Travel Trailer/Motor Home/RV owners in the world and have never done any preventative maintenance concerning my propane refrigerator because we've never had an issue with them in either of the two Oliver's we've owned and frankly, I wasn't aware I was supposed to.

[Mike and Carol]

 

Mike,

 

Do you turn off the propane off when refueling your TV? I never have but I’m not as experienced as a lot of other members. I recently saw a posting about the safety issues of leaving it on while traveling and refueling. Then as I read your response to John’s question, I remembered I needed to ask that question.

 

Mike

 

Mike, no I don’t turn it off when refueling. I read everything I could find about traveling with propane on and the majority opinion was that it was ok.  I do stay aware of any strange situations or fuel spills.  Mike

[SeaDawg]

Travelling with a fridge on gas, and turning it off before fueling up, probably has almost as many posts and debates on rv forums as " which tow vehicle" and "what replacement tires".

 

Since we replaced our 3-way absorption fridge with a 12v compressor fridge last year, I don't have to worry about that question anymore.

 

Sherry

 

 

 

 

[John E Davies]

On ours you can disconnect the ground wire at the terminal block and kill the fan. We had lots of problems with one of our Escape fridges and had to pull it 4 times. Its really not a big deal and is just a few wires, propane line and a few screws

I am trying to establish if the fan is an Oliver add-on or if it comes with the fridge. My fridge manuals do not show this model as having one, and it isn't shown in the wiring charts. I would be fine with just disconnecting the circuit completely.

 

But if I have to pull the fridge out, it would be nice to be able to test the complete fridge operation with it standing on the driveway. I guess I could make a flexible gas hose extension and hook the 12 volt terminals to a battery and run it that way. I would like to be able to test the operation of the gas system, the replacement fan and temp switch before putting it all back into the trailer and re-taping the ducts. I would definitely remount the fan up high so it can be accessed from outside the hull next time.

 

Does anyone know a source for a high quality, QUIET, long-lasting, waterproof fan?

 

Anyway, I haven't heard back from he Mother Ship yet. I truly do hate RV propane appliances. I added a pic and a video link to my first post.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[KountryKamper]

Our Escape had a Dometic fan that they said was part of the fridge and was not shown on the wiring diagram either.

 

I had so many problems with the one in our first Escape I ran it on the patio for a few days testing things. It was a total reject 8000 model Dometic that was designed for Europe and would not work in warm climates and Dometic would not step up to the plate so everyone was stuck with a junk box that would not work half the time. I added insulation and fans to get it to work halfway. I made a connection out of copper pipe to connect to the low pressure port on the trailer. It only needs 12 volt and you don't have to hook up the 115 unless you want to run it on that to test run it.

 

 

[SeaDawg]

The rm2454 had been around aehile. At least two, possibly more versions. Dometic isn't good about manuals. You have tp look up the specific serial number for sort of specific info.

I know, because we had a rm2454. Finding the right replacement board was a pain.

I DON'T know about your fan, because we never had one, but I do have a fuzzy memory about fans scrolling through posts about our issues.

Were it me, I'd disconnect it. If you think you need a fan, get a little muffin fan. When you get a good dometic, it's golden.

A few have issues. I was one of those. Hence, the 12v compressor fridge now on board.

To be fair, I have seen 20 year old Domestic fridges chugging along just fine.

Camping world told us they had some issues about 4 years ago. Since they supply maybe 90 per cent of the rv market, I'm sure they have worked on it.