Norcold 121 series fridge not working on propane

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Alpena Jeff

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Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Posts
965
Location
Up North - Michigan
I have a half tank of gas.
It runs from shore power.
When trying to run from propane we get the no fl msg.
Furnace blows hot.
Manual tells me nothing. Can anybody help?
Thanks as always, Jeff
 
First guess,  would be a gas flow restriction.  Can you hear the igniter try?  If not then its likely a board failure.  Call Dinosaur boards this morning after 8 pacific time and talk to them. Have make, model, and serial on hand as tou might be ordering a new board from them.
 
Jeff-

Been there, done that.  When you turn it on to propane, can you hear it fire and burn for 15-30 seconds before shutting off and giving you the "no FL" message?  If so, you have a problem with the flame sensor, which is not sensing or not communicating that there is a flame.  If not, you have a problem with either the fuel supply or the ignition. 

My problems have been with the flame sensor, so I'll offer some thoughts on that.  I had that problem a couple times.  A mobile RV repair man came out and replaced the flame sensor, it would work for a little while (like no more than a day or two), then fail.  He replaced the sensor again at no cost, but same result.  Last year, I was tinkering around with it myself and undid the electrical connections to the sensor and cleaned them off real good with some emory paper.  Put everything back together and it has now worked fine for a whole season (of admittedly light use).  Another thing to try is to check and make sure the sensor is close enough to the flame.  That may require a slight bending of the mounting bracket, if my memory serves.

Those are just a few ideas.  Others will probably have more expertise.  It's not too hard to get access to the flame sensor by taking off the outside plastic vent.  There should then be a box-like cover over the flame outlet and sensor.

Edit:  Has the fridge been running on propane for the first part of the trip?  I assume you've been successfully using the furnace and the stove.  If not, you could have a problem with air in the gas line.  Best way to purge that is to run the stove for a while.
 
No Flame means just that - the LP burner didn't light on demand.  Since you have LP in the tank, the problem is likely to be at the fridge, maybe a dirty burner.  Mud dauber wasps and spider webs are common problems.  Or if there is water or oily residue in the coach LP system, it may have clogged the jet at the burner.
 
Oh man Jeff, first trip out and the fridge gets wonky.  :( Hope you didn't have any dry camping planned until you can get it figured out
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
No Flame means just that - the LP burner didn't light on demand. 

Gary-  I'll stand by my comment that you can also get the "no FL" message if the burner lights, but then shuts off after a bit because the flame sensor didn't sense or didn't communicate the flame.  That's what repeatedly happened to me; flame fires and runs for about 15 seconds, then shuts off, then "no FL" warning lights up.

Jeff-  Gary makes an excellent point about checking for clogged burner orifice, wasp nests, etc.
 
Gary-  I'll stand by my comment that you can also get the "no FL" message if the burner lights, but then shuts off after a bit because the flame sensor didn't sense or didn't communicate the flame.  That's what repeatedly happened to me; flame fires and runs for about 15 seconds, then shuts off, then "no FL" warning lights up.

That is correct, Scott.  If the flame sensor doesn't sense the flame, it doesn't exist as far as the circuit board and display panel are concerned.  And the circuit board shuts the gas supply off immediately, so there really is "no flame".  I should have mentioned that in my reply.
 
Sorry guys. I thought I replied but don?t see it!
Bottom line, it finally did fire on propane. I let her run for awhile then switched back to AC cause it?s free!
We shall see what tomorrow brings as we are heading to Ocala Sun RV Park for a night.
I?ll keep you posted.
Now on to my next challenge.
 
Have you looked inside the burner area? Rust from the chimney falls down on the burner and will collect inside the burner. If you see a lot of rust particles you need to take it apart and clean everything out. I usually have to do this to mine once a year, if you use  it on propane a lot. Just sayin'
 
Don't assume that because you can see the flame that it's strong enough for the flame sensor to sense.  As has been mentioned in previous posts: Clean the burner, the orifice, etc.  Alcohol works well.  Spider webs too small to be seen are big enough to weaken the flame.

Spiders in particular seem to love propane.  So expect to be cleaning the gas path of the water heater too.
 
8Muddypaws said:
Don't assume that because you can see the flame that it's strong enough for the flame sensor to sense.  As has been mentioned in previous posts: Clean the burner, the orifice, etc.  Alcohol works well.  Spider webs too small to be seen are big enough to weaken the flame.

Spiders in particular seem to love propane.  So expect to be cleaning the gas path of the water heater too.
Understood Muddy. It was a quick check. I'll take 'er apart if it happens again.
 

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