Operating a fridge on gas and Safefill
I have a couple of question, one relating to Safefill so that's why I've posted here.
1st one relates to operating my fridge on gas. In preparation for going off grid I've tried a couple of times to get the gas side of my Dometic fridge to work but had no success, anyone got any sure fire ways of starting it? I'm still operating on Calor until it runs out and I've followed the Dometic instructions of selecting gas, pressing and holding in the control knob and operating the igniter but no luck. I read it's good to have a couple of gas rings lit whilst you try to start the fridge but that didn't work either. Any help will be gratefully received.
My second question relates to Safefill which is essentially Autogas I believe. The Dometic fridge manual says not to operate on Autogas. Has anyone got any experience of this and come across problems?
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Thanks [Deleted User User], I thought Autogas was pretty much the same as you get from Calor.
I have checked the gas isoloation valve under the cooker. It's in the same orientation as the van heater, cooker and water heater which all work on gas. I might try it in what I believe is the "Off" position just in case. Is it best to try it when the fridge is warm or already pre cooled on battery or doesn't it make any difference?
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Can you hear a faint ticking when you press the igniter button? If not this might be the problem. Is the 12v circuit switched on?
Another possibility is dirt on the igniter / flame jet. Remove the lower external vent panel and with a soft brush or vacuum nozzle clean the area. It could be spiders webs or similar.
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I do get the clicking when I press the igniter JohnM20 but that could be the igniters on the cooker I'm hearing. I can see blue flashes in the small sight glass in the fridge when I'm trying to light it but no steady blue flame like I'd expect if it was lit. I'll try removing the external panel to see if I can give it a clean.
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Neither way will have any bearing on the likelihood of your fridge running on gas, Gray.
You have a problem which needs sorting as the gas is either not reaching the fridge or it will not ignite.
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I have run my fridge on Safefill for four years. Absolutely no problems until this year when I had to change the thermo coupling. Then, because it was a long cold winter the gas valve started to stick- I could hear the gas ignite but no matter how long I held the knob in it extinguished the flame when I let go. A quick tap on the gas valve and that’s been sorted and all OK again. As previous posters have said, exactly the same stuff as Calor propane cylinders- but so much cheaper. As DD, runs everything on board - hot water, heating, fridge. Good luck with your offgrid aspirations Graymee.
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When you say no steady flame, does the ignition actually light the flame? If you are just getting the spark it would suggest no gas is getting through to the burners. If it is lighting but immediately going out ( I assume you are holding temperature selector knob in whilst clicking the ignition?) it points to a thermo coupling issue or it could be the burners. I had to have the burners replaced on a Dometic fridge on one of my caravans.
David
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just to check the obvious...
does the heating, hot water and gas hob all work....IE the supply is getting through the regulator into the other devices?
if so, and the isolation valve is open, then there must be a fridge issue, provided we discount 'operator error'
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A small point, when lighting the fridge on gas. The gas air mixture is critical. It is quite easy to have too much gas and not enough air. I would advise, pressing the igniter first and then the gas valve. This mean you will have spark as the gas builds up. Of course a service and clean might help.
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Another thing I have learned is that my fridge doesn't like running on Gas if the caravan isn't absolutely level. I am glad to say that it was level when a site I was on recently had power failure somewhere around midnight! I thought it might just be my pitch so I switched over to gas in a very sleepy state with fingers crossed! Mind you it hasn't been long since the service so I was fairly confidant!
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