Domestic fridge issue in gas mode

[Joejax]

My dometic fridge will ignite but won't fire up like it should. I can see a small orange glow and a small blue flame but that's it. I don't hear anything either. Should be similar to the hot water tank correct? It is 8 years old and I have never done any maintenance on it and its fairly dirty around the igniter mechanical components. Any ideas? thanks

[Joejax]

After doing some more research over the net, the model I have , is junk right out of the factory. The welds on the cooling unit are faulty. Even though Dometic had a recall for they did nothing to fix them only to prevent a fire by adding a piece of sheet metal around the burner. So in the meantime, I'm going to replace the fridge with a plain 110 volt beer fridge

[Kountryguy]

Before you decide, check out these videos.
http://rvrefrigeration.com/

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Joejax wrote:
Well I ended up taking it into the shop yesterday only to learn that the cooling unit is toast. So they tell me. There is evidence of a leak and the system could be plugged. I was quoted at 1200$ to have cooling unit send away and recharged or 1600$ for a new fridge. Any better deals out there. I will be making a trip to Spokane WA in July if they are a bit cheaper in the US?

Yes.

World Class RV Refrigeration is a Dometic and Norcold authorized warranty repair facility located in Plummerville, Arkansas, right on I-40 approx. 50 miles west of Little Rock, Arkansas.

World Class has a website and contact info to advise you are sure you're getting decent care and pricing elsewhere in North America. I have used them twice because of a fractured cooling tower in my unit that rides very harshly. The R & R price to repair your unit on-site should run about $250.00 tops. They use FedEx to ship your unit back to you. Your cooling tower isn't that difficult to R & R from your refer, once you get your refer out on the floor of your RV. However, it does take two men to do it it.

[Joejax]

Well I ended up taking it into the shop yesterday only to learn that the cooling unit is toast. So they tell me. There is evidence of a leak and the system could be plugged. I was quoted at 1200$ to have cooling unit send away and recharged or 1600$ for a new fridge. Any better deals out there. I will be making a trip to Spokane WA in July if they are a bit cheaper in the US?

[wa8yxm]

HOw much time it runs depends on a whole laundry list of things.

Temp and humidity
Sun
Temp INSIDE RV
How frequently you open the door.
How long you stand there with the door open.
How much food is in the thing.
was it just put in hot

And more.. But of those the sun is kind of low on the list cause the effects of the sun are complex, and some of them cancel out others.

[Ex-Tech]

Skid Row Joe wrote:

mbopp wrote:
Does the fridge cool on electric?

No, mine doesn't - only propane.

How much of the time should the refer run on gas fired time each hour, after it reaches the desired temp? Mine runs almost 3/4 of each hour, round the clock - even when not in the hot sun.

It's a Norcold.

Depending on the model, some that don't use electronic ignition run all the time. On these models, the flame is regulated from high to low with a special bypass thermostat.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

mbopp wrote:
Does the fridge cool on electric?

No, mine doesn't - only propane.

How much of the time should the refer run on gas fired time each hour, after it reaches the desired temp? Mine runs almost 3/4 of each hour, round the clock - even when not in the hot sun.

It's a Norcold.

[wa8yxm]

Joejax wrote:
My dometic fridge will ignite but won't fire up like it should. I can see a small orange glow and a small blue flame but that's it. I don't hear anything either. Should be similar to the hot water tank correct? It is 8 years old and I have never done any maintenance on it and its fairly dirty around the igniter mechanical components. Any ideas? thanks

No, the fridge burner... Well.. I've seen bigger pilot lights.

It is a very small burner.. I will put it in electrical terms.

The heat element in the water heater is 1200-1400 watts, and the propane burner heats water FASTER on most RV water heaters.

The fridge element is 350 watts. Less than 1/3 the size of the water heater.. And the burner is about the same amount of heat. Making it on the order of 1/4 to 1/6th the water heater jet. It is basically a large pilot light.

IF the fault light does not come on and the ice cream does not turn to liquid.. It's working.

[Old-Biscuit]

Fridge electric heater only pulls about 3A

[Joejax]

Joejax wrote:

mbopp wrote:
Does the fridge cool on electric?

It did last time I tried it. Unfortunately, my power supply is only limited to keep the battery's charged and its only a two way fridge.

I think there has been some debris that's fallen on the burner. I'm going to vacuum it out tonight.

[Joejax]

mbopp wrote:
Does the fridge cool on electric?

It did last time I tried it. Unfortunately, my power supply is only limited to keep the battery's charged and its only a two way fridge.

[mbopp]

Does the fridge cool on electric?

[Ex-Tech]

If the flame is not strong or large enough, there will be insufficient BTUs to begin the cooling process.
Common causes for a soft flame include:
1. Rust/Debris falling down from the flue tube on top of the burner
2. Obstruction in the orifice area from things such as spider webs
3. Incorrect gas pressure from the propane regulator
4. On a Dometic burner that uses the slotted burner assembly, the slots become brittle and break creating too large of a "hole" in the burner causing incorrect fuel mixture

[beemerphile1]

The refrigerator burner is often confused with a pilot light because it is so small.