Propane fridge questions

[Fourangelsdad]

:baby04: Hello to all. We have a propane fridge/freezer combo(a Norcold) and last night we had a small incident. Our carbon monoxide alarm went off and we did not have the furnace on so I was wondering what might have been the cause of the alarm. As I checked around I detected a strong odor coming from the cellar (where we keep the fridge). For safety's sake my family went outside and of course I opened the windows and called the fire department. (Telling them that it was NOT an emergency and that no one had any of the co poisoning symptoms was fruitless as we had approximately 20 people show up and I can't even count the pieces of Fire apparatus that came ). Upon checking the house the fire department was able to determine that the fridge was the culprit as the readings jumped when they went downstairs and climbed higher when they went near the unit. The consensus was that the fridge was burning "dirty" causing the problem. Truth be told we found out that the previous owner had not ever had the unit serviced and it is about 10 years old. My question is this: Can I clean out the burner of this unit myself or should I contact a service technician? Any and all answers are welcome.

Thanks to all

[farminghandyman]

it may just need to be adjusted for air, there may be a slide type collar on the burner or a ring type looking unit that two "V" shaped holes and by turning it will affect the the flame, the flame should be a blue color and not yellowish, if it can not be adjusted the orifice maybe should be changed to match the conditions (altitude), it may be good to have the propane regulator checked for proper pressure,

As far as cleaning it should not be hard, as there is little to a propane burner,

As far as knowing if it is working correctly, I would suggest a service tec.

Also one note of caution:
propane is heaver than air, and if a leak developed it could settle in a basement or cellar area. some thing to keep in mind.

[sisterpine]

It is my personal opinion that propane friges should be cleaned and serviced by the owner every six months. Our own is a 1852 Servel that I rebuilt at a total cost of 40.00. My nearest neighbor has a Crystal cold that she paid 2700.00 for 4 years ago that is currently not working at all. Each six months I pull mine out away from the wall, remove the back (yours may not be removable) then making sure the gas is turned off! dismantle the burner- if you dont have a book you may need to take photos at each step so you can get it back together. you can blow air through the orfiss (sp) thing and some folks clean theres with alcohol and a q tip. Next, while this part is out remove the baffel that hangs down in the chimney flu from the top of the fridge. You would be surprised how very little dirt it takes to mess one of these burners up. I usually run a hand town on a coat hanger up and down in mine like you would a rifle cleaning swab. Then put it all back together, light it up and adjust the flame so that it is 3/4 blue with a touch of yellow on top and you should be set to go. Oh yes, I also have a CO2 detector near my frige and I turn it on once a week to check for danger....never found any but last time I had that smell you were talking about it was my dirty frige burner making it and CO2 as well. Good luck, sis

[farminghandyman]

I am talking in general, about gas appliances, but check for spider webs and stuff in the air tube, I can't say I have ever seen any in a working unit, but in many items that are shut off for a time many times have some type of web or stuff in the air tubes,

[farminghandyman]

I am guessing you may have a 1082, if so here is the manual
http://www.thetford.com/cda/Files/pl...16__091702.pdf
page 10 talks you through how to clean it.

if not here is the main page look under product support and your model,
http://www.thetford.com/cda/Files/pl...16__091702.pdf

the Q and A page
http://www.thetford.com/cda/Files/pl...16__091702.pdf