Refrigerator quit working

[Flatfive]

Five days into our three month road trip our Dometic refrigerator started beeping indicating that the propane flame would not light. We were driving down the interstate at the time. The propane tank was 1/4 full and I have now filled it up.  That’s not the problem. I can hear the igniter clicking. I opened the hatch to see if the spark was occurring somewhere where it shouldn’t. I had that before on a different RV.  That wasn’t it either. Not sure what to do now. Any ideas?

[Flatfive]

Thanks to all.  Problem solved. The propane valve solenoid had quit working.  I knew that when I put an ohm meter across it’s leads and the meter read infinite resistance. I had to order a whole assembly that includes the solenoid and the valve and the burner. I found one at Michigan RV Outfitters for $175.50 including shipping to Virginia.  It was not hard to replace and she fired right up when I turned the fridge to “gas”.  

[Theorid]

Before you panic, check the obvious: Is the propane actually on? Sometimes the valve gets bumped accidentally. Also, make sure the fridge is set to propane mode, not electric. If those are good, it might be a simple sensor issue.

[Paliann]

Try carefully cleaning the burner area with a soft brush or compressed air. Sometimes a little debris is enough to stop the flame.

[opnspaces]

Awesome, thanks for coming back and updating us. Hopefully now you can get back to the important things like camping.😊

[Flatfive]

I went to Dometic.com and viewed the service manual. It said that the solenoid for the gas valve should have 44 ohms resistance. I checked it and got infinite resistance. So it’s shot. I went on Amazon and eBay and found several valves for sale which include the solenoid. I wasn’t absolutely sure which was the correct one for my fridge so I called one of the vendors, Michigan RV Outfitters, and spoke to a salesperson and ordered the valve assembly. $175. We’ll see if it solves the problem. Stay tuned. 

[Flatfive]

Today I received the new Dometic propane valve from Michigan RV Outfitters. $175 including shipping. Turned off the propane at the tank. Also tuned off the fridge which has been running on electricity. Then I took out the old valve and put in the new one. Turned the fridge back on and set it to “gas”. Fired right up! Yay!

[pianotuna]

Check the control board for a 12 volt fuse. Make sure it is good.

[opnspaces]

What if you apply 12 volts straight to the valve. Does it open then?

[Flatfive]

Now, days later, the fridge continues to run on electricity only. I put a meter on the wires going to the gas valve. It’s a digital meter and it was jumping all over with values from 2 to 12 volts. Then it seemed to settle on 12 volts. The valve didn’t open.

[Flatfive]

Tonight we’re plugged in to shore power so the fridge is working.  When we get to Edinburg, VA I’ll check the voltage at the gas valve. I figure either it’s not getting power or the valve is bad. 

[opnspaces]

Along the thought of the propane valve, does the stovetop light and burn?

[Flatfive]

Yes. Stovetop, oven, water heater all work. 

[way2roll]

Lots of easy things to check. Often it can take quite a while for the LP to make it's way through the line. Anytime I attempt to fire anything on LP I light the stove first to ensure I have good flow. Second, is to check if the LP valve is open. They usually close it when filling it. Your Fridge could have something in the ignition chamber like a spiderweb etc. Also could be an issue with the thermocouple. Will it light if you stick an electric match in there?

[IB853347201]

is the valve on your propane tank open?