1978 winnebago

[bigdaddyjody]

can't get my refrigerator to light the pilot light please help!!!!!! and having trouble getting furnace to light

[Gma-n-Gpa]

Let's start with the basics - is the propane valve on the tank turned on? Do you have propane in the tank? How long has it been since the refrig or furnace have been operated successfully?

[BFlinn181]

Does your stove light? You might have to purge the lines of air.

[bigdaddyjody]

yes i have purgued the gas line, the stove lights and the water heater lights

[Gma-n-Gpa]

OK so we know you have gas supply. I am assuming that the refrigerator is set to gas - right? does it work on electric? When you attempt to light the pilot does it light - then go out? Or never light at all? if it lights then goes out - you might need a new thermalcouple. if it never lights you aren't getting gas. By the way - you do have the gas valve in the PILOT position and depressed while lighting the PILOT - right?

[bigdaddyjody]

it has been at least 5 years since the fridge and furnace have been used

[Gma-n-Gpa]

Five years is a long time - You need to check the vents for both refrig and furnace - they could be full of - who knows what - spiders, wasp nests, bird nests..... they have to be free of obstructions to provide adequate ventilation. My suggestion is to start with one appliance - the refrig - and see if we can get that going first. So let me know about the questions I asked earlier.

[87Rockwood]

What models/make are the furnace and fridge? My fridge does not have a pilot light-nor does the furnace. They spark and self light when they turn on. True your 78 is older than my 87.

[bigdaddyjody]

87 rockwood- mine does not have the automatic spark

Gma-n-Gpa- the fridge works when on Electric, i switched it over to gas i held th epilot in for about 2 minutes and tried to light but nothing happens, when i put the flame to it sometimes I here a poof like it wants to light.

[Gma-n-Gpa]

based on my experience in an 88 Fleetwood and a 79 Rockwood - if you can't get the pilot to light using a match or lighter when the PILOT "bypass" button is depressed ( this bypasses the thermocouple to allow the pilot to light) I am concerned that there is no gas getting to the refrigerator. the slight "poof" you hear maybe an indication that a small amount of gas is reaching the pilot but not enough to sustain ignition. Since you are having similar issues with the furnace (we haven't explored that in any depth), you may have an obstruction or kink in the line between the Water Heater and Stove and the rest of the appliances. In my 79 a blow out on one of the rear duals put a substantial kink in the gass line. If you have a Propane Dealer close by they should be able to verify gas flow to the refrig and furnace. Propane is not my favorite thing to mess with - too much can go wrong in a short time. Hope that helps.

[bigdaddyjody]

Thanks for the advice I will take it to a propane dealer and see what they can tell me.

i have another concern. the model that i have does not have any stabilizing jacks. so even though I level the camper using wooden boards under the tires. when you are inside the camper still rocks. i have another camper that is not usable and it has stabilzer jacks welded to the bumpers and i and thinking I will trade the bumpers out so that I will have the jacks on this camper. what do you think??

[Gma-n-Gpa]

REMEMBER - you are using these as "stabilizing jacks" not leveling jacks and you should be ok as long as your new rig weight exceeds the jack capacity. Again only use these as stabilizing jacks. Extend them far enough to relieve some of the weight off the tires. These will help with the "rock n' roll" of your rig.

[bigdaddyjody]

good news i got the refrigerator to light last night

[Gma-n-Gpa]

Great news --- anything special to get it to light or just persistance? how about the furnace? any luck on that? If there was air in the propane line you should have bled most (if not all) of it off. Let us know if the furnace works now