Resolved RV Stove top regulator - replace or try to adjust or repair?

[Rich W.]

I have a wonderfully attractive Dometic S31 stainless stove top that I had installed as an upgrade as it is now standard (as of 2020) in Newmar Ventanas and maybe others. However it seems to only work at low elevations. It works fine at home (1200’) but now Im traveling, currently at only 2600’, and once again the regulator will not pass gas. Plenty to it - nothing beyond.

I saved the regulator out of the old stove (after discovering this conundrum) and it is the same manufacturer and model so I’ll probably swap it out and see if it works. The old stove was trouble free. But I thought Id ask here first is anyone knows if these regulators are adjustable.

I did go round and round with Dometic on the warranty aspect but unfortunately it works as designed at home and subsequently at all Rv fixit shops in my area. Maybe I could have taken it to Reno to see what happens and maybe get it fixed under warranty, but that seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

So…see pics of the requlators. The only difference is that the newer one has an outlet to attach a manometer which leads me to believe it is adjustable. The part numbers on both regulators is the same so swapping them should be no problem.

As an aside, I successfully cooked shrimp in the microwave in a bowl of water last night - about 7 minutes.

 

[Rich W.]

Well because I really had nothing to loose, and because this lovely park (Preferred RV Resort in Pahrump Nv) has a shop with a vice (helpful to keep from destroying parts) and because I have a map-gas torch to melt the red lock-tite, and because I salvaged the regulator out of the old stove (same part # even though that one was an Atwood), I went ahead and changed it out (finally), and shezzamm - It works! So much for Dometic customer service, warranty, etc. Once again, to get things done right, I had to do it myself.

Oh, and to answer my own question, I found no means of adjusting the regulator, so fixing the old one will require dissasembly if I choose to do so, which I might just for the exercise. But it is assembled with “tamper-proof“ hardware (they were thinking about folks like me) so it will have to wait until I‘m home with my full compliment of tools.

 

[johnmacatlarge]

Edit: I started a new thread for my reply post below.

Our Class B Boho van came with a Dometic D21 stove top (2 burners, electric ignitor) that has given me on and off issues (we called them "Phantom Faults" back in my Navy Submarine days) with gas flow. I have been able to isolate it to the regulator and as near as I can tell there is some sort of flow cutoff device that must be too sensitive and/or faulty as to resetting inside of it. It looks just like your "old" regulator (the one without the manometer connection).

I have iolated it to the stove regulator by
1) Ensuring the tank and tank regulator are delivering gas to the inlet of the regulator.
2) Verifying there is no flow to either burner when their respective valve is held down in the "lite" position.

I've searched the internet, tried both the van maker (talk to Dometic) and Dometic themselves. Dometic is pretty much worthless. The manual explains nothing. The internet is full of people having Dometic stove issues.

The first time the stove would not light was at elevation and the internet is full of conversations about the effects of higher elevation reducing the back pressure on the burner and thus allowing too high of a flow rate which then triggers the the overflow prevention in the regulator. But the stove has done this at sea level. In fact, right now I am in Baja at sea level and it has quit again.

Iv'e tried resetting it by disconnecting the line in and holding the valves in lite etc. Nothing.
I am trying to figure out anything else I can try to reset the regultor since I am on day 3 of a 2 week trip in Baja.
Any ideas?