Dometic Questions

[balrgn]

1975 Tradwind 25’

Unit works great on AC. Unit does at all on Gas?

Does the AC current need to be disconnected prior to attempting to light on gas?

Is there a trick to igniting, other than be patient?

Have tried to several times to light ant to be honest can’t see the if the pilot is actually lit?

[Rick Alston]

Balrgn

Propane appliances have several safety features that kick-in when attempting to switch to propane from AC. One such feature on my '73 prevents the use of propane by restricting the turning of the propane on-off
valve until the AC switch is turned to off.

Second, propane will not flow when the unit detects a problem with pressure in the line.

If you have pressure in the line (simple test: do the other appliances work on propane?), then most likely the control unit is preventing the gas from flowing to the pilot. A certified mechanic should check this to see if the control unit needs to be replaced.

Sometimes the pilot will not light until all the air is evacuated from the line and gas is able to flow. Hold the pilot button down until gas flows and the pilot light is lighted. If the pilot light does not light after a "long" time, the control unit make be the problem, or the problem may be a blocked orifice. In either case, a certified mechanic could check this for you.

I know it is difficult to see if the pilot light has lighted, so when I have a problem trying to light the pilot, I will go out at dark which greatly increases my ability to see any glow created by the pilot.

[Moonshot]

Rick makes some good points. My Dometic refer (it's about three years old) has a switch on the front panel for gas/electric.

Before trying to light the more difficult gas appliances like the refer and hot water heater I light a couple of gas stovetop burners first and let them run a minute to help purge air out of the lines.

[balrgn]

Thanks for the tips. I got it working!

Pulled the panel to look over the fittings. I then noticed that the supply valve was not opening all the way. Made the adjustment, took apart some of the fittings to check for blockage, open the supply to verify the gas was flowing. Assembled and checked each fitting. Lit the pilot manually. Turned the controls to MAX. After an hour (checking the flame every so often) The freezer is COLD!!!!!!!! What a relief!

[Hippo]

My 1975 Tradewind Refer will not work on AC, works great on propane. I replaced the toggle switch on the back of the refer but will still not work on AC.
Any ideas or help.
WBCC#7854

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Hippo

My 1975 Tradewind Refer will not work on AC, works great on propane. I replaced the toggle switch on the back of the refer but will still not work on AC.
Any ideas or help.
WBCC#7854

There is an electric heater element above the burner flu, hidden behind metal covers.
Follow the wires into the metal shrouding over the burner flu, and you will find an electric heater probe. This is a likely problem if your fridge will not work on 120V.
before removal, check if the heater element gets 120V with a multimeter.
If not,let us know and we'll go form there.
Good luck,