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rivertrails's avatar
rivertrails
Explorer
Jul 31, 2013

gas refrigerator and furnace questions

Its looking real close i'm getting my first camper. A 15 foot sunline.A friend of his got the furnace to work today. And the refrigerator is now working on electric. There leaving it plugged in overnight. But I never camp where theres electric and so don't care about the electric part. If its getting cold on electric ,if the gas is working does that mean it will get cold on gas also. Or is it 2 totally separate cooling system and coils? He said they got the gas pilot to light as they could feel the heat on the outside exhaust vent. He was using his friends gas and they didn't want to leave it running on gas. If the refrigerator cool down on the electric. And the gas pilot lit. ( I wish I knew for sure if it was just the pilot or the whole gas burner was burning)Lets say he clarifies the gas burner itself was actually flaming. If the gas is burning does that most probably mean it will keep the fridge cold if the fridge is getting cold plugged into electric? It is 8 hours from me on craigslist. I'm going to pay now and pick it up in a month on rout on my camping trip in west Virginia I REALLY want a gas refrigerator, If it gets cold overnight on electric I think i'm going to buy it before someone else does first.
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  • rivertrails's avatar
    rivertrails
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    Very interesting about propane catalytic heater , I just looked them up. Can they be connected to the 5 gallon propane tank somehow instead the the little bottles? ( I wish there was a way to reply to a individual reply on here. Right under the persons post you are replying too. O well )
  • rivertrails's avatar
    rivertrails
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    Yes Ive never never even seen the camper and Im are going to pay for it???

    from a craigslist ad.

    And Your not the first to be fearful. Heck I was fearful looking all over on craigslist. Wow......Is very appropriate. Don't blame you. Id been looking for campers with in 3 hours of me for months. I would never find one here that fit my weight and cost requirements. I Would soon spend more than the price l of my camper i'm buying running around looking. Then I couldn't buy a camper. I'm hoping for the best. I'm actually thinking it will work for the best. I Got a real good feel from this man. If I get taken Ill let you know.



    just wow
  • mockturtle's avatar
    mockturtle
    Explorer II
    Jul 31, 2013
    Most RV refrigerators run better on propane than on electric--at least they seem to cool down faster. And they use very little propane. The furnace uses a LOT of propane as well as a good dealt of battery, especially in cold weather. I bought a propane catalytic heater to use 'off the grid' in cold weather. Much less gas consumption and NO battery drain.
  • naturist's avatar
    naturist
    Nomad II
    Jul 31, 2013
    There are several ways to check for leaks. The first test to run would be to make sure all the gas appliances are off, pilot lights too, and just turn the gas on for a minute. Most rigs have an auto changeover device that has a pressure indicator that shows green if there's pressure in the bottle and red if there is not. So you turn on the gas, it turns green, and you turn the gas off at the bottle (leaving the bottle connected) and see how long it takes to go red again, i.e., leak down to no pressure. If that stays green for over a day, you are good. If there's a significant leak, it'll probably go red in a couple hours.

    The cheap way is to get yourself a bottle of windex or some other spray cleaner, turn on the gas, and spray down all the hoses and connections, watching closely for tiny bubbles. (when you've finished, don't forget to hose everything off so you don't get corrosion.)

    Finally, they do make sniffer devices, but they aren't as cheap as a bottle of spray . . . .
  • exeter_acres's avatar
    exeter_acres
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    you have never even seen the camper and you are going to pay for it???

    from a craigslist ad?

    Wow......



    just wow
  • rivertrails's avatar
    rivertrails
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    Its a 1986 camper. And I am hoping I can he will run it gas for a day. The camper is $1800. He is trying to fix it if its was a easy fix only.I was afraid of getting ripped off on craigslist when I cant see the camper first and i'm paying for it a month before I pick it up. But Ive talked to him quite a bit and really feel like I can trust him and I am believing what he saids. I think the trailer tanks are empty and his friend is taking his. He said his friend said if it happen to have a gas leak he didn't want it wasting his gas. Im so excited that just registerd with me. A gas leak could be a MAJOR problem. How would I check for that before I leave it running on gas. His friend just got the furnace working also. They said its putting out a lot of heat. How would I check for leeks in it?
  • stickdog's avatar
    stickdog
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    rivertrails wrote:

    It is 8 hours from me on craigslist. I'm going to pay now and pick it up in a month on rout on my camping trip in west Virginia I REALLY want a gas refrigerator, If it gets cold overnight on electric I think i'm going to buy it before someone else does first.


    Do you know this guy selling the trailer? Sounds risky paying for a trailer from a stranger that you haven't seen.
    Don't want to dash your hopes but come pickup time you may have a difficult time finding the seller or the trailer.
  • KD4UPL's avatar
    KD4UPL
    Explorer II
    Jul 31, 2013
    The refrigerator only has one system or coil. It requires a heat source to operate. That heat can be supplied by the 120v heater or the gas flame. Some refrigerators have a third option which is a 12v DC heater but these tend to drain batteries because they pull a lot of power. 120v AC and propane are the only options you really need.
    So, yes, if it cools on electric, and the gas flame will burn, it will cool on gas.
    How old is this unit? RV refrigerators, as a rule, haven't had pilot lights for many years. The burner flame is rather small. He might be mistaking the actual flame for a pilot.

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