I am trying to check and clean the propane burner on my frig. I generally have used AC to power the frig but am now starting to camp without power.
How can I remove the burner cover? The triple propane junction box is right in front of it. Seems like a bad place for it as two hoses also rest against the heater chimney.
Thanks
Tom
I think you posted an earlier request about your fridg burner going out. I was also having problems before I left on a recent trip with my propane fridge burner going out as well, but not staying lit while trying to switch from 110v to propane. I decided to clean burner and inspect/possibly replace thermocouple that shuts off gas if flame goes out. In the end, that fixed the problem as there was collected debris inside the burner cup; possibly spider webs inside the chimney, and a needed repositioning of the thermocouple. I've since encountered another potentially hazardous situation and have decided I will be changing out the old 3 way fridge on my 2000 Scamp 13' for an more modern, efficient electric unit. I really like the 3 way flexibility, but all reviews/recommendations suggest upgrading to the more efficient, low-draw electric fridges. Given the age, I guess it's time.
My setup is different than yours as I don't have the distribution box sitting in front of the burner assembly. You'll have to figure out whether there are anchor screws holding that box in place that allow you to move it around, or if the hoses need to be removed. Once out of the way, there is a small phillips head retention screw on the left side of the burner housing that needs to be removed. Then the lower bracket that covers the burner with the peep hole can be removed by sliding the bracket to the left or right to release a tab/slot connection at the right rear of the bracket. Once removed, there is a retention screw that holds the burner cup in place. You'll likely have to remove the thermocouple first which requires a phillips head screwdriver with a 90 degree bend to loosen a retaining screw. On mine, once the thermocouple and burner retention screw is removed, you can pull the burner towards you for cleaning. I used compressed air which was sufficient to blow out debris. As I did, you may wish to reposition the thermocouple to make sure it is well seated in the burner flame. These steps fixed what ailed my fridge, for what it's worth. It's somewhat tedious work intended for small hands, but the rewards of having an operating fridge are worth it. Hope this helps somewhat.
Thanks for the note. Glad to see there are at least a few of us still active here.
I can't understand why they put that distribution box right in front of the burner. Glad yours wasn't set up that way. That's interesting about the thermocouple alignment. That could well be the issue.
I may try to gain enough access to blow out any debris. If that doesn't work, I'll have to figure out getting past the junction. I know the guy at the Phoenix location who works on them. I'll give him a call to see what ideas he might have.
Thanks also for the heads up on newer electric designs. I'd been assuming that running a frig on12v would deplete the battery quite quickly. Now that you mention it, I have noticed there are some portable electric coolers that are compressor driven. Maybe that's a similar tech. The evaporative system in the 3-way seems pretty inefficient anyway.
Tom
Yeah, I don't know why this site has gone quiet unless all the questions have been solved over time. Seems unlikely.
I do prefer the flexibility of the 3-way fridge, but they are terribly inefficient, and recently with a new to me truck, I've found that these new fangled computer driven vehicles makes it so that my house battery is not getting adequately charged from the truck alternator. Hence, the battery goes dead while driving down the road on a long, fairly hot day. The demands of the 12v fridge are too much for the low supply from the truck battery and alternator. There are options to address this, but it's one more installation to perform and maintain. Reportedly, the new electric systems are quick to cool, low on draw depending of course which brand/model you choose, and are significantly more efficient. Good luck with your fridge maintenance quest. I think they install these things not worrying about maintenance down the road.
I notice that Scamp now sells this 12/24v frig.
https://store.scamptrailers.com/REFRIGERATOR-2.0-CU-FT-DOMETIC-CRX-65U-B...
This must be what they are installing now since the 3-way that we have is no longer listed. Not cheap, but I am going to check whether it's an exact replacement fit on my rig. Also going to look into what it draws.
I have the three-way fridge and just don't worry about it staying super cold in there while I'm on the road. I pre-chill the fridge, and don't carry chicken (unless it's frozen) or any other super-sensitive food, and crank it up when I arrive - usually on the propane, but if I have shore power, the 120V. Plus I use it like an ice chest if I do have foods I'm more concerned about: couple of ice packs in there. It's been good enough to keep it chilly at least for a 4-5 hour drive.
The only time I ever ran it on 12V it killed off my Scamp battery entirely, which I only discovered as I was arriving at my destination at dusk. Fortunately I had some AAA-powered fairy lights in there or it would have meant setting up and spending the evening in total darkness, because it was a boondocking situation.
So far I have valued the flexibility the propane option gives me, but I'm willing to be convinced that I could do without it. I'm curious how people use the newer electric-only refrigerators when they're off grid. Are the new fridges meant to draw little enough power that they can be supplied through the car's ability to top up the 12-volt when on the road? How long can the deep cycle battery last? (I know it depends on the battery, but let's say "average," and there's only one.) Would one have to have a solar charger (and could it keep up) if the Scamp was parked for a few days?
That's really the question. I have portable solar panels that easily keep my battery topped up. I can go at least two days without recharging if I have to. My power needs are low - ventilation fans, heater fan, lights and phone charging. I will have to be sure that these new efficient fridges won't drain the battery too quickly.
I pack all my cold food in a cooler for the drive to the camp site. Then pack all the stuff from the fridge back in the cooler when I leave and stop at the first place i find that has ice. People I've talked to have all kinds of ways to secure food in a frig while driving but I've never tried keeping food in the frig.
I did a dive into replacing my fridge with an electric model when I first discovered I had a problem with my 3-way. The model you list may be one of the models that came up as a replacement. If you do an AI Google search on an exact replacement of the model fridge you have on your exact model Scamp, the results come up with a list of refrigerators that will fit, and further what the advantages and disadvantages are of each. I had to leave my investigation for other priority issues/needs at the time, so I haven't gotten back into it. As I recall, there are some models that will fit the opening (Google tells you what your opening dimensions are, although you should always verify based on your year/build scamp and model fridge), and then lists what fridges may fit exactly or need minor modifications. Personally, I'm interested in what models do fit exactly (or nearly so), and which have the highest rated efficiency coupled with the lowest power draw given that my preference to boondock. I won't have time before the snow flys here to figure this all out as I'm likely looking at next spring to address. Good luck with your decision. I'll be interested in hearing what you decide.
Thanks for the note. That's an excellent suggestion. I too am starting to camp without power more often. The great thing about the 3-way is being able to run it on propane.
As you can tell from this thread, I've been having problems with the flame going out (and now access problems getting to the burner to clean it). The fridge works great when I have shore power.
All to say, I'll be taking my time on this decision. The cost is not trivial.
Your suggestion to use Google to help develop a list of compatible units is an excellent one. I will post any useful updates as I look into this and would appreciate you doing the same.
I have had good suggestions from ChatGPT for similar issues.
bill & valerie 2016 13' 2017 Kia Sorento EX V6, AWD