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Rebel

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2025
Posts
9
Location
Lotus,Ca
Good day,
It's raining hard here in Northern California. My refrigerator check light came on. I did all the trouble shooting and research I could think of, and came to the conclusion that the rain is getting into the outside "side" vent and not allowing the flame to stay lit. My question: Is there a protective cover that allows the fridge to do its job, but stops the rain from infiltrating the compartment?
ANY suggestions are helpful!
 
So your fridge only operates on propane? And you have checked to insure it is the pilot that’s out? The cover is vented for a good reason. The rain should not be getting through those vents unless there is flood. The vents should pointing down to keep the water out. Having said all that (hoping it didn’t sound condescending) maybe a shield could be made from sheet metal to keep wind and rain from the flame.
 
Thank you Oldgator,
Fridge runs on both propane and shore power.
I live without access to shore power, so propane it is.
The rain was excessive with mighty winds.
The fridge is staying lit now and working great. No rain/wind.
All vent openings are facing down. The cover only installs one way. (as you already know.) I'm thinking a little weather stripping might help.
Just thought on the off chance that somebody got creative and came up with a detachable shield for this situation. One can only hope!
Many thanks for your time and input.
Best regards,
Rebel
 
The outer access panel IS that protective cover and should be sufficient protection except for strong winds driving the rain against it. That's rare, but you did say it is raining HARD.

Is your fridge located in a slideout, i.e. it has two side vent panels (lower & upper)? That increases the vulnerability to winds. Not much can be done about that - the vents are needed both for the propane flame and shedding the waste heat from the cooling unit. All I can suggest is making some sort of secondary shield that stands off a few inches and is open at the bottom so air can still circulate. Double-sided tape it to the sidewall around the vents so it can be removed for travel. I suggest thin aluminum sheet - light and easy to fold or cut.

Some stop-gap alternatives:
  • Run your generator so the fridge operates in AC mode rather than propane. A nuisance, but it's not gonna rain hard forever, right?
  • Turn the coach so the winds don't hit the side vents directly
  • Park the coach closer to some adjoining object or trees to block the wind somewhat.
 
Be careful not to block the vents when it's not raining and blowing out the flame.

In over 50 years of RVing (in California) I have only experienced flame outs when there's an additional problem with the refer. Make sure the gas path is clean and the flame is healthy. If the refer is more than a few years old clean the burner with compressed air and/or a small brush. Don't leave the flame inspection door open.
 
What brand of fridge is it? Dometic or Norcold?

The Dometic door/louvers, that was used for many years has a design flaw in it. The lower lip of the frame that the door mounts into does not have a lip on the inside to prevent water from wicking under the door and into the inside of the RV, onto the platform or shelf the fridge is mounted on. These are the Dometic louvers that have the two plastic turn latches in the LOWER corners of it. If you have Dometic louvers with the latches on the TOP corners (Norcold vents also have latches on top, but we are not concerned with the Norcold vent), then it is the later design and does not have the problem with water wicking in.

Note that this is not what is putting your flame out, but certainly can damage or rot the interior portions of your RV.

The pics tell it rather well.

If you are not sure of which vent you have, my Resource on bug screens helps you identify them. This is a PDF file that will automatically download when you click the link. It is stored on this forum under resources.

Charles
 

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What brand of fridge is it? Dometic or Norcold?

The Dometic door/louvers, that was used for many years has a design flaw in it. The lower lip of the frame that the door mounts into does not have a lip on the inside to prevent water from wicking under the door and into the inside of the RV, onto the platform or shelf the fridge is mounted on. These are the Dometic louvers that have the two plastic turn latches in the LOWER corners of it. If you have Dometic louvers with the latches on the TOP corners (Norcold vents also have latches on top, but we are not concerned with the Norcold vent), then it is the later design and does not have the problem with water wicking in.

Note that this is not what is putting your flame out, but certainly can damage or rot the interior portions of your RV.

The pics tell it rather well.

If you are not sure of which vent you have, my Resource on bug screens helps you identify them. This is a PDF file that will automatically download when you click the link. It is stored on this forum under resources.

Charles
Thanks Charles,
It is a Dometic, and water was wicking under the door.
I wiped up the water and dried it out the best I could. I let the unit rest overnight, and when I started it up in the morning, it worked!
I have ordered a can of compressed air and will be scheduling an inspection of the unit. I'm the 3rd owner and it seems I'm the one stuck with fixing what is due to fail. It is a 2006 after all!
 
Another issue with the Dometic is that there is a drain hose that is normally run out the vent, thru one of the slots. The "hose" Dometic used was a corrugated plastic tube that cracks and crumbles, end result is that the condensation caught in the drip tray under the fridge cooling fins, ends up dripping into the area behind the fridge.

My 2008 model was a classic example of this, but Dometic has since changed the type of plastic and gone to a black tubing. While you can use clear vinyl tubing, and many have, remember the area behind the fridge is hot and if the tubing comes in contact with coils (and it will) the tubing may become damaged or melted thru.

My travel buddy bought a used 2017 Forest River Surveyor and it was a nice looking trailer but we found a few issues, one of which was the fridge drain tube is shipped from the factory connected at the drip tray, and then coiled up and shoved into the tubes and fins on the rear for shipping. After installation, Forest River failed to uncoil the tube and route it out the vent.

The tube is also supposed to have a plug in the end with three or four small holes in it, this allows water to drain but keeps out insects.

Since I installed bug screens on everything, I could not route a tube or hose thru the louvers so I used some 3M VHB tape to mount a small aluminum pan to collect water. Being near the burner (if on gas) will help evaporate the water.

Pictures should tell the story.

Charles
 

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Thanks Charles,
It is a Dometic, and water was wicking under the door.
I wiped up the water and dried it out the best I could. I let the unit rest overnight, and when I started it up in the morning, it worked!
I have ordered a can of compressed air and will be scheduling an inspection of the unit. I'm the 3rd owner and it seems I'm the one stuck with fixing what is due to fail. It is a 2006 after all!
 
Oh Brother! I forgot to thread the drain hose back through the cover!
As soon as the rain lets up, I'll get on it!
Thank you for triggering this slip up. I wouldn't have thought about it unless you mentioned it.

Thanks again Charles!
 
Oh Brother! I forgot to thread the drain hose back through the cover!
As soon as the rain lets up, I'll get on it!
Thank you for triggering this slip up. I wouldn't have thought about it unless you mentioned it.

Thanks again Charles!
Get a bright light in there and follow every inch of the hose, and insure it is not cracked or broken anywhere.

If you need new tubing the part number for the genuine Dometic tubing (the better stuff, and it is black in color) is...... original corrugated tube/hose p/n 2932749019 and the plug that goes in the end with small holes in it (keeps bugs out) is p/n 2932115013. The new tube number is 2932749159

Charles

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Get a bright light in there and follow every inch of the hose, and insure it is not cracked or broken anywhere.

If you need new tubing the part number for the genuine Dometic tubing (the better stuff, and it is black in color) is...... original corrugated tube/hose p/n 2932749019 and the plug that goes in the end with small holes in it (keeps bugs out) is p/n 2932115013. The new tube number is 2932749159

Charles

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I can't thank you enough for your help!
The link to the parts is such a time saver.
The parts are in my amazon cart and ready to order if I need them. Which I probably do since the end of the hose is brittle and crumbling.
I will be checking out the entire tube as soon as weather permits.
Thank you again for your time and vast knowledge.
It is much appreciated!
Best regards,
Rebel
 
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