Visit our Popular Forums

Gosman · 06-04-2010, 07:22 AM

Question i am new to the air steam traveling, never doing this before , i have just purchased a 1975 argosy and will be doing a little remodle , it has real good bones but needs a little up dateing .
I now have a working dometic refrigerator that works fine and i am going to replace it , can one use any small store purchased one or must it be makd for a trailer ?? And thoughts on the issue
thanks george

TG Twinkie · 06-04-2010, 08:36 AM

Store bought refers need to be plugged into 120 volt AC. So you would have to run a generator or be plugged into shore power in order for it to work. If you plan to travel long distances it would be hard to keep the contents cold while in route. Why do you want to replace a working refer?

Gosman · 06-05-2010, 06:53 AM

Just purchased the trailer and was thinking of replaceing my dometic refrigerator with something newer and a bit smaller to build a counter top , to fit over the new one that would be smaller.

Question though being new to the camping world , how does this dometic refrigerator work? a/c power or what. I have the trailer parked and pluged in to the home and as we speak the refrigerator is running , should I shut it of were we are not going any were and if so how is that done??.

It is not running of the battery in the trailer by doing this , is it ?

I thought I read some were one has to light some thing to turn it on .?? Sorry for so many questions , but as they say no question is a dum one!!!!!! I AM NEW TO THE CAMPING WORLD OF AIR STREAMS
Thanks So Much
George

**azflycaster** · 06-05-2010, 07:11 AM

A refrigerator from the 70's runs on either propane or 120 volts electric. It works by heating ammonia which is sealed in a cooling unit on the back of the refrigerator. There should be a series of knobs inside the unit which control which mode it is running in and also control the temperature. The switch for the mode it is running in also has an "off" position. There is also a hold lever and a spark button to ignite the flame when the unit is running in propane mode.

These are great units and give you the ability to camp when you are off the grid.

TG Twinkie · 06-05-2010, 07:25 AM

I have a '74 Argosy. Probably the same refer you have. There are instructions for operating the unit inside the door on the lower shelf. There is a knob that has three positions. "Gas" "Off" "Electric" . If you haven't made any attempt to lite the small burner that runs off propane and the refer is cooling, then the switch is in the "Electric" mode. In the electric mode there is a small (150 watt) heating element that runs off shore power (power from your house).
It is important to note that for the refer to operate correctly, the trailer needs to be within a half a bubble of being level. You must have it pretty close to level if it is cooling.
If you need more info or help with it. I'll be happy to post photo's etc.
Good Luck!

RichHog · 06-05-2010, 10:34 AM

Here is a manual I collected before having to dump my old dometic for a new one. Hope it helps

Gosman · 06-06-2010, 06:54 AM

THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND RICHHOG FOR TH MANUAL AND TG TWINKL FOR THE INFORMATION ALSO TG TWINKL IF THE OFFER FOR PHOTO S IS STILL OPEN PLEASE POST THIM .
I HAVE IT RUNNING ON Electric AT THE PRESENT TIME AND IT IS COOLING JUST FINE SO I GUESS IT IS LEVEL? THE LAST OWNER HAS NEVER TRIED TO LIGHT THE BURNER AND HAVE IT RUN OFF PROPANE, I AM NOT EVEN SURE IF THAT WORKS ?.

ALSO ANOTHER QUESTION , SEEING THAT I WILL BE WORKING ON THE TRAILER FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND NOT TRAVELING , SHOULD I UNPLUG THE POWER AND DISCONNECT THE BATTRIES , BECAUSE WHIN I UNPLUG THE POWER FROM MY HOME IT GOS TO THE BATTRIES AND I DO NOT WANT TO RUN THIM DOWN .
( SHOULD I HAVE ONE OR TWO BATTRIES , I BELIEVE I ONLY HAVE ONE .

SORRY FOR SO MANY QUESTION , I AM SO NEW TO THE AIRSTREAM FAMILY .
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND HELP
GEORGE

TG Twinkie · 06-07-2010, 10:44 AM

Here is the Photo. Hope it helps. If you need more help let us know.

TG Twinkie · 06-07-2010, 10:52 AM

If you are going to work in the trailer you will need power and lights. All original lighting is 12 volt. Mine works just fine leaving it plugged into shore power. So far I have not cooked the battery and it's been plugged in for 8 months. I have a Triad-Utrad TU-331 converter, I believe it is original equipment. I have not run "Off the Grid" so I don't know how long the battery will last.

Gosman · 06-08-2010, 08:06 AM

TG TWINKIE

ALSO IF I MAY DO YOU LEAVE THE refrigerator on all the time .It is set for electric at the present time . When not traveling do you leave pluged in to your home ?
I guess the question I am asking ,if I have no power turned on from my home will the refrigerator still run off the batterys . And in order to shut the unit down I would have to disconnect the battery ,as to not have any power to the unit at all ??
I did see in your photo GAS OFF but did not see electric off?
Thank you so much for your photos.
Sorry for asking so many questions , very new to the traveler tralier community and just do not want to wear out the refrigerator .
Thanks So Much George

vswingfield · 06-08-2010, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gosman

TG TWINKIE

ALSO IF I MAY DO YOU LEAVE THE refrigerator on all the time .It is set for electric at the present time . When not traveling do you leave pluged in to your home ?
I guess the question I am asking ,if I have no power turned on from my home will the refrigerator still run off the batterys . And in order to shut the unit down I would have to disconnect the battery ,as to not have any power to the unit at all ??

When not connected to AC power, you must run off gas. Even the newer ones that have a 12 volt DC choice will only run a short time befor depleting the charge in the battery(ies). The older refrigerators that require you to manually choose between gas or electric and light the gas burner do not have any connection to the 12 volt system. Plus and minus kind of thing. While the newer ones will automatically detect which to use, they place a small drain on the battery and will not work at all if there is no 12v power to their logic board. While easier to use when you have 12v power, it can be nice to have something that works entirely without electricity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gosman

I did see in your photo GAS OFF but did not see electric off?
Thank you so much for your photos.
Sorry for asking so many questions , very new to the traveler tralier community and just do not want to wear out the refrigerator .
Thanks So Much George

As far at the GAS OFF switch goes, it is a three way switch. One way GAS, another ELECTRIC, and finally OFF. Off means completely off, not running on either.

RichHog · 06-08-2010, 08:53 AM

Your fridge should run on Gas/propane or 120V Electric but not on batteries. The newer Dometics have a 12V version but the old ones don't. Wouldn't run it if you don't plan to use it even if the trailer is plugged in. Make sure that after you use it on a trip you leave the door open for about a day or so to let the moisture all dry out so you don't get mildew inside.

Think Vaughan said it well above.

vswingfield · 06-08-2010, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichHog

Your fridge should run on Gas/propane or 120V Electric but not on batteries. The newer Dometics have a 12V version but the old ones don't. Wouldn't run it if you don't plan to use it even if the trailer is plugged in. Make sure that after you use it on a trip you leave the door open for about a day or so to let the moisture all dry out so you don't get mildew inside.

One tip a friend swears by to help with the mildew and odor issues is to stuff the fridge with wadded-up old newspapers when not in use. I haven't tried it, but it's worth considering.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichHog

Think Vaughan said it well above.

Thanks!

TG Twinkie · 06-08-2010, 11:32 PM

I leave the door ajar when the refer is not in use. Keeps it fresh. You only have 2 choices Gas or Electric. That is 120 volt AC only, no battery. The switch for GAS OFF ELECTRIC has three positions. It rotates with off in the center. Turn it Clockwise from the OFF position it should say Gas, turn it counterclockwise from the OFF position it should say Electric. I would recommend turning it OFF if you are not using it to keep things cold. The electric heating element has a finite life span, like a light bulb.

RiverRat · 06-09-2010, 09:16 AM

Just purchased a used RM2510( 1984) for my 65 Safari and the knobs are on the bottom of the fridge and are very hard to turn.Should I disassemble the entire unit or is there a lubricant for this problem that will not hurt other components? The knobs have long arms to reach to the back. Will coil cleaner (used on home A-coils work to clean things? I found the manual on line but they do not address these questions.HELP RiverRat

TG Twinkie · 06-09-2010, 07:55 PM

I would recommend lube that will not harm plastic if you are going to lubricate the parts. You can get it at most Hobby shops. I would open the access cover to the back of the refer and make sure everything in the back is clean and does not have anything tangled in the mechanisms.

Gosman · 06-10-2010, 05:22 AM

TG Twinkle
As I told you , my wife and I are very new to the Air Stream world and so many questions and before I ask any more I want you to know you have been most helpful with the info as well as photos.
One LAST QUESTION , when getting ready for travel and before filling the refrigerator, I must turn on the propane mode and if I desire at the final location , I could switch over to electric ???!. IS THAT CORRECT
Also if I may ask which , I have not done as of yet
There is also a hold lever and a spark button to ignite the flame when the unit is running in propane mod (when set all knobs were would I LIGHT THE BURNER ? .

I ALSO HAVE A LITTLE RUST AS WELL ON THE INNER AS WELL AS ON THE GASKET , WHAT KIND OF PAINT COULD I USE TO REPAINT AS WELL AS CLEAN THE RUBBER SEAL?
THANK YOU SO MUCH GEORGE

TG Twinkie · 06-10-2010, 08:51 AM

When you get ready to travel, you should turn your refer on at least 24 hours before you plan to put food in it. If it is possible, put food in it that is already cold, that way it won't have to cool all of the stuff you put in it.
I'm going to assume that you found the 3 way selector switch to set the unit to the gas mode. If your trailer is like most AS's you must turn the gas valve on for the refer. It will be located under the belly pan near where the refer is located in your trailer. This is NOT the valve on the propane tank, it needs to be opened as well, it what is known as a petcock valve and there is usually one for every gas appliance in the trailer. Turn the handle of the petcock so that it is in line with the valve body. To turn the gas off, rotate the handle so it is perpendicular to the valve body.
I will also assume that you have identified the knob you have to pull out and hold while pushing the spark button.
The gas valve in the refer is like any gas valve, it has a built in safety system. It is called a thermocouple. The thermocouple sets above the pilot flame or in this case the burner. As long as there is a flame the thermocouple tells the valve it is OK to be open, to put it simply. If the flame is not present then the gas valve will close and shut of the gas.
If the refer has not been operated in the gas mode for a while and the gas has been turned off it will take some time to bleed all of the air out of the gas lines. It will speed up the process some if you lite the burners on the cook stove, but first you must open the petcock for the cook stove which is located under the belly pan near the stove location. The stove uses a lot more gas than the refer and therefore will purge the air from the main gas line much faster. You don't have to run the stove very long, just get it to where the burners will light and stay lit.
Now to get the refer to run on gas. Pull out and hold the previosly mentioned knob, it may take several minutes to purge the air from the line. What you are doing here is overriding the thermocouple safety device in order to get the burner lit. Once you get gas to the valve and if the ignitor is working. When you push the ignitor button it produces a spark near the burner that will ignite the flame. You should see a blue flame in the little window next to the ignitor button. You will have to continue to hold the override knob for 30 to 60 seconds, this gives the thermocouple time to heat up and tell the valve is OK to be open. If the burner lights but goes out when you release the button, give it another shot or two. If after several attempts it does not stay lit, you may have a bad thermocouple or it is not located properly. If the burner does not lite you may not be getting spark and there is another proceedure I use if that is the case. I won't talk about that now. Lets see what happens when you attempt to light it the first time. BE sure to set the thermostat (temperature) for the gas mode to at least 5 before attempting to lite the burner. Good Luck!

TG Twinkie · 06-10-2010, 08:56 AM

Yes you can switch to Electric once you arrive at your destination if you have you trailer connected to power.

Gosman · 06-10-2010, 12:03 PM

T g twinkle
say you know so much info on the argosy of my year , are the windows like aircraft windows to clean in a aircraft the windows are made out of something other then glass and you can not use windex window cleaner , because it scratches the plastic windows .???
Thanks george