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Old 06-28-2015, 06:40 PM   #1
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Dometic refrg pilot light won't stay lit

Testing systems out on our new camper and the fridge works great on AC power but on gas, the pilot light keeps going out. I tried to purge the air from the gas line by lighting one of the stove burners for a minute or two.

It's a 2005 Rockwood 2601 Ultralite with DSI on the fridge and HWH, and the propane tank is full as of last week. Other one has some gas, but I have it switched to the full tank. Stove, outdoor bbq, etc. works fine. Also keeps kicking off the gas leak detector, though I can't smell ANY propane, inside or out. I'm thinking its something simple that probably needs adjusted or cleaned out. Anything in particular to look for?

Thanks.
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Old 06-28-2015, 06:49 PM   #2
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If it is DSI, there is no pilot light. It automatically lights the burner, which stays lit until the frig is cooled and then shuts off.
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Old 06-28-2015, 06:59 PM   #3
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If it is DSI, there is no pilot light. It automatically lights the burner, which stays lit until the frig is cooled and then shuts off.
That's a bit of a relief. Problem is the check light keeps coming on. I hit the power button and start it again, and it works a little while then the same thing. Put a thermometer in it and it was about 50. I ran it on AC for several hours before testing, so the fridge was cold.
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Old 06-29-2015, 06:21 AM   #4
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Old 06-29-2015, 06:26 AM   #5
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Flame lights but does not stay lit?
Did I get that right?

Or does it spark but not light?
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Old 06-29-2015, 07:20 AM   #6
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Flame lights but does not stay lit?
Did I get that right?

Or does it spark but not light?
Yes, it lights but doesn't stay lit. Battery is fully charged according to monitor (with shore power unplugged).
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Old 06-29-2015, 07:37 AM   #7
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Yes, it lights but doesn't stay lit. Battery is fully charged according to monitor (with shore power unplugged).
If it lights the battery is fine.

Does not stay lit could be gas pressure: check that you can light all 3 burners on your stove at the same time. (I will assume that is good as well).

The next to checks involve some disassembly; so remove the metal wind shield and look at the arrangement of the parts.

While you have your cover off the flue pipe, make sure the overheat sensor is pressed in (not popped). Test to make sure it has continuity.

Next your flue could be clogged with a wasp nest. This is a bit harder to clean without some disassembly. Get access to the bottom of the flue and blow it out with compressed air. The flue gasses of combustion could be preventing fresh combustion gas from keeping the flame lit.

You may need to remove the gas solenoid and pull it back a bit to get your air nozzle in there.

If all these are good, the flame sensor part of the control board could be bad. It uses the ionized gas of the flame, the ignitor itself and the frame of the fridge to detect a low current flow. A board replacement is the only way to fix this.
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Old 06-29-2015, 08:10 AM   #8
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Thanks Herk, good info. I'll be checking on it this evening.
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Old 06-29-2015, 09:19 AM   #9
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Check for dirt dawber/wasps next up the exhaust. Do these things have thermocouples? It's a heat sensor that goes back to the gas valve. If it's broken it will let you light it, but will go out.
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Old 06-29-2015, 09:24 AM   #10
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Check for dirt dawber/wasps next up the exhaust. Do these things have thermocouples? It's a heat sensor that goes back to the gas valve. If it's broken it will let you light it, but will go out.
They use a flame sensor using the flame itself to detect ignition and keep the valve open as long as it is burning.
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Old 06-29-2015, 09:27 PM   #11
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If your propane sensor was not going off I would think the controller was shutting down, but since the sniffer is smelling something, lets assume the fire is going out from suffocation. Sounds like the flue is obstructed and when the air does not flow, no fresh air; flame snuffs out and it leaves propane smelly stuff for the sniffer. Watch out for the hornets.
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Old 08-09-2015, 03:30 PM   #12
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Finally got around to digging into the gas works... Took the windscreen off first and there was a good size mud dauber nest in there. Got rid of that and tried to light it again. No joy. BTW, also checked the fuse on the control board and it was oik.

Next thing was to disassemble the burner, et al. Cleaned out the orifice and burner tube with alcohol and blew everything out with compressed air. Put it all back together and it worked first try. Nothing LOOKED overly dirty, but it must have been enough to keep it from firing.

Thanks to all for the help. We're good to go now.
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Old 08-09-2015, 05:13 PM   #13
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And that's why this is such a great forum.
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