Does anyone know anything about this refrig????? get rid or

Is this a propane-only model, or a combination gas/electric?

I have been playing with my old Astral fridge (propane-only)  for the last few weeks, testing to see if it works.  It does not. 
vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/1820/astral-refrigerator-works?page=1&scrollTo=20239

It is a different brand and all but the principles should be about the same. 


I don't have the specifics for this brand.


Regardless of the brands though it is a good idea to check the entire propane system for leaks before attempting lighting the appliances.

 I believe if you remove the bottom face panel, you may find a tag or placard inside it that would give specific lighting instructions.  If not, I would think there would be a tag with a model and serial number on it, either under the plate or perhaps inside of the fridge cabinet.  It is a Dometic brand, so finding information specific to it should be easy enough once you are armed with a model number.  I believe that Dometic still does produce these refrigerators. 

For testing I would proceed like this:

Open the door after it has sat closed up for at least overnight, and notice especially for any hint of an ammonia odor.  If there is any, it is unlikely it will work.  It won't hurt anything to go ahead with testing it.

Open the rear of the compartment up by going in through the vents from outside.  Vacuum out any debris that you find, and check for signs of rodent leavings or insects that may have been nesting in the enclosed area.  This can be useful information when you consider that small insects like tight spaces, such as the tubes which are used for lighting the burner, and the chimney above the burner.  If these areas are plugged it will not burn properly.  The camper looks in a condition that it had been used more than mine had over the years, so this may not be a problem at all.  I found several mud nests and spider cocoons behind mine after pulling it from the cabinet.  I made sure to blow out the tubes and the burner itself gently with compressed air and got the debris out first.  You may find that you don't need to. It may also be possible to visually check the cooling unit from the vent...if there is any yellow stains or powdery residue around any of the cooling area it can be a sign of ammonia leakage.


Lighting the burner is basically the same operation for any appliance from the era.  I am sure with your experiences that you will be able to attempt lighting without any problems. There should be a button that must remain pushed while lighting, till the burner heats the thermocouple enough to keep the gas on to the burner (usually about a minute). 

It has been advised to me that the propane refrigerators may take some substantial time to get cold if they have been unused for a long period of time.  It may need to burn for a day or more to notice any cooling. 

The concerns about the ammonia system should be addressed of course.  If it fails to cool, which is the most common problem with any of these systems, it is not usually serviceable.  There is a chance the cooling coils can be replaced on yours, depending on the model.   This link was referred to me, as a possible fix-it alternative, and they do list Dometic models:   


 www.rvcool.com/


Personally I would not make the decision to just get rid of the original unit until I thoroughly tested it and was sure it isn't useable.  I think it looks like it belongs there, and I understand wanting to keep it that way.