Guest Ty Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 Hi, We recently bought a Camper Van (Talbot Camelot) and it appears that the fridge doesn't want to work on Gas. Though, it does work well on 240v and 12v! Does anyone know what is happenning? Do you know if it is two differents circuits for gas and electrcity, or if it uses the same circuit whatever the source? Cheers, Ty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Gordon Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 With any motorhome/caravan-related question it's always valuable to provide exact details of the vehicle and (where applicable) the appliances involved. This helps restrict the guesswork quotient. However, assuming your uncooperative fridge is original, it's got to be getting on in years as I believe Autohomes' Camelot ceased production in the early 1990s. I'm uncertain what you mean by "the fridge doesn't want to work on gas". Are you saying (A) the gas-ignition function doesn't appear to be working, or (B) it does seem to be working but the gas won't light, or (C) the gas will light but won't stay alight, or (D) the gas stays alight but the fridge won't cool? Each of these different problems is likely to have a different cause. I'm also a mite unsure about your "two different circuits" question. If you are asking whether there are totally separate cooling-systems for gas or electricity then the answer is No. Basically, Electrolux 3-way absorption fridges work via coolant chemicals being circulated by the application of heat. So there is a 12V-powered heater, a 230V-powered heater and a gas-fuelled heater. These heaters are separate, but they operate on the same circulatory system. Working backwards through the possible faults I mentioned in my 2nd paragraph. (D). If your fridge cools on 12V and 230V, then, as long as the gas-burner stays alight, it should also cool OK on gas. (If this is your problem then I haven't a clue!) (C). Possibly a thermocouple-related fault - alternatively, the fridge simply isn't level. Older 3-way fridges can be very touchy about tilt (see Electrolux fridge forum posting of 27/3). (B). Assuming the fridge is level, you'll really need to check what's going on at the gas-burner end. Is adequate gas reaching the burner? Is the gas-igniter sparking properly? If your fridge hasn't been regularly maintained then soot may have fallen into the burner-assembly and cleaning may be all that's needed to fix the problem. (If you are lucky, the gas-burner may be accessible through an external ventilation-grille; however, it's pretty common to have to extract a fridge for maintenance/repair.) (A). Depends what sort of gas-igniter (push-button piezo type or 12V 'electronic') your fridge has. The 12V igniter system will be fused and (provided that the bulb hasn't failed) you should expect to see an orange light in the switch flashing regularly (and hear clicking) when the switch is ON, going out (and stopping clicking) when the gas ignites. No clicking - check for fuse failure. Clicking but no flashing - probably just switch-bulb failure. Don't overlook the obvious - for example, an empty gas cylinder or the fridge gas-valve being shut off. (Presumably you are following the correct fridge gas-lighting procedure?) If , as seems likely, you are new to motorhomes generally, your best bet would be to purchase "The Motorcaravan Manual" (Haynes Publishing - about £15) as this covers fridges (and everything else) in depth. Don't forget that gas is lethal stuff and you shouldn't be playing around with gas-fuelled appliances unless you are suitably qualified. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TyGreg Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Thank you very much Frank for taking the time to write an answer full of very useful informations! I didn't realize how many problems can happen just on a fridge!!! My problem was (D), the gas-burner stays alight but the fridge doesn't cool down... Well, I think that, as long as the circuits are the same for both gas and electricity, it SHOULD cool down-as you said. So I am going to do another mesure, for a few hours, with a thermometer. And see if the temperature drops down. And I will buy that book, I'm sure I can find plenty of other useful informations and tips. Thanks again, Ty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Gordon Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Suggest you turn your fridge's gas thermostat-knob to maximum and leave the thing running overnight. If it still fails to cool down significantly, perhaps there's a fault with the thermostat. Might be worth you contacting a Dometic (previously Electrolux) service centre to see if this type of problem is familiar to them. Let us know the result please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Gibling. Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Frank. I read with interest your comments on the Electrolux 3 way Fridge. I have an Electrolux 3 way Fridge, Model RM 2300, Purchased in 1986, here in Aus. I still have the paperwork and it looks like it was built in Sweeden, so I guess some of these probably found their way across the channel. To my problem. I havn't used the Caravan, and fridge for about 6 years. When last used the fridge worked fine on 12v, 240v, and LPG. Yesterday, I powered it up on 240v for some hours and NOGO. Did not cool at all. The van was not quite level, so today I got it exactly level and started the LPG burner. The burner ran fine but the fridge very quickly, within 1~2 minutes, started making a bubbling noise which I had never heard before during all the trips I have been on so it didn't sound normal to me. I left it for an hour or so to see what wood happen. The bubbling sound continued and there was absolutely no cooling. I turned off the LPG and after about 5 Min, the bubbling sound stopped. I powered up the 240V and the bubbling sound returned. I guess the refrigerant is boiling and that is what I am hearing but it doesn't sound right to me. Hoping you can assist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris jolly Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 I've worked with gas fridges for 40years, It's not uncommon for an absordtion fridge to stop working after being laid up for some time. Just remove the complete fridge and turn it upside down and you will here the refrigerant bubbling as it falls through the condenser, leave upside down for about 24 hours. Re-install the fridge and turn it on, it should now work. P.S. while its out clean the burner an flue to remove accumalated rust etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ty Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 It took me a long time, but I finally managed to fix my fridge! The problem was that it didn't cool down on gas, but it was working really well on electricity (See post no 1). And that was because the flame of the gas burner was not strong enought, due to some durt or rust into the injector. So I took the fridge out and removed the gas injector and cleaned it. I also blew into the gaz pipes to remove a maximum of dusts. When I put the frige back and tried it, I could see the flame was much bigger, and it now cools down really well!!! Just to confirm what Chris Jolly said in the previous post...! Ty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nick gillingham Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 Hi just wondered if you guys have any idea whats wrong with my fridge? it wont stay lit on gas and when i took the cover off the back to check it out, i see that the flame is burning out of 2 holes. the larger of the two looks like it probably shouldnt be flaming. it goes like this for about 30 seconds before cutting out. any response much appreciated cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe watson Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 Hi i have a caravan with a bulit in fridge it can run off 230v or gas it does have 12 but i dont think that this works on the front of the fridge it has a 230v 12v or a flame picture you press in i wont to run it off gas so do i just press the gas button and it works or do i have to light it or something i havent a clue how it works or how do i check if it is working or not please help me as i need the firdge to work thank i hope you email back soon and it would be great if you can email it to my email address as well so i can read it there thanks joe@joe-watson.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drew Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Hi Guys, Now then, i have an Electrolux 2 way fridge, Gas and 12v but no 240 (is this normal or has someone customised it?) i think it is a RM120 build around 1978-1985 ish. Just bought the caravan and the guy had a different fridge in so he doesnt know if this one works.. so i connect it up to 12v, and doesnt seem to be working, and i connected the gas up to it, i cant see a flame, but then i cant see where the flame should be, is it front middle or back, im guessing underneath though. so, my question, am i missing something, or should i just throw this away? any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Leo Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Drew You use to be able to get a 240/12v element for those refrig's. Try someone who repairs Caravan refrig's. The burner is located at the rear of the refrig. and you should have some sort of ignitor system to light it, flint lighter or piezo. 12v use is only for travelling and used after you get it cold on gas or 240v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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