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Date:         Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:40:24 -0400
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Refrigerator lighting
Comments: To: Leonard Sitongia <sitongia@ONEBEAM.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <27F83197-9DCA-41F5-873C-7FCE42500EA0@onebeam.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

A frequent problem in getting the fridge to light and stay lighted is the ability to get a good draft, absolutely no air leaks in the combustion chamber or intake-exhaust tubes, and proper installation of the outside vent cover so that the exhaust never gets sucked back into the inlet. I have lately been finding a number of exhaust tubes that are rotted at the bottom or cracked. All the insulation has to be removed to check this. When working properly the fridge should light almost instantly and stay lighted even while driving.

Dennis

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Leonard Sitongia Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 10:40 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Refrigerator lighting

I know this sort of think is a FAQ, and I've spent some hours researching, but haven't found the solution...

My fridge was lighting well, but it seemed that only half of the fins inside would cool, so it was not working well. Wouldn't cool well on electric, either. Brought it in to the local RV shop. They pulled it, did a full cleaning, and returned it to me. I put it on 110v and it cooled off well. On a road trip, the fridge would not light. Brought it back to the shop, and they had a hard time figuring out the cause. Concluded the regulator pressure was off, adjusted it, and gave it back to me. Doesn't light.

There's spark, although it now seems to be intermittent.

Sometimes there's a big pop as a bunch of gas ignites. Postings describe this as a air supply problem. I've tried supplementing by blowing in the condensation drain pipe and using an air pump. That gives me a pop or apparent ignition that doesn't keep going.

So, I messed around with the adjustment of the regulator, with the "dial" under the plastic cap. I've gotten it to the point that flame will stay light while I hold the bypass (button next to the right of the plunger/igniter). But, the flame is very weak, and will go out in less than a minute when I release the bypass. The LED on the panel barely lights up.

Do you think all of this is due to a faulty regulator?

By the way, the regulator, which I got from one of the Westy supply shops, is a Marshall 605H. It has the vent facing forward instead of down. They say that's not a problem. I know it's not involved in this, at least not directly, but I wanted to mention it.

Another question: the stove flames are good. There's a separate supply hose for that, right? The stove flame quality doesn't imply that the fridge flame quality will be good, right? The fridge line could be blocked while the stove line is clear?

Also, I'm going to make a manometer. I haven't seen mention that the setting is dependent on air pressure. I'm at 6,000' elevation. Does this cancel out in the equation regarding the pressure of the gas? In other words, the pressure is lower to achieve 11" of water, but it doesn't matter because less pressure is needed to operate the fridge. Or, should one correct for altitude?

Thanks so much for your help!

==Leonard E. Sitongia One Inextricable Beam http://www.onebeam.net/


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