Fridge On Propane - Again.

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   I have (and love) my 2014 178.   Not so liking the Dometic RM8501 fridge.  Worked great first couple of years.  Now having trouble on propane.  A couple of weeks ago I cleaned out the burner and orifice, which got the burner going.    The fridge worked a weekend ago for 2 1/2 days boondocking.
This past 2 days the fridge wouldn't cool, even though propane running. 

To answer questions:
Fridge started out cold, was on 110vac before the trip.
12vdc is present (controls are lit, redundantly verified with meter in back)
Propane is flowing: stove and hot water heater working.
Flame is blue and present in the burner.
Burner flue is warm to the touch, wouldn't say is "hot".
Tube parallel to the flue (coming out the top) is not warm (this is the problem).
Works with 110vac, tubing with fins gets warm and fridge works.
Is there something to clean in the burner's flue?

I found videos for cleaning the burner but not for anything with the flue.   

Any help well be sincerely appreciated.  :-)

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shicks Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2015 Location: Austin, TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Topic: Fridge On Propane - Again. Posted: 12 Mar 2018 at 2:28pm
	I have (and love) my 2014 178. Not so liking the Dometic RM8501 fridge. Worked great first couple of years. Now having trouble on propane. A couple of weeks ago I cleaned out the burner and orifice, which got the burner going. The fridge worked a weekend ago for 2 1/2 days boondocking. This past 2 days the fridge wouldn't cool, even though propane running. To answer questions: Fridge started out cold, was on 110vac before the trip. 12vdc is present (controls are lit, redundantly verified with meter in back) Propane is flowing: stove and hot water heater working. Flame is blue and present in the burner. Burner flue is warm to the touch, wouldn't say is "hot". Tube parallel to the flue (coming out the top) is not warm (this is the problem). Works with 110vac, tubing with fins gets warm and fridge works. Is there something to clean in the burner's flue? I found videos for cleaning the burner but not for anything with the flue. Any help well be sincerely appreciated. :-)
	RP 2014 178/Grand Cherokee/E2 WDH/Prodigy P3 Mods: Solar, lowes shelves, sink-out, dual batts/propane, steps, door window, EMS, glass stove top, tires, Microair EasyStart... it doesn't seem to end.

JandL Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 29 Mar 2014 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 364	Posted: 12 Mar 2018 at 2:51pm
	Besides cleaning the orifice I also replaced my pressure regulator with a 2 stage. The flame I get at the burner is larger and the flue gets hot. Here is my write up Dometic RM8501 refrigerator, my fix when on gas here is a picture of my flame
	JandL 2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod

furpod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128	Posted: 12 Mar 2018 at 3:10pm
	To answer your question, yes you should clean the flue. Owners have reported many times that it fixed a problem, even though some noticed only very slight debris, some found it full of wasps nests..

shicks Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2015 Location: Austin, TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Posted: 14 Mar 2018 at 8:28pm
	Thank you for your responses. I'm still not getting the propane to cool the fridge. 1. I took apart the burner assembly and cleaned the orifice and the burner. 2. I took the cap off the flue, removed the twist baffle and cleaned inside with pipe cleaner (was clean). 3. Testing afterwards showed a better (bigger) blue flame but the coil piping still not affected. 4. I replaced the regulator with a new 2 stage regulator. The flame seems to look good, blue and full. The flue (sheet metal enclosure) and the flue's tilted cap are hot. The fridge coil piping is hot right where it comes out of the flue assembly but nowhere else. Propane used to work perfectly. It does work on 120vac. And 12vdc ispresent and working (controls, gas solenoid working, etc.) Anyone have a photo of what the flame should look like? Anyone have any ideas what to try next? Thank you in advance. Has me stressed out as I do a lot of boondocking!
	RP 2014 178/Grand Cherokee/E2 WDH/Prodigy P3 Mods: Solar, lowes shelves, sink-out, dual batts/propane, steps, door window, EMS, glass stove top, tires, Microair EasyStart... it doesn't seem to end.

shicks Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2015 Location: Austin, TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Posted: 14 Mar 2018 at 9:52pm
	A photo of my flame after cleaning. (I know the set screw is not in yet)
	RP 2014 178/Grand Cherokee/E2 WDH/Prodigy P3 Mods: Solar, lowes shelves, sink-out, dual batts/propane, steps, door window, EMS, glass stove top, tires, Microair EasyStart... it doesn't seem to end.

JandL Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 29 Mar 2014 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 364	Posted: 14 Mar 2018 at 11:43pm
	There is a inline filter in the gas tube and when I contacted Dometic about replacing it they said it was not removable. One I replaced my propane pressure regulator with a 2 stage everything worked as it should, so I didn't look at replacing the filter. The filter can be ordered. I looked at your picture and my flame and it has a lot more blue going up the flue. I don't think your flame getting hot enough.
	JandL 2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod

seafans Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 24 Nov 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 155	Posted: 15 Mar 2018 at 7:53pm
	Propane leave a lot of deposits in the flue over natural gas. Some home improvement store might have different sizes of stainless steel bore brushes that could be used to clean the flue. Something you could check on, does some of the southern states pump Butane inlue of propane?

shicks Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2015 Location: Austin, TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Posted: 17 Mar 2018 at 8:17am
	It's Fixed! I tried the brake cleaner spray treatment (Thank You JandL) on the mantel. I attacked the mantel/burner with the spray, blew it out with compressed air (can, don't have compressor), then sprayed again. Then filled a small bowl with the brake cleaner and soaked overnight. A final blow in the am, let it all dry and hooked it back up. I learned I really need to clean aggressively. Thank you for your help!!
	RP 2014 178/Grand Cherokee/E2 WDH/Prodigy P3 Mods: Solar, lowes shelves, sink-out, dual batts/propane, steps, door window, EMS, glass stove top, tires, Microair EasyStart... it doesn't seem to end.

furpod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128	Posted: 17 Mar 2018 at 8:46am
	GREAT!! small note... be careful about aggressively cleaning, it is easy to accidentally change the port size.. I did it once on a gas grill..

shicks Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2015 Location: Austin, TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Posted: 13 Apr 2018 at 1:27pm
	Update: I was still having issues, each time a cleaning would fix it for awhile. I finally decided the two probes (starter and temp flame detector?) were too far into the flame. I backed then out just enough and it has been working even better since! The temp probe was halfway into the flame. Research suggests only the metal tip needs to be in flame. Everyone’s happy now. :-)
	RP 2014 178/Grand Cherokee/E2 WDH/Prodigy P3 Mods: Solar, lowes shelves, sink-out, dual batts/propane, steps, door window, EMS, glass stove top, tires, Microair EasyStart... it doesn't seem to end.