Date: Thu, 19 Jun 97 12:13:00 PDT
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: IR Student <irstudent@campuspo.csuchico.edu>
Subject: RE: Dometic - Have Flame - No Cooling
David,
After spending many months of pulling apart my fridge and cleaning and
pulling everything apart to see how it worked I did get everything
running (gas, fans). After playing with it I have become very familiar
with the design and operation of the unit. I have put my refrigerator
back in my van. It works on the bench but gas still isn't cooling like
120V. I was able to get the fins to freeze on 120V but not with gas. I
didn't actually check with a thermometer. On the 27th I'm going on a
trip and after that I'll be able to report more completely on how it's
operating.
I do know that my thermostat is opening up for the second stage flame.
When you fridge is running there is always a pilot light that is burning
supplied by a bypass gas jet that is attached to the thermostat. When
the cooling fins warm enough, the pressure sensor bulb which is in the
refrigeration compartment expands and inflates a billow which opens the
burner gas valve. When this valve is open the cooling will happen. In
essence, it is dumping more gas into the burner creating a larger flame
in order to heat more of the ammonia need for cooling.
I would love to pull more of this type of information together in order
to create a very complete and accurate archive on these Dometic
refrigerators. I have some text material on these mobile refrigerators
with excellent pictures explaining the whole process in depth. I don't
have a scanner but would be willing to mail them to someone in order to
do this. From reading this tread for about 3 weeks it seems that people
really want to learn about this stuff.
If you want to go straight to the source here is Dometic's address and
phone. Maybe they have repair manuals or info. ( I haven't talked to
them yet)
Dometic Corp
2320 Industrial Pkwy
Elkhart, IN 46516-5407
219-294-2511
By the way, David, you said you paid $126 for a new thermostat. What
did that include (part wise) and did that include labor to install? How
did that come out. I know that it was only the 14th that you posted that
but I'm intrigued. I know much of the stuff I just said you had already
talked about previously. Not trying to be redundant, just trying to get
it out in the open for others to read. Here are some good articles on
Dometics that I found in our own archives.
http://www.med.umn.edu:8853/misc/archives/Files/Motorhome--Refrigerators--
-Avoiding-Meltdown
http://www.med.umn.edu:8853/misc/archives/Files/Refrigerator-Manual
http://www.med.umn.edu:8853/misc/archives/Files/Motorhome-mag-frig-batteri
es
Keep that fridge chat up!
Blake Heinlein
83.5 Vanagon Westy "Toaster" (Not regarding it's speed, It just looks
like one.)
