Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 09:51:09 -0700
Reply-To: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Westy Fridge Now Works Great! 23 Degrees F
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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
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