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Old 06-08-2014, 07:18 AM   #1
Tampajohn
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Default Norcold Refrigerator would not fire up on propane.

The Norcold would not fire up on propane and I found the problem. After we used it on shore power all night and I tried to switch to propane, the fridge would not fire up. I did some research and found if no demand, the propane would not light. Either turn the temperature regulator up all the way or if it is all the way turned up as with us since we are trying to keep the freezer full of frozen food to deliver to my brothers (steaks), let it sit a while prior to lighting it. The temperature in the refrigerator was too cold, not creating a demand consequently not allowing the propane to light.

I sure hope I am diagnosing this correctly. It sure seems to be the problem and will continue to monitor it as we do more traveling.

Hope this helps someone. Note, I did not have this problem prior to freezer door so it stays shut, using Bill thread of how to fix the spring on the freezer door. I have tried to several times and now it lights up every time. Sure had me scratching my head.
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Old 06-10-2014, 07:04 AM   #2
Brittany Dogs
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It seems that when I have a bumpy road to travel, it takes longer for the propane to reach the refrigerator heat unit. The last camp out, I had to hold the red button in for over ten minutes. But it did eventually light.
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Old 06-10-2014, 10:55 AM   #3
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Holding the button in maybe the answer. My finger gets tired, I did check the stove and it lights immediately. Maybe I will try firing up the water heater. That is close to the same area as the fridge.
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Old 06-10-2014, 01:36 PM   #4
Redtail Cruiser
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I was having the same problem with my fridge and decided to try lighting it manually. Now I light it that way each time.

I take the outside fridge bottom access door off and have DW hold the button inside the TM. I use a BBQ lighter and stick it inside the metal box at the bottom right of the compartment and it lights the pilot first try everytime. DW holds the button for thirty seconds in the green and we're done.

Found this easier than holding the button down for endless minutes and trying to use the piezo lighter.
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Old 06-11-2014, 10:09 AM   #5
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You know I tried to light manually, which I have done in the past and it would not light. That is why I thought it might be the demand issue.
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Old 06-11-2014, 10:47 AM   #6
Redtail Cruiser
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If the fridge is already cold, leave the door open for 15 minutes ,till there is a demand.
Lighting the water heater first does help.
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Old 06-11-2014, 01:38 PM   #7
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Lightbulb You can also add insulation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Redtail Cruiser View Post
If the fridge is already cold, leave the door open for 15 minutes ,till there is a demand.
Yep. With just one thermostat located in the Fridge section, the freezer can fall into "defrost mode" when the Fridge isn't operating enough. My compressor-based Fridge has the same issue.

You can reduce the scope of the problem by adding some of the "space-blanket" double-sided foil insulation to the Freezer door, and also to the front portion of the freezer case bottom. Insulating the freezer section from the fridge section helps. (But don't insulate above the Fridge cooling fins.)
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Old 06-11-2014, 04:42 PM   #8
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If the fridge is already cold, leave the door open for 15 minutes ,till there is a demand. Lighting the water heater first does help
The one thermostat in the Norcold only contols the refrigerator when in AC mode. It has no effect on either DC or gas operation so leaving the door open will have no effect on demand. Be sure to have the control turned up to 5. That will give it the highest gas flow and purge the line faster. On my TM the gas line from the tanks seperates at the front of the TM. one goes down the curb side to the stove the other down the street side to the refrig and the water heater so lighting the stove and has little to no effect on the gas supply to the refrig. Lighting the water heater does help as it's on the same line. The flame produced by propane is a direct feed to the burner and the size of the flame is regulated by the temp dial 1 thru 5 just like the stove top burners. What ever you set it at, that is where it stays until you turn it off or you run out of gas. If you can't light the burner manualy, first check that the on/off gas valve behind the refrig. is on, then I'd pull the orifice and clean it, sounds like it may be clogged. Something I haven't seen mentioned here is checking the gas pressure to the burner. When my Norcold was not cooling as well on gas as AC or DC it was sugested that I check the pressure of the propane to the burner, it should be 10 1/2" to 11" of water column. Mine was just 9". The adjustment is simple and it made a world of difference in lighting and cooling.
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Old 06-11-2014, 08:16 PM   #9
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Post Not exactly my experience. (Long)

But hey, I probably destroyed my Norcold with my fancy wiring tricks- so be careful about getting too "tricky" (details below).

The "thermostat" definitely controls both AC and DC electric (poorly), using a low-quality temp sensor mounted on one of the cooling fins inside the Fridge. But for gas, the "temperature" dial itself constitutes the "pin" of a needle valve, and directly controls the volume of gas flow through the line (silver in color) which runs up from the TM gas connector to the dial and valve, and then runs back down to the burner.

It appears to me that the dial position is the ONLY control for flame size (excluding the "protection" shutoff, of course). I never saw any adjustment in flame size being done automatically by Norcold, according to temperature state in the fridge. Once turned on, the only adjustments were manual - I had to turn the dial down for late night and early morning, then turn it back up for afternoon heat. Dial "down" = flame size down; dial "up" = flame size up.

After my complicated "upgrade", My system allowed for a "Boondock mode":I would turn the switch to "Propane mode" and set a moderate flame size (i.e., dial position well below max) so that Propane would not freeze the lettuce at 5AM. Then I used a switched 12V power source, external to the Norcold "Mode" switch, to run the DC electric heater via the PID thermostat (accurate to less than 1/2 degree). It would run as needed (more in the day, much less at night) to maintain constant temperature for in the fridge.

WARNING: It is possible that use of that technique, over time, damaged the ammonia mixture by applying too much heat for extended times on really hot days. With the PID controller set to try and maintain temps below 40F, even while ambient ballooned past 100F, the DC electric heater unit would run almost continuously. The Norcold design doesn't allow for more than 140 continuous Watts of power input, and my scheme would create that much from electric (whenever the PID controller decided that DC power should be added), plus whatever setting I had made for the gas burner (typically 80 Watts or so). But on the hottest of days, I would often turn the propane dial all the way up, creating 280 Watts of input power. That might have been a serious mistake

Per my sig, I have replaced it with a high-end compressor model. (That's a 12V compressor, not a "dormitory" fridge). And my new Fridge is very famous for the problem under discussion here - going into unwanted "defrost mode" when the compressor doesn't run enough. (Due to lower-than-designed for ambient temps, combined with fairly good exterior insulation. Everyone says "it was built for the tropics").

As with Norcold, there's only one thermostat, and it's located in the Fridge section - paying no attention at all to freezer temps. In my case, insulating the freezer box from the warmer fridge section has been the main solution - they were previously separated by only the "freezer case", a box with very thin plastic walls, providing virtually no insulation at all. Frequently opening the main fridge door to create "more demand" is less optimal, IMO.
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Old 06-12-2014, 04:23 AM   #10
scrubjaysnest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tampajohn View Post
You know I tried to light manually, which I have done in the past and it would not light. That is why I thought it might be the demand issue.
On ours it is almost impossible to get the long nosed lighters in at the right angle to light manually. The ammonia tube is in the way of the pilot. Most of the time it requires removing the housing. I have found the piezo wire off several times right above the reefrig.
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