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Dometic Fridge Not Cooling on Propane

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Tonii87 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Tonii87 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Dometic Fridge Not Cooling on Propane
    Posted: 19 Sep 2021 at 10:06pm
Good evening,

I have a 2016 R Pod 183G. I was making sure the fridge was working properly but I don’t think it is. When connected to shore power the temperature went down to 40F degrees but when I switched it to propane the temperature has been going up and it’s currently at 65F degrees. I have it set up at the highest level. Anything I can do to the fridge to get it working without having to take it in for service? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2021 at 11:24pm
If it is working on shore power, then it is likely that the problem is in the burner/flue area and possibly the gas line.

1. Remove the cover. Look at the flame. Is it burning mostly blue? Can you hear it? Is the flame going up the flue or back toward the line? If it is not going up the flue, turn it off immediately. You likely have a mud-dauber or other insect nest or carbon or other blockage in the flue. To fix this there are several things to do.
a. Shut the propane tank valve.
b.  Let the burner cool. Then remove it carefully, being sure not to lose the little piece of metal with the orifice. Clean the burner with rubbing/denatured alcohol. Clean the orifice also. You can use a soft brush, but don't poke through the hole. You can damage it. 
c. Remove the slanted T top to the flue. Under that, there is a wire. Pull that out and you will see a spiral shaped piece of metal. Clean that. Clean the flue also. If you can get a brush like a shotgun cleaning brush in there, scrub the carbon out of the flue. Replace the spiral and the top in the same orientation they were when you removed them.
d. Reassemble the orifice and burner and reinstall them in the same positions they were before you removed them.
e. Remove the propane hose connection near the refrigerator. Remove the hose from the regulator. Place the regulator end in a container. Blow air from the refrigerator end through the hose. I suspect you will have a significant quantity of greasy liquid that will be in the container. Once you have done that, reattach the hose at both ends.
f. Turn on the tank valve and use soapy water to test for leaks. If you see bubbles, tighten the connections and check again. Repeat until no bubbles appear at any of the gas connections you removed or any others you wish to test.
g. Light the stove to purge the air from the gas lines. Once you have a steady flame, turn the refrigerator on and switch to propane. It may take several cycles before it will light and maintain a flame.
h. View the flame. Is it burning cleanly? Do you hear the gas and flame? Does it sound stronger than before? If so, then you should begin to notice the refrigerator cooling. 

One other thing. When you say you set it to the highest level, how many LEDs are illuminated? More lights = more cold. Also, if you have a high ambient temperature, the refrigerator will struggle. Make sure the side of the trailer with the refrigerator is shaded if you can. You can rig up a reflective shade to not let the sun shine directly on the back of the refrigerator compartment. Just don't block the vents. You may also remove the freezer compartment separator and door so that both cooling plates/fins can work to cool the refrigerator. I've had to do that when the ambient temperatures were very high which is likely at Yuma.

Anyway, please let us know if this helps. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, then you will likely need to take it in for service.
StephenH
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Tonii87 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Tonii87 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2021 at 12:57am
Will check that out. Thank you
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jato View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2021 at 7:13am
Excellent advice from StephenH.

I may like to add IF you encounter a greasy liquid come out of the propane line you may also have to replace the pressure regulator ($ 15-20).  I had this happen a couple years ago and found a lot of the greasy liquid come out of both the propane line and pressure regulator.  Changed out the regulator after cleaning out the line and everything worked great.
God's pod
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Pod People View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Pod People Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2021 at 7:29am
I just went through this same ritual with our 2015 179.  Stephen's advice is spot on.
I ended up replacing the regulator and both hoses. after cleaning and replacement, the refrigerator works as it should.
Vann

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Post Options Post Options   Quote JR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2021 at 12:48pm
Thanks StephenH, again excellent insight, I have a 2019 179 and have been using the fridge on 110v, 12v and gas with no problems until this pass week when we were boondocking in Northern Michigan and the gas mode just stopped working no forewarning and the week was very overcast so we could not use 12 volt and solar.  When I got home started digging into the malfunction after reading your write up (thank you) and I started with a good blue flame on the burner when using gas, found that on the 110v mode the fridge worked well.  Checking further found out the flue stack temperature on the gas exhaust vent at the bottom was in the area of 240 degrees and at the top of the flue stack about 230.degrees  I had no base line to compare it to.  So I disassembled the gas burner after disconnecting all power 12v, 110v and the gas.  I couldn't remove the gas burner from the fridge area because of the hard wiring to the igniter and the flame sensor.  So working in the confined space I disconnected the gas feed at the gas on/off valve that runs to the burner orifice while leaving that line connected to the burner assembly (the pipe is about 10" long).  I was able to rotate the burner (separate part from the orifice) and used compressed air to clean out the burner head, the gas line to the orifice and the flue stack.  Also I ran a shot gun cleaning brush up and down the flue stack several times.  I did not see any obstacles in any of the parts prior to the cleaning process like a mud dobber nest or spider cobwebs.  I couldn't evaluate the gas orifice prior to cleaning with compressed air.  After reassembling all the parts and checking the gas connection at the gas valve with soapy water and turning the everything back on (gas and electrical) and leaving the fridge run for about 2 hours the inside fridge temperature has dropped 10 degrees, the bottom temperature on the flue stack is about 550 degrees, the top temperature on the flue stack is about 350 degrees and the refringent line by the top of the flue stack has risen from about 230 degrees to about 330.  Another noticeable outcome is that the flame is now louder and I can easily hear it burning.

I would have to say that in my estimation the gas orifice was restricted and it was causing the flame to reduce (even though it looked good) and the consequence was a reduction of the temperature until the fridge stopped cooling.  I guess cleaning the orifice is some more routine maintenance that should be done.

Again thank you StephenH for some more great advise.  Hope this helps someone else.
Jay

179/2019
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2021 at 2:42pm
Thank you for the update. I'm glad you got the problem solved.
StephenH
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Tonii87 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Tonii87 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Sep 2021 at 6:55pm
Thank you StephenH. The fridge is working now. Really appreciate the help.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Oct 2021 at 5:22pm
Thanks JR.  I never thought about reading the flame temp at the orifice and at the top of the stack.  Will make a run to HF to pick up a temperature gauge.  Thanks again for giving us some 'numbers' to work with if we an an issue like you encountered.
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'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Post Options Post Options   Quote JR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Oct 2021 at 12:16pm
Also a drop in the stack temperatures may mean that preventive maintenance is called for, like cleaning out the gas orifice with compressed air before the fridge just stops cooling.  That's my plan at least.
Jay

179/2019
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