Hello,

I have a Dometic RM-2501 that is presumably original to our 1989 Sunline. In days gone by, it has always worked very well running on electric, but struggled on gas. I've worked through many things, but still no solution.

This spring when I brought the unit out of hibernation, I found that the GFCI was tripping whenever the fridge was on. I disconnected the heating element, and it reads properly on the ohms meter for what it should be reading. With the heating element disconnected from the wiring block, the GFCI does not trip. At home it will trip either the house or the camper, at a campground at our only trip so far this year, it would trip in the camper every time. Anything to try here other than a new element? I tried pulling out the one that was there, but it seems (trying by hand only) to be firmly attached to the burner tube. Any tips? And any risk to the presumably good cooling unit by taking pliers to it? I'd rather run it on gas the remainder of its days than replace the cooling unit because I broke it trying to fix the electric side...

Now for the gas saga... First off, the chimney is clear...even verified this by looking up with a mirror again this spring. Fridge is level by the freezer bottom plate. Last spring I purchased and used a flue cleaning brush on it (requiring removal of the fridge or I would try it again this spring). In the process, I knocked out a "tooth" of the burner, so it now has a brand new burner in it. I checked the system gas pressure with a homemade manometer, and it was reading about 9" wc, so I thought great, I've got it fixed. No dice when adjusted to 11. I made another manometer with proper fitting to attach to the test point on the back of the fridge, and with both installed, it was reading about 1/2" lower at the burner, so I eased the pressure up a touch to get exactly 11 at the burner, with no other appliances running. I removed the orifice and blasted it out with canned compressed air, then worked some 70% rubbing alcohol through it - let it drip through from the threaded end 6 or 8 times, then blasted it out and dry with air again. Working with the thermostat slowly, I can hear it click out around the 1/2 mark and in around 2/3 to 3/4 (per this morning's test), so I'm assuming it should be cooling more than it is. Mine has the graduated markings, no numbers to go by. I can also tell a difference in the flame between low and high...along with gas pressure of 4" wc at low flame. And of course the flame "looks good" but I've read over and over that means nothing...especially when the 4" wc bypass flame also looks decent!

The last bit of adjustment and orifice cleaning was done last night. Fridge has been running for 2-3 days now on gas. There is about a quart plastic jug of water in the fridge. I have been leaving it on max, and it will get down to about 25 degrees in the fridge at night with outside temps in the 50's or low 60's. Daytime temps have been running around 80 degrees, and it creeps up to the upper 30's. I checked this morning and the water was not frozen at all. Today has been overcast and breezy, high about 84, and it has gotten up to 37 degrees in the fridge.

Any thoughts on what I might be missing here? At this point, I'm ready to haul it to my local RV place and let them take a look...but as far as I've gone though it, I'm afraid all I would get is a bill with no results.

Many thanks in advance,

Wesley

T.J.,

Thanks for your reply. I would totally agree about the cooling unit being the problem...but it has always worked flawlessly on electric in the past, as well as poorly on gas, hence my reluctance to accept that conclusion. I'm working towards getting a new heating element in it, then we'll know for sure I suppose.

What else is there to check in the gas system? I have 11" wc at the test port on the fridge. I have cleaned the orifice (blasted with compressed air, rinsed in 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol, then blasted dry with air again)...it has a new burner, and the flue has been cleaned with a flue brush. The chimney is clear. Everything the service manual says to do and I can think of has been done. Any tricks I'm missing?

Thanks,

Wesley

Well...I got to thinking that if the heating element ohmed out correctly, then it may be fine other than tripping the GFCI. So...I ran an extension cord from an indoor non-GFCI outlet direct to the fridge itself.

It ran all last night on electric and got down to 21 degrees in the fridge section overnight (compared to lowest I saw on gas of 24)...thermostat set to MAX. Here in VA today, it got up to around 80 degrees...camper had its windows cracked, but still got warmish inside and the fridge temp got up to about 34-35 degrees. Still just about a quart of water in the fridge to even the temps out.

Do those temps sound reasonable, or should it be freezing water in the fridge section and much colder after being left on at MAX for that long?

Looking like not just a gas problem after all...though after living with this unit for 5 years, I would have laid money on the table to say that was the case!

Any further thoughts, or is it time to suck it up and get a new fridge or cooling unit?

The eternal optimist in me wants to bang on the coils and flip it upside down for a day...though I hear that is nearly 100% sure to be fruitless...any chance at all that might help thing for more than a short time?

We leave next Friday on vacation...so I'm starting to get desperate...and not particularly keen on buying a new fridge, though it may come to that... :-(

Thanks,

Wesley

If you're getting 21 to 24 degrees in the lower box that is great.  The food zone is 38 degrees, and anything in the lower 30s on max is good.

If those are freezer temps, that is bad.

Well, we're back to the cooling unit again.  I don't think how cold it can get is important.  What is important is that the refrigerator maintain a safe temperature no matter how hot the ambient temperature.

Assuming the venting is good, you should be able to keep 38 degrees even in 90 degree weather.