Maintaining the Dometic Americana RM2652 Chill Chest - Tech and How-To
Interesting fact: Thanks to ever-present bacteria found in all dairy products, a gallon of milk will eventually spoil if kept at any temperature above freezing; however, the colder it is kept, the longer it will last, which is why refrigerator maintenance is more important than making sure that little plastic slider is adjusted properly.
Dometic’s Americana RM2652 is a two-way operable (LP/110V) double-door refrigerator with 6 cubic feet of capacity and is one of their most popular models. But at roughly $1,200, it isn’t their cheapest, which is all the more reason to take good care of it. As with almost all RV fridges, this one utilizes an absorption system, where ammonia is boiled either by a 110- or 12-volt heating element or by propane-fueled burner. Inside the evaporator coils, the ammonia is exposed to hydrogen gas, which causes it to evaporate. The change from a liquid to a gas state creates the cold that keeps your mayonnaise from turning into axel grease. The flow of ammonia needs to be constant in order for the process to work properly, which is why you need to keep your fridge as level as possible (so ammonia doesn’t collect in the evaporator tubing and potentially cause blockage).
You can tell your RV fridge is working well if it only takes two or three hours to reach its proper temperature (which is 38 to 42 degrees). There’s a problem with the cooling unit if you get a strong smell of ammonia, the freezer is cooling but the fridge isn’t, or if it becomes warm inside. The ammonia smell means that the unit is leaking and will need to be replaced, while some kind of blockage has occurred if the freezer is cold but the fridge is warm. Sometimes, you can temporarily unblock the cooling unit by turning the fridge upside down, but it will rarely solve the issue.
If the refrigerator will not be in operation for a period of weeks, it should be emptied, defrosted, cleaned, and the doors left open. Your fridge likely came with “airing position cards,” which are plastic shims that lock the doors open slightly just for this purpose. The ice trays should also be dried and kept outside the freezer. The best place to start with any sort of regular maintenance is with a good cleaning. Blow out all of the dust and make sure that the connections are tight and free of dirt and debris. Similar to the water heater, insects are attracted to the smell of propane and might have set up residence in the back of the fridge unit.
