# one way fridge :)



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi guys

just back from the weekend , was running my fridge on gas at the weekend and the pilot works fine and has a nice and blue flame it seemed to be working but never got cold , not even on the highest setting , 

its never worked with the engine running but that really didnt bother me as i had gas but now it only have the mains option so my food perishes very quickly which was a real pain this weekend as i cant carry any food to my destination  

any ideas why it wont cool on gas :?: :?: 

aint it great how things go wrong just when you really need them , holidays in 2 weeks


----------



## zaskar (Jun 6, 2005)

theflyingscot said:


> hi guys
> 
> any ideas why it wont cool on gas :?: :?:
> 
> ...


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi 

By logical deduction its not the coolant leaked out, the same coolant is used for Gas 12v and 240v, and it works on 240v ergo.....

You have not left winter covers on the vents?

240v as always produced the most cooling, so maybe the coolant does need a good shake up then leave the fridge upside down for the night.

Short term fix to carry food to destination, use an invertor?


----------



## Paulway (May 9, 2005)

If it is working on 240 volt it cannot be the coolant as 240v is only used to operate a heating element to do the same job as the gas flame.
I would be looking to see whether the flue is blocked (unlikely if you have a blue flame) or the baffle in the flue is missing (burnt away or misplaced) or not at the correct height above the burner. Are you sure the whole flame is blue? Is the injector blocked so although you are getting a blue flame, is it of insufficient output to provide the heat required to create circulation in the unit? Have you sufficient gas? Is the gas pressure at the fridge at the correct working pressure? Do you have a blockage in the pipework reducing pressure (remember working pressure not standing pressure)? 
You don't say which model of fridge it is, so does it have a thermostat and has this stuck?
You need to do a working pressure test before the appliance and at the burner to discount most of the questions.


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

The following link should help anyone with Refrigerator poblems:-

http://www.rvmobile.com/


----------



## 88741 (May 9, 2005)

Where you parked on a slope as some older fridges refuse to work properly unless almost dead level ?


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi guys

thanks for the replys , fridge is electrolux model rm212f ,probably made in 1989 same year as the vehicle , theres no winter covers , no blocked flues , thermocouple works fine , gas level seems ok and theres plenty of it at the cooker and fire , nice blue flame so im assuming that theres something wrong inside the cooling unit , just read johnsandys website which seems good info , im assuming ive possibly wrecked it by running it whilst not on the level , i rarely get a level pitch , 

im thinking about the removing it and turning it upside down but as its a built in unit its going to be a pain to strip out , i thought about buying a new one but bang goes the holiday budget so we will be staying home with a new fridge  

all great fun innit :roll:


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

Hi *theflyingscot*. It is a pain when things go wrong. I have a problem with my own R V when parked on too severe a slope (sideways). It run's on both LPG and AC. The only trouble is, it does not cool. You shouldn't have damaged it in any way because since parking almost level, mine now works. :?


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny

re the slope thing that just stops it operating well and does no lasting damage.

Removing is fairly easy, there are a few screws usually inside round front edge with little plastic covers, if not look in the cupboards either side there will be screws going thru wood into fridge.

You have one gas union and maybe12v and then three wires to mains, surprisingly quick and easy to get out, tiltit backwards at top to disengage he Lazy T exhaust connector. 

If you want to make life easier on re assembly take exhaust cover off on outside clean off sealant and reseal on re assembly.


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi guys

i read this and assumed i had knackered it as it was on all weekend whilst not level .

( removed just in case ) :wink: 

will have a look this week and see whats going to happen with it .
thanks !!!


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny

Back to logical deduction.

All heat sources use the same chemicals ie if its working on mains, then the chemicals have not been ruined.

First thing to try is get vehicle level and then try, it may have been the out of level that caused your problem. Been thinking his through and its the only serious contender.

Do you keep it at home?


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

8O Hey *theflyingscot*. I think you should take on board the thread about Libel. I gave a pointer to a web site to help. I don't think you should be using that information in a qoute. (Then again, I am probably wrong :roll: )

*George* all the information he rquires is on the web site I pointed to; :roll:


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi 

Using a small portion as a quote is fair use, or to critique, showing the source is good form though.

I used to forget to link all the while, try not to forget nowadays.


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi guys

didnt read the libel thread , dont know about libel stuff , just scrubbed it out as we know what i was refering to anyway . sorted .


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny

in what way sorted?

copyright would be more the thing with posting chunks of text and as I say there is fair use, especially if you link to the source or at least acknowledge the source.


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

removed .


----------



## 89122 (May 14, 2005)

Hi there is a fridge in this site £50.00 http://heh.pl/&ld
Eddie


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi eddie

well spotted , i will keep it in mind incase i cant solve my problem , thanks .


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi guys

had a look at the burner today and gave it the toothbrush , leveled the van with spirit level and its still not cooling , im now assuming that it just cant be getting enough heat , the 3 flame settings produce pretty much the same size flame , i dont know if this is normal as i would have to look at somebody elses to compare to make a decision unless somebody wants to have a peek thru their little glass for me ! :?:  

so im now asuming that the valve is sticking , will have to see if its a sealed unit , maybe a blast thru with some wd40 will release something ? 

dont know if the valve can be purchased as a spare part ?


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny

Flame never *appears *to change whatever the setting.

Does it work on mains?


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi george

works very well on mains . hence our thinking that internal refridgerant gasses were fine.

flame apearance is constant , it moves about very slightly with the draught but height apears the same .


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny

I have tried to work out in the past just how the settings worked on gas, when I looked I could never see a difference when you adjust the Knob, But remember it is on a themostat and doesnt kick in till it needs to which may be the thing thats throwing us. Duh hang on it will be kicked in from start because you are doing a standing start (thinking through the keyboard)

Which logically leads us to a valve problem as you have said, try your local caravan place most of the bits can be ordered from Dometic.


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi george

theres no thermostat involvment in gas its just a valve with 3 positions or 3 differing rates of gas flow if you know what i mean . the thermocouple is the only thing that takes acount of heat and allows the valve to stay open or shut .

acording to johnsandys website there isnt any thermostat on 12 volt either .


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny

I know that thermo seperate, but it would not kick gas in till needed, thats were my duh came in above as you were going from standing start.

I have never seen the flame change though.

Yep I know about the lack of thermo on 12v thats one of the reasons I always used to run on gas, frozen milk and yogurt never apealed, now on full mains fridge so no worries any more.


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi george

think i may be missing something , how does the valve know if gas needs to be kicked in or not ?


----------



## Paulway (May 9, 2005)

Kenny
You need to do a working pressure test to ensure you have correct supply to the injector. From the sound of what you are saying you have possibly got a blocked injector. If this is the case you will have a flame but insuficient gas flow throught he injector to create the heat required to make it work. Alternatively I do not see whether you have checked the flue baffle condition and height, or if it is even in place. If the flue baffle is missing / burnt away or wrong height, again there will be insuficient heat at the boiler to make it work as it will all disperse up the flue.

By the way if your 3 position valve is OFF, HALF / START, and FULL then there should be a definate change in flame between HALF/START and FULL on. It is possible that the Thernoelectric valve is letting by and that the Thermocouple is not actually working and you think you have full gas but don't. Simple test with flame alight blow out flame, do you hear the Thermoelectric valve drop out with a click? If it doesn't then it was never set in the first place. If you do and now apply a lighted match to the burner does it relight without having to operate the push in thermoelectric valve? If it doesn't then it is shutting off, if it does you have a valve problem.
It is very common for these two faults to occur at the same time, you do not realise there is a problem until the the thermocouple fails, so the valve fault can be undetected for years if you do not have an effective service carried out by a competant operative.


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi paulway

thanks for the tips , if i extinguish the flame the electronic ignition starts to spark but wont relight till i hold the button in again to allow gas thru so its definately shutting off , as to whether im looking at a permanent pilot flame i didnt think that was possible , im working outside the van thru a vent hole so wont be able to hear any valve click . im going to put a wire thru the hollow tube above the burner to see if theres any blockage stopping heat getting up the tube. i cant actually see up there as the fridge is still fitted . i dont have the equipment to do a pressure test .


----------



## Paulway (May 9, 2005)

kenny
The flue baffle is normally installed from the top of the flue under the outlet peice, pull this off the top of the flue and normally there is a wire that hooks over the side of the flu on the other end of which you will find a spiral (normally) baffle. If this is missing, can fall off and rest at base of flue, or burnt away then it could be the cause of the problem.
But from you saying that the flame size is not altering I still feel that you have a lack of gas either due to a blockage of the pipework or injector, assuming that the gas supply to the other appliances is satisfactory.


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi paulway

i filled the valve with some wd40 and worked it for a bit then dried it out and re-fitted it , i then removed the main jet and dried it out and cleaned it thru with very fine wire , i now have 3 different flame sizes and the freezer goes frosty    

hip hip hooray :lol: 

now to get ready for the holidays .

thanks again for the replys , much apreciated :wink:


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny

Great news, sorry I was way off base with my frame sizes, was my old fridge Jammed on full or medium I wonder? Have fun


----------



## Paulway (May 9, 2005)

Hi Kenny 
Have a good trip!


----------

