Dometic RM 7371 fridge - no gas
Our Dometic RM 7371 (2005 model) fridge won't light on gas. The symptoms are as for running out of gas (or gas switched off) - there is rapid clicking and then it stops and the orange light flashes. But I've just put a full gas cylinder in and made sure all the valves are on (including the gas manifold under the sink).
A bit of background - sorry this is so long: We last used the 'van in August and the there were no problems running the fridge on gas (except that it didn't cool well when ambient temperatures reached 40°C but that's a different story). A few days ago I tried to light the oven without success, and the hob wouldn't light either, or even hiss. So I changed the gas bottle for a full one. I could tell the old bottle still had some propane in it, which was odd for a start. With the new bottle I was able to light the hob and then the oven, although it took much longer than usual even after getting the system full of air. The hob stayed alight, but after about 10 minutes the oven went out again and wouldn't relight. I took a rubber mallet to the gas regulator and gave it a couple of gentle taps and then was able to light oven and it's been fine since. (Incidentally, the regulator was new a couple of years ago, and I changed the mount point so that it is now well above the gas bottle connection points to prevent residue draining into it.)
For some reason during all this I thought I'd try to light the fridge, but it just acted like the gas was turned off - clicking and then giving up. Once the oven was sorted I had another go with the fridge and it still wouldn't light. I tried many, many, times - enough to be sure that the problem wasn't air in the pipe.
I pulled the fridge out and checked the burner, which was remarkably clean. But I could not detect any gas coming out (with the burner removed) while it tried to light - no hiss or smell. I checked the gas valve and measured about 1.5V across the terminals while the fridge was trying to light, which then went back to 0V when the clicking stopped. I listened for the gas valve opening and closing - I thought maybe I could hear it but couldn't be sure over the clicking. Finally I disconnected the gas line on the inlet to the gas valve and confirmed that gas came out from there.
The evidence seems to be pointing to the gas valve. I tried the trick of vibrating it with the end of a dowel in the end of a drill set to hammer mode to no avail. Is it just coincidence that the oven misbehaved at about the same time? Is there anything else I can do to try to unstick the gas valve? Should I clearly hear it opening/closing? Should I be able to clearly smell or hear gas coming from the burner? Is there anything else I can try to determine whether replacing the valve will resolve the problem before going to the expense of ordering a new one?
Best Answer
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I fixed it. It turned out to be very simple - there is a third wire that goes to the gas valve and this one had broken. But because it was tucked round the back I didn't see it. It wasn't until I was looking at a picture of a replacement valve that I realised the third connector was there. Repairing the wire was an easy job. Had I known where it connected I might even have been able to do it through the vent and not had the bother of pulling the fridge out. You live and learn.
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