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Old 07-19-2015, 08:11 PM   #1
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Refrigerator problems

We are going camping in a couple days so we thought we would get the fridge cooled down ahead of time using the propane. We tried several times to get it turned on but it would not work. We lit the stove thinking there might be air in the lines. Stove worked fine, tried fridge again and it still wouldn't work. We camped a month ago and it worked great. Any suggestions?
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Old 07-19-2015, 09:04 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zinger60 View Post
We are going camping in a couple days so we thought we would get the fridge cooled down ahead of time using the propane. We tried several times to get it turned on but it would not work. We lit the stove thinking there might be air in the lines. Stove worked fine, tried fridge again and it still wouldn't work. We camped a month ago and it worked great. Any suggestions?
Using electric or gas, always on level grounds, does wonders for some.
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Old 07-19-2015, 09:06 PM   #3
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what model have you got
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Old 07-19-2015, 09:56 PM   #4
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The camper is MicroLite 23lb, Dometic fridge and camper is completely level so that's not the problem. Couldn't get it to work using the propane. Didn't try electric.
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Old 07-20-2015, 08:57 AM   #5
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Did you bleed the air out of the gas line? I always had to do this on my other two 5er's to get the fridge to work on propane.


What I did was to turn on the stove and wait until I could light the burns once they were lit, I would than turn on the fridge with propane. Another thing is make sure there are no spiders or webs in the gas igniter and tube for the fridge.
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:16 AM   #6
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There is a chimney hi temp reset that may have tripped. Push the button and see what happens.
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:19 AM   #7
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Believe it or not. I once had the same symptoms and was told to try to reset the fridge controller. Couldn't figure out how to do that so I disconnected the battery for a few minutes, re-connected and all was well. Shutting the disconnect didn't work. Not saying this will fix you but after checking all the above and that doesn't do it, you might try the battery thing.
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:33 AM   #8
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You can also remove the fridge fuse for a few minutes, Probably easier than disconnecting the battery.
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:47 AM   #9
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A bug nest in the flue will allow AC operation; but an over rich mixture preventing propane ignition.

Do you smell propane outside when you are trying to cool on propane?
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Old 07-20-2015, 10:15 AM   #10
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Make sure that you have a battery that is fully charged. The ignition is 12V when you're running the fridge on propane.
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Old 07-21-2015, 09:58 AM   #11
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Well, we found out what the fridge problem was and it was an easy fix. The battery was not charged enough. We hooked it up to the truck, turned the fridge on and it came on right away. Thanks to everyone for your help!
One other question just for future reference. Is the battery needed just to light the fridge the first time when using propane or if the fridge is running on propane, does the battery have to be fully charged to keep it running?
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Old 07-21-2015, 10:13 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by zinger60 View Post
Well, we found out what the fridge problem was and it was an easy fix. The battery was not charged enough. We hooked it up to the truck, turned the fridge on and it came on right away. Thanks to everyone for your help!
One other question just for future reference. Is the battery needed just to light the fridge the first time when using propane or if the fridge is running on propane, does the battery have to be fully charged to keep it running?
Minimum 12 volts or about 60% discharged.

When the "GOOD" light goes out; you need to be recharging the battery.
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Old 07-21-2015, 01:29 PM   #13
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One other question just for future reference. Is the battery needed just to light the fridge the first time when using propane or if the fridge is running on propane, does the battery have to be fully charged to keep it running?
If you expect the fridge temp to be maintained, then yes, the battery is necessary.
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