Fridge without freezer?

[Dave & Penny Smith]

The old orientation video suggests removing the freezer to improve cooling performance in "extreme" conditions. We have the RM8551 fridge in our 17B, and it is marginal in hot weather. Will removing the freezer result in significantly better hot weather performance? Would appreciate hearing from folks who have had experience with doing this. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Dave

[Iowa Dave]

Not sure about total removal but I think there were some folks who drilled a hole in the freezer cabinet to let the cold go down and were able to plug it back up if they wanted a freezer in cooler weather . Might have actually been done or just contemplated I cannot honestly remember.
Those 8551s and 8555s are quirky to be sure. There were extensive discussions regarding fixes in the past.
Iowa Dave

[Kingfish]

I tried it once and it did not seem to make a difference. It's easy to pop out so I would give it a try though.

[MyronL]

I removed the freezer compartment from my RM8551. I added a little interior fan, am using CPHarley's door curtain, and with all this my fridge has worked flawlessly, like 33 degrees F when on shore power, or when on propane and in my back yard. So I think if you prefer keeping ice in a good cooler anyway, I say do it. I always carry a cooler because, you never know when the RM8551 will decide to stop cooling when on propane while on the road. Mine did that, again, on our fourth of July trip.

[Dave & Penny Smith]

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences. As folks have mentioned, the experiment with removing the freezer will be easy to reverse if it does not significantly improve the fridge's performance.

Thanks,
Dave

[Kingfish]

Originally Posted by MyronL

you never know when the RM8551 will decide to stop cooling when on propane while on the road. Mine did that, again, on our fourth of July trip.

I've had that propane issue on the road more than once this year. That pinhole orifice was the culprit both times. Once I learned how simple it is to clean both the orifice and burner assembly on the road I stopped worrying about it.

[MyronL]

Haven't cleaned my orfice yet but expecting that's my problem. The process is really getting old! If there was only some way to filter the lines before it.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Dave & Penny Smith

We have the RM8551 fridge in our 17B, and it is marginal in hot weather.

Dave: Have you checked your propane pressure at the fridge test port with a manometer? Low pressure due to a bad or improperly adjusted regulator has been the problem (or part of the problem) in several fridges not cooling well.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post260752

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Haven't cleaned my orfice yet but expecting that's my problem. The process is really getting old! If there was only some way to filter the lines before it.

Myron: Hope this actually helps and doesn't put you on a wild goose chase. Interestingly our older RM2510 literature makes reference to a gas filter. I did some sleuthing and also found one that is listed for certain series of the RM8551. Not sure exactly where it is supposed to go though.
https://www.adventurerv.net/filter-gas-p-17347.html

This ARP page makes reference to a filter and generic location, but no reference to applicable Dometic models.
https://www.arprv.com/dometic-does-not-cool.php

[MyronL]

Let the adventure begin. Never knew there was a paper filter in there and am about to take valve apart. My Dometic RM8551 gas valve on right clearly very different from the one on Adventure's parts/gas filters website.

[cpaharley2008]

I guess tis is one of those maintenance items performed by the Dometic Service Center when you take it in every 2-3 years?

[Dave & Penny Smith]

Rubicon327:
We're leaving Saturday for a week-long trip to the Sawtooths in ID. Turned the fridge on yesterday to pre-cool (110 v), and this morning the thermometer is reading 29 degrees (set on five).
So currently, it seems to working fine. We'll see how it does on the trip when on propane. Thanks for your suggestions.

Dave

[PGDriver]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Let the adventure begin. Never knew there was a paper filter in there and am about to take valve apart. My Dometic RM8551 gas valve on right clearly very different from the one on Adventure's parts/gas filters website.

Myron if you can shoot a pic of where and what condition the filter is when you find it please.

[MyronL]

Well, I took it all apart - found no filters anywhere. NADA! Orifice and all lines now cleaned out, using air. Lines only partially re-assembled. It's 103 degrees F out there,---had to stop.

Almost lost an O-ring, a critical nut, had to replace a busted wire spade connector, and now my back hurts.

[PGDriver]

That’s interesting Myron, I had mine semi apart 2 years ago and didn’t notice a filter either, but then again I could have been hiding it that piece I didn’t take apart.

[gbaglo]

I didn't get around to having my RM2510 serviced for some eight or nine years. I would expect others are just as negligent and that filters would become clogged and reported, but this is the first mention I've read about.

[MyronL]

I think over the years Dometic refrigerators of all types have been tinkered and modified to exhaustion by their designers, to the point you cannot be sure any two of their fridges made in any one year will be carbon copies of each other.

[Farmgirl]

What is the CP Harley fridge curtain?

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Farmgirl

What is the CP Harley fridge curtain?

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post293670
Not sure these are made anymore.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post293670
Not sure these are made anymore.

Are any in use? I figured I'd be fighting with the curtain and holding the door open far longer than if I opened it and could see what I want right away.
We keep like foods in containers so you can just grab the one with sliced meats, cheese and butter ( for instance ).