RV appliances can be pricey! So I've been on the lookout for some inexpensive used ones. A couple of months ago I missed out on a free 35 foot RV. It wouldn't run, and I couldn't find a tow company to do it for less than $850. ($850...really?!). I decided to head down to see if I could get it running. When I showed up, there was a guy there already waiting for a tow truck. (He was quoted $350...) . While we were both there, another tow truck showed up and hauled it away. Moral is...when free...act quickly on the good stuff or it will be gone! Anyhoo...last week I found another add for a free truck camper that had several appliances that I wanted: propane fridge, stove, furnace and a small water tank. Because of it's crumbling condition, getting it jacked up enough to put on and off the truck presented a few challenges. But we managed.
I removed the appliances. The stove and furnace worked immediately. the fridge worked on AC, but the propane wouldn't light. All I really needed to do was clean out the burner tube. (I dumped out some rust dust and soaked it in rubbing alcohol.) . However, in the process, I figured I might as well check the thermocouple as well. (I think Luke Skywalker would have approved.) The thermocouple checked out fine, and the fridge fired up! I did discover that when first turning it on, I had to push in the lighter valve for 30 seconds or so before I tried to light it to bleed air through the burner to get to the gas.
Works great now! 2 degrees in the freezer and 41 at the bottom of the fridge!
Next project: figure out how to build a heat exchanger for the furnace. When I fired it up, more heat came out of the exhaust flu than the heat plate!
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