Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => Tips and Tricks => Topic started by: savvydog on August 17, 2015, 11:22:19 am
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Hi all,
I'm having a heck of a time with my 3-way refrigerator and keep getting a no-flame message when trying to operate in the LP mode. LP tank is 2/3 full and the stove works just fine.
I am in the process of transitioning from my stick/brick house to full-time in the MH and we are at the awkward stage of having the house on the market and the RV parked in the driveway between jaunts. We have to do brief getaways every time the house is shown so we are in and out of the driveway a lot. My driveway is slanted so I have to use the leveling jacks to get the MH level. Either the refrigerator seems to be insanely picky about being level or there is something else wrong. Each time we return, I have to fiddle around a lot with the leveling to get the refrigerator to cooperate and light the flame. Yesterday, I spent 45 minutes messing around with the levels and trying to get the LP to light on the fridge and it never worked. I can hear the LP click on, but the flame never lights. The indicators on the HWH jacks say we are level and the level I put on the floor in front of the refrigerator says we are level in all directions. I lit the stove to to see if I needed to clear the lines of air and that didn't help. I finally gave up, turned off the fridge and took everything from the fridge and freezer in the house.
Any ideas what else I can do? I am going nuts dealing with this!
P.S. I am one of those people who doesn't feel comfortable driving with the propane on so I turn it off every time we drive away. I'm also not comfortable doing much in the way of repairs so if there is anything very complicated, I might have to get someone else to help.
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Sometimes there isn’t gas in the line all the way to the refrigerator. Do the range burners light? Sometime lighting the burners will get the gas far enough that the refrigerator will then light.
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Yes, I lit the stove and let it run for a minute or so. Didn't help.
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I just spoke with Kermit and he said on a newer refrigerator like mine, it should not be nearly this picky about leveling so it must be another issue. Now to find a place for service. :-)
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Before spending the time and money for service, I would research where the flame is located and see if a spider has moved into the area, as one did for my brother's motor home. Make sure the orifice is free of bugs and such. You could take a long stick butane lighter as pictured and burn the area clean of bugs. If you comfortable doing so, you could even light the flame yourself, just to initially get it going. Hold the butane flame there while your spouse turns on the fridge to LP. It is not a huge flame when it is lit.....nothing like the hot water heater and stove.
Once it is working, it should stay working. I know you are afraid to drive while on propane but it is designed to work that way. We do it all the time as we have a 2-way fridge and stay on propane for weeks at a time.
(http://www.doityourself.com/forum/attachments/boilers-home-heating-steam-hot-water-systems/4676d1351140031-gas-fired-hot-water-boiler-not-burning-pilot-light-31rtz-euojl.jpg)
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We had that problem once with our previous motorhome. A friend suggested we take off the outside cover and either vacuum or just blow on the area where the flame would be. Since we were at a rally in Canada and did not have a vacuum, we blew around that area a couple times and sure enough it worked after that. Apparently some dirt or grit had gotten in and was keeping it from lighting.
Not sure if that could be causing your problem but it is an easy thing to try.
Gail
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We had that problem once with our previous motorhome. A friend suggested we take off the outside cover and either vacuum or just blow on the area where the flame would be. Since we were at a rally in Canada and did not have a vacuum, we blew around that area a couple times and sure enough it worked after that. Apparently some dirt or grit had gotten in and was keeping it from lighting.
Not sure if that could be causing your problem but it is an easy thing to try.
Gail
That is a better place to start.....just blow out the area with a vacuum cleaner set to blow, or even use a leave blower.
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We have had a motorhome for 18 years and have always allowed the frig to run on propane while driving. I wouldn't suggest turning it on and off...................not to worry it's safe the way they're designed.
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In the back of the refrigerator (outside) there is a tube with a 90 degree bend in it. The gas must travel in this tube to get to the part that lights. Spiders and stink bugs love the smell in the tube, so they build a nest or web in it, stopping the gas from flowing. Try taking a small screw driver and clearing this tube. There is a small brush on a spring handle for this purpose. You may have to remove the tube. There is only one screw holding it on. Hope this helps.
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Nice detail Tom. 2o2
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Thank you all for your suggestions! I spoke with an RV servicer and while we were chatting a light bulb went on. Turns out this was simply a case of the batteries being too low on juice to ignite the flame and I didn't realize it. Apparently it sat a bit too long with the engine off (15 minutes?) and the refrigerator defaulted to dc mode and drained the house battery to the point that it wouldn't light. Chalk it up to newbie idiocy. I will sure keep your suggestions in mind for when I need them for real!
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You have me smiling over the cause & solution...just charge the batteries. :) Our PC bought eight years ago, was our first fully functioning motor home. Oh how many operator errors I made....and still make. It seems every new RVing season is a test to see whether I am developing dementia.
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Happy to know it was an easy fix.
Wish you the best with your house sale. Having experienced that last October, I can identify with having to leave at a moments notice.
Gail
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Interesting posts. Thanks to all.
In a recent trip to New Mexico we boondocked three weeks. For a couple of days it rained and our solar was not as effective as normal. It works pretty well for us with just four or five hours direct exposure. In any event, I got the same default signal, checked the gas, checked the normal stuff...most of what I checked was mentioned in the posts above.
Lo and behold, my batteries were discharged but only to about 11.7%, which is still a significant discharge in percentage of 100% charge. Solution was simple. I started the chassis motor and ran it for a few minutes, got a quick shot on the coach batteries and fired up the genset. Ran it for an hour. No more problems with the refrigerator.
These newer refrigerators have their advantages.......and disadvantages. Personally, I think they are much more "picky" than they were a few years ago. Read your manual on leveling. I forgot what ours calls for, but it seems way to tight a spec for me. Our old Dometic in our 2007 Roadtrek would freeze up the refrig on a low setting when it was several degrees out of level.
The lesson for me: my refrig defaults at a battery drain of just a little under 12 volts, apparently.
By the way, my refrigerator is two way only. I do miss the DC setting on my old refrig.
Paul
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My first motorhome, an EZ Ryder (made in California) had a 3-way refrigerator. Thought then that all RVs had 3-way refrigerators. It was great.
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We also had a 3 way Dometic in our LTV Free Spirit LSS. Wish our PC had one.
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Smart money says not to run the Fridge on 12VDC. Either AC or Propane, which won't kill the charging system/ignition of the engine on the road (which has happened to me more than once).
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12 volts is as low as you should ever discharge your batteries to prolong the life. It's less than 50% charged.
See chart below. Read your battery voltage with your inverter voltage display or with a digital voltmeter.
Percentage
Charge Voltage
100 12.73
90 12.62
80 12.5
70 12.37
60 12.24
50 12.1
40 11.96
30 11.81
20 11.66
10 11.51
To run a frig on DC takes too much power and batteries would quickly be discharged. That is why they eliminated the DC 3-way option.
There is absolutely no reason to turn off your refrigerator while traveling. That's what it was designed to do.
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I have the three-way refrigerator and always run the refrig on DC while driving. The engine seems to keep the battery charge up just fine. In my previous class A, I ran the larger two-way refrig on Battery power thru the inverter while driving and never had problems with that either. I have no objection to running a refrig on propane while driving but I don't see why I would prefer that if my batteries are handling the job.
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I suspect we are all prejudiced by our personal experiences regarding most things. Me? I have always preferred to go down the road on DC and have done so for most of my 30+ years of owning motor homes. Our unit prior to owning our PC, we got over six years service on our set of coach batteries and always ran down the merry lanes on DC. I replaced the coach battery after six years just because it was original and figured it was time. The coach and chassis were never taken back to any dealer for service or problems after I drove it off the sales lot after buying it new. So, I would conclude that for me the DC worked just fine. Plus, on propane you always have to remember to turn of the refrig when gassing up. Boom is a bad word.
Paul