Dometic 2652 quits on propane - NOW WON'T IGNITE

[GaryS1953]

Hi All - Having never camped before without hookups I had never really tried to run our fridge on propane for more than just a few minutes to make sure it worked. It's always been bullet proof on AC. It is only a 2 way, and does not run on DC. Now recently we've been upgrading our battery bank and installing solar and doing other things in preparation for some dry camping this summer and in the fall. As part of that I've been running the fridge on propane to make sure it is working properly for extended periods of time. During these trials the fridge has been lighting normally and get's cold, and works for several hours, anywhere from 12 hours to as much as 3 days, but ultimately the burner will shut down and the check light will come on. If I immediately turn it off and back on it will light normally, but then the cycle repeats and it will go back off after several hours.

It lights immediately and the flame burns nice and clean and blue. Flue is very clean. DC power is good and strong as my batteries are new and my 330 watts of solar is doing a great job of keeping them charged to 12.8 volts. I know there are lot's of threads about theses fridges shutting down after a few seconds to a few minutes, but I really can't find any with this experience where it runs for several hours up to 3 days and then cuts off. Anyone have any experience with this issue and have any suggestions?

Thanks!

[RGar974417]

Here is some thing to check. The igniter also acts as the old capilary tubes to sense the flame. I one time had a water heater with a similar problem. I removed the igniter and cleaned the metal portion with sand paper. It worked.

[GaryS1953]

Ended up being a bad board. My RV dealer couldn't test it for me, but offered to order a replacement OEM board for $280. I thanked them and said no thanks, then went to Amazon and ordered a dinosaur for $114. Having already over the years replaced my hot water heater board and more recently my furnace board with dinosaur's, I felt it would be worth it even if it didn't solve my problem, but it did. Fridge has now been running on propane for 8 days. Thanks to all that offered advice.

[GaryS1953]

Thanks guys. I've got the board and the re-ignited off. I'll try all of your suggestions over the next couple of days. If that doesn't work I'll try getting the electrode off and work on that. I think that's a bit harder to get to.

[mdcamping]

I agree with previous posts and check connections on the board, over yrs and especially on out door gas appliances low voltage spade connectors can appear to be tight but build up deposits which creates resistance/problems with boards.(just push in/out the connectors 3 or 4 times which will scrape the male terminal and make better contact, also if you can "gently" squish the spade connector with some pliers, that helps make better contact also) Also check the ground spade connectors, Many boards check flame signal via the ground connections.

also may be a bad board...

good luck
Mike

[Acdii]

I second the electrode as the cause. One big CLICK is a good clue. It is possible that since it was never really used, that maybe it got corroded over time, and the flame on it cooked the corrosion.

[Chris_Bryant]

The failure I see the most is the electrode itself, getting shorted out. Try removing it, lightly sanding the electrode tip, wipe the ceramic insulator with a paper towel soaked in silicone lube and reinstall, setting the gap at 3/16", centered over the burner.

[sam22]

I had an issue with my fridge similar to his and it ended up being a kinked hose which caused a lack of propane o keep the burner lit. I don't think this would explain how yours randomly turned off after 3 days though...mine would lite and then go out after about a minute or two. Just a thought.

[GaryS1953]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
It seems to me from what you have written in this thread that you are not a tinker, therefore, I suggest you contact a repair shop. For many of us these appliances are simple and work in prescribe manners so we just follow the steps the fridge should follow until we find a failure.

Not everyone needs to be comfortable with repairing stuff and some of us are silly enough that we just assume we can fix things. So it's okay to let someone else do it or turn to those who fix stuff and as my 15 year old grandson says, "You can find out how to Fix Anything on YouTube". Looking at the section on trouble shooting in the manual is good too. Checking Chris Bryant's site for help is a great way to find manuals and help.

Sounds to me like there may be a problem with the DIS circuit or with the temp sensing part of the board.

Very kind way to put it:D, and I appreciate the advise. Unfortunately every trip to the RV dealer ends up costing $500 plus, and I'd actually like to have some $$ left over to DO some traveling, so just trying to see if I can save some before going to the last resort. I will be removing the board and have it checked out at the dealer, and replace it myself if it shows bad. Other than that, I think I'll be forced to follow your advice.

[D_E_Bishop]

It seems to me from what you have written in this thread that you are not a tinker, therefore, I suggest you contact a repair shop. For many of us these appliances are simple and work in prescribe manners so we just follow the steps the fridge should follow until we find a failure.

Not everyone needs to be comfortable with repairing stuff and some of us are silly enough that we just assume we can fix things. So it's okay to let someone else do it or turn to those who fix stuff and as my 15 year old grandson says, "You can find out how to Fix Anything on YouTube". Looking at the section on trouble shooting in the manual is good too. Checking Chris Bryant's site for help is a great way to find manuals and help.

Sounds to me like there may be a problem with the DIS circuit or with the temp sensing part of the board.

[GaryS1953]

Ok, now all of a sudden the fridge will no longer ignite. When I turn it on after a couple of seconds I hear one big CLICK, then nothing. 30 seconds later the check light comes on. I don't hear any sparking. Until recently this fridge has NEVER been run on propane, only AC, so the propane system is extremely clean. I had a friend who is more knowledgeable than me with volt meters check out the various voltages, and things looked right to him. Now that id DOESN'T ignite anymore, does this sound like a bad board, or something else?

[GaryS1953]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
Is the fridge getting warm ???? Mine will sometimes not light on the first try. When that happens the Check Light comes on. But, given some time it will try to light again and the light goes off. It will try to cycle 3 times before it shuts down for good.

Are you maybe watching it so close that you just happen to be there during the times when it doesn't light on the first try ??

I watch mine to closely sometimes also. If the red light comes on I start to panic. But, I have learned to give it some time and see if it will relight on the second or third try and then the light goes off.

My fridge has no problem lighting. It comes on and I hear it ignite, and will work beautifully for up to 3 days, with me checking on it periodically, then at some point, several hours to up to 3 days later the check light come on. During the time it's working I've checked it and the fridge temp has gotten as cold and stayed as cold as it normally does when it runs on AC.

[CavemanCharlie]

Is the fridge getting warm ???? Mine will sometimes not light on the first try. When that happens the Check Light comes on. But, given some time it will try to light again and the light goes off. It will try to cycle 3 times before it shuts down for good.

Are you maybe watching it so close that you just happen to be there during the times when it doesn't light on the first try ??

I watch mine to closely sometimes also. If the red light comes on I start to panic. But, I have learned to give it some time and see if it will relight on the second or third try and then the light goes off.