Burned Gas Fumes from Frig

[TankerIP]

My latest issue with the Frig is burned gas fumes in the trailer when parked. I have tried to caulk the rear edges of the frig. It's not really easy because there are places where it is hard to get a caulk gun nozzle up to the crack. I wonder what other folks have done.

Also, Is a fume normal? I wonder if my flame is burning as clean as it should. The flame is blue, looks good, and the frig now seems to cool just fine on propane. So I don't see any reason to consider burner replacement. Does anyone else smell burned gas when operating on propane?

Another consideration is external fan option. I replaced the OEM fan with one Silenx. It seems okay, but should I consider a second fan to exhaust the fumes rather than let them rise up into inside? On the other hand, if the thermostatic controlled fan does not run in cool environment, then I would not have any exhausting. A complicated issue.

[AlinCal]

The front face frame of the fridge should seal against the cabinet opening, and the cabinet space itself should be sealed with the only openings thru the exterior vents.

[TankerIP]

Originally Posted by AlinCal

The front face frame of the fridge should seal against the cabinet opening, and the cabinet space itself should be sealed with the only openings thru the exterior vents.

Thanks Alan

This made me start thinking and looking. I took off the upper face plate and can see there a small (~3mm) opening along the top of the fridge. Now, I have been trying to caulk the outside (back) of the fridge to prevent fumes from entering the trailer, but your comment tells me I should concentrate on the front of the fridge. I guess I will have to start up the propane system and then try to see if the smell is more prominent through this small opening ( or somewhere else).

[Al and Missy]

This is a dangerous situation. If you don't have one, get a manual for your fridge. See how it is installed so you can remove all the screws and slide it out a few inches into the trailer. You will likely have to disconnect the gas line to do this. Identify any areas where the fridge is supposed to seal against the wall and make sure there is something there to seal to. Get some non-hardening (for flexibility and future removal) adhesive caulk and caulk it all up. Slide it back in and make sure it mates up everywhere before replacing the screws.

Fair warning - for my model the manual left out one of the mounting screws. If it seems too hard to pull it out, look for additional screws.

Al

[sgschwend]

What does the flame look like? If the burner is partially plugged it will cause problems. Water heaters on occasion obtain a spider web which causes the flame to burn wrong. Take a look, there is an inspection port, at least there is on on mine.

[TankerIP]

Originally Posted by sgschwend

What does the flame look like? If the burner is partially plugged it will cause problems. Water heaters on occasion obtain a spider web which causes the flame to burn wrong. Take a look, there is an inspection port, at least there is on on mine.

The flame seems to work well. I can see blue flame with slight color on the top where the thermocouple sits. I have one of those infrared thermometers and I "shoot" for the temperature along the coolant tube rising from the heater cannister. At the bend on the top before it carries to coolant to the fins I get 195 deg. The thermal switch for the fan is on the fins and the fan comes on at 132 deg. So I guess I am getting plenty of heat from the propane to cool the fridge.