TheSamba.com :: View topic - Dometic Fridge

Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:32 pm

Hi all

Trying to start the Dometic fridge on LP. This thing hasn't been used in a while apparently.
When I select the Gas mode on the switches to the right, the manual says that the red light above should start blinking (sign that the piezo is sending sparks).

Nothing, no blink, no light, no spark that I can hear.

What I've done so far: I checked the fuses on the B-pillar, they're good. Only the right one has +12V, the other one has 0.
The fridge works on 110V and on 12V.

Any thoughts ?

Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:53 pm

If it lit instantly, then you wouldn't see it sparking. The sparking stops as soon as it is lit. That seems to me the most likely option without looking at it in person. The plug under the sink could be loose or unplugged, but it wouldn't work on 12 volts if so. So maybe not that. The igniter part behind that 3 button selector could go bad or the sparker wire could have come out of it. Those electronic sparker do go bad sometimes, but not too common. Mine seems to not work occasionally, I think from condensation possibly. When I try it later it seems to work fine. (I added a manual piezo as a backup). You could double check at the plug under the sink to make sure you have 12Volts there. Taking the fridge out is a hassle, so start with anything you can do with it in place.

Sun Jun 03, 2018 6:14 pm

Mine is somewhat different as it is an 84... but it looks to me like you have the gas turned off.

For starting I think the dial with OFF and ON should be turned to ON.

Also the dial that turns from MIN to Max should be on MAX.

I will also mention since you are new to this - the valve on the propane tank also needs to be open.

Sun Jun 03, 2018 6:21 pm

VicVan wrote:
The fridge works on 110V and on 12V.

Any thoughts ?

If you can, leave it on 110v overnight and try lighting it then. I always found that mine lit easily when it had been running. But I had an 87: yours is newer and maybe doesn't benefit from that.

Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:13 pm

davevickery wrote: If it lit instantly, then you wouldn't see it sparking. The sparking stops as soon as it is lit. That seems to me the most likely option without looking at it in person. The plug under the sink could be loose or unplugged, but it wouldn't work on 12 volts if so. So maybe not that. The igniter part behind that 3 button selector could go bad or the sparker wire could have come out of it. Those electronic sparker do go bad sometimes, but not too common. Mine seems to not work occasionally, I think from condensation possibly. When I try it later it seems to work fine. (I added a manual piezo as a backup). You could double check at the plug under the sink to make sure you have 12Volts there. Taking the fridge out is a hassle, so start with anything you can do with it in place.

Unfortunately, odds are it isn't sparking instantly... It just never blinks.
I've checked the connector below the sink, I have +12V between brown wire and blue wire.

Ahwahnee wrote: Mine is somewhat different as it is an 84... but it looks to me like you have the gas turned off.

For starting I think the dial with OFF and ON should be turned to ON.

Also the dial that turns from MIN to Max should be on MAX.

I will also mention since you are new to this - the valve on the propane tank also needs to be open.

I took the picture after I has turned everything back to OFF, nice catch :P

Given that the red light should blink before the as is actually ignited, I don't think it's a gas issue, but rather electrical.

Paulbeard wrote: If you can, leave it on 110v overnight and try lighting it then. I always found that mine lit easily when it had been running. But I had an 87: yours is newer and maybe doesn't benefit from that.
I plugged it in for the night, will try again tomorrow morning!

Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:41 pm

The newer lighting systems are a lot more user friendly. (electric ignitor)
First check to see if you have e gas on. When you activate the ignitor the red light should start blinking (you can hear the sparking). The pilot light sometimes starts off very quick and the red light should go off.
If all this fails, then I would suggest that you remove the refrigerator and check voltage at the electronic lighter. If you have power to the ignighter and it still doesn't work then its the ignitor that failed. Go
Weskit has replacements.

Sun Jun 03, 2018 8:24 pm

Ahwahnee wrote: Mine is somewhat different as it is an 84... but it looks to me like you have the gas turned off.

For starting I think the dial with OFF and ON should be turned to ON.

For these ultra-late model electronic Dometics, I can attest that the light flashes with the gas knob off, with the tank regulator off, and both on but with the tank empty/clogged regulator.

So, something is amiss with Vic's fridge; it may have to be pulled to test/repair the igniter/wiring/connections, especially if you don't hear the piezo going <click, click, click> in a quiet environment, or with your ear near the flue.

Sun Jun 03, 2018 9:43 pm

You will need to pull the fridge.
The ignition may be bad so pull it out and look on the bottom for browning.
Could also be the wire that goes to the ignitor in the combustion box.
Might as well upgrade the fan and check valve while you are in there.
First time this project takes forever.
Second time is easy .

Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:49 pm

Thanks for your responses.
I'll try to fire it tomorrow.
Fingers crossed!

Mon Jun 04, 2018 3:48 am

This company I sent known for fantastic tech support and customer service in the sailing cruising community. Send email or call ( shocking) and report back.

Info from primary sources is always good.

Mon Jun 04, 2018 6:55 am

Ahwahnee wrote: Mine is somewhat different as it is an 84... but it looks to me like you have the gas turned off.

For starting I think the dial with OFF and ON should be turned to ON.

Also the dial that turns from MIN to Max should be on MAX.

I will also mention since you are new to this - the valve on the propane tank also needs to be open.

To clarify, to start, (A) is on, dial (B) that turns from Min to Max should be on Min. Once the light (E) goes out, which tells you the gas has been lit, you then turn the dial (B) to Max while holding in the igniter button (F).

Mon Jun 04, 2018 11:20 am

VicVan wrote: Thanks for your responses.
I'll try to fire it tomorrow.
Fingers crossed!

If you operate the piezo when it's dark out, you may be able to see if there's spark or not at the flame viewing spot at lower LH corner inside the fridge. That little plastic viewer has a relatively small range of viewing so try viewing it at different heights. If doing same during the day, hold a length of cardboard tube up against the viewer, look through that.

During fridge removal-reinstall the flexible intake and exhaust pipes can bind against the cabinet causing them, and the aluminum manifold, to get bent out of position. When re installing, check that the manifold is more or less aligned and flush with the body; it needs to seal properly to the flue assembly and having it aligned makes for an easier install of the small fine thread bolts. They are easy to cross thread. Some folks remove a little material away from the rear upper area at cabinets to allow room for those pipes during re-install. This can be really helpful for the DIY type learning how to repair these fridges. (its possible you'll remove - install it more than once. BTDT many times. ;) )

Neil.

Mon Jun 04, 2018 12:15 pm

There is no need for all these starting tricks with the electronic ignition fridges. You just push the button and they flash very noticably as they spark, and as Kamz pointed out you can also hear it, and if you don't turn the gas on, they will spark and flash indefinitely because they won't light. That's the sure way to know if the sparker system is the problem.

It is pretty simple to remove the fridge to work on it. You can bench test it with an LP tank with a regulator and a car battery. It takes maybe 15 minutes now for me to take mine out, but I imagine it was only 30-40 the first time plus reading up on how to do it. Tilting it backward as you slide it forward so the exhaust pipes don't get hung up is a good tip. And going around the outside to make sure the flue is clear as you take it out.

The only upgrade that is worth doing while you have it out is to upgrade the fan to a higher CFM/lower draw computer fan and possibly a manual switch if you want. If you want to do the city water exhaust port mod, it would be a good time to do that, but being from BC, you may not want to bother with either.

There are generic options for the electronic sparker that are cheaper than the GW one, if you need that part. The piezo wire going into that electronic sparker unit on top of the fridge may not have a good connection too.

Mon Jun 04, 2018 12:36 pm

The computer case fan can certainly be more electrically efficient but using a piece of paper to test, I found that the blade on the Dometic fan seemed to move more air than the case fan on hand. But then there's many differently rated computer case fans. The city water fan mod I did was very useful here in BC and abroad. Installing a small CPU fan inside the fridge can be of great benefit. It's much smaller than those large D cell battery type fans that sit in the fridge and it moved more air around.

Neil.

I secured this CPU fan to the cooling unit. On another fridge I think I mounted it to the interior top of fridge box.

Mon Jun 04, 2018 2:46 pm

Vanagon Nut wrote: The computer case fan can certainly be more electrically efficient but using a piece of paper to test, I found that the blade on the Dometic fan seemed to move more air than the case fan on hand.

When my Dometic fan was working, heated air merely wafted out of the exhaust vents. High cfm computer fan resulted in heated air blowing out of the vents (I then added a duplicate fan in the cabinet to blow even more air).

So, yes, it all depends on the fan you install.

Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:38 pm

Thanks for all your responses

I have made some progress: I know have a spark! The light links and I can definitely hear the piezo going to town.
Reminder: The piezo would not start at all.
While on DC mode, hooked up to 110V, fridge cold, I pushed the "gas mode" button (switch on the right, see my picture above). It was dark out so I noticed the red light slowly getting back to life. It stayed on for say 10 seconds, then started flickering, then nothing, fonr another 5 secondes. And then, out of nowhere, tick tick tick tick ! It's alive !

I don't know what happened there. It feels like I defibrillated the piezo with 110V. Now it's alive again :D

All I have to do now is get the propane to ignite. I guees I'm back at all the existing topics on how to light the thing up.

I'm glad I don't have to take it all apart now, a few days away from leaving. I'll keep you posted.

Mon Jun 04, 2018 10:30 pm

Well... It works !

Not really sure what the issue was. I guess it'll stop working randomly somewhere down the road, typically in Death Valley right after I packed the fridge with ice cream.

Tue Jun 05, 2018 5:44 am

Death Valley + Dometic + ice cream = ice cream soup.

I find that after the first light of the season the fridge starts up on gas a lot easier every time after.

Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:20 am

Glad to hear you got it back up and running.

Tue Jun 05, 2018 6:12 pm

VicVan wrote:
While on DC mode, hooked up to 110V, fridge cold, I pushed the "gas mode" button (switch on the right, see my picture above). It was dark out so I noticed the red light slowly getting back to life. It stayed on for say 10 seconds, then started flickering, then nothing, fonr another 5 secondes. And then, out of nowhere, tick tick tick tick ! It's alive !

I don't know what happened there. It feels like I defibrillated the piezo with 110V. Now it's alive again :D

All I have to do now is get the propane to ignite. I guees I'm back at all the existing topics on how to light the thing up.

I'm glad I don't have to take it all apart now, a few days away from leaving. I'll keep you posted.

The one downside to those electronic sparkers is what you experienced. They seem to need regular exercise. Either it is internal to the electrical sparker box, or the connections get a little corroded or loose. When the light glows solid, that is supposed to be an indication of a ground issue, so it could just be gunk building up on the contacts.

The fridge should start a lot easier if you run it on 12V or 110 for 5-10 minutes before switching to LP. The electronic fridges don't need that as much as the manual spark versions, but it still helps to get fresh air moving into the burner box.