# Fridge not cooling on 230v



## 96511 (Oct 12, 2005)

Any suggestions as to why my Dometic RM6401 fridge has stopped working on 230v :?: 
It works well on gas, and the 12v setting was never much good anyway.
The 230v circuit breaker is OK, and the light comes on when the door opens, but I suspect that is 12v. I cannot see anything that looks like a thermostat probe inside the fridge to check that.
Holding my hand to the outside grille, I can feel hot air exiting, so it SEEMS to be working, but the air inside the fridge is almost the same as ambient, currently 16 to 17 C ( I'm in the far north, and we have not been experiencing the silly temperatures of you in the far south).
I assume that it would not cool on gas if the refrigerent gas had leaked, but someone with more knowledge might know better.
Grateful for any thoughts.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

vaila2 said:


> Holding my hand to the outside grille, I can feel hot air exiting, so it SEEMS to be working,


Hi Vaila2

This is a strange one ...if it works on Gas & on 12v one would expect it to work on 240v unless the 240v heater element was, for some reason, not working.
You say that you can feel hot air rising out of the grille but was that following trying it on Gas...the heat put into the system will be there for some time after.
I suggest that you start the fridge up on 240v from "cold" ( that sounds daft but you know what I mean) then take the top grille off and see if the top tubes of the fridge get hot.

Mike


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## 96511 (Oct 12, 2005)

Hi Spykal,
Followed your suggestion, and yes, the cooling fins on the pipes are hot, so it seems to be extracting heat from somewhere, but it's certainly not from inside the fridge ! The door seals seem ok but then if it was the seals this would affect the performance on gas too.
I also checked ( with both grilles off) the space behind the fridge, and there is nothing there to restrict the air flow ; not that I expected that as the 'van is less than three years old.
I suspect a refrigerant gas leak, not all gone, but lost enough to work badly. Time for the professionals, I think.
Thanks for the suggestion.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

vaila2 said:


> snip: 1.so it seems to be extracting heat from somewhere, but it's certainly not from inside the fridge !
> 
> 2.I suspect a refrigerant gas leak, not all gone, but lost enough to work badly.
> 
> 3.Time for the professionals, I think.


Hi vaila2

1. The heat you are feeling is generated by the electric heating element which should initiate the cooling process of the absorbtion fridge.

2. The refrigerant in your fridge is Ammonia based...have you noticed that sort of smell around the fridge? This would indicate a leak.

3. I think it may be best to get it checked out by your nearest Dometic agent.
Link to Dometic Service search

If you are desparate not to spend money:--
Just one other suggestion which has worked on occasions with absorbtion fridges ( not easy with a big one) is to remove it from the van and invert it for a while (wait till the trickling noises inside the tubes stop) then return it to upright ...repeat this several times and then test it.....I know it sounds daft but it worked once for me ....

Has anyone else, I wonder, had any luck using this method?....my success came with a very early and tiny Electrolux fridge that I bought second hand and installed in my 10ft Sprite Caravan xx years ago. It needed this treatment quite often but as it was very small it was easy to do :roll:

Mike


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## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*Fridge*

Friend had to have his 13month old 240v element replaced fortunately under warrenty. 
Just a thought ! Have you perhaps overloaded the fridge with items at ambient. 
I have 4 fans (ex computer) fitted to the upper vent to help with air flow in extremely warm weather, CAK tanks sell proprietry items.

Steve


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## 96511 (Oct 12, 2005)

Hi Spykal
Thanks for the reply, I have not noticed any smell of ammonia in or around the 'van.
The link to the Dometic service agents shows my nearest to be over 200 miles away, and 180 of those miles are sea :!: I'll have a word with one of the local refrigeration engineers to see if they can suggest something.
As to the other one, re removing it and inverting, I'll pass on that one, as it would involve some dismantling and the passenger seat would also have to come out as the habitation door would be too narrow to allow the fridge out :!: 
It may just have to work on gas until I find myself near one of the Dometic agents on my travels.
Thanks again.


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## 96511 (Oct 12, 2005)

*Re: Fridge*



pneumatician said:


> Friend had to have his 13month old 240v element replaced fortunately under warrenty.
> Element seems Ok as it is producing heat.
> Just a thought ! Have you perhaps overloaded the fridge with items at ambient.


Fridge is empty, so not that, but thanks for the suggestions.

Steve


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

vaila2 said:


> snip:
> I'll have a word with one of the local refrigeration engineers to see if they can suggest something.
> As to the other one, re removing it and inverting, I'll pass on that one, as it would involve some dismantling and the passenger seat would also have to come out as the habitation door would be too narrow to allow the fridge out :!:
> It may just have to work on gas until I find myself near one of the Dometic agents on my travels.


Best of luck with the engineers.

re Removing it:- I think it will have to be removed to do anything to it so you may end up trying the inversion method :wink:

I still cannot understand why it works on gas and not on 240v electricity, that is just not feasible given your descriptions of the problem ...we must be overlooking something :roll:

mike


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

This is a rather bizarre one, but rather than suffer until you can get to a Dometic agent I'd give them a ring as you have gathered (virtually?) all the diagnostic information necessary and you can explain that as they are so far away you wondered if you were missing anything straightforward.

Basically, if the refrigerant pipe cooling fins are getting as hot when powered by mains as by gas, then the inside of the fridge HAS to be getting as cold. (If not, then you can get very rich from exploiting your perpetual motion machine ....).

What bothers me, therefore, is why, if it works fine on gas, you wonder whether you have lost refrigerant?

Your model shares a thermostat between gas and electric:
http://www.dometicmanuals.com:8080/1998/821/269053en.pdf
which means that a common module is switching the gas and electric energy sources. Just the switching itself is obviously different between electricity and gas, but if that failed on electricity either that would be always on or always off, which is not the case here.

I'd get the thing running on gas, thermostat turned up to maximum cooling (to maximise if not eliminate the duty cycle) and feel (ideally measure with a thermometer) the temperature of the refrigerant cooling fins. Switch between gas and electric every hour, say. Look/feel for differences in peak or average temperatures of the fins. Don't change anything else (like opening the door).

I hope you take this in the spirit in which it is offered, but in my experience often when people attempt diagnosis they grab a hypothesis and conclude that's the problem unless virtually all evidence is to the contrary. Let the evidence lead you to the fault.

Please keep us posted as that's how we all learn and benefit.

Dave


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi DAB

Thanks for the input on this one ..it is as you say "a rather bizarre one"

Your suggestions will certainly narrow the possibilities...one of which I have now realised, may be that while the 240v heater is working it may be faulty and not working at 100%...but conjecture is never a good idea so......I will await more information from Vaila2.

Ever wished you had not volunteered ...................only joking :lol: :lol: 

mike


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## 89682 (Jun 4, 2005)

Hi vaila2 

May i say that you have my sympathy, I to am having problems with a fridge, acting bizarrely. I found the Dometic website less than useful - in terms of listing service agents. Eventually found a helpline number listed on the caravan Club website. The helpline people have a list of agents which do not appear on the Dometic site. 

To be honest i feel that prolonged periods of hot weather seem to send a lot of 3 way fridges into collapse. The advise I got from the Dometic engineer - re my fridge not working properly on 240v was that the cooling unit might be blocking up on occasion. I was quoted £350 for repair. 

I have decided to let it develop! No way am I spending £350 on a maybe. If I might add to the excellent advise offered here. Wait for a break in the weather, then check again with the fridge. If it is anything like mine it will probably start working again. 

regards 

Herman


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

For Dometic Service agents, go to:
http://www.dometic.com/templates/ContactSearch.aspx?id=8607

and select UK, Refrigerators and RV equipment in the three drop down boxes.

Dave


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## 96511 (Oct 12, 2005)

I have done a bit of googling, and from all your suggestions, and from what I have found, it could be that the problem arises from using the mains voltage whilst the 'van is parked my (sloping) drive, and using gas whilst parked up level.

http://www.rverscorner.com/articles/refer.html

Suggests that absortpion fridges should only EVER be used level, when I assumed that they only had to be level when using gas. 
I'll see what happens on mains next time I am on a level site with hook-up, and report back.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I try to learn something new every day.....so that's todays lesson..._never assume anything unless you see it yourself _:roll:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Well done vaila2

Mike


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

If your slope is greater than 6 degrees, "problem" sorted 

(What did I say about not changing anything else in between swapping mains and gas ....) 

Dave
Edit - "I'll see what happens on mains next time I am on a level site with hook-up, and report back."
Or you could stick it on gas now, and have no ice cubes tomorrow morning.
Or run an extension cable out to flatter ground and have ice on mains.


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## 96511 (Oct 12, 2005)

*Fridge on 230v*

Report back :!:

Just to confirm that it was indeed because of the slope that the fridge was not cooling.
Ran it yesterday at max setting, on the level, with a thermometer inside, for 9 hours and the temp. dropped from 18 C to 2C. The few food items also inside had come from the house fridge, so it did not have so much work to do.
If I ever change the van, the next one will have a compressor fridge like I have in my boat, a Waeco, runs on 12v from the batteries when the engine is running, and from the batteries via electronic charger when on shorepower. It should never flatten the batteries as it cuts out if the voltage drops below 10.8v.
Thanks to all of you for your advice.


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

This site is far too big!

At the same time as you were talking about your fridge problem we were having a discussion on another thread about levelling and why it was important - absorption fridges etc.

This quote from the 28th July:

_

My old electrolux fridge manual said upright within 3 degrees but it worked okay at about 5 degrees. _

Dave and Ian both contributed and at the time I didn't make the obvious connection to your problem

Read the whole thread here

Regards Frank


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