Dometic rm2354 wont cool but all seems to be working...

[mikec35]

I bought this camper a couple of days ago. Refrigerator powers on, the control panel on the front works and the check light does not come on. I feel heat coming off the back of the unit but after 24 hours plugged into my house and about 14 hours running off gas it wont cool. Any ideas as to what I should check? Thank you

[jeff64]

Any luck setting a fan in front of the outside grill and pushing some extra air into it. The do make auxilliary cooling fans for rv refrigerators. Google it. I installed a Titan fan kit yesterday in the heat, took me about 4 hrs start to finish. Seems to be making a difference

[Flybob]

Is the unit fairly level?

[bikendan]

Since the OP has a popup, the fridge is probably a 3-way fridge.

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[mikec35]

This is a AC / DC and gas unit. I can hear the igniter do it's thing until the gas fires up. The unit itself is getting warm when hooked up to gas and 120v. It is pretty level, definitely not out of the 3% to 6% spec that I have read it should be within. All lights on the front control panel work when you press the buttons.

[pmsherman]

If you purchased this in a private sale from its former owner you need to verify with them that the fridge was working the last time it was used. If it was in use for a while when out of level, the cooling mechanism may have permanent damage to it. If you purchased it from a dealer, they should be responsible for fixing the problem unless your sales contract states that the unit was sold "as is". Unfortunately, a dealer may take six months to fix it because you've already paid for it. A PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) should have included verification that all of the trailer's systems, including the fridge, were functioning properly.

Your fridge will not cool if the chimney is blocked. I'd start by taking the top cover off and verifying that warm air is coming out of it when the fridge is operating. I'd also try parking the rig so that the side with the fridge is shaded by the rig itself.


Phil

[mikec35]

I now smell ammonia so I think this unit is toast. I bought it Friday. When I checked it out Thursday the owner said he just opened it up for the season, the refrigerator was warm at the time but I felt a lot of heat coming off the back of the unit so I figured it didn't have enough time to cool down. I checked everything else in the camper out and all looked good. Everything looks new, smells new.. It's crazy nice for a 2012 unit. I bought it expecting I might have a fridge or AC failure so, although disappointed I still feel like I got a good deal.

For those who haven't tried buying a big ticket item in today's environment, it's cutthroat. If you find something you want there are bunches of people in line right there with you trying to get the same thing. Case in point, the gentlemen selling me this camper showed me at least 20 texts where people were offering to buy the camper site-unseen. I was the first one to view it. If I would have had more time I could have waited to check to see if the fridge cooled down. Oh well, I still got a good deal. I'll probably get a dorm unit to fill the space until I decide if I want to tackle repairing this one or buying a new one.

Thanks for the replies and advice.

[jeff64]

Once you smell ammonia or see yellow stains anywhere that's not a good sign. I had to get a new one last year $$$ ouch! We're rocking on this year, went the extra step and added a Titan cooling fan.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by jeff64

Once you smell ammonia or see yellow stains anywhere that's not a good sign. I had to get a new one last year $$$ ouch! We're rocking on this year, went the extra step and added a Titan cooling fan.

Yep, our 2-way fridge went out recently and it wasn't cheap.

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[boondocking]

Originally Posted by mikec35

I now smell ammonia so I think this unit is toast. I bought it Friday. When I checked it out Thursday the owner said he just opened it up for the season, the refrigerator was warm at the time but I felt a lot of heat coming off the back of the unit so I figured it didn't have enough time to cool down. I checked everything else in the camper out and all looked good. Everything looks new, smells new.. It's crazy nice for a 2012 unit. I bought it expecting I might have a fridge or AC failure so, although disappointed I still feel like I got a good deal.

For those who haven't tried buying a big ticket item in today's environment, it's cutthroat. If you find something you want there are bunches of people in line right there with you trying to get the same thing. Case in point, the gentlemen selling me this camper showed me at least 20 texts where people were offering to buy the camper site-unseen. I was the first one to view it. If I would have had more time I could have waited to check to see if the fridge cooled down. Oh well, I still got a good deal. I'll probably get a dorm unit to fill the space until I decide if I want to tackle repairing this one or buying a new one.

Thanks for the replies and advice.

Same thing happen to me. Seller was asking $12,000 for trailer. I offered $10,000 and he accepted. Turned out the cooling unit was dead. Replaced the cooling unit myself for $600.
Was disgusted with the seller for not mentioning the fridge, but I came out ahead on the deal.

[pmsherman]

[QUOTE=mikec35;2736497]I now smell ammonia so I think this unit is toast. I bought it Friday. When I checked it out Thursday the owner said he just opened it up for the season, the refrigerator was warm at the time but I felt a lot of heat coming off the back of the unit so I figured it didn't have enough time to cool down. I checked everything else in the camper out and all looked good. Everything looks new, smells new.. It's crazy nice for a 2012 unit. I bought it expecting I might have a fridge or AC failure so, although disappointed I still feel like I got a good deal.
......
/QUOTE]


If you decide to not do the repair yourself, see if there's an Amish community near you where you can get it rebuilt. Older posts in the forums have indicated that Amish built cooling units are more robust than the OEM ones.


Phil

[KyDan]

Mike, it's a long way but Shipshewana Indiana is a great little tourist town. There is a guy there who will change out your sealed unit in 4 hours for about half what a new refer costs.
If you're interested I can get you the details. I had mine done a few years back. There's a nice little RV park just down the road from him.

[SailorSam20500]

If you are considering the Amish in Shipshewana, consider tying it to attending the Frog Int Rally. Last time I checked the rally thread, there were still spots available. Rally is a lot if fun.

[stephensatt]

I had the exact same refrigerator on our 17ft Casita. After a few years it didn't cool as good, and this is 20 years ago, and they didn't come with fans on the outside cooling fins back then. Installing a couple of 12v computer fans in the exhaust in the back fixed the cooling issue, however, if you see or smell ammonia, like people said, its toast. I do see on Ebay that people sell the cooling unit separate, and even those are expensive. If I were considering paying someone to work on the fridge it would have to be a specialist that knows how to do those types of refrigerators because the replacement unit it just to expensive for me to feel comfortable installing it. Also thats got to be a serious job, the same as pulling out the refrigerator and doing a whole unit replacement. As people are recommending here, find one of these specialist. What I have found is after the Covid Pandemic, is anything large and corporate has been a total Klown show. I have literally switched over to going to only small mom and pop shops for everything in the past 2 years, because they "can make it happen" and are able to work around the supply line issues because they can do so much in house.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13405075141...AAAOSwNlNiK39E