Refrigerator on propane problem

This is our second year with our 2007, 3023. Last year the refrigerator was very difficult to get started on propane. I was able to do it but it took several attempts. This year I can not get it to light at all. It works on battery and 12v. When I push the spark button the gauge does not move to the right it seems to move slightly to the left and never moves to the right. I had the gas on, the stove and the heater worked fine. It seems that it is not getting a spark or the gas is not coming through. Please help on locating the problem.

I had the same problem with mine at times until I was shown the best way to light it by a Norco service guy when I brought it in to replace a broken flame meter. Now it lights first time every time. 1st, try lighting the water heater on gas. On my TM there is a tee in the propane line at the tongue with one side going to the heater and stove and the other going to the water heater and refrig. If the water heater lights, you have gas to the refrig. The burner for the refrig. works just like the burners on the stove, the higher the number you turn the knob to, the bigger the flame. When you try to light the refrig., turn it up to the highest number, just like you do on the stove. Hold the gas button in for at least 10 seconds then use the spark button. It is very difficult to light on a low number. If it doesn’t light right away don’t let up on the gas button, continue to hold it in for a few more seconds and use the spark button again. If you are still having problems you can try lighting it manually by having some one inside the TM hold the gas button in while you use a long stem match or one of those long BBQ lighters to light it from the out side. There is a peep hole in the burner box on the back of the refrig. just swing it open, you may have to remove a screw, and use the lighter to light it. The person inside the TM will have to hold the button in for a few more seconds after it is lit until the heat sensor is hot enough to keep the gas line open. This should at least isolate the problem. There is the chance that your flame meter is not working , this happened on mine. The refrig was lighting and working fine, I just didn’t know it because the meter never moved. Once the service guy told me what to do , I had the DW out side telling me when it was lit. If it’s really quiet you can hear it light off from inside the TM. Good Luck.

Ed

I was able to light the refregerator with a lighter. It appears that it is not getting a spark from the button. Has anyone replaced one of these before or is there a possible fix?

[Wavery]

You can look into the chamber and have someone inside the camper push the igniter button. If you see a spark, the position of the spark may just need to be adjusted so that the spark is getting to the gas.

Don't under-estimate how long that it takes for gas to reach the fridge (after the gass has been off for some time) so that it can be ignited. I time mine at 100 seconds. Yours may differ in time but I wouldn't even bother pushing the igniter button until you have pushed the gas button for at least 30-60 seconds. If it does not light on 1 or 2 clicks, it won't light because the gas has not arrived yet. Wait another 10 seconds and try again. Once you know how long it takes, it will not vary by much from one time to another. It takes 100 seconds on mine every time (unless it has recently been lit) and it always lights on the 1st click.

You can stand there and click that thing until your fingers are sore but it WILL NOT LIGHT until gas gets there. All you are doing is wearing out the igniter. Once the gas is there, it will light on 1 or 2 clicks of the igniter.

When we bought our camper, the previous owner told me that we may have to take the trailer in and get the igniter replaced because it was very difficult to use. When I got it home, I followed the procedure above and we have been on 42 camp-outs and never had an issue.

[rotor_wash]

My experience is with the Dometic fridge, but occasional a bumpy ride would dislodge the plug that goes into the back of the piezo igniter button. Mine was accessible via the radio port and would be just resting on top of the insulation. The simple fix was to bend the small finlike catches to provide more friction to the plug which resembles a narrow RCA type.
I believe the Norcold is a 300 series and the manual is found here:
http://www.thetford.com/LinkClick.as...id=290&mid=867
Maintenance checklist including thermocouple positioning is on page 8 and interesting enough, Norcold recommends AC operation above 5500 feet because of "reduced cooling performance" and "burner outages".

I tried it for an extended period of time and it still did not light. There is plenty of gas getting there as was evident when I lit it with a lighter. I will try to get to the back of the button through the radio opening. Any other advise is greatly appreciated.

I pulled the radio out and felt the back of the button. It appears to be connected. To remove the side by the burner do you remove the screws that are around it? From the response it appears these do not go out very often, but I suppose they can.

[rotor_wash]

Use an observer and verify you are actually getting a spark each time you press the piezoelectric starter. According to the manual, the electrode gap should be 1/8 - 3/16 inch. My Dometic was very sensitive to this above 8,000 feet until adjusted to specs.

I did look at it at night and I could see a spark. I do not know how to get it out to position it or adust the gap. It does not seem to pull out and I am not sure about the surrounding screws.

[rotor_wash]

skiman, look at art00955 on page 18, http://www.thetford.com/LinkClick.as...id=290&mid=867 and you will find a diagram that shows where you need to look. #3 shows the gap. I will say Dometic has a better manual and although the equipment is slightly different (see attachment), it should give you an idea.