Are you really saying that over-filling and running empty are bad for
the vanagon propane system?  If so, this seems like really poor
design for a system, when you pretty much have to run it empty to
know you are out, and (if the clouds of propane I see when getting it
filled are any indication), over-filling seems like the S.O.P.

In any case -- the "gunk" in the propane jet may have been a flake of
metal.  It didn't seem to have any gooey quality, but I didn't look
too closely.

Your comment jogged my memory....  This last time, the professional
technician who filled the tank did it with the main valve open -- I
suppose this would be a likely scenario for pushing gunk/goo/metal
flakes around.

Thanks to all for the advice -- I'm going to try the "live-with-it"
method for now.   If it keeps acting up I'll try to measure the
pressure and see what's next.

On Jan 8, 2007, at 1:11 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:

> Gunk in the gas nozzle means you have at some point overfilled the
> propane tank and/or regularly ran it empty so some of the
> mercaptan, (the odor ant) carried into the gas system. The
> regulator may be fouled.
>
> The regulator needs to be adjusted to 11"WC. Just get a new one.
> This should never be adjusted with out some type of gauge. That
> gunk is most likely through out all the copper tubing and will keep
> traveling and causing problems. Most likely the control valve on
> the fridge is also messed up. Remember the gunk had to go through
> that valve to get to the burner jet. That stuff is almost
> impossible to get out. Time for new lines.
>
> Dennis
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Michael Diehr
> Date: Monday, January 8, 2007 2:00 pm
> Subject: Re: Fridge more sensitive to low pressure than cooktop?
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
>> Update 2 -- To recap, my fridge has been working poorly -- visible
>> red/yellow portion of the flame in the viewing glass, not cooling
>> much, and flame going out sometimes. I pulled it out, cleaned out
>> the combustion chamber, and found some gunk in the propane jet nozzle
>> thingy. After reinstalling, the fridge seems to run better, and
>> the flame is now a consistent blue. However, the flame would keep
>> going out at night when it was cold. Also, the stove burners tend
>> to also go out when set on low.
>>
>> Since my van had a new regulator (Marshal 290?) a few years ago, I
>> think the data points to low LPG pressure.
>>
>> I adjusted the regulator to give higher pressure, and things
>> seems to
>> have improved -- the stove burners don't blow out easily when on low,
>> and the fridge stayed lit for hours.
>>
>> However, again last night, the fridge flame went out. Temperature
>> was in the low 40s again.
>>
>> Question -- I'm nearly to the end of the adjustment range on
>> the LPG
>> regulator, so I don't think I can get much more pressure. Is there
>> any way on the Dometic to turn up the overall flame level?
>> Basically, it seems that what is happening is that High is more like
>> Low, and Low is more like OFF -- so that at night it's just
>> going out
>> altogether when everything gets cold.
>>
>>
>> On Jan 6, 2007, at 11:33 AM, Michael Diehr wrote:
>>
>>> Update -- Tried the fridge on 120VAC and it worked well.
>> Filled the
>>> propane tank, and though the fridge lights & works on propane,
>> it is
>>> winter so I suspect it's just barely working. The flame, which
>>> normally looks uniform and blue through the viewing glass, has a
>>> clear glowing red portion. Also, the amount of heat escaping the
>>> flue is much less than normal. So it seems like I have a clogged
>>> jet and/or combustion chamber. I'll pull it and clean it today.
>>>
>>> So I think to answer my original question -- No, it appears as
>> if the
>>> fridge is not particularly sensitive to low LPG level. If the stove
>>> burners work, the fridge flame should too.
>>>
>>> On Jan 3, 2007, at 5:49 PM, Michael Diehr wrote:
>>>
>>>> My dometic fridge was working very poorly last camping trip --
>> could
>>>> barely get below 60F (in 90 degree weather) and the flame
>> looked weak
>>>> and yellow through the glass. So, I figured that the combustion
>>>> chamber must be clogged. Today, I removed the flue vent and
>>>> vacuumed the intake/exhaust tubes, and was just about to pull the
>>>> fridge out to clean the combustion chamber, when I realized
>> that the
>>>> propane tank is empty, 100% bone dry.
>>>>
>>>> When I was camping, the stove burners were working fine. So I'm
>>>> wondering -- is it likely that the combustion chamber is not
>>>> clogged, and I was just running low on propane, and somehow the
>>>> pressure was low enough to screw up the fridge, but not low
>> enough to
>>>> affect cooking?
>>