Dometic RM3762 turns off

[oceanair]

Hi all! I'm a newbie, just bought a 2007 25' Ocean Breeze. LOVE it!

I'm on my second trip and the fridge (on LP) has turned off both times while traveling... Is this normal? I called Dometic last week to ask for manuals for the fridge, AC and thermostat... They said they would email them, but haven't yet. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if there's something up. Any help would be much appreciated!

[overlander63]

Welcome to the forums.
My guess is the wind created by going down the road is blowing out the burner. When this happens, the fridge will attempt relighting a set number of times (I think 3 attempts), then it will shut down, and the "check" light (if equipped) will turn on. You would have to cycle the fridge off, then on, to get it to relight.
Some Airstreams are more prone to the fridge burner blowing out than others. You may be able to make some modifications to help it stay lit, but it is something that, while many (most) people travel with the fridge on LP, it is officially frowned upon, and you may have trouble getting help repairing the condition.

[Silvertwinkie]

Yes, if your fridge has the check light coming on, that means the unit has tried several times to relight and failed.

Was your unit part of the recall? I know Dometic expanded the recall where some of the flame area is better shielded. As for running down the road with the fridge on, I physically called Dometic on this question and they fully condone traveling with the fridge on in LP mode. Their exact words were "that is how we design them to run". I assume that the fridge will run fine with the trailer in a static position, and if so, it most likely is a wind issue.

I would take a look at night with the unit running to see if you can easily see the blue flame from the outside access door. You will be able to see it regardless of what is done, but in some that I have seen the flame shield could be adjusted to better shield the flame. If yours is like I describe, you can try to bend the burner shield plate to try to better protect the flame from possible blow out.

Some folks have placed a better shield theselves, but some have not had to due to the recall where the recall took care of this (which is why I asked if yours was part of the recall). The recall was due to a larger watt electric heat element that could crack the pipes where the chemicals are and then under the right conditions, a fire could start if the chemicals came in contact with the flame. As a result, among other things, Dometic better shielded the flame on these units known to have this defect.

[Barry Parkof]

Hi Bartholomew,
I also have recently (september) bought an 07 OB FB, and have had the same problem on two occasions. This was sitting in my driveway and not in motion. I have turned on and off the switch and it seemed to eventually work and start to cool down. Unfortunately, it seems to take a few hours to cool down. Most of the time I don't experience any problems, so I can't really comment on it other than I might have been low on LP on the active tank. When I switched to the full tank, it seemed to be OK. So maybe that was the problem, but I can't be sure, because the low LP tank was not empty just low. The hot water heater and the stove worked on the low tank, so I am still a bit baffled by it. I will always turn the fridge on 110 volt a day or two before a trip to cool it down, and then it will auto switch to LP when I disconnect from shore power.
Please let me know if you find any solutions to this problem. Also, the manuals that you requested from Dometic should have come with your owners manual and other operating manuals.
Hope this helps.
Barry

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I drive with my refrigerator running on propane all of the time and have not had any problems of flame blowing out. My trailer is almost five years old now and has only had the recall done about a year ago. Try it again, but start with two full tanks of propane and turn both tanks on. Also make sure your refrigerator switch is set on automatic; Otherwise it will turn off when you unplug your power cord instead of switching to propane.

[oceanair]

Thanks for all the help! I think it's a combo of things. One thing I've noticed is when it goes out/turns off, the digital read out flashes back and forth between "LP" and "60". I thought 60 was the temp inside the fridge, but that's not the case. Any ideas why it flashes "60"?

Considering the brand new condition of the trailer (tags still hanging from the stove and alarm) along with the yucky new/oily smell of the furnace, I'm guessing the original owners camped once and decided it wasn't for them. Would 2 1/2 year old propane matter? Yeah, I'm blonde.

Barry: I've switched tanks to see if that'll help... So far so good, but we're parked at a Flying J for the night with no wind. I'll let you know how things fair out when we get back on the road tomorrow! P.S. She didn't come with any manuals.

Robert: Thanks for the tip to make sure I have the fridge set to automatic. Sometimes the little green dot os over both Auto and LP... I have no idea what I'm doing.

Silvertwinkie: I want to meet you, based solely on the fact that your name is Silvertwinkie. I stood outside tonight and yes, you're right, the fridge tries to re-light itself. Based on what Barry suggested, I switched propane tanks to see if that'll help. So far so good, but we're parked. Great to hear that it's okay to travel with the fridge in LP mode! Gosh, what good would it be if we couldn't?! I don't see model RM3762 listed as being part of the recall... I'm going to call Dometic tomorrow to make sure.

overlander63: I'm hoping it's either the wind, low/old propane or my blondeness.

In other news, we stopped by Airstream in Jackson Center today. It was only 7 miles off I-75 and we figured it would be worth the detour, it was!!! Did you know you can camp there for $10 a night, full hook up?! They've got a dandy free dump station too. Not to mention a yard full of Airstreams!

[Barry Parkof]

If I recall correctly, (the manuals are in the Airstream) the LP & 60 flashing means that the LP side is not starting properly and as 60 is the highest inside temperture recordable. Anything higher does not read higher, just reads 60. I bought an inexpensive thermometer that I keep inside to monitor the temperture.
I also have been told, and it says in the manuals that if you keep both LP tanks open, when one gets low it automatically switches to the other. The little lever behind the regulator is suppose to remind the user which tank they started with. It has no mechanical function. Please anyone correct me if I am in error here. Also there is a cylindrical indicator that goes from red to green when all is OK.
As far as the Dometic recall, my unit was not listed as a recall item on there website.
I would also try to contact the people who sold you the unit to retrieve the grey briefcase that included all the manuals pertaining to operation of the Airstream.
As I mentioned before, I have the same exact model that you purchased, and although we have had some issues, the operating instructions that came in the folder helped solve theses issues.
Hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me if neccesary.
Barry

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by Barry Parkof

...
I also have been told, and it says in the manuals that if you keep both LP tanks open, when one gets low it automatically switches to the other. The little lever behind the regulator is suppose to remind the user which tank they started with. It has no mechanical function. ...

I believe that when the gas supply is from the second tank (first tank goes empty) the gas pressure is slightly reduced. The lever does give a small pressure bias to the tank it points to. I don't think this has a significant effect on appliance operation, but in a marginal burner it might.

BTW, I put a new fridge in my Caravel and it blew out if you looked at funny. I made a small aluminum box (as I recall, about 3" by 4") to go around the whole burner area and the existing shield--it hasn't gone out since. It's a pretty poor looking enclosure, but it works great.

Zep

[oceanair]

Eureka! The fridge is still running. Again, we've been parked all night, but at least I know it's a wind issue. Just filled up both tanks to see if that'll help with the traveling today. When we get to Nashville we'll build a small aluminum box to shield the burner area.

Barry & Zep:

Thanks so much for letting me know about the gas tanks! I thought I had to physically switch the lever in order for the second tank to work. Good to know that's not the case. And I will remember that there is a small pressure bias.

I bought her from Repossessed cars, trucks, vans, boats, aircraft and more from RepoDepo! so no way to contact the previous owners about the manuals. If anyone is looking for a heck of a deal... A steal really... The Repo Depo in Vancouver has a 28' CCD that will probably sell for a song and a dance. If you need info on how to determine a bid and how the process works, feel free to contact me.

Whole lotta love!
~Bartholomew

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, One time my refrigerator did flash a code; I think I unplugged my trailer's cord with the propane tanks off. [I don't remember exactly now] But inside of the freezer door On the bottom edge, there is a decal in black print explaining the operations of the refrigerator and what to do if it acts up and instructions on how to reset it back to normal operation.