Gas fridge on the move?
We have been driving our 1996 Lance Legend truck camper with the Dometic ac/dc/gas refrigerator/freezer on - until today, when, as we got to CO, the fridge started to switch itself from “gas” to “check” (ie off), so we stopped to consult with a technician, who told us some things we did not know:
- yes, altitude can effect the performance of older model gas/electric refrigerators
- yes, it is possible to enhance the performance at higher altitudes of older fridges like the one in our truck camper by having a qualified technician bore to a slightly wider size the hole the gas passes through, to increase the flow of gas and thereby improve the reliability of the gas powered operation of the fridge up in the mountains, though this would be an irreversible modification, resulting in use of more gas than necessary after we returned to lower altitudes, and, thirdly:
- no, you should not drive with the gas-powered fridge on!
This last point came as a surprise for us, as we have been driving with the gas-powered fridge on for thousands of miles… gosh, does this mean we are just lucky not to have had any problem apart from the fridge switching itself from “gas” to “check” today?
Are we the only older (though prefer the term “classic”) truck camper owners with a fridge like this one who drive with it switched on?
- yes, altitude can effect the performance of older model gas/electric refrigerators
- yes, it is possible to enhance the performance at higher altitudes of older fridges like the one in our truck camper by having a qualified technician bore to a slightly wider size the hole the gas passes through, to increase the flow of gas and thereby improve the reliability of the gas powered operation of the fridge up in the mountains, though this would be an irreversible modification, resulting in use of more gas than necessary after we returned to lower altitudes, and, thirdly:
- no, you should not drive with the gas-powered fridge on!
This last point came as a surprise for us, as we have been driving with the gas-powered fridge on for thousands of miles… gosh, does this mean we are just lucky not to have had any problem apart from the fridge switching itself from “gas” to “check” today?
Are we the only older (though prefer the term “classic”) truck camper owners with a fridge like this one who drive with it switched on?
