Burping the fridge is a good maintenance item and should be done whenever
you pull your fridge out. The Dometic fridge in your Westy produces 'cold'
by heating an ammonia/hydrogen/water mixture. If you run the fridge when the
van is not perfectly level this mixture moves around and sort of congeals
and gets mixed incorrectly --- lessening its ability to cool. You correct
this by turning your fridge upside down for a day and then leaving it right
side up for another day -- easiest when you have the fridge out of the
van:-). This allows the ammonia/hydrogen/water mixture to re-mix correctly
and optimizes its ability to cool your beer. I'm sure that if you search on
'burp' and 'fridge' in the archives you'll get a better explanation.

Cheers,
Doug

On 2/21/06, Dan Winget <william.winget@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> burp the fridge??  what do you mean by this?? I am having the same
> trouble frank is having
> Dan
>
> Doug Alcock wrote:
>
> >Hey Frank --- this is horrible news, how are you gonna keep the cerveza
> >cold. Did you burp the fridge when you took it out in Novemeber? That's
> the
> >only thing I can think of that might help.
> >
> >Good Luck,
> >Doug
> >
> >
> >On 2/20/06, Frank Condelli <RAlanen@aol.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>In a message dated 2/20/2006 5:48:54 P.M. Mountain Standard Time,
> >>LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
> >>
> >>You may  want to check the gas jet when  you get a chance to take
> out  the
> >>fridge.  A year [ 25 hours of use? ] after  I had reinstalled  my fridge
> >>[ temp gauge installation and burn chamber clean out ]
> >>
> >>It  stopped getting cold [ if it lit...]
> >>
> >>So I grudgingly took it all out  again
> >>
> >>[ takes 1/2 the time the 3rd time round! :O( ]
> >>
> >>And found a  new-formed carbon wad right on the gas jet
> >>
> >>I am not sure if there is  such a thing as cruddy propane but
> >>
> >>I had no other explanation. - After  clean out and reinstall..
> >>
> >>Fridge was back to  normal.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>Thomas, you may be right but I just had this fridge  out back in
> November
> >>before I left on this trip and did a complete service  including
> cleaning
> >>the
> >>jet.  I may take it out in a day or two in the next  campground we stop
> >>at.  I'll
> >>let you all know what I find.
> >>
> >>Cheers,
> >>
> >>Frank  Condelli
> >>Almonte, Ontario, Canada
> >>'87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg  (Forsale) & Lionel Trains
> >>Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa  Valley
> >>_Frank Condelli  & Associates_ (
> http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html
> >>)
> >>_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
> >>(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
> >>_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
> >>camping event, Almonte, ON, June 08 ~ 11,  2006
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>