wolfe10 Report post Posted June 15, 2018 31 minutes ago, kaypsmith said: This may be a gotcha, the coach tank is horizontal, the add on cylinder is vertical, it seems to me that the extend a stay should have been placed in line after the built in regulator and then use a regulator at the add on cylinder. Maybe not true, but if the regulator for onboard is for horizontal only, then there may be a restriction there. The flame on the stove may not be as obvious as the fridge because of the size of the flame. This is not the problem. She has it plumbed correctly. Either tank is supplying only Vapor (high pressure). The regulator orientation is for regulator orientation ONLY-- it has nothing to do with tank orientation. Yes, the tanks must be orientated/plumbed so that they supply vapor, not liquid. The vent (small screen area) MUST face down. Again, should be zero difference if propane pressure unless a flow restrictor is limiting flow (valve opened too fast). Same as on a BBQ grill propane tank. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted June 15, 2018 Nan's extend a stay is plumed in correctly. The only issue I could think of is having 2 regulators and that would lower the pressure to much. Brett is correct. The new regulator may give just a little more pressure and that would help the fridge. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted June 15, 2018 Bill, You might take another look. I don't see a regulator on the small tank or hose. I think Nan may have not turned off the Horizontal tank when she hook up the Extended Stay set up or as Brett said Regulator on the coach. IMHO. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted June 15, 2018 I'm still confused about one thing...everything was working until the house tank ran empty. Didn't work when the external tank was connected. Logic would say that the most likely culprit is the new tank, as that's the only thing that was changed. Or the way things were connected (like closing the valve on the house tank, etc.) Does a nearby neighbor have a tank you could borrow to test things out? Sometimes these portable tanks have defective valves or are in some other way not working properly, and before opening up the plumbing and possibly creating additional problems I'd want to try another tank that was known to work and to be full. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted June 15, 2018 I believe (Nan can confirm) that performance on the built-in tank is still sub-standard (i.e. refrigerator temperature is still too high). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted June 15, 2018 The New tanks with the safety setup and the new style line connectors can be an issue. Picked up a new BBQ line and hooked it up to the tank - No fuel flow, put the old one back on and it worked (Changed it because the line was deteriorating) The line worked on 2 tanks at the LP out let and not on a third. Turned out the connection needs to extend far enough into the tank to open the safety valve - Some of there stock of replacement lines would work and some would not work on every tank. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 3 hours ago, hermanmullins said: Bill, You might take another look. I don't see a regulator on the small tank or hose. I think Nan may have not turned off the Horizontal tank when she hook up the Extended Stay set up or as Brett said Regulator on the coach. IMHO. Herman Herman, What I was talking about is if you have 2 regulators in line on the system. Say you are using a line after the onboard regulator connected to a grill that normally uses the small cans sometimes won't have enough preshure to work right because it has a built in regulator. The extend a stay tank would equalise preshure with her onboard tank if that valve is open. That would not take any great amount of propane vapor. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted June 16, 2018 Bill, The new tank valves "OPD" Overfill Protection Device does not have a built in regulator. The way Nan is connected it is before the units regulator and there is only one. What I believe is that it could as simple as an empty tank. Some time a tank off the rack and with the plastic cap got passed and wasn't filled. I think if she got a new tank and tried it she may have gas to her unit. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted June 16, 2018 I will add one other thought, if the regulator was moved further to the right to allow the extend a stay, the picture looks like it may have been, don't know if it was or was not. But if it was moved, the outlet tube may have been kinked causing a pressure restriction. Just another thought for verification. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 27 minutes ago, hermanmullins said: Bill, The new tank valves "OPD" Overfill Protection Device does not have a built in regulator. The way Nan is connected it is before the units regulator and there is only one. What I believe is that it could as simple as an empty tank. Some time a tank off the rack and with the plastic cap got passed and wasn't filled. I think if she got a new tank and tried it she may have gas to her unit. Herman Gee isn't that what I said ?? When I said her extend a stay was hooked up correctly. Then I foolishly tried to explain what would happen if you had 2 regulators in line referring to and elaborate on my comments from BEFORE she published the pictures. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 Nan, Couple of other thoughts: Would like to see you run it on shore power or generator long enough to verify that the cooling unit is indeed functioning correctly (40 degrees or lower achieved in the refrigerator section). When you do the burner area tune-up, remove the gas jet. Soak in alcohol and blow it out. Even a tiny spec of dirt can restrict gas flow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 I know that there could be many problems, but I think it's important to eliminate the easy and simple things first. Nan - you indicated that things were working before the house tank ran empty and that the fridge hasn't cooled since switching to the external tank. That would be the focus of my troubleshooting until it is confirmed that the external tank is full and functional and that the connections are working properly. As for things 'coincidentally' going bad with the fridge at the same time that you switched to the external tank, my first troubleshooting step would be to see if some type of debris/dirt/blockage was set loose inside the piping when the tank change was made which is blocking the fuel flow somewhere. But, this would not happen until I did some binary testing with another tank known to be full and hooked up correctly. I also think it would be worthwhile to confirm that the Extend-a-Stay installation didn't inadvertently cause a kink in the fuel line to the right of the gray cover. That was a good suggestion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obedb Report post Posted June 17, 2018 Gotta ask this. Did you close the valve on the built in tank before you hooked up the extend a stay portable propane tank? The images that I have seen verify what Brett said. The plumbing is properly installed, but could a portable tank maintain the pressure needed to heat the evaporator properly if the built in tank was not turned off? The burner jet is easy to replace with a new one available at rv repair dealers.. Seems to me that I remember a warning about a small wasp being attracted by the smell of propane. Moves in and makes a mess. Old knowledge. My two🤔 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted June 17, 2018 Your right about the wasp! Wrong part of Country. OP is some where in the Pacific North West, she did not say, but I suspect, in North Vancouver Island area! 100 miles from small town and 200 from big, puts her "off the grid"! I don't know if she has a toad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted June 17, 2018 Seems like a resourceful lady. I will bet, with all the help she is getting, she will work it out. Good Luck Nan. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NanMWright Report post Posted June 22, 2018 Hi Folks, "Your describe the propane burner as working "OK" regardless of using propane from your on-board tank or external tank. My suspicion is the chimney above the burner is restricted with cobwebs/dirt or a bird's nest or something else meaning inadequate hot gas flow along the boiler/perk tube. Typically the chimney "exhausts" through a rectangular opening through the top of an RV's roof. The chimney has a rectangular cover to keep rain, branches, leaves, etc. out of the chimney. To check the chimney I'd suggest removing the top cover and peer down into the chimney with a suitable flashlight to look for an obstruction. If there is an obstruction, a small width broom could be used to push the "stuff" out the bottom of the chimney. Also check the baffles in the bottom of the chimney above the burner to assure they are not partially plugged." FAGNAML This has been a very helpful thread. I finally made it to a town with RV repair and this contribution from Mike was exactly the problem. I originally thought I might have low gas pressure, but it only took a few minutes with a high pressure air hose to send a black cloud of debris up through the vent on the top of the rig. Within an hour, my fridge temp moved from 60 degrees to 35 degrees. The gas pressure still seems low to me, but the fridge has stayed in the low 30's for the past 5 days, so I'm considering it 'fixed'. Thanks for all your contributions. I certainly learned a lot about troubleshooting all the possible Dometic fridge problems. Nan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted June 22, 2018 Glad you finally got it resolved, and thanks for informing us what the problem was. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted June 22, 2018 Very good news. It's always great to see that a problem has been solved. Thanks for checking back and letting us know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted June 22, 2018 Nan. Always a pleasure to hear from you! Stay safe & happy camping! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
