RM2500 just stopped working

[TouringDan]

Well, I just got my furnace working in time for the cold weather and I just got my oven working and now my refer has stopped working. It is a Dometic model RM2500, about a 1984 model.

Last week when I was getting ready to go to a music festival and do some boondocking I noticed that the refer did not turn on immediatly. I tried it on 120v- nothing, then I tried it on gas- no blinking light. I left it on gas, got sidetracked and then I noticed the light started blinking, so I started it up on gas. After a while I switched it over to electric and it worked fine also. I went on my boondocking music festival for 3 days and it worked great on gas all weekend. I tried to turn it on yesterday and nothing. It will not work on gas or electric.

So what do you all think? Could it be a bad switch? I would think that this would keep it from working on gas or electric, but not both- but I really don't know. Could it be a bad ground? Help please. I don't like warm beer. Thanks.

Dan

[TouringDan]

I am still trying to figure oout my refer problem, but I did run across a Dometic service and repair manual online. Here it is:

http://webspace.webring.com/people/j...ice_Manual.pdf

This may help somebody else troubleshooting their Dometic refer problem.

Dan

[Aage]

There is s time-honoured, fix all method of "servicing" a Dometic refer called "burping".

The good part: it's pretty well free to do.

The bad part: you need to remove the refer from the trailer to do it.

Remove the refer, take it out of the trailer completely, and turn it upside down. The recommended length of time it should stay upside down varies widely, according to what I've seen here on the Forums. Some people have said as long as overnight, while I've seen others say twenty minutes.

Anyway, choose your length per side, and turn it every <length of time> until you have had it on its head, on the left and right sides, and then upright again.

Re-install it in the TT, and keep all fingers, toes, whatever crossed while you turn it on.

You might want to do a search on "burping" if you want more detail...

Yes, it really is a valid way, but sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and yet other times, it seems to be only temporary.

Good luck!

[DKB_SATX]

It doesn't seem like burping would help in this instance, because the problem is that the control system isn't turning on the heat to the ammonia, not that the gas or the electric heating element are working but the refer isn't getting cold.

[TouringDan]

Well my rm2500 has not been working for 3 days now. Periodically I would turn it on to see if it would work on electric, then I would turn it to gas to see if the light would start blinking. I probably tried this a dozen times in the past 3 days hoping that it would just start working. Well yesterday, while it was set on gas, the light started blinking so I tried to start it on gas. It started up fine and is still working this morning. I will turn it over to electric today to see if it works on 120 and then turn it off and turn it back on to see what happens. I am completely clueless as to why it just started working. I was just ready to disassemble the cabinet so I could pull the refer out to attempt to troubleshoot the problem.

Dan

[idroba]

From what I read, sounds like some kind of an erratic condition in your switching system or your control board. They can be really hard to diagnose and repair. As I recall my 83 MH of that same vintage as your refrigerator had a control system which was tricky and hard to access without taking the whole unit out for bench testing. Mine finally failed in the cooling circuits, but when I took it apart for parts, I remember being thankful that I never had to do electronic servicing on it. Although you can repair anything, a 27 year old unit may just not be worth it, especially if you have to do a difficult remove and replace job each time you have an issue with it. Trust me, they will be more frequent with even more years on the unit.

Lets see, two fewer beers a day will pay for a new one in ______ days. This is a test.

[TouringDan]

Refer is still working- both on gas and also on electric. It did not work for 3 days and now it is back working. I am clueless as to why it is now working. I will just enjoy it while it lasts. It is plenty cold too- 33.6 degrees and the thermostat is set in the middle.

idroba- my guess is the switch may be the problem, but I don't understand why it would not work on elec or gas for that 3 day period. I would think a contact problem within the switch would affect either the gas 12v connection or the elect 120v connection but not both. I also don't think it could be the control board because looking at the parts list there does not seem to be a control board for the rm2500. Thanks for your thoughts. I will just enjoy it working for now until it stops again.

Dan