Keeping frig cold on the road

[tstandefer]

I have an 2008 25' airstream with a Dometic RM3762 frig/freezer combo. I always plug in the frig the night before leaving town so that it cools to around 36-40F. While we are on the road the refrigerator is set on auto and switches to LP. After driving for a few hours the frig looses it's coldness and can get up to 60F after about 4 hours of traveling. When we stop I see the display on the frig flashing LP and the LP pilot light is off. If I plug into electicity the frig will cool back down. I have a couple of questions:

1.) If the pilot light blows out during transit, does the frig try to light it and does it quit trying after so many times?
2.) Once it fails to light in LP mode, how do you tell it to try again?
3.) If this is something I have to deal with on the road, what are some good ideas to keep the food cold. We are considering taking our perishables and put them in a regular cooler until we get to our destination.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Terry

[tcrum]

Will it run on LP when you are not driving?

[tstandefer]

Yes. It works fine when not driving. Terry

[TBRich]

It is not normal that your LP fridge stops functioning during travel. In a model as new as yours you should not be having this problem.

There was a recall some time ago for certain fridges that need a "baffle" installed to help prevent the pilots from being blown out....check to make sure you fridge is not in the recall group... I've attached a PDF about the recall. If it is a dealer can make the necessary changes... If if is not in the recall group, then you should still have it looked at by an RV tech to determine the problem. Good luck!

[thecatsandi]

Do you have a windscreen around the burner chamber?

[tstandefer]

It looks like the model number on my frig is not in the recall. I am not sure what a windscreen looks like. I am glad it is not normal for them to go out. I will make a trip to the RV dealer and ask them to take a look at it.

[6PackCharlie]

On our airstream, the frig. usually will not light when the shore power is unplugged. Sometimes, but usually I have to turn the frig off and then back on and listen for the frig to light. Once it lights, it stays on even when going down the road. The frig always seems to light when on propane and then plugging into shore power.
Charles

[moosetags]

Your refrigerator should work on gas as well as better than on shore power. There is an amber light on the middle of the refer control that says CHECK. If the LP flame blows out, this light should be lit. To try to restart the LP burner, turn the refer off, then back on. It should light. If it keeps blowing out, your unit may not have the updated baffle. What you are describing should not be happening.

Brian

[JFScheck]

Get it fixed - you don't want intermittent cooling causing something to spoil and getting you or a family member sick...

[Silver Otter]

Ours goes out from time to time, particularly when we change from shore power to gas. As Brian said, look for your CHECK light. If/when it appears, turn off and back on. Ours resets, and when disconnected from power with gas on it restarts. The GAS light comes on and stays on.

We always open up and go on board at fuel and rest stops to be sure the gas in running and the check light is off so our snacks stay cool. Once in a while we have had to do a reset, but not often so far.

[Wingeezer]

I'm quite sure that the fridge on a newer model such as yours should automatically re-light if the pilot blows out.

If it is similar to the water in design, it will attempt a predetermined number of re-lights, and if it still fails to relight - it will go into lockout mode and you will get the flashing light.

I have never experienced the flashing light problem with ours - but for all I know, it has blown out and re-lit without problem numerous times en route.

Brian.

[Gringo]

Is it okay to leave pilot lights lit and burning when sitting next to a gasoline pump?

[Chief]

Experienced exact problem with our '08 25 FB. The problem usually showed up when towing on Interstates, and passing trucks would create enough suction/wind to extinquish the pilot light. If it doesn't relight in three attempts, it will timeout and start flashing the error code.

First of all, the legal statement: I am not a qualified RV technician, and any modifications I might suggest are accepted as such....with full knowledge that any damages, injuries, etc., etc., resulting from such modifications are 100% at your own risk.

That being said, my refrigerator has worked flawlessly while enroute and on LP since I added a disposable AC filter inside the mechanical access door to the refer compartment. I found one at Walmart for about $8.00 that works very well....has a flexible plastic frame that you can cut to size, and then twist-tie a green filter to the inside. Package contains enough filter for two applications.

Chief

[elfirebob]

Terry,
Ours did the exact same thing. Chief's fix is in our rig along with the "wind blast deflector" near the fridge pilot / flame area. We saw this deflector while chatting with another AS owner we came across in our travels. The deflector is an aluminum shield, modeled after the roof deflector found on some AS to seperate the A/C from the fridge vent. We used industrial velcro to mount it, between the outer side vent and flame. Problem solved...oh and I am also "not an RV tech"...
I'll see if I can post a pic or two, hope this solves your issues....hopefuly, a cold one if it does!

[Wayne&Sam]

I know you question is about the gas shutting off, but I noticed this:

Originally Posted by tstandefer

I always plug in the frig the night before leaving town so that it cools to around 36-40F. .... After driving for a few hours the frig looses it's coldness and can get up to 60F after about 4 hours of traveling.

If you are cooling it to 36-40F when it is full of food, it shouldn't get that warm in 4 hours even if you had it turned off. Maybe you cool it empty and then put warm stuff in it? If you get the contents cooled, it won't matter if it blows out. But I'm not saying you shouldn't get it fixed.

[Reganzo]

I found that once the fridge is cooled to 40 degrees and all the contents are chilled to 40, I add some of the frozen foods from the freezer, and lock the fridge. I find that this allows my wife and I to travel about 350 miles with the fridge off. Once at the campground I plug into shore power and turn on the fridge, then I set up camp.

We traveled the US for two years using this method and never had any issues.

Regards,

Reganzo

[JFScheck]

Originally Posted by Gringo

Is it okay to leave pilot lights lit and burning when sitting next to a gasoline pump?

I only hang around the oil burners so less combustable vapors...

Seriously, this have been debated - I hope I'm not endangering myself or others, but will continue to keep my fridge on so my food stays cool and hope since the pilot light is at or above the level of the fuel tank nozzles during fueling that I'm above the heavier than air vapors.

At least that's what I'm gonna keep telling myself

[tstandefer]

Thanks for so much information. I did not expect so much great help. I was getting the error code referenced by Chief. It showed "LP" flashing in between showing the temperature. I like the idea of the Filter. I will give it a try. There is a metal shield in front of the pilot light. You can't see the pilot light visibly due to the shield. I suppose that is supposed to shield it from wind. I will also check into making me a metal deflector. I have some thin stainless steel and own a TIG welding machine.

Thanks for all the great comments.


Terry

[lewster]

Be advised THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A PILOT LIGHT in the newer fridges. You have what is known as DSI (direct spark ignition) and the flame is either ON or OFF. If you are experiencing flame blow-out while on the road, you can add a shield to prevent direct wind access to the LP burner area. Be sure to leave sufficient space around the rear of the burner to allow sufficient combustion air to reach the burner. You might also try cleaning the LP burner. If the slots that form the burner are the slightest bit corroded, rusted or otherwise blocked, it leads to the conditions that you are describing.

I have ALWAYS used the RV fridge in a variety of units on LP for the last 11 years while traveling. Never had a problem! That will change in my latest motor home, as I will be replacing the Norcold 2 door unit with a marine fridge with a Danfoss compressor as soon as the 900 watt solar charging system is finished. I'm just not a big fan of gas/absorption fridges.

[JFScheck]

That's it - as told by a Master tech - I'm keeping mine on while I travel with no worries!