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Fridge not lighting on gas (just one click)


Barryd999

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This Electrolux fridge in our 1996 Kontiki has been a PIA for a while now. Its usually the burner that clogs up with muck and rust and needs either replacing or spraying with an air compressor.

 

We have been away for about four weeks in the same spot and its been fine. The Gaslow ran out a week ago and I swapped to Calor but the fridge lit ok. In fact it was getting too cold so we were turning it off at night last few days. Calor ran out last night so I Went to get a replacement this morning and now the fridge wont light but its the ignition that seems to be the issue. It sparks just once and the orange light flashes once and thats it. Normally you press in the button and hold it in and it will tick tick tick tick and flash flash flash for a few seconds before you hear the whumph of it lighting and thats it but all I am getting now is one click. I have a feeling it did this earlier in the year and after a drive about in the van it started working again.

 

Any thoughts?

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Possibly the 12 volt might be a bit low if you have not been running the engine? Have you tried lighting the fridge with the engine running? Worth a try and should not cause any problems for the short time it will take to do the test.
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spospe - 2019-08-16 10:08 AM

 

Possibly the 12 volt might be a bit low if you have not been running the engine? Have you tried lighting the fridge with the engine running? Worth a try and should not cause any problems for the short time it will take to do the test.

 

Thanks

 

I think the battery is fine though as its charging most

Days on solar. I'll try that though

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Just to clarify, you don’t have a version of the fridge that automatically stops sparking when ignition has taken place?

 

If so, given your ‘PIA’ historical fridge experience I think that the first thing I’d do is take the rear vent off, remove the burner cover and have a look at the ignition electrodes. Unless you’ve done so recently, I’d given them a clean with some fine emery paper. It doesn’t directly address the symptoms you’ve described but will give the best chance of a good spark especially if the spark voltage has dropped for any reason.

 

The single click (spark) you hear does not suggest a short (it would carry on clicking but not light). It does imply that the circuit is repeatedly not generating sufficient charge to generate the voltage required to bridge the spark gap. So I agree that either switching to EHU or testing with the engine running would be a good idea. If that doesn’t work I’d suspect the spark producing electronics have developed a fault.

 

As a temporary fall back perhaps with the rear vent off you could light the gas with a taper?

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Thanks very much for the replies, much appreciated. I seem (for now) to have fixed the problem by a method which will forever more be know as the "motorhome fridge on gas dance" (lol)

 

Started the engine as suggested, still the same. Then I had a vague recollection of an earthing issue or something like that before when on EHU and the fridge kept tripping the electric. So I adopted a really technical method of doing a Basel Fawlty on it and giving it a damned good thrashing. Bit like you would thump an old telly. Amazingly the ignition started to work as normal. Wahay! except the flaming thing wouldnt stay lit. :-( It was popping and spluttering and ive seen this before when its windy which it is today up on Flamborough Head. So what then followed was basically reversing around the field trying to get the fridge vents out of the wind which is blowing all over the place. There is (was) one other van so God knows what they thought we were doing. :D

 

Anyway eventually it lit so I left it a couple of minutes to get warmed through and then drove back onto the blocks back where we were.

 

All now seems well. This van is like something out of Harry Potter, bewitched.

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Derek Uzzell - 2019-08-16 1:59 PM

 

A long (canal-boat-related) discussion about elderly Electrolux 3-way fridges being reluctant to light on gas

 

https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/19812-electrolux-gas-fridge-increasingly-hard-to-light/

 

Time to give the gas-flue a good clean and, perhaps, replace the gas igniter.

 

 

Thanks Derek. My motorhome guy says its impossible to clean the flue on this fridge, its been temperamental for some time now and flakes of rust and crap are always going to block the burner which is normally the issue. I trust him I think. I think the answer is maybe a newer fridge from a breaker or just keep giving it the Basil treatment.

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Guest pelmetman
Derek Uzzell - 2019-08-16 1:59 PM

 

A long (canal-boat-related) discussion about elderly Electrolux 3-way fridges being reluctant to light on gas

 

https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/19812-electrolux-gas-fridge-increasingly-hard-to-light/

 

Time to give the gas-flue a good clean and, perhaps, replace the gas igniter.

 

 

Where was that link a few years ago when my Electrolux 3-way fridge stopped working on gas? :-( ........

 

I'd of saved myself 750 quid on a temperamental Dometic new century poo *-) .........

 

 

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Barryd999 - 2019-08-16 7:49 PM

 

Derek Uzzell - 2019-08-16 1:59 PM

 

A long (canal-boat-related) discussion about elderly Electrolux 3-way fridges being reluctant to light on gas

 

https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/19812-electrolux-gas-fridge-increasingly-hard-to-light/

 

Time to give the gas-flue a good clean and, perhaps, replace the gas igniter.

 

 

Thanks Derek. My motorhome guy says its impossible to clean the flue on this fridge, its been temperamental for some time now and flakes of rust and crap are always going to block the burner which is normally the issue. I trust him I think. I think the answer is maybe a newer fridge from a breaker or just keep giving it the Basil treatment.

 

It may well be impossible to clean your fridge’s gas-flue with the fridge in situ (that was certainly the case with the Electrolux 3-way fridge fitted to my 1996-built Herald) and a full service that includes ‘sweeping’ the fridge’s gas-flue will often demand that the fridge be pulled out - partially or completely - from its enclosure to gain access to the top of the flue so that the baffle inside it can be removed. But, as far as I’m aware, cleaning the gas-flue of any 3-way fridge should be possible even though it may be a helluva job doing it and costly in terms of labour charges.

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