Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-15-2020, 12:06 PM   #21
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,854
I would be looking at a blockage somewhere in the propane line/burner.
NavyLCDR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2020, 01:51 PM   #22
Senior Member
 
nomad297's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 7,053
The “pilot” you are seeing is the burner. The burner is a very small flame that some people think is a pilot.’

Bruce
__________________
2016 Rockwood Windjammer 3029W Diamond Edition
2015 Chevy 3500HD LTZ 6.0 Crew Cab 4x4 Long Bed 4.10:1 SRW
nomad297 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2020, 02:41 PM   #23
Pickin', Campin', Mason
 
5picker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: South Western PA
Posts: 19,074
Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanZ71 View Post
The fridge is a Dometic. As for it taking a long time to cool I realize that but it was running the entire nite prior to us leaving and it never cooled down. Once I turned it to electric it started cooling right away. The pilot but I guess the burner is on. when I turn it to gas I hear the clicking and then the Flame starts but that’s it.
And I'll ask again... what is the model number?

Dometic has made a slew of different refrigerators through the years and most operate differently.

As nomad297 said. the "pilot" could be the burner flame but depending on the model, it could actually be the pilot and something isn't allowing the burner to be lit by the pilot.
__________________
2022 Cedar Creek 345IK 5th Wheel•Solar & Inverter•2017 Ford F-Series SCREW 4x4•Factory Puck•B&W Companion•TST Tire Monitor w/Repeater•Sinemate 3500w Gen.
F&AM Lodge 358 Somerset, PA - JAFFA Shrine - Altoona, PA

Days Camped '19=118 '20=116 '21=123 '22=134 '23=118 '24=86
5picker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2020, 04:47 AM   #24
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: STL
Posts: 33
Ok well I finally got my camper back and the dealership said that the fridge using the gas can take up to 36 hours or so to cool down. Is this true? That seams a little excessive. Also I kept the gas going while I was going home and by the time (4.5 hrs) I got home it was already warming up. You would think that if it was already cold it would stay cold with the gas running. Wouldn’t you?
RyanZ71 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2020, 11:42 AM   #25
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,083
I detailed some of the things I went through with getting the fridge to work well in my A-frame in this thread: https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...-104964-4.html

1st question: did the fridge ever work well on propane? If yes, then you likely have a problem with insufficient flame for various reasons. If it never has, or you don't know, then you may well have an installation issue.

For trouble shooting you need to know actual fridge temps. I use a $10 wireless outdoor thermometer from Walmart. I put the outdoor sensor in the fridge, and the receiver display either in the tow vehicle, or inside the camper when camping. This way I know whether the fridge is cooling - and I know when we have to throw food out because fridge wasn't working well enough. I used the thermometer to determine the propane flame was blowing out when I was towing our smaller A-frame, so I had to switch to 12V operation when towing. On the larger A-frame, propane will automatically relight if/when it blows out, so I don't need 12V mode.

To work well, an absorption fridge has to have a flow of cooling air across the coils. Forest River fridge installations often leave a lot to be desired, resulting in the flow of cooling air not being sufficient. Download the Dometic manual for your model fridge, and compare the installation guidelines/requirements with what you actually have.

After fixing the various installation issues, I have found the Dometic fridges I've had in my 2 A-frames work consistently. Even in a hot garage, the fridge will pull down to below 40 overnight. I do pre-cool items I load in when starting the fridge.

For our last trip, I added 2 120mm computer case fans ($14 each) to blow hot air out the exhaust vent. I put them on a manual switch rather than thermostatic control. The existing fan just below the baffle never turned on until the compartment was really hot, was noisy when it came on, and didn't move enough air anyway. The computer case exhaust fans really cemented performance on propane - to the point where I had to back off the setting from 5 (max cool) to 4 to avoid freezing eggs and beverages. I also added the Camco fridge interior fan ($20) that runs on D-cells. The interior fan made a big difference in reducing recovery time after the fridge had been opened and all the cold air spilled out.

just our experiences
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
pgandw is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
fridge, heater, water, water heater

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:19 AM.