OP
OP
chnlisle
Post Master
CR, I need a much bigger pencil.
3 Way F#ckn' Fridge.
- Thread starter chnlisle
- Start date
pvstoy
Senior Member
May end up taking the burner assembly apart and wire brushing everything to get any corrosion off. Clean the jet and while apart blow out the propane line that gunk can be pushing up against the jet.
Also blow out the stack, where the burner vents to. Reassemble and make sure the thermocouple is in the flame. There are flames that look good but some are deceiving and not a strong one.
A empty tank you can get 4 to 4.3 gallons depending on the temperature. A five gallon tank needs room for expansion.
I have heard that if propane is not run for a very long time the stuff inside the tubes settles and packs. Then the cure is to take the refrigerator unit out and turn upside down. Think of a fire extinguisher the powder inside packs.
Good luck Jay.
Also blow out the stack, where the burner vents to. Reassemble and make sure the thermocouple is in the flame. There are flames that look good but some are deceiving and not a strong one.
A empty tank you can get 4 to 4.3 gallons depending on the temperature. A five gallon tank needs room for expansion.
I have heard that if propane is not run for a very long time the stuff inside the tubes settles and packs. Then the cure is to take the refrigerator unit out and turn upside down. Think of a fire extinguisher the powder inside packs.
Good luck Jay.
craig333
Riley's Human
Interesting Jay. Never heard that and I did a research paper on propane ages ago (when i was still taking fire science classes) . A common yet overlooked problem is spiders. Some that are nearly invisible to the eye can take up residence in the lines and plug them up.
camelracer
Contributors
CR, I need a much bigger pencil.
That's what she said.
That's what she said.
OP
OP
chnlisle
Post Master
Ok guys this is what I've done. Run the stove burners for 5 min. Vacuumed everything. wire brushed burner and thermocouple. Blew compressed air through lines. Used a long neck butane lighter for 10 mins. Pretty much everything I could think of but kneel towards the east. I'm going over to talk to a Norcold tech in the AM for more ideas. These things are supposed to be simple but I guess I'm just too slow to pencil it out.
LAWNMOWERMAN
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
- Messages
- 214
Jay -Here is a little trick I use to start my Norcold 3way.(Assuming that you can get the flame to light while holding the pilot valve down.)While you have the the pilot valve depressed turn the selecter switch from GAS to OFF position a couple of times and return to GAS then let go of the pilot valve.If you are lucky the flame will stay lit.Hope this helps.
Attachments
OP
OP
chnlisle
Post Master
That's a new one. I'll let you know how it works out.
Thanks
Thanks
pvstoy
Senior Member
Ok guys this is what I've done. Run the stove burners for 5 min. Vacuumed everything. wire brushed burner and thermocouple. Blew compressed air through lines. Used a long neck butane lighter for 10 mins. Pretty much everything I could think of but kneel towards the east. I'm going over to talk to a Norcold tech in the AM for more ideas. These things are supposed to be simple but I guess I'm just too slow to pencil it out.
Did you remove the jet and clean it and than blow out the line with the jet removed???
Did you remove the jet and clean it and than blow out the line with the jet removed???
OP
OP
chnlisle
Post Master
Pat,
I haven't done that yet. This thing is beginning to be a marathon. Thanks for the suggestion I'll give it a try.
I haven't done that yet. This thing is beginning to be a marathon. Thanks for the suggestion I'll give it a try.
EdoHart
Grasshopper
When I cleaned and fixed my Dometic, I removed the burner assembly. If you go this route, which seems indicated at this point, be sure to use 2 wrenches, one on the burner assembly and one on the flare nut, so as not to twist the gas supply line.
The burner assembly is basically a carburetor. There are only a few parts, but pay close attention to how things come apart and put them back in the same order and orientation that you found them. Specifically, the orifice (the donut with a really small hole in it). Also, I wouldn't get too aggressive with the wire brush. The idea is the clean, not change the shape or size components.
The burner assembly is basically a carburetor. There are only a few parts, but pay close attention to how things come apart and put them back in the same order and orientation that you found them. Specifically, the orifice (the donut with a really small hole in it). Also, I wouldn't get too aggressive with the wire brush. The idea is the clean, not change the shape or size components.
EdoHart
Grasshopper
I should point out that if you have a nice, clean, blue, flame while pressing the pilot button, and if that flame gets larger and small as you change the selector knob from high to low, then I don't think the problem is in your burner assembly, bur rather you have a bad thermocouple.
Stan@FourWheel
Senior Member
Those can be a PITA to get adjusted right when there is a problem.
When they work, they usually work OK.
But when they don't, it takes some time to figure it out.
Usually if the propane pressure is not flowing fast enough (meaning the flame is not tall or hot enough) the pilot light will go out.
It could be a bad thermocoupler or a slightly clogged propane flow.
You might have to take the sheet metal cover off to be able to see the small slits in the tip of the propane flame area.
On most of the ones I have seen over the years it was one of the following ...
1. Rust on the slits / openings where the flame is burning. This restricts the flame just enough where it won't keep the thermocoupler hot enough to keep the propane flowing. Clean the slits out and remove any rust.
2. a possible very SMALL spider web in the propane line. You will have to take the tip off (the part at the end of the propane line that has the small slits in it and where you light it). Inside is a very SMALL regulator (looks about the size of a pencil tip), and has a very tiny hole in it. Carefully take it apart making notes on how it goes back together in the same fashion. Clean and blow out the line. Get out any debris, spider webs, rust shavings, etc. Put it back together.
3. Clean any soot or carbon off the thermocoupler. Check to see that the thermocoupler is located in the hottest part of the flame when running. Adjust if needed.
4. Have the propane tank checked. If the propane tank is empty, it should take approx. 4 gallons of propane when you get it filled. If it is not accepting propne it could be a bad or stuck float inside. Shake the tank around a bit. When I filled the used horixontal propane tank that came with my old six-pac, it would not accept any propane. The old timer filling it said ... "you didn't see me do this" and proceeded to gently bang the tank on the ground a few times. He said the float inside gets stuck sometimes. He hooked on the filler nozzle again to the tank and it filled right up.
It is a pretty simple system to work on. Not too dufficult. The hardest part is usually getting the parts & pieces apart & back together bvecause it is such a small space to work in.
Hope this helps.
.
.
When they work, they usually work OK.
But when they don't, it takes some time to figure it out.
Usually if the propane pressure is not flowing fast enough (meaning the flame is not tall or hot enough) the pilot light will go out.
It could be a bad thermocoupler or a slightly clogged propane flow.
You might have to take the sheet metal cover off to be able to see the small slits in the tip of the propane flame area.
On most of the ones I have seen over the years it was one of the following ...
1. Rust on the slits / openings where the flame is burning. This restricts the flame just enough where it won't keep the thermocoupler hot enough to keep the propane flowing. Clean the slits out and remove any rust.
2. a possible very SMALL spider web in the propane line. You will have to take the tip off (the part at the end of the propane line that has the small slits in it and where you light it). Inside is a very SMALL regulator (looks about the size of a pencil tip), and has a very tiny hole in it. Carefully take it apart making notes on how it goes back together in the same fashion. Clean and blow out the line. Get out any debris, spider webs, rust shavings, etc. Put it back together.
3. Clean any soot or carbon off the thermocoupler. Check to see that the thermocoupler is located in the hottest part of the flame when running. Adjust if needed.
4. Have the propane tank checked. If the propane tank is empty, it should take approx. 4 gallons of propane when you get it filled. If it is not accepting propne it could be a bad or stuck float inside. Shake the tank around a bit. When I filled the used horixontal propane tank that came with my old six-pac, it would not accept any propane. The old timer filling it said ... "you didn't see me do this" and proceeded to gently bang the tank on the ground a few times. He said the float inside gets stuck sometimes. He hooked on the filler nozzle again to the tank and it filled right up.
It is a pretty simple system to work on. Not too dufficult. The hardest part is usually getting the parts & pieces apart & back together bvecause it is such a small space to work in.
Hope this helps.
.
.
pvstoy
Senior Member
"............
4. Have the propane tank checked. If the propane tank is empty, it should take approx. 4 gallons of propane when you get it filled. If it is not accepting propne it could be a bad or stuck float inside. Shake the tank around a bit. When I filled the used horixontal propane tank that came with my old six-pac, it would not accept any propane. The old timer filling it said ... "you didn't see me do this" and proceeded to gently bang the tank on the ground a few times. He said the float inside gets stuck sometimes. He hooked on the filler nozzle again to the tank and it filled right up."........
My filler person did the same thing for one of mine...But he said that is what that sheet of wood is for.
4. Have the propane tank checked. If the propane tank is empty, it should take approx. 4 gallons of propane when you get it filled. If it is not accepting propne it could be a bad or stuck float inside. Shake the tank around a bit. When I filled the used horixontal propane tank that came with my old six-pac, it would not accept any propane. The old timer filling it said ... "you didn't see me do this" and proceeded to gently bang the tank on the ground a few times. He said the float inside gets stuck sometimes. He hooked on the filler nozzle again to the tank and it filled right up."........
My filler person did the same thing for one of mine...But he said that is what that sheet of wood is for.
OP
OP
chnlisle
Post Master
Well I'm now a certified 3 Way F#ckn' Fridge Tech! Pam concurs that I surely am certified. It's 100 out so I figured after cleaning the garage and adding some lumber racks above the garage door why not frustrate myself a little more with the Norcold. So I pretended I was in DV mid day and opened the miserable thing up again. I thought that since there's no in/out adjustment to the thermocouple and even if there was I hadn't a clue what was right or wrong I would just look a little closer at where it goes into the Galvy box. Low and behold the POS has barbs on it. I deduced they must be to hold the bastard in place. Eureka 100 outside temp 40 in the fridge. I added a PC type fan with and on off switch as well. I read somewhere on line that the way these things are installed the fins (located in the upper vent area) they don't get enough air circulation and as long as I was toying with heat stroke why the hell not.
SunMan
King Taco
Damn, hate to see such an entertaining post come to an end!
For the record, I never lost faith in you amigo
For the record, I never lost faith in you amigo
Marc
Fire Proof
OP
OP
chnlisle
Post Master
I recently ran into a similar situation with my Norcold 2 way, wouldn't get cold enough on propane, but on 110 it would freeze everything when set to the middle temperature position. I called Norcold and one question that came up was the clearance on the sides and top of the fridge in the compartment it was in.
Seems the manufacturer (KZ-RV Inc) neglected to insulate the compartment, or fill in the 4" gaps around the box. So when on electric, the heating element was inside the insulated chimney and worked fine, when switched to gas, the burner which is below the chimney, generated so much heat that the cooling unit inside couldn't keep up, and worse as the unit called for more cooling, the burner would put out more heat, defeating the cooling of the system.
So this weekend I'm pulling the fridge, insulating and closing off the 4" wide gaps around the fridge, and should see a huge improvement in performance.
Also there is a bulb in the back on the fins, usually with a metal clip. if the fridge is n't getting cold enough, you can move it up to trick it into getting colder, and down if it's getting too cold. Move it only about 1mm at a time, more than that can create more headaches as it will swing the temperature too far in either direction.
Matt are you talking about the "fins" in the upper vent on the out side of the camper.
Seems the manufacturer (KZ-RV Inc) neglected to insulate the compartment, or fill in the 4" gaps around the box. So when on electric, the heating element was inside the insulated chimney and worked fine, when switched to gas, the burner which is below the chimney, generated so much heat that the cooling unit inside couldn't keep up, and worse as the unit called for more cooling, the burner would put out more heat, defeating the cooling of the system.
So this weekend I'm pulling the fridge, insulating and closing off the 4" wide gaps around the fridge, and should see a huge improvement in performance.
Also there is a bulb in the back on the fins, usually with a metal clip. if the fridge is n't getting cold enough, you can move it up to trick it into getting colder, and down if it's getting too cold. Move it only about 1mm at a time, more than that can create more headaches as it will swing the temperature too far in either direction.
Matt are you talking about the "fins" in the upper vent on the out side of the camper.
pvstoy
Senior Member
Jay I'm pretty sure it is the one inside.
Knowing how I feel about these things it could be a self fullfilling prophecy but the stupid thing took a $#!t just when we needed it most. Go figure. I don't know if it was the angle the truck was parked on or the altitude (7100') even though neither had been a problem in the past. The burner was working fined as was the fridge when we left home. It stayed lit for the entire drive and while we were in Pagosa Springs but no cooling - or at least very little. The propane ran out on the way to Durango so here's the question. WTF?
O.K., you are gonna think that I am wack if you've not heard this: when our old dometic ('84) stopped working on the old Hawk, we contacted a fridge guy to ask about recharging, or whatever it would take to get it working. He explained a bit about the ammonia design, let us know it could not be "recharged" (not freon, etc.) and told us to pull it out, flip it upside-down , and leave it for a day. Then flip 'er back and reinstall. That we did, and it worked great after that! We also did this with a bit newer model on our bit newer Fleet when it became wimpy. Something to do with "burping" the system, or releasing a bubble of sorts... I've not seen this tip in any manual or hereabouts, so you can think that I'm foolin' with you, or give it a go! Best o' luck - Pete
O.K., you are gonna think that I am wack if you've not heard this: when our old dometic ('84) stopped working on the old Hawk, we contacted a fridge guy to ask about recharging, or whatever it would take to get it working. He explained a bit about the ammonia design, let us know it could not be "recharged" (not freon, etc.) and told us to pull it out, flip it upside-down , and leave it for a day. Then flip 'er back and reinstall. That we did, and it worked great after that! We also did this with a bit newer model on our bit newer Fleet when it became wimpy. Something to do with "burping" the system, or releasing a bubble of sorts... I've not seen this tip in any manual or hereabouts, so you can think that I'm foolin' with you, or give it a go! Best o' luck - Pete
Similar threads - WTW
- Evader53
- Gear Exchange
- Replies: 1
- Views: 461
- CPT Davenport
- Electrical, Charging, Solar, Batteries and Generat
- Replies: 21
- Views: 2K
- Shawn S
- Electrical, Charging, Solar, Batteries and Generat
- Replies: 26
- Views: 1K
