Probably too many ? for one post

Hello all,
As i put in the introduce your self section this is our first rv. its a oldie  1989 fleetwood jamboree 26'  60000 miles and only 7 hrs on geny. Gonna get my buddy who is lead tech at small engine shop to give geny a once over as it still has factory oil filter and I suspect factory oil in it.  I tested the lp detector with a lighter and it does not work. I have been doing some reading on that and looking for some opinions. It is the style that shuts down the lp when activated.  I didn't like the 250 price tag I found on one that does the same.  I do like the fact of a flip of a switch all lp is off. Would it be better to add a second detector to sense a leak and keep this one inline as an extra shut off of just remove the solenoid? I've read the solenoid takes different voltages 12 to open and like 9 to stay open, so putting in a toggle would be out of the question I guess.?? As a hvac tech I know how volatile lp can be vs natural.  The ex mom-in -law who gave this to me never used the stove/oven or water system in her 8 years of ownership. She always went to state parks and by a visual inspection,not sure previous owner used anything either. I have tested stove and oven, all good. I have scrubbed roof and put down first coat of silver rv roof coating and plan a couple more.  We are planning a week long trip 3rd week of october, at a state park so I wont use water system.  Any guesses what kind of problems I am going to find this spring when I decide to start using it? things to look for ? other than obvious water gushing where it shouldnt.  How many times to sterilize tank?  I am getting all model and serials to local rv place as I found there is a recall on the refrigerator, and hope they can get it done before our trip.  It works but after finding out about recall on an ammonia system  am a lil paranoid to use it while me and kids are asleep.    Can't think of much more to be a pest about right now   Sorry to ramble on and on.  It seems to be in great shape other than the 25 yr old plastic items that want to break.  Ebay and Amazon best for these things? (screen door knobs, cabinet knobs?)  Thanks for reading thru my mess
Kurt

I wouldn't expect much new trouble when you use the onboard water tank. When using city (park) water supply, everything is the same as the onboard system except the tank and water pump. The pump feeds the same water line as the city inlet via a Tee. So worse case is the pump doesn't work or the hose & tank has a leak. Put 5-10 gallons of water in and give it a whirl.

You need to sanitize the entire water system, i.e. faucets, lines, heater tank, and fresh tank. There are instructions in the RVForum Library.

While I don't want to belittle that fridge recall, you might consider that it has been working for 25 years and hasn't harmed anybody yet. I'm guessing this is a Norcold N600, or maybe an N800?

As for the LP detector, the biggest issue with the existing one is that when it fails it is almost surely going to shut your gas supply off. Leaving the solenoid in place in leaves you not knowing when that will happen. Otherwise, your idea seems fine.

"I'm guessing this is a Norcold N600, or maybe an N800?"
Thanks for the reply Gary
actually its a Dometic rm2852
In the email to them they wouldn't say what it was but that it needs to be done  especially if using lp for fridge.

The problem is potential heat fatigue cracks in the cooling unit boiler tube. If a crack occurs, the pressurized coolant jets out and could ignite if it hits the LP flame or an overheated electric element.  Dometic installs an additional burner housing and some fusing to reduce the chance of a fire.

The problem is rare in the Dometic, but you are right to be concerned about the threat of fire. Any fire in an RV is catastrophic - they burn fast and hot.  Until they can install the fix, you could probably turn the fridge off overnight so that you can sleep in peace.  The fridge should stay reasonably cold if the door is not being opened and outside temps are cool.