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Old 12-22-2006, 01:59 PM   #1
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1976 26' Argosy 26
Jacksonville , Florida
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Gas Refrigerator help?

Hi everyone, I have a 26 foot 1976 Argosy with all the original appliances. The frig has both electric and gas capability. The electric part of the frig works fine. There are a couple of questions regarding the gas part of the Frig.

First, when I light the gas burner it begins to pop immediately and will blow itself out in a very short time. In order to keep the burner lit, I have to manually prop open the safety valve, but even then the burner still pops. However, it now will stay lit. When I do this, it makes me nervous, but my frig works. I also keep the compartment door open so that if the burner does blow itself out again, the majority of the gas will dissipate. What is the problem here? Why does the burner pop like this and how can it be fixed. It makes an annoying noise.

Second, when we first began using the gas frig, we would turn the thermostat to it highest setting, meaning we wanted to cool down the frig as fast as it could and then we would adjust the thermostat accordingly so the frig did not have to work as hard. When we did this the freezer would frost up almost immediately and the frig would never get cold. We then learned that if we set the thermostat to it lowest setting, meaning cooling the frig slowly, that the freezer did not frost up and the frig cooled down as intended. Is this normal? Or is there something wrong with the thermostat?

Thanks for the guidance in advance. This is a great site for sharing of information.

Sincerely,

Zadaschwartz
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Old 12-22-2006, 02:28 PM   #2
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1975 28' Argosy 28
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Hi, Zahdaschtwartz,

I had the same problem on my Argosy 28. It should NOT sputter and pop.

The solution for my problem was to take the baffling cover off, slide the end of the burner assembly off into the baffle, and then pluck it through the opening. The burner slot in mine was dirty, and if I recall correctly, at the other end there's a very small nozzle. (It's been about 15 years since I did this.) I cleaned it all with something handy, like carburetor cleaner, and put it back together. It worked fine after that.

The instructions say to start on both gas and electricity with the knob set to four.

Good luck with this.

Lamar
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Old 12-23-2006, 08:39 AM   #3
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1976 26' Argosy 26
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Thanks for the advice. I will give try to remove the assembly and give it a good cleaning. And I will try putting the setting at 4 the next time I fire up the frig. Once again thanks for the input.
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Old 12-23-2006, 09:35 AM   #4
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the easy way is to just blow out the burner area with compressed air--I go for the easy fix first. That usually works and you can reserve the carbureator cleaner technique for if it doesn't.

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Old 12-23-2006, 10:05 AM   #5
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A very common problem with the gas refrigerator and gas hot water heater is to have a spider crawl into the burner tube and make a home. This causes the air flow to be interuped and thus sputtering of the flame. The sputtering flame will not be enough to set and hold the flame safty and thus the burner will go out.

Remove the burner tube and clean it. You may have to remove the orifice as they tend to get as far back in the tube as possible.

Once cleaned get a dozen moth balls and put them in a sealable plastic bag. Now punch 15 or 20 holes in the bag with a pin and set the bag in behind the refrigerator. Just the light order from the moth balls will keep future spiders from making a home in the burner tube.
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Old 06-25-2007, 05:18 PM   #6
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1967 20' Globetrotter
Sauquoit , New York
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We went on our First Trip and enjoyed all except the propane refrigerator NOT working. It is a Domestic Model MA351.(Electric and gas capability)

We had it working fine on electric while at home. At Oquaga there was no electric. Switch to propane. Did not work. Can someone please help.

I want to thank all for helping with our toilet leak. That is all together with a new gasket and a new inlet valve. Thanks again. Now please help with our refrigerator. Aria
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Old 06-26-2007, 08:04 AM   #7
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Zep, We did blow out the burner with compressed air. Set on 4. Still NOT working. What would you recommend? (Dometic Model 351) Aria
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Old 06-26-2007, 09:21 AM   #8
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With a friend. While you are outside with the refigerator access door open, the burner view port open, and preferably in darker light have someone go inside the trailer. While you are looking in the view port have them turn the refigerator on in gas mode. You shold see or hear the igniter attempt to light the burner, a very small spark.

The older refigerators had a manual sparker and a manual gas valve that has to be held in after the burner lights long enough to heat the thermocouple. If it lights and having held the gas valve open for 30 seconds and the burner goes out when you release the gas valve it is most likely the thermocouple.

If it is a newer refigerator and there is a spark and the burner does not light remove the burner tube and clean out the spider web. If you do not have a spark it could be the igniter or the control board.
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Old 06-26-2007, 11:27 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aria
Zep, We did blow out the burner with compressed air. Set on 4. Still NOT working. What would you recommend? (Dometic Model 351) Aria
In the older fridges, the switch from electric to gas was a combination of rotating a gas valve (in the back of the fridge, accessed through the outside access door) AND moving an electrical toggle switch. The mechanical arrangement prevents the toggle being in the electric position if the gas valve is in the open position. Look and see if you can find this lever-type gas valve and make sure it's open.

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Old 06-26-2007, 05:12 PM   #10
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Zep, Thanks. I have printed a copy of your message for my husband when he gets home from work.

He has the striker out of the refrigerator and has ordered a new flint. He should have the new flint Tuesday. There is one RV store in our area...and they always need to order...never in stock.

Thanks again. Will keep you posted. You are very knowledgable..and helpful. Aria
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Old 07-02-2007, 11:45 PM   #11
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My Refer in our Tradewind pops when I manually lite it from the outside. Pops a couple of times and stays lit. Ours does freeze in the freezer and the lower fridge also. It takes some playing around with the controls to get it right.
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Old 05-04-2013, 09:04 PM   #12
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2012 25' FB Flying Cloud
Grand Rapids , Michigan
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A newbie question? Our '12 flying cloud refrigerator has two spacers for holding the doors open when not in use. How do you attach them? I've seen the diagram in the user guide but still can't figure out where they attach.
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Old 05-04-2013, 09:38 PM   #13
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The spacers slip onto the plastic door releases which you press to open the door. There is a catch on the spacer which engages with the door frame to hold the door open about an inch.

The spacers can do double duty to act as partitions in the door shelves, but beware - they are quite fragile.

I broke one of mine in the first year of use, which Dometic replaced under warranty.
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Old 05-04-2013, 09:56 PM   #14
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I agree, the spacers appear fragile when attaching to the shelf as a divider and the latch appears like it could possibly break if manhandled, but I use these as dividers throughout the season and then as door spacers when I switch the fridge off. They slip on the latch as seen in the photo and when the door is "closed" they secure it well. To open press in on the middle of the white portion where it says Dometic to release the catch, then carefully remove it from the latch. They are 5 years old now and have survived by just being careful.
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Old 05-04-2013, 10:32 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HowieE View Post
With a friend. While you are outside with the refigerator access door open, the burner view port open, and preferably in darker light have someone go inside the trailer. While you are looking in the view port have them turn the refigerator on in gas mode. You shold see or hear the igniter attempt to light the burner, a very small spark.
...
Does the popping occur when the flame ignites and then goes out? It will help if you can see the flame, eg. your helper and you may have to do this at night if it is difficult to see the flame. It will be small and steady should be blue. The thermocouple should be positioned to be heated by the flame. As already mentioned, a good cleaning is the 1st place to start. Sometimes compressed air is enough, sometimes an old toothbrush will be helpful to clean the burner slots. It is tempting to stick a wire into the office but that is not a good idea. Solvent and compressed air is the better way. If those steps fail and your gas supply is adequate, then the pressure regulator could be the culprit or possibly the electronics board. Inspect and reseat any push on electrical connections and inspect and tighten any screw down connections. The pressure is measured with a manometer and it may be a good idea to seek professional assistance.

If you find the little white cotton balls in or around the burner, they are the webs from the previously mentioned spiders. They also can cause trouble at the water heater, furnace and sometimes the pressure regulator. If you prefer not to use mothballs, I've had excellent results using dog flea collars. I wrap one around the gas line at each location so that it stays out of the way, maybe about 4-6 inches from the burner. I replace them every year or two and haven't had any more spiders in over 20 years.
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