Dometic Refrigerator Diagnostics

Bolts-n-Hose · June 12, 2017

Hello all. I have a dometic fridge in my off grid house on an island in Rhode Island. We don't have electricity except for a little solar to charge phones and lights so we exclusively run the RGE400 on propane. The unit was made in 2007 and cools perfectly. This year I developed a problem and it happened right after the gas line was most likely bumped during spring cleaning. The symptom is that it will not stay lit when the system tries to ramp down the flame to pilot mode. Once the fridge is cold, and the thermostat tries to reduce the flame, it just goes out. My understanding is that the bypass screw is what controls the flow of gas (bypassing the thermostat) to keep a low flame when it's time for pilot. The diagnostic diagram I found online said to remove the bypass screw and install it without the o ring as a test. Doing this allows the burner to stay lit at pilot but the flame seems a bit large. The diagram said that if removing the o ring increased gas flow, the problem is in the thermostat and needs to be replaced.

During my investigation, I removed the gas line. It is a copper line with a flare fitting. When I tap or move the line, a significant amount of blue/black particles came out of the gas line. It is my assumption that this debris became lodged in the thermostat when it was bumped during cleaning. What is this debris, and is it possible that this caused my problem? There must be a filter I can install to prevent this.

Does anyone have any input, or can you point me to a good resource? So far all I've gotten in response from most service companies is that they can send a technician. Cant say I blame them. It's their business. I just don't think I can justify the cost of getting a tech to the island to do the work. It would most likely cost more than just throwing parts at it. I'm also on the fence about upgrading to a solar setup that is large enough to run a standard electric fridge.

Thank you for any advice you can offer!

Kirk W · June 13, 2017

Welcome to the Escapee forums. Your refrigerator model isn't an RV one but you may find a manual on the site of Bryant RV that is close to what you have.

Bolts-n-Hose · June 13, 2017

Thanks, Kirk. I didn't know it wasn't an RV fridge. I figured they all were or at least worked the same. I actually have a pretty good manual for it, and have done the steps in there to determine my problem. It would just be nice to get some advice from an actual person before dropping 220 bucks on a part and hope that's it. Do you know of any other forums that may be better suited than an RV forum?

Kirk W · June 14, 2017

I believe that they do all work pretty much the same but don't know for sure just what is different. I'd suspect that the "stuff" you found in the line could easily be causing a problem as it could plug or partially plug the opening in the jet. Does it use 12v power to operate the controls like the RV units do?

Ray,IN · June 14, 2017

I agree with Kirk, "bumping" the LP line man have dislodged dirt or corrosion and partially plugged the orifice, which may be cleaned by the proper procedure. DO NOT use a welding tip cleaner, drill bit, or any other hard item, as it will damage or enlarge the small opening. Sometimes just removing the orifice and blowing it out backwards with compressed air removes an obstruction.

If you prefer to buy a new orifice, ebay has one for $6.49

Perform maintenance items that don't cost anything before spending money. At least one of the service manuals Kirk linked to details how to clean the orifice without damage.

For future reference, rvcoolingunit.com usually has the lowest pricing on a replacement cooling unit for your frig.