Also.... Altitude will have an effect.... at higher altitudes the propane will come out of the tank faster since there is less atmospheric pressure for it to work against... This will create a greater tendency for the fridge to pop and not stay lit... I know, some will say that the regulator is supposed to compensate for this, but I'm pretty sure it does not. It has been my experience that at high altitudes (say, above 5,000 ft) the fridge lights easier if you turn the pressure down at the regulator by about 1 w.c.i. In fact, the Dometic service center I used to work on my fridge a few years ago said that Dometic had put out a service bulletin to this effect. Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Alcock" <dgalcock@hewitt.com> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2000 8:19 AM Subject: Re: FW: lighting fridge on propane
> > > Hmmmmm.......my fridge lights reliably with the thermostat up all the way and > the 'pop' > I get when I hit the igniter is a blessed and joyful sound that tells me my > fridge just lit. I'm keeping > my fridge lighting ritual as is and not messing with my mojo now that I've > finally got it working. > Bet I'm not the only one thinking this way.............though I'll save the info > for a rainy day. >
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Recently had the same instances of 'mini-explosions'. I took it to a camper dealer who called Dometic. They now suggest turning off the thermostat entirely before lighting the fridge and waiting at least 15 minutes before turning the thermostat to cool. This procedure works great on my 89 Westy. The pre-cooling on electric was also suggested. M Williams In a message dated 7/13/00 8:13:32, TCarrington@ReliTech.com writes: << -----Original Message----- From: brent@vanagon.com [mailto:brent@vanagon.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2000 1:57 AM To: Fred Brittain; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: RE: lighting fridge on propane
Though I am not an expert, I don't think the knob controls the volume of gas delivered - it is more of a thermostat that controls a cut-off point for temperature. Given this, it should make no difference vis-à-vis the "popping" syndrome. I think this is more due to environmental conditions and bad mojo. Please don't underestimate the power of mojo in getting the fridge lit. (precious little has been written on the subject)
:-)
Brent Christensen '89 GL Syncro Westy "Klaus" Santa Barbara, CA
-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf Of Fred Brittain Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2000 1:37 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: lighting fridge on propane
Just read the vanagon.com article about lighting the fridge. Does anyone remember when a listee contacted Dometic about this subject and posted their reply to the list?
The Dometic rep said to turn the temp knob to a very low position when lighting. I've done exactly that since I read the post and have had no more trouble lighting up. When I turned the knob all the way to cold, it wouldn't light but would ignite what sounded like mini-explosions every few seconds. Same principle as trying to light a propane torch turned up all the way. It simply does not react to a spark igniter or blows out a match.
regards,
Fred (former semi-active listee) 89 Westy |
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