Dometic 5.0 fridge

[gbaglo]

Was out de-winterizing and running systems.
Got gas to all stove burners, got the furnace running, tried the fridge.
The LED that is supposed to come on when fridge is switched to gas does not come on.
Went down to North Shore RV and owner suggested a couple of things to look for, neither helped. He explained how to ensure the gas valve was open and explained another potential problem area ( rust on a pipe ).
I had the Old Bag listen outside where the fridge vent is to see if she could hear any clicking as I pressed the button inside. She heard nothing.
Anybody with any other ideas? Have to give North Shore RV kudos for the help on this and for helping me put together a product that I bought elsewhere. No charge.

[Patandlinda]

Had same refrig by looks of pic in my camper maybe it is the heating element easy change get part at camping supply. I can 't remember what to check they should be able to tell you my part was about 40.00

[gbaglo]

What I don't get is that the LED is supposed to flash when you switch to gas, but it is not. I checked fridge fuse and breaker.
Any event, I've turned it on to AC operation and will check later to see if it is cooling.
Then, I'll book it into North Shore RV.

[gbaglo]

Was suggested on FGRV that if the trailer is plugged in to shore power that the fridge may default to 120V and the LED won't light up.
That was the case. I unplugged it and lit the fridge on propane.

[fudge_brownie]

I would suggest you open the outside access door and use a screw driver to turn the brass screw shown in this photo. It works best if someone is inside turning the knob to gas, you then can see the screw turn and assist in the process.

What may have happened is the brass or copper band behind the screw has slipped on the rod and you are not getting the gas fully turned on, then the igniter fails to fire.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Was suggested on FGRV that if the trailer is plugged in to shore power that the fridge may default to 120V and the LED won't light up.
That was the case. I unplugged it and lit the fridge on propane.

If that fixed the problem, great; however the 5 cu ft fridge switches between propane & 120V manually (with the right most dial at the bottom of the door) so I don't see how having it plugged in could cause the igniter not to operate. Is it possible that the dial (switch) wasn't turned all the way to gas? That would cause the problem you described...

One other point - the flashing light is a Neon lamp, not an LED - the high voltage spike produced by the igniter causes it to flash.

[gbaglo]

We'll see tomorrow if the fridge is cold.
But, believe me, I turned the switch ( 120V - propane ) very carefully and slow and fast, multiple times. The lamp never came on.
As soon as I unplugged the shore power and turned to gas, the lamp lit and I got the fridge going.
I don't see how having it plugged in could prevent the igniter from working either, but apparently it does. It was turned all the way to gas, and then some at times. Wife watched the valve go into horizontal position.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by fudge_brownie

What may have happened is the brass or copper band behind the screw has slipped on the rod and you are not getting the gas fully turned on, then the igniter fails to fire.

I will check this tomorrow. And check to see that the fridge is cold.

[thoer]

Not sure if this is any help and has nothing to do with the light. Almost every time after being in storage, I need to light the stove for a few seconds, then the fridge lights much faster. Seems like the LP needs to flow to the larger draw of the stove to get the lines going well.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by thoer

Not sure if this is any help and has nothing to do with the light. Almost every time after being in storage, I need to light the stove for a few seconds, then the fridge lights much faster. Seems like the LP needs to flow to the larger draw of the stove to get the lines going well.

I do the same, light the stove before the refer or water heater on propane.

[gbaglo]

If you read post #1, you will find that I first lit the stove burners and ran the furnace before turning to the fridge.
In any event, the only thing that changed, to enable lighting the fridge on propane was that shore power was unplugged. When AC was absent the lamp for lighting started flashing.
Fridge is very cold this morning.

[Vermilye]

I agree that it isn't a lack of gas problem; but still have no idea why simply unplugging shore power would start the ignitor. The wiring diagram for the refrigerator shows no connection between the 120v & 12v systems other than they both have separate sections of the multi pole switch.

Now, if you changed the position of the gas/electric dial at the same time, I'd still suspect a problem with the switch. It is a multi pole stack of switches and one section could be loose or intermitent. If it was me, I'd keep an eye on the switch.

[gbaglo]

I've shut down the fridge, so I'll connect the shore power and see what happens when I try to start on propane.
Is there a pic of that switch in the manual that I would recognize when I was looking at it?

[Vermilye]

Dometic seems to have a number of different manuals, but the one I received with the trailer shows the schematic for the RM2510 on page 17.

[gbaglo]

Connected to shore power. Turned to gas.
Light started blinking.
So, it appears the *&*blinking switch is the issue.

[gbaglo]

GOOD GRIEF JON!!
That schematic might as well be Greek, cause it's Geek to me.
Do you have any idea where that switch is?

[Vermilye]

Don't quote me, but I believe you have to pull the refrigerator to get to the switch. It is behind the dial used to switch between gas & electric, but I don't think you can get to it from the outside access. Hope I'm wrong!

[gbaglo]

I'm just gonna play with it over the next few days. Turn it on and off. Those controls are not in a good location, being at the bottom of the fridge where liquids can leak onto them. I'm told the controls have been moved to the top of newer models.

[MarksAlot]

Sometimes when it comes to safety, gas, or electrical issues, I let the pros handle it.

Just sayin....

[gbaglo]

I asked Dometic for advice and they said, "take it to a service centre". Anyway, I've been able to switch to gas and have the lamp flash several times. Lights up after only four flashes.
I think the switch just needed waking up after a winter slumber.