Good suggestion, but... Both Dave and I cleaned the flue, and I inspected it
with a boroscope (internally lighted fiber-optic device that lets you see
inside skinny little areas). It's spic and span. Since the flue IS the metal
being heated and the propane heat source for the boiler tube it's adjacent
to, it is important it be clean, as you suggest. However, the mystery here
is that the thing (the ammonia-water boiler tube) that's supposed to be
heated by the various (12V, 110AC, propane) heat sources IS being heated, to
about the same temperature in each case - yet while operating on propane the
cooler never gets past about 25 degrees below ambient, compared with more
than a 60 degree drop on 110AC. My question is either: What could account
for the discrepancy beyond the ammonia-water boiler; or, what am I missing
in my understanding of how this system works?

Thanks -

Coby Smolens
Valley Wagonworks
VW Bus and Vanagon Specialists
"Intimately acquainted with VW Vans since 1959"

1535 SF Drake Blvd, San Anselmo, CA 94960
415-457-5628

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
Of Dana Morphew
Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 4:20 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Dometic refrigerator cooling mystery, '89 Westy

I don't have a Westy fridge, but I do have a propane fueled demand-fired
hot water heater.  You must have the metal that is in contact with the
flames as soot-free as you can do.  The soot will insulate the metal
from the flames and badly degrade the exchange of heat.

-Dana-

>
> Dave told us the unit wouldn't cool beyond 10 deg F. below ambient while
> operating on propane, but made ice on house current. He cleaned the flue,
> checked flame everything seemed normal.