Trouble starting the refrig

Hi, has anyone had trouble with starting their refrigerator we have a new 2720SL and have used it several times, actually took it back to the dealer and still have the same problem.
cs
2008 2720 SL. 4x4 Jeep Liberty
Thousand Oaks, Calif

[Bill]

Do you mean starting it on gas?

The method for starting is first to light the front burner on the stovetop. This clears most of the air out of the gas line. Then rotate the refrig switch to Gas. Then push and hold the gas button for a count of 30. Then, while still holding the gas button, snap the snapper button several times, and look for the needle on the little meter to move up. Continue to hold the gas button until the needle is well into the green area. Then release the gas button and confirm that the needle stays in the green area. It is now lit.

If it won't stay lit, you should be aware that there was a Norcold recall for this problem a couple years ago - use the Search tool on "Norcold" or "recall". This was not a safety recall, just a "won't stay lit" solution. As I recall, it involved tightening a wire.

Once it is lit, you need to be patient. An RV refrigerator cools down very slowly - much slower than a household refrigerator.

By the way, this post should be in the Appliance forum. I'll move it there in a day or two.

Bill

[Wavery]

I clear our gas line at the stove like Bill does. When I light the fridge, I hold down the gas button for 60 seconds then try to ignite it (one click). If it doesn't light, I wait another 10 seconds and it usually lights on one click. The time for your gas lines to clear may very. However, once you figure it out, it's usually about the same amount of time every time that you light it.

Standing there clicking the igniter twice every second will only wear out the igniter. The gas can run for 10 seconds without igniting without a problem. You might get a little "Whoomph" when it ignites but not bad. If it doesn't light with one click, that means that the gas isn't coming through yet. Continuous clicking won't make it light faster.

The guy that I bought our TM from told me that the fridge was "very hard to light". It isn't........he was just impatient and I'm surprised that the igniter isn't worn out. In fact, he replaced the fridge with a new TM fridge in 2007. Maybe that's why. When he was showing me the trailer, he turned the gas on at the fridge, pushed the gas button and started clicking that sucker like his life depended on it. I asked him to stop. I held the button down for 60 seconds and it lit on the first click. I thought that guy was going to have a heart attack.

On my TM the gas line splits at the tongue and runs down both sides so, lighting the stove doesn’t help as much as lighting the hot water heater to purge the line. It also helps to turn the thermostat up to five to increase the gas flow when trying to light it then resetting after it is lit. I just had a different problem with my ref. this past week on a trip up north. The second day out I could no longer get the ref. to light on gas, or so I thought. Tried to light it every night we stopped for a week and the gauge never moved. When we got home I had the DW try to light it while I took at it from out side. It lit on the first click and stayed lit but the meter never moved, checked and rechecked the connections, every thing works but the meter. So, it may be worth checking the burner at the back of the ref. to see if it is actually lit or not. I am now struggling to get a new flame meter under warrantee. Ed

I can never remember if I had the propane tanks disconnected or not. So on the assumption that I did and that there is air in the lines at the tanks, I always light the stove first.

When that is stable I light the water heater next. When I hear that running then I light the fridge. I try one or two clicks about every 10 seconds until it lights. Maybe I try a little patience in the future and save some clicks.

[Bill]

Harvey RV -

You're right - repeated clicks won't make it start any sooner. I'm impatient, I guess - I click it 4 or 5 times, then wait 10 seconds and click it four or five times again. I'll be more patient.

Digger -

Turning the thermostat up won't increase the gas flow. The gas valve is either ON or OFF - there is no in-between setting. Like me, you are impatient and seeking a faster solution. And by doing this, it feels like you are doing something to help it along. But just like my "4 or 5 clicks", it really doesn't do anything.

Bill

We had a similar problem with our 3326 '08. The directions say to lite on gas the thermostat should be at the maximum setting. We weren't doing this. Also we hold the button until the meter is pegged to the right before we release. Have had no lighting issues since. Our reefer has always worked flawlessly. At the 6 o'clock position on the thermostat, the freezer freezes and the temp is 35-38 down below. We were surprised that without changing the themostat setting, the fridge maintained those interior temps while it was over 95 outside. Our AC was on in the inside also keeping us at a comfy though noisy 72.

Bill
There may be a difference in the models. On mine if you open the burner box you can watch the flame go higher or lower as someone inside is turning the thermostat up and down. There is no pilot light and it will not shut on and off at a certain temp, just maintain a constant power level so setting it according to the surrounding temp makes a big difference. This is one of the things I checked after getting instructions from a Norcold service man in Anchorage.
It may be helpful to know if your igniter ever does go out you can open the peep hole in the burner box and easily light it using one of those long butane grill lighters while some one inside holds in the gas button.

ED

[Bill]

ED -

Interesting. I learned something today, and that makes it a good day. Thanks for correcting me.

Bill

Good tip on manually lighting the fridge if the igniter has a problem.

I find that I need to adjust the temp setting over the course of the day. I rrely have hookups, so I never run the a/c. Temperatures inside the TM will fluctuate for 100 during the day down to around 60 over night. A single setting does not work well with that type of fluctuation.

SO I set it at 6 o'clock in the morning and 5 o'clock at bedtime.

I like to keep the fridge between 35 and 45 degrees F. Below 35 the lettuce is at risk of freezing.