Starting the refrigerator

Ensure the refrigerator is supplied with propane.

The refrigerator has a carbon monoxide (CO) detector attached to it. Before you start the refrigerator, test the CO detector to make sure it’s functioning properly:

Press the “Test/Mute” button until the green LED turns on.
Release the “Test/Mute” button. The alarm will simulate two alarm cycles (two sets of four beeps, with five seconds of silence between the cycles). The red LED will flash once every five seconds.

When you test the CO detector, the refrigerator will shut off if it is running. (That’s why you should test the CO detector before you start the refrigerator.) If the CO detector is not functioning properly, you will not be able to start the refrigerator - see Troubleshooting the CO detector.

If the kick plate is in place below the refrigerator door, lower it to expose the refrigerator control panel. (The kick plate is hinged at the bottom.)

Usually, a single person can start or restart the refrigerator by following the instructions that are printed on the inside of the kick plate and summarized here:

Set the thermostat control (second from far right) to the coldest position (#4).
Push in the valve button (at far right). Keep this button depressed for a minimum of ten seconds. (Occasionally, it will be necessary to keep this button depressed for as long as one or two full minutes while the gas line is cleared of air.)
While keeping the valve button depressed, ignite the flame by pushing in the ignitor button every three to five seconds until you can see through the sighting window (at far left) that a blue flame has ignited at the back of the refrigerator. This flame may be very difficult to see, especially during daylight hours.
Keep the valve button pressed for a further five seconds.
Release the valve button. If the blue flame remains, then the refrigerator is on. If not, repeat this procedure.

Once the refrigerator is on, reset the thermostat control to a normal operating setting. Generally, a normal operating setting is between #1 and #3, depending on the ambient temperature.

Starting the refrigerator: an alternate method

If you can’t start or restart the refrigerator by yourself in this way, then you should be able to do so with the help of another person.

This part of the refrigerator may be accessed without moving the refrigerator, by removing the access hatch from the outside wall behind the refrigerator.

The second person, at the back of the refrigerator, removes the protective plate from its bottom-right corner, thus exposing the burner.
The first person, at the refrigerator control panel, sets the thermostat control and pushes in the valve button.
While the first person keeps the valve button depressed, the second person ignites the flame by holding a lit match above the burner.
After the burner ignites, the first person keeps the valve button pressed for a further five seconds.
The first person releases the valve button. If the blue flame remains, then the refrigerator is on, and the second person reattaches the protective plate. If not, repeat this procedure.

Loading the refrigerator

Depending on the ambient temperature, it may take six to twelve hours for the refrigerator compartment to reach its operating temperature. Do not load the refrigerator during this period.

Once the refrigerator compartment has reached its operating temperature, load it as follows:

Allow any hot food to cool to the ambient temperature before loading it.
Load perishables first.
Load no more than 10 pounds (5 kilograms) of food at a time.

Defrosting the refrigerator

There are fins at the back of the refrigeration compartment. Whenever 50% or more of the space between these fins is taken up by ice, the refrigerator must be defrosted.

It is not necessary to remove food from either compartment of the refrigerator in order to defrost it. Simply set the thermostat control to the ‘Defrost’ position. After a few hours, the ice on the fins will melt and run through a drain into a small container in the rear of the refrigerator, where it will evaporate. At this point, return the thermostat control to its prior setting.

Troubleshooting

An increase in the temperature of either of the refrigerator’s compartments may indicate one or more of these conditions:

The burner flame has gone out. If the refrigerator is no longer supplied with propane, switch the refrigerator’s propane system to a new tank and restart the refrigerator. If the propane supply has been blocked due to malfunction of the carbon monoxide (CO) detector, see Troubleshooting the CO detector.
The thermostat control is set to a too-warm setting. Look in the sighting window. If a blue flame is visible, then the burner is lit and the flow of propane is adequate. Set the thermostat control to a higher numerical setting.
The burner flame is not drawing properly up the flue. Refer to the following photos. The flame should resemble the photo on the left. If the flame resembles the photo on the right, you will need to clean the flue, as described in the following section.

Cleaning the flue

Refer to the following diagram, which appears as Figure H in the owner's manual, and follow these instructions:

Turn off the fridge. Wait for the burner box to cool.
Remove the burner box at the back of the fridge.
Cover the burner with a cloth. (This will protect it from the soot that will be dislodged when you clean the flue.)
Loosen and remove the flue extension (H1) as follows: first undo the screw that secures the flue to the side of the fridge, then pull it up to remove it.
Life out the baffle assembly (H2). Clean and inspect this assembly.
Run the brush (C9) through the flame tube. Soot will fall on the cloth that covers the burner.
Reassemble the baffle assembly.
Reassemble the flue extension.
Remove the cloth from the burner.
Reinstall the burner box.
Turn on the fridge.

For a detailed and illustrated review of this process, see tips 6 and 7 in the manufacturer's Top 10 Tips - Service Guide. We keep a paper copy of this guide in a black binder in the main room.

Troubleshooting the CO Detector

Consult the owner’s manual.