The Lucky Refer | A Quick Fix
Today was an amazing day. One of the biggest tasks on my list was to get the refrigerator in the RV working with propane. When we first got it, the whole thing was running on electric, fridge included. We didn't think to ask about the gas function.
It was a day much like today....
The sky was dim and the wind was brisk. We slowly backed the 32 feet of rolling adventure into our driveway. With the peace of mind knowing that our journey was about to begin.
The days that followed included touch ups, and mild fixes. I worked through each system one at a time ensuring that the rig was secure for the road. There are not many things that Stacie D (@freedomtowrite) asks for, but she did ask for a working refrigerator.
I got the propane tank turned on, and began to sort it all out. Everything was coming up Milhouse, and then I reached the refrigerator. It was as simple as pushing a button..literally.
After reading through the manual I found exactly what to do. There are two buttons just over the freezer. On/Off and Auto/Gas. You press the button selecting gas, and then turn it on.
It sounded easy enough. It also said that after 4 or so attempts without it starting to wait before trying again. I did cycles of 4 several times with no luck. There are several things that could be the issue. I knew that in just a couple of weeks we would be in Ohio, and I could get a little help. In case it is electrical, my father in law is an electrical engineer and we could sort it out there.
We opened up the outside panel behind the refrigetator to see what was going on. It all started with cleaning out the mess that had been made by the many mud dobbers that we found inside.
Everything looked great. Nothing appeared out of place or noticeably broken. There was a couple things to check. First was to check the electrical to ensure that that part of the system was working correctly, which it was. The other part was gas flow.
With the propane turned on and electrical working, we decided to give it a go. I began inside pressing buttons while he was outside watching and listening.
We found two things. The fitting that the gas flowed through was slightly clogged. We cleared that out by just blowing through it. By we, I mean him. I watched while his eyes bugged out and cheeks turned red.
The other was a valve that allowed the gas to flow and purge the line. We turned the fridge on and could finally hear the gas flowing through the line. We got it all put back together, and tried again.
With one push of a button we could hear the gas flowing and...CLICK it fired right up. Praise Jesus. It appeared that it was only clogged and the lines were empty of gas...
We finished up by adding a piece of sheet metal underneath to help add an additional layer of safety. All in all it was an amazing day. The fridge works..AND we didn't have to spend money on expensive parts.
We also got a chance to learn a real life pinterest project. Organizing wrenches on a hitch pin. It is neat and tidy, and you always know where your wrenches are.
Until next time, we will see you a little further down the road.
Thank goodness it was an easy fix and your father-in-law could help. I can understand the need for a fridge with a family. I have heard that the propane ones are very economical.
Amen. I hope it is economical. The fridge in the RV is bigger than the one in the house. We are excited to have that much space.
haha! what a blessing to have air conditioning! bless whoever invented that! lol. great repair job guys, enjoy and safe travels!
It's so nice to get help from people who know what they are doing! Glad your fridge is working now.