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Date:         Thu, 27 Apr 2000 00:35:09 EDT
Reply-To:     Ssittservl@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         S Sittservl <Ssittservl@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fridge problems
Comments: To: barfield@gte.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Mike -

The fridge takes a few hours to get cold, even on 120V. It operates nearly silently in all modes (with exceptions noted below). Did you give it enough time before deciding it didn't work?

Even a working fridge doesn't necessarily get really cold. Fridges that can manage to make ice are the exception rather than the rule. Mine tends to run in the 45-to-50 degree range. (Except in the winter :-) )

As for the silence: the actual cooling is a silent process, unlike a home refrigerator. There is, however, a small cooling fan behind the fridge that comes on whenever the coils get too hot, and makes some noise (sometimes a lot). Oddly, due to the strange refrigerator wiring, the fan will start running if the van gets hot enough inside, even if the refrigerator isn't on. The only other noise source is the slight "gas flame" sound when the fridge is run on propane. This is best heard from the outside vent.

One of the fuses (the 16 amp one) behind the driver's seat is for the fridge's 12V cooling. The other (8 amps) is for the sink pump, the LED panel, and the fridge's coil fan. Neither is strictly necessary to run the fridge on 120V or propane (but of course the coil fan won't run if its fuse is blown or missing, and that will cause the fridge to cool much less well on a warm day.)

The fridge will only work on 12V while the engine is running. There's a relay in the box under and behind the driver's seat that shuts off the 12V power to the fridge when the engine's off, to avoid draining the battery. Again, it would take a few hours to get cold.

The fridges are notoriously hard to light for propane operation. The basic two-part solution is: (1) Remove fridge and clean all the propane-related parts (2) Develop a relationship with your fridge, during which you learn the subtleties and idiosyncracies of its unique lighting needs.

(1) is a moderately big job, and is well described in the (notoriously difficult to access) list archives.

(2) is the route to attempt first. What it comes down to is different people find different things that work best for their own fridge. You may have to experiment for a while.

Most people seem to find that the fridge lights easier if you: (1) Make sure there's gas in the line by running the stove. (2) Run the fridge on 120V for a while to get a nice warm air current running up the flue.

Here's what works for me: (1) Set fridge to "gas", and open the fridge's gas valve. (1) Turn on the LED panel in order to watch the "fridge lit" LED. My "sight glass" in the corner of the fridge interior doesn't work very well. (2) Pump the air pump at a slow-to-moderate rate for about 50 pumps. (3) IMMEDIATELY begin "sparking" repeatedly (maybe 2 or 3 times a second), and (4) SIMULTANEOUSLY press in and hold the "gas" button. (5) Keep sparking until the "fridge lit" LED lights up. and then (6) Hold the gas button in another 30 seconds or so.

This almost always works for me. If it DOESN'T work, the fridge is then much harder to light on the second attempt. I suspect that's due to too much propane (and not enough air) in the combustion chamber

By the way: why do you want to replace all your fuses? If they're not actually burnt out, then they should be fine.

Good luck.

-Steven Sittser

> Date: 04/26/2000 8:10:41 PM Central Daylight Time > From: barfield@GTE.NET (Mike Barfield) > > ... Following the > instructions in the manual and printed on the fridge for 120v nothing > happened. > No noise, no cold, nothing. I then put a charger on the dead battery. > Headlights, wipers, horn, dome light, etc. all work. Put fridge on 12v, > nothing. Next tried to light the fridge. There is propane in the tank, don't > know how much (was able to use stove). Followed instructions on fridge. > Tried > many times. The best I could do was once I got a loud pop that sounded like > it > came from the outside vent. Van does not have second battery. Noticed that a > fuse is blown in the little box next to the bottom of the drivers seat (the > fuse on the right). Don't have any extra fuses, but plan to replace ALL > fuses > this weekend. I plan to leave the charger on the battery all night (with > cables > removed). Anyone got any ideas why 120v isn't working? > > Mike Barfield > '84 Westy (Looking for name ideas)


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