Date:         Mon, 24 May 1999 22:03:36 -0700
Reply-To:     drc11 <drc11@EMAIL.MSN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         drc11 <drc11@EMAIL.MSN.COM>
Subject:      Re: Westy Fridge Now Works Great! 23 Degrees F

Mark, how did you measure 8 vs 11 inches?  Is it marked on the adjustment
screw/knob?  madeline
-----Original Message-----
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