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Refrigerator not working on Propane

January 06, 2015, 12:05:56 pm

Fridge works fine on AC. I'm not getting a spark to ignite the refrigerator. After a few seconds (45 according to the manual) of no spark it shuts down and the "CHECK" light comes on the fridge.  I can light it using a grill lighter. It's running on propane right now.

I tried bleeding the lines by igniting the stove, no spark again. Opened the stove up and after jiggling the wires I had spark and the stove lit. Water heater and two furnaces are not affected.

Can anyone tell me what steps to take how I can troubleshoot for a spark?

Regards
Ed

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Re: Refrigerator not working on Propane

Reply #1 – January 06, 2015, 12:08:42 pm

If giggling the wires made it work, start by taking apart, cleaning (something like de-oxit) and making sure all the connections are tight, on both the ignitor and the PC board.

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Re: Refrigerator not working on Propane

Reply #2 – January 06, 2015, 01:11:15 pm

After you clean contacts try a little compressed air at the base by ignitor to clear away any dirt or rust

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Re: Refrigerator not working on Propane

Reply #3 – January 06, 2015, 01:27:48 pm

I'm guessing you have a Norcold.  Here's my experience with the igniter unit on a Dometic:  Dometic RM2802
I think they are fundamentally the same.  I think your next step (after trying the prior suggestions) is to see if a spark is being generated or not.  If not then it might be the igniter.

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Re: Refrigerator not working on Propane

Reply #4 – January 12, 2015, 12:16:12 pm

Well after cleaning the area. (compressed air, plus shop vac, but no hammer thumping on the flue yet). I pushed the igniter closer. The manual states it must be as close as 1/8".

I ignited the propane using a grill lighter. I let it burn for a while and now she works on propane. Not sure what fixed it but it's working.

cheers
Ed

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Re: Refrigerator not working on Propane

Reply #5 – January 12, 2015, 06:49:49 pm

When that happened to my refrigerator it turned out to be a blown fuse in the 12 volt DC fusebox at the foot of the bed. Something else was on that same fuse and that's what gave me a clue to figure out what it was.

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