sreve Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Hi all,i can't seem to start the fridge in my suntor.The red starter button produces a spark every time when i don't press the gas button ,but as soon as i press in the gas button the igniter button will not produce a spark. There is gas coming through because i can hear it however the gas bottle is getting low. Hopefully someone may be able to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Maybe because it is already lit !! I had to keep the control button held in for about 30 seconds to 1 min before it would stay lit make sure you read the instructions, we dont have that van now so I cant look for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sreve Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Thanks for the reply,i have checked and the fridge is definately not lit.I have put on a full cylinder and it makes no difference.It just doesn't spark when the gas button is pushed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 it takes quite a while sometimes to get air out of the pipe, try lighting gas hob for a while and try again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 The above is correct. The problem is that the gas flow required to run the,fridge is so low that it,takes for ever to get the air out of the pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Just a thought (!) is the igniter run from batteries??have a look at this http://community.preloved.co.uk/forums/discussion/78246/fridge-not-working-on-gas.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Try turning the gas cylinder off, purge the pressure in pipes by turning on a ring for a couple of seconds, then try the spark with gas buton pressed in. I am testing to see if it spark in the presence of air but not gas. If it does spark the problem is most likely something wrong at the spark electrode on the burner or power is weak ( flat leIsure battery). If it still fails to spark when gas button is pressed , but works when it is not, then is likely to be a bad connection or somethng wrong behind the controls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 The reference to a "red starter button" suggests that Simon's (sreve's) fridge has piezo ignition. As far as I'm aware (and assuming the fridge is a traditional Dometi/Electrolux model) the colour of the switch that activates the gas igniter electronically is orange. It might be helpful to know 1: When Simon's Swift Suntor was manufactured, which Suntor model it is and how long Simon has owned the vehicle. 2: Whether the fridge used to light on gas OK. If so, did it suddenly stop lighting on gas or were there any symptoms of a forthcoming problem (eg. it became increasingly difficult to light). 3. Which make/model of fridge is involved. Assuming there's an external ventilation grille that will provide visual access to the fridge's burner assembly, it should be possible to see what's happening spark-wise. I don't really understand what would cause a gas igniter to stop sparking when the gas-supply knob is operated, as the two functions aren't linked as far as I'm aware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sreve Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks for all the replies, the fridge is the rm4262 (which i have had in a previous motorhome) my van is a 1999 swift suntor 520.I have only just bought the van and the previous owner only used the fridge on mains. The hob,oven and heater etc all work perfectly well.I lit the fridge lastnight by removing the external vent and lighting it directly with a long match and it ran as normal,i ran it for about 30 minutes and after switching it off it started normally which was great.But 24 hours later i have just tried it and it is back to it's non sparking when the gas button is pushed in. It's beginning to do my head in!!! Anymore help will be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipstick0_0 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 If you bought the van from a dealer take it back and ask him to have a look If not could be a good idea to have it serviced Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Your spark gap needs to be closed up a bit or the electrode insulator and assembly cleaned. The voltage is high enough to spark through air, but with the higher dielectric strength of gas just cannot jump the gap and is tracking through the insulator or just not going anywhere. Close the gap very slightly if you can and I also suspect the piezo unit might be needing replaced. Equally there could be the spark conducting across a gap somewhere else but closing the gap slightly between the electrode and burner should effect a cure. To confirm DO the test I suggested. Turn the gas off and purge the pressure in pipe and then see if you can hear the spark with the gas control pressed in. I AM trying to help you here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney123 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hi, I had a similar problem a few years ago on my Fridge and it transpired that the problem was the Thermocouple (Part Nr for your fridge is GR10018), just something else to check out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 The thermocouple is fine as sreve has mentioned when lit with a match it stayed lit until he turned it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Brambles - 2013-03-05 7:46 PM Your spark gap needs to be closed up a bit or the electrode insulator and assembly cleaned. The voltage is high enough to spark through air, but with the higher dielectric strength of gas just cannot jump the gap and is tracking through the insulator or just not going anywhere. Close the gap very slightly if you can and I also suspect the piezo unit might be needing replaced. Equally there could be the spark conducting across a gap somewhere else but closing the gap slightly between the electrode and burner should effect a cure. To confirm DO the test I suggested. Turn the gas off and purge the pressure in pipe and then see if you can hear the spark with the gas control pressed in. I AM trying to help you here. I'd also suggest that this is really a 2-person diagnostic exercise - one person to do the button/knob-pressing and the other to check what's going on at the burner end. Just hearing the igniter spark will not confirm the quality of the spark. It just indicates that a spark is jumping a gap and (as you say) the gap may not be where it should be. Given Simon's Suntor's history, (as you also advise) a good clean/adjustment of the burner-assembly components would be the right first step, and cleaning the gas-flue would do no harm either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Yes you do need to check where the sparking is. We had a problem with ours not working on gas, it sounded normal,but the insulation had failed on the igniter wire. The spark was igniting the gas at the air mixing hole before the burner. Re- insulating the wire cured the problem. Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sreve Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hi all. Here's an update,did the purge as suggested by "brambles" and the spark was fine then i disconnected the burner and the sparker,cleaned them up a bit with a bit of spray cleaner,put it back together again and hey presto it seems to be starting up instantly!! Thanks to everyone for their input. Definately a forum success story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Well done, glad you managed to fix it. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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