Okay, I think I
have this straight. I should connect a tube to the drain
tube =
at the
bottom of the fridge and pump air out of it? I have only had =
my
Westy
for a few months and have yet to get that blasted fridge =
lit.
Also, where
can I get a 'flue vent cover'? Was this an item that
VW
produced?
Matt
New Cumberland, PA
'81 Westy =
(current)
'74
914 (current)
'95 Nissan Altima (daily)
'72 Fastback
'83 =
Rabbit
'81
Rabbit
----- Original Message -----
From: "Derek Drew"
<derekdrew@RCN.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 =
12:44
PM
Subject: How To Get Fridge Lit (& Delorme Mapping
Software)
> At 05:05 PM 6/18/01 -0400, you =
wrote:
>
>
>Derek,
> >I know you are an expert on the dometic 182B and =
so here
is a question
for
> >you:
> >I operate the air =
plunger a
few times, hold down the gas button and spark
> >the piezo and =
i see a
poof of flame that just goes out. Then i am unable
> >to =
get any
flame until i use the air plunger a few times again and =
then
the
>
>same thing happens: big burst of flame then nothing, it won't stay
lit.
> >This winter i had it washed one or two times at a =
carwash and
did'nt
cover
> >the flue. THink that has something to =
do with
it? I need the thing to
> >work asap and i dont have =
a
>
>good place or time to take the fridge out.
>
> My guess =
is that
a huge percentage of vans have the exact problem that you
> =
describe. It
might be made worse by going through a carwash without the
> flue =
cover
on, or it may not. The real issue is that you have to find =
a
way
> to
supply a vigorous amount of oxygen to the area of the flame, and =
you
>
have to keep that area supplied with oxygen for about 100 seconds or =
so
>
until the flame itself can build up enough mass of hot air for the hot
air
> to begin rushing up and out, thereby drawing in new, fresh =
air from
the
> other pipe.
>
> The most reliable method I know =
of to
supply sufficient oxygen for the
full
> 100 seconds is to put a =
pump of
some kind of the refrigerator drain tube,
> which is located at =
the bottom
left side of the fridge. The pump can
either
> push or pull the =
air
out. I had the impression that pulling air out worked
> slightly =
better
once, but I don't have any validation for this. The
> simplest =
pump is
your mouth, attached to a tube stuck on the drain pipe.
In
> =
this case,
I am fairly certain that pulling air into your mouth and then
> =
pushing it
into the air is the best method, but it tends to lodge your
> =
mouth full
of metal flakes, unburned propane, and other combustion
> =
byproducts and
so I have grown to hate this method. It is, however, nearly
> 100% =
reliable. More recently I have been experimenting with 12 volt =
air
> pumps
such as are sold at supply stores such as REI for inflating =
rafts
and
>
these can also draw the air out sufficiently quickly to keep the flame
lit
> for that all important 100 seconds. What is interesting =
about the 12
volt
> air pump method is that you can sort of jazz the operating =
button
on these
> pumps and each time you do you can see the green =
indicator
light on the
> fridge glow brighter as the flame leaps up to its =
proper
strength level
but
> if you leave off the pump too long then =
the green
light on the fridge will
> flicker, fade, and dye. In other words, =
with a
12 volt air pump you can
see
> exactly how the flame responds =
to
increased air flow, and this is a
> dramatic demonstration that =
most
starting problems on the fridge are
simply
> air supply =
problems. The
pump on the fridge itself is a good idea, but it
> simply does not =
supply
sufficient oxygen. The best solution would be to
> replace that =
little
manually operated pump with a tiny 12 volt pump, which
> would =
pretty much
solve all of our problems.
>
> >Also did you ever get =
that
DeLorme 3.0 mapping software. I'd still be
>
>interested.
>
> The DeLorme 3.0 topo mapping software =
for the
group purchase has been
> acquired and it is now (as of last =
Friday) ready
to go out.
>
> Materials and other costs were more than I =
expected,
and so the cost to go
> in on a group purchase is $18, which you =
can send
by www.paypal.com to
>
derekdrew@rcn.com or by
snail mail to Derek Drew, 5467 31st Street NW,
> Washington DC
20015.
>
> Copyright issues apply to this software, so the =
group
purchase applies to
a
> single set of original factory disks =
which we
will have to share amongst
> ourselves. Plus, you should uninstall =
the
software from your computer
> before forwarding it on to the next =
list
member. The group purchase will
> also include any backup disks =
that may
be allowed by the software license
> but I doubt the license is =
very
liberal in this regard.
>
> >Thanks,
> >
> =
>Andrew Fox
> >86 Westy
>
>
________________________________________________________
> Derek
Drew &nb=
sp; &nbs=
p;
New York, NY & Washington, DC
> derekdrew@rcn.com &nbs=
p;
212-580-6486
> Email me for viscous couplings
> '90 Syncro
Westfalia...
> ...seen off-road at
> http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/Syncro_Madness_Area.htm
> Note: most valuable Vanagon sites =
on the
planet (for owners) =
are:
>
http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon<=
BR>>
ftp://gerry.vanagon.com/pub/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro
>
http://www.vanagon.com
> http://www.syncro.org
> My refrigerator article:
>
http://www.vanagon.com/info/articles/Refrigerator/Reefer_Madness=
.htm
> My article that shows how to deal =
with
insurance =
companies:
>
ftp://gerry.vanagon.com/pub/auto-insurance-madness.html
> To view Wolfgang's incredibly =
informative
wheel article
> =
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/fitbigtiresonvanagon.htm
> To view Tim Smith's incredibly =
useful gearing
calculator
> =
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/syncrotireandgearratios.xls
> To view some 16" Trailing Arms =
that enable
much larger tires see
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/syncro-org/files/Wheels%2C%20Tires=
%20%26%20Gea
ring/Wheel%20%26%20Tire%20Photos/16_Inch_Trailing_Arm.jpg
>=
;