Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:57:16 EDT
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Dometic won't light troubleshooting
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 15/07/2008 9:41:02 A.M. Central Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
There is a process termed as "burping" the Dometic. Basically with the
fridge on the bench, you turn it upside down for 24 hours or so, then
(of course) turn it right side up. I'm not clear on the chemical
aspect of absorption fridges, but I gather that the ammonia etc. may
need a "kick start" to start moving and/or combining again.
Burping the fridge will not help to get the propane service working. The
Chemicals in the cooling system are just for that - COOLING ! If the propane
service will not fire up then there's a problem with the propane delivery,
regulation or ignition ! AND, cooling off the fridge for 12 hours on
electricity to get it started on propane may work but the reason it helps is that the
heat produced in the exhaust pipe from the 120 volt heater rises up that
exhaust pipe causing a convection current that inducts fresh air down the intake
tube and that fresh air in the combustion chamber is what makes the propane
easier to light. So.......the moral of that story is to get fresh air into
the combustion chamber to get that propane to light up. And......by fresh air
I mean with a good charge of oxygen as that is really what the propane
needs to light up. So....... that's why the air pump is there. It does not work
all that well so I and many others have had good success by inducing air
into the drain tube at the LH front bottom of the fridge. Remove the cap, blow
air in there from a compressor or with a small diameter plastic tube using
your hot air for the air source ! Also, to note, if you have kept the propane
bypass valve pressed in for a long time without the propane lighting then the
combustion chamber will be flooded with propane as it tends to lay on the
bottom of the chamber instead of rising up out of the chamber, so clicking the
piezo many times or blowing in fresh air without pressing the bypass valve to
expel the excess propane before actually trying to light the propane will
help clear the combustion chamber thereby allowing a fresh charge of propane
and air to light up.
Cheers,
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )
_Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
- Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/exhaust.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 12 ~ 15, 2008
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