Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:57:37 -0500
Reply-To: mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: refrigerator behavior
In-Reply-To: <sJG51l01L0gQigC01JG6uW>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
David, I do have piezo-electric ignition. I do have a manual. When I was experiencing this, I forgot about having it. I'll check it out.
My refrigerator almost always fires up immediately. Only a couple of times in 4 years of ownership and numerous camping trips has it failed to light, and when I went through my mental checklist, I had done something wrong. On one occasion, it failed to light after it had sat for a couple of months unused, but by lighting the stove and letting it burn for a couple of minutes, I then was able to light the refrigerator immediately again. I mean that it usually only requires 2-3 strokes on the air pump with the switch depressed.
The lights I have that give indications are: Green led on the led panel, bottom of four leds, and amber lamp inside the refrigerator door on the control panel. The green led comes on when the refrigerator lights, and stays on unless the led panel switch is flipped to off. This time it stayed on though the refrigerator was warm. The amber light flickers when the refrigerator is set to propane and has not been lit yet. When it lights, the amber light goes off.
So, you said that if the flame blew out, there is a leak in the flue. Regardless of where in the flue the leak is, I suppose it is unsafe, and must be addressed. I have never smelled any evidence of flue gases or propane in the van, and the flue outlet outside the van becomes quite warm when the refrigerator is operating on propane.
Why would the led stay on with no flame on the burner? When I rotated the setting knob, it would dim and go out at the minimum setting, then come back on immediately when I turned it back to maximum.
mcneely
---- David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:
> At 01:15 PM 6/24/2013, Dave Mcneely wrote:
> >By rotating the dial for setting level, I could cause the LED to go
> >off, and the flickering indicator lamp to come on. So, I went
> >through the process of restarting the refrigerator, but of course,
> >not being able to trust the two indicators that normally show that
> >it is operating. I have never been able to see the blue flame in
> >the peepsite, and that was true this time, also.
> >
> >In an hour the refrigerator was cold again.
> >
> >What happened? I believe the flame blew out when I was driving, but
> >I don't know that.
>
>
> Do you have a manual for the fridge? I can't find a manual for the
> RM182C with the electronic ignition, which I believe is what you have.
>
> On the original RM182 there is a tiny meter that reads the output of
> the flame thermocouple.
> On the RM182B that most Vanagon Westys have, they deleted the meter;
> but the Westy LED panel has a flame detector LED.
> Dunno how things work with the RM182C. I don't recognize your
> description of the lights.
>
> But if there's a flame indicator and it's not lit, then your fridge
> no doubt blew out, which indicates that the flue/intake system isn't
> sealed up properly. Typical leakage points are the O-rings where the
> flex tubes plug into the cast vent fitting, or occasionally a crack
> in a flex tube.
>
> To see the flame (do this in the dark at first) you have to get way
> down and maybe way over to the left. It's quite directional. It's
> just a little Plexiglas rod bent and pointed at a small window in the
> burner box. Be sure it isn't covered with crud.
>
> Yrs,
> d
>
>
--
David McNeely
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