Dometic Does Not Cool | Dometic LP Filter | Dometic Gas Valve

HOW TO USE THIS PAGE: This page is divided into two parts:

• Text and Photos below with instructions for solving your Dometic gas valve and filter problems.
  
  
• A YouTube video that shows the basics on how the system pressure is adjusted, which is turn is critical for testing the gas valve filter and gas valve itself.

GAS VALVE DRAWING

This page is going to deal with the components found on the left of the gas valve, use the above menu to go to the next page for the remainder of the gas valve and burner assembly component tests.

• The inlet has a ceramic filter within the body of the valve assembly.

• There is a shutoff valve that aids in testing the igniter and other functions.

• A test port is provided to test the gas pressure at the burner jet.

• Solenoid valve, or gas valve.

Whenever working on the LP gas lines, perform a bubble test on the gas fittings afterward to make sure there are no leaks in the system. Use extreme caution; always know how to turn off the gas at the source in case of an accident.

The solenoid operated valve (SOV) turns on/off propane to the burner, the valve will click when turned on or opened to allow gas flow.

The valve requires 12VDC to open, thus the first test is to turn on the gas operation while measuring the voltage at the gas valve. One can use jumper wires to provide power and ground to test the operation. If 12VDC is supplied to the valve, and no click can be heard, proceed to next test.

If the valve has 12VDC but does not click, remove the two wires and test continuity. The ohm measurement between the terminals should be from 44.1Ω to 53.9Ω.

Please start by checking the RV propane system pressure, see video above. The system pressure needs to be at 11 inches of water column for the next tests.

Click here to see our video companion to this page on LP pressure adjustment and filter cleaning.

This photo shows a Dometic gas valve, if your Dometic does not cool on gas the propane filter may need to be cleaned. If you do not have a manometer to check the system pressure as stated above, one can just proceed to the next step to clean the filter and see if this fixes the issue. Otherwise, in this photo the (orange arrow) points to the burner propane pressure test port. As seen in the video above, remove the test port plug and test the pressure. If the pressure is lower than the system pressure measured above, then the filter within the gas valve is plugged and needs cleaning.

Whenever working on the LP gas lines, perform a bubble test on the gas fittings afterward to make sure there are no leaks in the system. Use extreme caution; always know how to turn off the gas at the source in case of an accident.

This photo shows a typical Dometic LP filter in the gas valve. The yellow arrow points to the fitting on the gas line. Start by turning off the propane at the tank, and then bleed off the gas pressure using a lit stove burner. When the flame goes out on the stove, make sure to turn off the stove and then remove the gas line fitting on the fridge gas valve. Use two wrenches to remove the gas line, one on the gas line fitting (yellow arrow) and one on the gas valve and/or adaptor (red arrow).

This gas valve has an adapter fitting (red arrow), the adaptor fitting needs to be removed to access the refrigerator gas filter which is located at the location of the blue arrow inside the gas valve body.

Once the propane line has been removed from the gas valve, look into the gas valve, there is a ceramic filter within the gas valve. This filter is not removable, thus one needs to spray a cleaner into the gas valve to flush out any contamination. A solvent such as spray electrical cleaner can be used, or using 98% isopropyl alcohol one can flush out any contamination. Often the filter looks clean by visual inspection, but oil can clog the filter, so clean the filter even if the filter looks clean. Allow the filter to dry by evaporation before reassembly.