Fridge issues - works on mains, but not on propane

Yomster · 06-13-2009, 08:48 AM

Hey all,

my annual trip to the desert looms large, and thoughts turn to getting the Gladys ready for the mad heat.

Last year, we could only get the fridge working with power from a generator. We plugged a feed straight into the socket in the side compartment. Any suggestions on what could be the problem?

It works perfectly fine on mains, and the freezer is perfect even in desert conditions.

Cheers

Yomster

SteveH · 06-13-2009, 12:31 PM

Not sure I understand your problem. If I do understand, you are having to run an extention cord directly to the refrigator from the generator to make it work, but it will not work plugged into the normal outlet?

If this is the case, I would suspect a circuit breaker blown in the trailer. If that is not the problem, you could have a bad duplex outlet, or bad wiring at the outlet.

Does the refrigerator work OK on propane?

Yomster · 06-13-2009, 12:51 PM

Hi SteveH,

we couldn't get working on either propane or electric.

Yes we did reset the circuit breaker on the way out of the camp site.

I'm back in the country next weekend, and I'll spend a day fiddling with the wiring, and trying to diagnose why it wont fire up on propane.

All the best

Y

Yomster · 07-08-2009, 12:07 PM

Yayy!

We took Gladys to Black Rock Desert for a July 4th camping trip. It was awesome! The fridge worked off propane, we've got a new water heater, and space heating system seems to be in a good condition.

The most unusual thing was giving guided tours - more than 5 a day, people wanted to look inside and each person said she was in a extremely good condition.

I am mindful that the axles need changing, as well as the window clips / locker latches / roof vent mechanisms.

Now looking forward for when I get back to the US for my annual jaunt to Burning Man.

All the best and thanks for the advice.

Y

kingfisher24 · 07-17-2009, 04:32 PM

when connected to shore power or generator refig works fine...when traveling it does not...it is set to auto..there is fuel in propane tanks....factory said to place a filter cloth inside the outside access door when traveling to accomodate the pilot light not being blown out by wind?????????????

what the f...this does not compute...anyone having similar problems????

kvfdk1 · 08-02-2009, 12:01 PM

Our 02 bambi won't work on propane, it works on power, has flame, it has trouble staying in the middle on gauge on Frige. Pilot light seems to stay on, it worked fine last summer, our first time out this year, it took a dump. We have been told new thermastat or new frige. ? Not suer where to go next? Could be rust in line? J

SteveH · 08-02-2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kvfdk1

Our 02 bambi won't work on propane, it works on power, has flame, it has trouble staying in the middle on gauge on Frige. Pilot light seems to stay on, it worked fine last summer, our first time out this year, it took a dump. We have been told new thermastat or new frige. ? Not suer where to go next? Could be rust in line? J

kvfdk,

Welcome to the forum.

The refrigerator in our trailer has a small thumb screw type adjustment near the burner, and if that adjustment is not all the way on (counterclockwise) it will not cool. Don't know about yours, but it's worth a try. Good luck.

jamulian · 08-02-2009, 06:09 PM

We are new to Airstreaming and trying to get some info on running the frig on propane while traveling down the road. I've been thru the manuals and can't seem to find out if this can be done. All I've found is that you have to be careful running propane appliances near gas pumps. Can you run your frig while traveling?

SteveH · 08-02-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamulian

We are new to Airstreaming and trying to get some info on running the frig on propane while traveling down the road. I've been thru the manuals and can't seem to find out if this can be done. All I've found is that you have to be careful running propane appliances near gas pumps. Can you run your frig while traveling?

I've done it for years without problems, except sometimes the wind from driving will blow out the flame, and you have to restart it.

TBRich · 08-03-2009, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamulian

We are new to Airstreaming and trying to get some info on running the frig on propane while traveling down the road. I've been thru the manuals and can't seem to find out if this can be done. All I've found is that you have to be careful running propane appliances near gas pumps. Can you run your frig while traveling?

Yup, you can run on propane while traveling...newer units are designed to do that....just make sure your propane is tank is turned on. When you plug into shore power it will automatically switch to electric if you have it set on "auto." We have never had a problem with it blowing out...but that may be a function of where your frig is located. You may want to consider turning it off while fueling, especially if your fridge is on the pump side of your unit...

jamulian · 08-03-2009, 11:30 AM

Thanks for the help. Now I will have a cold refer when I arrive at the campground!

CrawfordGene · 08-03-2009, 12:04 PM

There have been many threads on refrigerator problems and if I didn't have to get on the road, I'd cite a few. There was a recall on Dometic units several years ago because pilots were blowing out while traveling—there's a kit which shields the pilot from wind. You should be able to get one from a dealer if yours doesn't have one. They are supposed to work while moving.

As for refueling, has anyone heard of a refrigerator blowing up while refueling? Gas fillers have rubber things on the nozzle to keep gas fumes from escaping and have for a long time. Gas vapors disperse very quickly and it would take a major leak to get vapors all the way to the refrigerator.

As for not running on 120 v., the breaker could be bad, the receptacle could be bad, the wires could be bad. Start with testing the receptacle. If both female plugs are dead, test the breaker with a voltmeter or multitester. If one female plug works and the other doesn't, plug into the good one. The dead one has a loose connection; if you can tighten it, do so, if not (it's inside the unit), get a new one. If the breaker is good, the receptacle is dead, test the wires to the receptacle. If all are good, the male plug from the refrigerator may have a loose connection that jiggled to work again when plugging into the generator. Where that wire is connected to the circuit board on the refrigerator may be loose and making intermittent contact. Fixing electrical problems starts with tracing from one end or the other to find out where the problem is. Loose wires are dangerous (wires get hot, insulation breaks down, fire possible) and have to be tightened. Broken wires (conductor inside the insulation) can't be seen (unless the insulation looks burned) and can work intermittently; replace them.

kv… there are lots of things that could be fixed or adjusted and you may not need a new refrigerator. The place that told you you might need a new one knows less than me, and that's very little. Go somewhere else after you read as many refrigerator threads as you can stand so that you have more knowledge.

There seem to be some Dometics that are very cranky while most seem to work fine. Says something about QC or ones made on Friday afternoon. Some of us are lucky and some not.

Gene