3 way refrigerator won’t light.

[ekskp]

We have been running the frig on electric. I went to turn on the propane and all I get is a pop when I push the igniter. I turn the gas valve on and hold it in when pushing the lighter. This is on a new 2018 flagstaff pup.

[pgandw]

A couple of things I've learned from the fridge in my A-frame (Dometic 4223):

1) I normally shut off the propane at the tank valve while we are towing. To make sure propane is flowing when I arrive at the campsite, I turn on the tank valve, check for green on the regulator, and then light a burner or two on the stove and make sure they are burning well before shutting the stove off.

2) I seem to have a lot more problems lighting the fridge at altitudes above 5,000ft. I follow your procedure, get the pop (I call it a "puff" as the propane fumes light and then burn out). As soon as the pop/puff occurs, I hit the ignitor switch again. The puff usually burns off the excess propane fumes and gets the mixture where it should be to light at the second push of the ignitor.

3) You do have to hold the gas valve in for about 30-45 seconds for the fridge to stay lit.

4) I have difficulty seeing the small blue flame in daylight. Night time is easier. But the proof the fridge is lit is the chimney getting hot after about 30 minutes.

Hope this helps - the tip on the 2nd immediate push of the ignitor came from another A-framer on these forums.

Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame

[ekskp]

Thanks for the tips. I was trying a couple days ago in the Denver area and it wouldn’t light so we just took everything out and put it in my sisters frig at her house. I just tried now in St. Louis and same thing. I will try the double tap on the igniter later to see if that works. Not a big deal now that I have electric for the rest of the trip.

[Oaklevel]

When you 1st turn the gas on do you run the stove top first (assuming that you have one), to get any air out of the lines??

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

When you 1st turn the gas on do you run the stove top first (assuming that you have one), to get any air out of the lines??

That's the way I do it. When traveling, I turned the gas off at the tank. Fridge runs on DC while on the road (won't stay lit on propane). If there is no electric at the campsite, I immediately turn the fridge off while I set up to save battery. When setup, I light the stove for a minute or two to get any air out of the lines.

After lighting the stove, I then go to light the fridge. The "2 push" of the ignitor button is also recommended by Roberts RV here in Denver - they rent out pop-ups and only sell A-frames and pop-ups.

My techniques will change now that I have a high wall with a fridge with auto-ignition (and takes 175 watts on DC instead of 120). I expect to use propane on the road.

Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2009 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[ekskp]

I finally got around to testing the quick double igniter push and that worked. May need to use the propane next weekend.