Refrigerator and Heater Propane issues

[portlandsmoke]

Hey all.

I am having an inconsistent propane feed to my refrigerator and I think it is also affecting my heater as well.  Here's the facts:

Fridge will shut off periodically when running on propane.  Sometimes it will fire right back up and some times it takes numerous tries and can take all day to get it working.

The heater will work and then it will get to temp or stop.  I will turn the thermostat off and then back on to a very high heat.  The vents blow cold air for about 2 min and then the fan shuts off with no heat.

I have taken this into the shop and they checked my lines to see if there were any pressure/leaking issues.  Everything came back fine.

I have replaced the battery cables, filled the tanks, and cleaned both the refrigerator and heater components with compressed air. 

What the hell could this problem be?  I do not want to through a bunch of money away at the dealership trying to get this thing figured out.


Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Jonah
Portland, Oregon
2003 Nomad 23' travel trailer

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Has the LP regulator been replaced? Intermittent gas flow is one of the signs of a clogged regulator. The clog is usually oil that has collected in the tank, so sometimes the problem returns after what appears to be a fix. That would mean the LP tank needs to be drained and cleaned. Or just replaced if it is a portable DOT bottle.

 

[Gerry R]

We seldom use our furnace but our fridge did the same thing in Utah (high altitude) and it was the LPG regulator adjusted to too low a pressure.

 

[captsteve]

The simplest common denominator would be the regulator. Pick up a new one and install it. If it cures the issue, check the old one for oil seeping out. If you see oil in it, then you may want to get the tank cleaned.

 

[portlandsmoke]

Thanks a lot!  I will pick one up this weekend and try that out.

 

[Foto-n-T]

Although personally I would suspect the lines from the tanks to the regulator first but if you have already purchased the regulator there are some things to consider when replacing it.

The mercaptin (oderant) that is in the propane is an oil that can separate out of the propane and build up in the lines themselves, especially the narrow diameter soft lines leading from the tank to the regulator and the line from the regulator to the hard line supplying the appliances.  When replacing the regulator take the soft lines off to the tanks and hang them vertically with the pipe thread end down. Also take the soft line from the regulator to the hard line and let it hang down as close to vertical as possible, don't remove it from the hard line.  Make sure that you place old newspaper or something disposable under the lines so that any mercaptin that drips out is caught, you DON'T want that stuff on anything that you value, it's NASTY!!

 

[bmkbbf]

Did replacing the LP regulator work? We are having the exact same issues with our trailer. 2003 Komfort

 

[Rene T]

bmkbbf
You realize that that issue came up a year ago. Hopefully they are still members and will read this.