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Date:         Mon, 23 Sep 2002 18:32:15 -0700
Reply-To:     mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Westy Fridge- Checking Propane Pressure Setting]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Here are the old list posts from 1999, really.

DO NOT do this is you do not understand what you are doing. I measured it with a tool made from a long piece of clear hose. You must remove one of the copper lines from the "y" fitting at the tank regulator and push it to one side out of the way. The lower one is easiest to get to. I first removed the bottom shield from the tank. It is held on by two 13 mm bolts and nuts. Use a wrench on the square sides of the "y" to hold it while you use a wrench on the copper tubing nut. I disconnected the lower copper line from the propane tank and pushed the 5/8" ID hose over the nipple. The hose needs to be 6-10 feet long. Bend the rest of it into a "U" shape touching the ground and fill the bottom of the "U" with water. The water should be 12" deep on each side of the "U". DO NOT put in too much water. DO NOT move the hose so that the water goes all the way to the tank. Now move the sides of the "U" closer together and look at the height of the water in each. They should match. Now turn on the propane and the gas will push down on one end of the water and the other will of course rise. Use a tape measure or ruler and measure the height difference of the ends of the water. The Dometic spec is 11 inches. Mine was at 8 inches and I set it to 10.On the body of the Marshall pressure regulator is a white plastic screw in plug. Remove this plug to get at the adjustment screw. A Phillips screwdriver is needed to turn the adjusting screw. DO NOT MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENT UNLESS YOU HAVE THE "GAUGE" CONNECTED AND WORKING. I found that on my Marshall 260 that one FULL turn clockwise increased the pressure by 1 inch. I set mine to 10 inches. CHECK FOR LEAKS WITH SOAPY WATER AFTER RECONNECTING THE COPPER GAS LINE.

Mark

> From: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > Date: Monday, May 24, 1999 9:44 AM > Subject: Westy Fridge Now Works Great! 23 Degrees F > > >Yesterday I made the discovery that the propane pressure was set to only > >8 inches on my 82 Westy. The Dometic manual specifies 11 inches. Since > >last week when I blew out the fridge flue vents with compressed air, > >this unit has been lighting easily and staying lit for days on end. It > >has been cooling down to 37 degrees F when left overnight set to max. I > >thought that this was pretty good, especially after hearing from many > >people that they would love for theirs to work this well. My 87 Syncro > >Camper on the other hand cools down to 27 degrees overnight with the > >temp setting knob straight up, not max. I wondered why the one cooled so > >well, and some suggested that I was just "lucky" to have a "super" > >fridge that few others had. This turns out not to be the case. The > >"super" fridge is running on 10.5 inches of pressure. When I increased > >the pressure on my 82 Westy tank regulator from 8 up to 10 inches, that > >refrigerator suddenly became a "super" model too. It cooled overnight > >down to 28 degrees with the temp knob straight up. Early this morning I > >set it to max and the temp fell to 23 degrees. The sun induced temp > >inside the van is now 84 degrees. This is a 60 degree difference. What's > >more, the fridge is not running full blast to maintain this temperature, > >but is cycling on and off under thermostatic control. This implies > >additional cooling capacity in reserve to maintain the low fridge temp > >as the ambient air temp increases. I urge anyone who needs more cooling > >to investigate the pressure setting of their tank regulator. This simple > >adjustment made a HUGE difference. I am not saying that this will > >magically fix all problems, only that the pressure drastically affects > >cooling capacity. DO NOT set it above the factory spec of 11 inches. I > >suggest 10 inches as a starting point. At high altitudes a lower setting > >may be needed as there is less oxygen in the air. Also if the flue vent > >system is not completely clear, there may not be enough oxygen coming in > >to support the higher burn rate with the higher pressure. Both of these > >situations can result in the fridge flame going out. All of my tests and > >most of my camping is at very near sea level. THANKS to everyone who has > >so far taken part in this Westy Fridge Project. Thanks to Otmar for > >suggesting propane pressure as an avenue to pursue and to David Beierl > >for the simple but effective measuring device design. Let's keep at it > >until they all work well. > > > >Mark Drillock


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