Low power flame on one burner?

[XJINTX]

I searched here and posted on FB. I just returned from a month long trip. I used my inside stove more than ever. I usually only use one burner for coffee in the morning. I cook outside with my Partner Steel. This trip because of lateness into camps and in-climate weather we used the inside stove for meals for all 3 of us traveling together.

Issue: I discovered that the left burner on my Dometic flat top has no power? It lights but no adjustment and at low levels. As suggested on FB I checked ports for cleanliness and such. All looks good. I will try anything recommended before contacting FWC for fix. The other burner works fine. My dealer here, where purchased, has closed and no other FWC dealer is in close proximity.

I guess I could take to any RV repair place? However, it may be cheaper to just replace than that

 

[CougarCouple]

Hi Ijintx
My recommendation is call the manufacturer of the stove, ask for customer support or tech department. Have model number and serial number. If possible be at your camper so person helping you, can ask what happens when you do ???.
Good Luck

Russ

 

[Wallowa]

XX,

My concern would be that if the propane is not coming out of the burner, but the supply line has pressure, it might be escaping somewhere inside the camper....be careful.

Phil

Ps...Another thought, the regulator that only allows low flow for about ten minutes after the line is pressurized may be malfunctioning and not allowing sufficient flow to support to the left burner while getting enough to the right burner....a WAG.

 

[ardvark]

Burners require very little gas and are fed by a cpomon manifold to the individual values. It is not common, but best guess would be the valve is bad, especially since you have flame, but have lost adjustment. They are replaceable and it is a simple repair. You do have to order the valve based on the model number of your cooktop. You might even be able to find it on Amazon.

 

[XJINTX]

XX,

My concern would be that if the propane is not coming out of the burner, but the supply line has pressure, it might be escaping somewhere inside the camper....be careful.

Phil

Ps...Another thought, the regulator that only allows low flow for about ten minutes after the line is pressurized may be malfunctioning and not allowing sufficient flow to support to the left burner while getting enough to the right burner....a WAG.

If I did have maybe a leak would the other burner still work fine? Do they have separate lines?

 

[Advmoto18]

I had this issue last year with my low profile, glass top cooktop rear burner installed at the factory. My burner would light off but the flame was exceptionally low and only about 180 degrees of the burner would light off. I checked for gas leaks at the fittings, no leaks.

I removed the unit from the countertop.

Cleaned everything I could get access to thoroughly and discovered a bit of debris in gas line (metal part leading up to the rear burner). Re-assembled, checked for gas leaks with soapy water. No leaks and burner now functions normally.

I suspect the debris (just a little bit) was disturbing uniform gas flow to the burner. Hence, the burner would not light off completely or achieve a full flame on low or high.

The factory propane sensor installed at the factory is extremely sensitive. If you have propane gas of any amount building up in the camper, I'm confident the sensor alarm would sound. At least in my camper.

I've had numerous false alarms with the propane/carbon monoxide sensor as well. Usually an indicator a component with the unit is failing. So when the last combined unit failed, I went in a different direction.

I installed a dedicated propane sensor at the floor. Propane is heavier than air and gas will settle to the floor first. Hence a good location for this sensor.

However, the carbon monoxide sensor should not be at the floor. If it is at floor level and the CO alarms sounds in the middle of the night, you might already be incapacitated, if not dead. CO is slightly lighter than air. Thus the alarm should be mounted high. I bought a battery powered First Alert CO detector and now have it mounted up high on the rear lift panel. Above head level when sleeping. Since I have installed 2 separate sensors, I have not had a single false alert.

CO poisoning is extremely nasty and tough to counter the adverse affects of without proper medical attention. CO is an aggressive compound that bonds exceptionally well with hemoglobin thus displacing O2. Why this odorless, silent killer is especially deadly when camping out in the boonies, far from expeditious medical help. I doubt many us carry O2 therapy equipment for CO poisoning.

 

[CougarCouple]

Advmoto18
Thank you for posting this information. I will more closely at ours. I try to be diligent, seems you can always add something new to what you already “think “you know.
Russ

 

[pvstoy]

Also check for spider webs in the manifold tube, orfice plugged with stuff.

 

[Advmoto18]

Also check for spider webs in the manifold tube, orfice plugged with stuff.

Thanks for posting "manifold tube" term!!!

I couldn't think of the term to save my life. That is where I found the debris which was not so much clogging but limiting uniform gas flow to the burner. Hence the low and partial flame.

 

[Advmoto18]

Advmoto18
Thank you for posting this information. I will more closely at ours. I try to be diligent, seems you can always add something new to what you already “think “you know.
Russ

Your welcome Russ!

I talked a lot about CO poisoning with my family Doc. CO poisoning is tough to treat even with the proper medical help because CO does not want to give up its bond with blood very easily, especially to O2.

Recall CO poisoning is what killed that family in a rented condo down in Mexico several weeks ago.

Here's the propane sensor now installed at floor level. It installs in the factory hole pretty well but there is a small gap at the bottom which is not too noticeable unless your looking at the sensor/installation. I did mount is sideways which has not adverse affect on the unit as far as I can tell or read. I did test the unit with a blast of propane at head level with door and vents closed. Sounded in about 2 seconds.

And the First Alert Co detector. I used Velcro to attach to lift panel. IMO you want the CO sensor mounted at least head level if not higher. I generally remove the sensor before dropping the roof. If I forget to remove it from the lift panel it tends to fall off most of the time going down gravel roads.

Bill