Fridge

[Chrishall]

I have never used my fridge on propane. Is there a way to tell if the fridge lights when LP selected, other than waiting for it to cool?

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by Chrishall

I have never used my fridge on propane. Is there a way to tell if the fridge lights when LP selected, other than waiting for it to cool?

Yes, stand outside the lower vent while someone turns it on and you will hear it clic clic clic clic then a faint sound of a flame, similar to the water heater but very faint in volume, it has to be pretty quiet for you to hear the flame. If it fails to light it will attempt several times before locking out. Mine is close enough to the door that if the door is open I can hear the clic clic clic.

You can also remove the vent and peek in, there is usually a sight hole in the tin box at the bottom of the heat tube where if you are looking at the right angle you should see a small blue flame.

Once it starts you will feel cold on the freezer fins pretty quickly, although it will take hours to cool down the fridge, the freezer gets cold first.

[GetawA-S]

Good advice from Itsno60.
I would add:
Read your owner’s manual to understand how the “CHECK” light works. That is by far the quickest indication!
Get a non-contact IR thermometer (point, click and read the result). The difference between electric and propane operation is the source of the heat used to motivate the cooling system. The area at the burner/heating element will be hot in either mode. Likewise, the “innards”(various coils) visible through the access panels will be at similar temperatures (some warm, some cooler) in either mode. Getting familiar with a “baseline” of operating temperatures (make a sketch) will help you troubleshoot, or guide the technicians from afar, if the fridge performance ever does drop off or fail completely.
Happy travels!

[GetawA-S]

I should have mentioned, the IR thermometer is also great for checking tires and hubs. Tires run hotter when underinflated, misaligned, or dragging for some other reason like brake issues. Hubs run hot when the bearings are going.

[richard5933]

If you never use your fridge on propane, it would probably be a good idea to give the propane burner at least a cursory inspection before trying to use it. Lots of little critters and creepy-crawlers like making their home in the back of a fridge, so it would be good to check first.

No need to take things too far apart, but if it were mine I'd at least pull the cover off the burner tube to make sure there are no nests in there.

[vwii]

If it doesn't light the indicator lights will flash back and forth. One thing we've found is that after being stored for a while, we need to pressurize the propane pipes to the fridge. The best way to do that is to light the stove and get the gas closer to the fridge. If the fridge doesn't light after a few tries, turn it off, wait a few minutes and try again.