Need advice on wiring a reigniter for propane fridge

[Stereo]

I recently installed a battery-powered barbecue sparker to replace my piezo. It works great; it lights my Dometic 2193 three-way fridge very quickly. However, the flame keeps blowing out in windy conditions, even after I fashioned a wind shield to slip around the flame assembly. (The flame stays lit in calm conditions so I know it doesn't go out due to a faulty thermocouple.) It has been very frustrating to leave for day-long hikes and come back to a warmed frig, especially after the hassle of leveling the truck to avoid damage to the propane fridge. (Geez. Can't they design a mount that allows the fridge to self-level, within reason???) I'm hoping to solve this problem by upgrading to a reigniter.

The Atwood 93212 that other posts referred to is no longer made. The Robert Shaw 785-002 9v-battery model includes an electrode, nicely-insulated wires, and mounting hardware but the cheapest I could find it for was $97. I didn't need a new electrode so I ordered a 12v reigniter on ebay for $29. It didn't come with any wiring instructions so I'm hoping someone can double-check my assumptions. I know the center terminal is for the electrode wire. There are three other holes but only two other terminals. I'm assuming "A" in the photo below connects to my 12v wiring and "B" connects to ground. Am I correct?



FYI, for anyone else doing this, I've read that the electrode tip needs to be in the flame because the reigniter senses the flame, not the heat.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Stereo]

I'm rethinking this and assuming that "B" does connect to the negative side of the 12v system, but shouldn't it be grounded, too? Or is it grounded through the 12v system? If not, how do I ground it without another terminal?

 

[Alloy]

Have you checked the pressure on the propane / gas valve opening all the way / orifice isn't partially blocked ?

If there are other appliance on the system then the pressure should be checked with 1 or 2 of those running

 

[1stDeuce]

I would agree with your assumption on the terminal hookup.

I'll also second that you should probably look into the actual cause of your flame blowing out so easily. My fridge does that when rust falls out of the riser tube and partially blocks the burner slits. I also found that after a regulator replacement, I had to turn up the gas flow slightly via an adjustment jet that my fridge has. You may need to do the same if the flame isn't very strong.

Now that I have it tuned up, the flame only blows out if I spend some time on the highway at 60+mph, or if I'm parked in REALLY windy conditions with the fridge side facing the wind.

Good luck!!

 

[Stereo]

I have cleaned the orifice and the valve is open all the way but I don't have a manometer for checking the pressure. However, if the fridge burns continuously in calm weather, doesn't that suggest that the propane pressure is okay? I would assume line pressure stays the same regardless of how much propane is left in the tank. Is that assumption incorrect? We're at a quarter of a tank now and seem to be having more problems with the flame blowing out.

I do know that wind has always been an issue so I still want to install the reigniter. I would love confirmation about the wiring before doing so.

I would agree with your assumption on the terminal hookup.

I'll also second that you should probably look into the actual cause of your flame blowing out so easily. My fridge does that when rust falls out of the riser tube and partially blocks the burner slits. I also found that after a regulator replacement, I had to turn up the gas flow slightly via an adjustment jet that my fridge has. You may need to do the same if the flame isn't very strong.

Now that I have it tuned up, the flame only blows out if I spend some time on the highway at 60+mph, or if I'm parked in REALLY windy conditions with the fridge side facing the wind.

Good luck!!

I would agree with your assumption on the terminal hookup.

I've muddied this thread by having two assumptions. In my first post, I assumed that the terminal marked with a negative sign goes to ground. But then I second-guessed myself and in my second post wondered if it goes to the negative side of the 12 volt system but am concerned about how it's grounded. Can you please clarify which of my two assumptions you agree with? Thanks

 

[1stDeuce]

Both. ?? The negative side of a 12v DC system is commonly referred to as "ground". Ground simply implies an indirect connection to the negaive battery terminal, such as through the chassis of the vehicle. It can also mean a direct connection, as with a wire run directly to the negative terminal. Generally, all things metal in a vehicle share "ground" notation. In a truck camper, the ground is likely a separate wire, as so much is made of wood.

That is different than a house, where there's a Line, Neutral, and Ground. Much different.

It would not be necessary to run the negative terminal to the battery negative, only to a suitable ground wire in the camper. Same with the positive, just find a positive wire in the camper. If you have a 3 way fridge, you already have power and ground, and the re-igniter can be connected off those wires w/o issue.

You could still have a weak flame due to blocked vents where the gas comes out of the burner tube, or even due to some blockage. A weak flame will hold when there is nothing messing with it, but a slight breeze will blow it out... You might check with the mfg to see if they can help with an adjustment to make the flame a bit stronger. If your setup has an air vent in the burner tube before the flame area, adjusting that vent can often make the flame stronger too...

Or it's just possible that the way it's vented makes it very susceptible to being blown out. I put some window screen across the holes below my fridge compartment to keep air from rushing in and out of the vent holes there.

And I would agree that a re-igniter is good insurance.

 

[Stereo]

Thank you for the detailed explanation, 1stDeuce. I do get confused about DC as I'm much more familiar with AC wiring.

I do think I have a strong flame - it's tall and blue. The propane delivery goes directly into the simple, cylindrical burner. There are no slots or air vents. Though everything looked clean, I did blow and vacuum everything out and soaked the orifice in alcohol. The fridge works well, when lit.

We typically camp above 10,000 ft where the reduced amount of oxygen will weaken the flame. Winds are often strong and can change direction quickly.

 

[Alloy]

A manometer is easy to make.

 

[Stereo]

A manometer is easy to make.

Sure enough. If I had the right tubing on hand, I'd build one, but I really think my pressure is OK. I turned on the furnace and a stovetop burner, then watched the burner flames as I lit the second burner and didn't see any change in the flames. I know that is not exact, but I'm not sure I can get the igniter burner tube detached from the propane delivery tube in order to test pressure at the fridge. The union is really, really, really, tight. I could test it at the rangetop but that's not where the potential problem lies.

Given all the other complaints I've read, it seems very common for the flame to blow out under windy conditions so I'm assuming at this point that's my only problem.