Date:         Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:00:37 -0400
Reply-To:     Rod Smith <westy1@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rod Smith <westy1@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Re: One More 'Fridge Thread
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

Add me to that happy camper  list too!

I keep my Dometic running all summer, whether parked in the carport or out
on the road.
It runs great on 110 & 12V. & It always lights right up on propane.
My only problem is keeping it stocked  ;-)
Maybe I'm also lucky, but so far so good.

Rod
Canada, Ky
'84 Westy (Slo-Poke)




---- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Forhan" <fourwdvw@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: One More 'Fridge Thread


> Another happy Dometic user. It started the first time
> we tried on propane back in 1995 (at a campground near
> Union Oregon) and hasn't failed us since. 12 volt and
> 110 ac have always worked fine, with never a problem.
>
> Just lucky, I guess, but we've never paid much
> attention to those replacement threads.
>
> Tom F.
>
>
> --- Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
>> I'm not sure that the Dometic 'fridge in our Westies
>> are that bad, when and
>> if they are working right.
>> Over the last month there has been a lot of
>> discussion about changing over
>> to compressor based refrigerators in out Westies.
>> That's what I did and
>> don't regret it.
>> BUT, hidden in all the discussion have been a number
>> of voices of Westy
>> owners that are getting satisfactory, in some cases,
>> good performance out of
>> their Dometics when running on propane.  When I
>> first acquired my '90 Westy
>> in Jan 2002 the Dometic was working great.  No
>> complaints at all.  My
>> recollection is that that Summer, camped in hot
>> weather for a week, it still
>> kept temps down in the low 40's inside the 'fridge.
>> Others have reported
>> consistent 40 to 50 degree differentials between the
>> outside and the inside.
>> running on propane.  In my case, about three years
>> ago now, the fan quit,
>> burned out.  Even after pulling the 'fridge,
>> replacing the fan, and doing
>> the 'routine' cleaning on the firebox, performance
>> deteriorated to the point
>> that although easy to light ('90-'91's w/better
>> ignition system) it refused
>> to cool on propane.  BUT, after reading posts by
>> several other owners, I'm
>> convinced that IF we knew EXACTLY what to do, we
>> could restore these units
>> to their original performance.  I've come to the
>> conclusion that there is
>> some combination of internal adjustments and/or
>> components that have to be
>> exactly right for the Dometic to work right on
>> propane.  What those critical
>> items/tollerances/adjustments are I have no idea.
>> But too many people get
>> long term good service out of their Dometics to
>> condemn them completely.
>> BTW, it's not only Westy drivers that complain about
>> the propane performance
>> on the Dometic three way refrigerators.  While
>> camped last week and showing
>> a friend my Norcold install he was immediately
>> interested.  He camps in a
>> Chalet type towed camper and has a three way Dometic
>> and has the same
>> complaint we have.  After several years of use the
>> propane isn't cooling
>> like it used to, best he can get is about 30 to 40
>> degrees difference from
>> outside.
>>
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________
> Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added security of
> spyware protection.
> http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/norton/index.php
>