Help needed with Norcold N611 Problem

[Bobbie_Cat]

I have a 2012 North Trail (Heartland) with a Norcold Model N611 fridge.
The refrigerator runs perfectly on electricity but only intermittently on gas. It is hard to start. It tries. You can hear it going "gulp, gulp gulp" then the green and yellow lights come on. Sometimes it will catch on the 2nd or third try and run for up to six hours before it cuts off and we have to start the process all over. Sometimes it won't start at all. If you leave it alone for a while it may start on the first try or it may not start at all even after several resets. When it runs it cools properly. I know nothing about fridges except how to open the door. The dealer says it is the altitude--something that was not mentioned when I brought the rig. My 2002 Cub's fridge never missed a beat even at 10,000 feet. Surely a newer model should do at least as well. I think the dealer is blowing smoke. Can't a fridge can be adjusted for the altitude? Water heaters and ovens can.

I desperately need some ideas before I take the trailer in again. Does anyone have a Norcold that works on gas above 8000 feet? Has anyone else had this sort of problem with a fridge? Some suggestions using the appropriate technical terms would really help. Last time the technician didn't even listen when I did my gulp, gulp, gulp refrigerator impression. It was running on gas when I picked it up. I paid $90 for him to "vacuum" it out but when I took it camping 2 weeks later it worked no better.

[Bobbie_Cat]

Norcold fridge is fixed. Took it out for 3 days and it worked fine on gas at 9000 feet. My RV techs adjusted the electrode and increased the gas flow--once they realized I was going to be blown off with the standard "It's the altitude" response. Noldcolds do work fine on gas above 5500 feet. Don't believe the smoke their action line and there owner's manual lays down. Thanks for the help.

[BrianinMichigan]

I had a hard start/hard staying on problem with mine. What I found was the burner openings were partially clogged up. They also have a tendency of rusting up. I pulled mine out and used a dental pick to clean up the openings. That was 5 or more years ago and it still works fine.

[Bobbie_Cat]

Thank you so much for your help. It was pretty much what the RV Repair place in Poncha Springs, CO told me. They couldn't work my trailer in while I was camping nearby and I couldn't follow the technical details over the telephone. What I took from the phone conversation was that sometimes the spark and the gas were too far apart and had to be adjusted. Now I have something more technical to tell the technician when I take my rig in Thursday. If my local RV Repair can't/won't look into this problem I will just have to schedule an appointment at
Poncha Springs and haul my trailer the 100 plus miles to get it fixed.

[wasatchmtnatvr]

electrode gap 3/16 I believe, but important remove shield to adjust electrode position directly above an open slot of burner. Test this by turning of lp valve on refer and put on lp mode and watch spark. You want it to have to jump to one side or other of metal burner, this way you know it is directly above one of the open slots. This will put spark directly in path of lp vapor. A slight amount of force on tip of electrode will allow you to tweek it in position. Post your results.