Thanks for the tip - I look forward to the possibility of talking to someone
who does this stuff more than I do. Your idea is the first I have heard that
might account for all the facts. I intend this morning to dissect an old
non-functioning unit to see if this is feasible. I'll report back later...

Thanks again -

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 David Beierl
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 8:27 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Dometic refrigerator cooling mystery, '89 Westy

Coby, I think it's at least faintly possible that the boiler got cooked
(i.e. the anticorrosive powder caked and baked on) in the flame area but is
still ok in the electric area.  I'd suggest consulting with the folks at
http://www.rvmobile.com/, they're cooling-unit experts -- they'd know if
this was a possibility.

Please keep us informed on this one, it's a fascinating problem!

david

At 07:42 PM 8/19/2001, Coby Smolens wrote:
>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?

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"