Nick Kirby Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Hi All, We have just been away in our camper and the fridge doesn't seem to be working on either electric or gas, any suggestions? I put my hand over the vent outside and there only seems to be warm at one end, in the past the length of the top vent gets warm. Also the freezer compartment is not freezing, it has in the past and the main part of the fridge does not get cold at all. Thanks in anticipation, Nick Kirby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Hi, what is the ambient air temp, as it will have some effect on fridge performance. on gas, can you see the burner flame via the little peep hole in lower rear part of fridge. can you feel the hot exhaust gas exiting via the top external vent on the caravan wall. on electric, do you mean 12 volt or mains.. for mains, are you sure the mains is plugged in to hookup ok and van electrics are correctly set, trips not operated, for 12 volt , remember that engine must be running for 12 volts to be available for fridge, .. no engine means no 12v for fridge, is the fridge level, (van levelled correctly), too much slope might prevent the coolant from circulating correctly. If ambient temp is too high you might find that you need some supplementary cooling air via the fridge vents how old is fridge? tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Kirby Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Hi tonyg3nwl Thanks for that. This is on mains or gas, don't use 12v. I can see the pilot light ok, and the camper is an 07 plate when the fridge was new. It was nearly level and the freezer compartment has always worked in the past, we normally freezer blocks to keep the fridge cool, its never been the best, but never as bad as this. The cheapie thermometer I have put in there is reading 15. The ambient temp was around 25ish. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Nick It might be helpful to know the model of fridge involved, as the design of modern Dometic refrigerators varies and many will not have a gas pilot-light or a sight-window in the fridge's rear wall. However, as you say you are able to see the gas-flame burning and heat is coming from the upper ventilation-grille when the fridge is being operated on gas or 240V, it can safely be assumed that the gas-burner and 240V electric heater are operational. I'm surprised that you never run your fridge when your motorhome is being driven - when 12V-operation would normally be employed - but, if your fridge won't cool properly on gas or 240V, it's a fair bet it would not cool properly on 12V. This Dometic webpage offers trouble-shooting advice http://www.dometicapproved.co.uk/page.aspx?p=3way You might try playing about with the thermostat setting to see if that does any good. Otherwise, I believe you are going to need to have the fridge looked at professionally. If the fridge had not been serviced reasonably recently, it might be anticipated that cooling on gas might be poor, but, as cooling on 240V is also poor (and the appliance functioned well in the past) this suggests that a technical fault has developed. It's regularly suggested that removing and inverting a non-cooling absorption fridge may revive it (example here) http://caravanchannel.proboards.com/thread/4306/fridge-working-turn-upside Not sure if this would have any positive effect on a 2007 Dometic fridge though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Kirby Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Thanks Derek, Lots to look through. I have ordered a digital thermometer so I can run a few experiments. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Hi I had this problem with my dometic fridge freezer which had hardly any use,I was advised to take it out and turn it upside down for 24 hrs this I did taking photos as I went to make sure it all went back correctly it worked, but not for long in the end I had to go to a specialist who replaced the whole refrigeration unit which is in one piece and cost me nearly £500 I phoned and emailed dometic not interested Try turning it upside down first doesn't cost anything except a few hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Kirby Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 What I find odd is I've had the fridge on for 24hrs now, yes it's very hot today, the vents are in the sun for a lot of the day, the fridge temp is 16 degrees, not surprised, but the freezer is at -7! Hows that work when I believe these fridges work within 20 degrees of ambient. can someone explain please. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Nick As I said earlier, if you would just reveal which model of Dometic fridge (or fridge/freezer) you have, it might be possible to answer that type of question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Kirby Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-07-24 8:24 AM Nick As I said earlier, if you would just reveal which model of Dometic fridge (or fridge/freezer) you have, it might be possible to answer that type of question. The fridge is a dometic rm7270 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Nick Kirby - 2014-07-23 7:33 PM What I find odd is I've had the fridge on for 24hrs now, yes it's very hot today, the vents are in the sun for a lot of the day, the fridge temp is 16 degrees, not surprised, but the freezer is at -7! Hows that work when I believe these fridges work within 20 degrees of ambient. can someone explain please. Nick Do you keep opening the door to check the temperature?................ ;-)................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Kirby Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 only once a day at the moment. to check the freezer. have a external thermometer to check it otherwise. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Nick Kirby - 2014-07-25 8:56 PM only once a day at the moment. to check the freezer. have a external thermometer to check it otherwise. Nick Maybe your confirming my worst fears that my new fridge will not perform as well as my old one :-S................our new one worked fine in Scotland, but has yet to be tested in foreign climes :-| .................. Although the instructions seem to be full of caveats re expectations *-)................. Progress eh? ;-)............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Is the fridge turned to the lowest temperature to which it can be set? Also, have you removed the external grilles as is recommended in hot weather? If so, and as you say it has worked satisfactorily in the past (I assume under similar conditions), it seems either the thermostat is faulty, or the fridge has lost some of its coolant and can no longer function adequately. To resolve either, it seems probable you will have to call out a Dometic repairer to check its functionality, and if possible repair it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 The RM7270 is a relatively-small capacity fridge with the cooling of the non-freezer part provided by a finned heat-exchanger. https://www.dometic.com/enie/International/Site/Caravan/Refrigerators/products/?productdataid=67897 If the freezer part of the fridge is cooling to -7°C while the rest of the fridge remains at +16°C, it must be concluded that the heat-exchanger is not functioning as it should. I agree with Brian. As it’s clear that the fridge no longer performs as it used to, and you’ve experimented as described above, I think you’ll need a Dometic technician to have a look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Kirby Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Many thanks everyone, I was coming to that conclusion myself. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalobs Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Apologies for hijacking this thread but I have a linked problem and I need to be sure of my facts before spending a lot of money. On electricity the fridge is fine being 3C at the end of a hot day but on gas it is no lower than 11C.At night the fridge on gas will go down to 3C.The regulator was changed last year for a similar problem but I am not sure it solved the problem or if it did it is back! My thoughts are that it is a regulator or jet problem if the fridge needs more gas. Someone has now suggested it could be the thermostat.Does that sound likely? Is there a separate thermostat for the electricity and gas functions.Is there a simple way to check if the thermostat is working? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 My first action would be to see if the heating and hot water system or, if easier, all the hob burners and grill fully work simultaneously on gas as either the heating or the hob's gas consumption is far more than the fridge will ever be. If they work OK it should prove the gas pressure theory and I would have a look at the burner flame from outside through the vent to see whether is looks the normal shape and blue colour. Even if it does I would be inclined to change the fridge gas jet and clean up the burner and flue if for no other reason than to rule out the low cost options first. Hope you have removed the winter covers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I think you'll need to say what make and model of fridge, and how old. However, AFAIK, the answer on the 'stat is that there is just one. There are several possibilities. 1 that 'stat has failed closed and the gas is at its maximum cooling performance. 2 that the 'stat has failed closed and the electricity is performing better than the gas. 3 that the 'stat is fine and the gas circuit is not. The cooling circuit is the same for all three energy sources so if one is under-performing the others it would seem to be that source that is in trouble. Gas usually seems the most efficient, so that agian points to a gas problem. Either the original fault has returned, or it wasn't really the fault. Have the flue and jet all been cleaned, and is the thermocouple correctly aligned? I assume the regulator was the bulkhead regulator supplying gas to all appliances? If so, and the other appliances are all working OK, I would discount that as having a role in the fridge problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalobs Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Thanks for that. It is a 4 year old Dometic RM4212/13 which is regularly serviced and it is used with the winter covers off! It has a retro fit cooling fan which only comes on when on mains. I have questioned with the fitter whether the feed is live when on gas and he has assured me that it is. He explained that on gas the heat is dissipated through the flue but in my mind if the flame is too small then there would be less heat to disperse. Brian, if there is only one stat and the fridge works on electricity does that not exclude the stat from being the cause of the problem? As previously posted, it is a Truma regulator fitted externally on the chassis, slightly higher than the under floor gas tank. This is a similar layout to that used by Autosleeper but I have not heard of any Autosleeper owners having our problem. The expensive course of action is to have a new regulator and filter (I understand Truma do not guarantee their regulator unless a filter is used), fitted internally and therefore higher, but I am reluctant to go down the megabucks route if no one else has had a similar problem. Any further thoughts, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I have been caravanning and motorhoming for over 50 years and have never needed an extra cooling fan on any fridge in any van in any climate that I have met in Europe and a retrofit need sends alarm bells ringing and suggests that this has been a problem before? Have you checked the heating and hob gas consumption to rule out the gas flow as a cause? Have you or an experienced gas fitter looked at the gas flame to see whether it looks normal? As I understand it, habitation 'services' only usually visually check the fridge is working and unless you highlight concerns or the checker finds a concern the fridge itself or the burner etc is not usually cleaned or touched? I would be inclined to also suspect a gas pipe blockage and that too is easy to check. Turn the gas supply to the fridge of, undo the gas union to the fridge burner and get someone else to turn the supply tap on again. Gas should really flow heavily if it is clear and if not maybe the supply switch has some gunge or ptfe tape of sealant or dross from construction partly blocking it? Have you had the van from new? If not maybe contact the previous owner from the V5 might shed some light before spending out? Personally I would still replace the jet and clean the burner and flue anyway as a matter of elimination prior to anything else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Brian Kirby - 2014-08-09 7:08 PM I think you'll need to say what make and model of fridge, and how old. However, AFAIK, the answer on the 'stat is that there is just one. ...the exploded parts diagram for an RM4212 shows separate thermostats for 230v and gas operation. ;-) (and none for 12V operation, which is logical as I believe only some of the models have thermostatic control for such, with a single thermostat controlling all modes of use) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-08-10 12:38 PM Brian Kirby - 2014-08-09 7:08 PM I think you'll need to say what make and model of fridge, and how old. However, AFAIK, the answer on the 'stat is that there is just one. ...the exploded parts diagram for an RM4212 shows separate thermostats for 230v and gas operation. ;-) (and none for 12V operation, which is logical as I believe only some of the models have thermostatic control for such, with a single thermostat controlling all modes of use) Goodness, so it has! Apologies Robert. I'd forgotten about these, they were aimed at the caravan market. The Dometic manuals are all dated 1997! So, assuming the gas 'stat is set to its lowest temp, it would seem the gas side controls will be the cause. If all other gas appliances are working OK then the regulator seems very unlikely to be the problem. There is very little active maintenance for these fridges: they are usually very reliable and just work. Has the gas system been blown through as Rich suggests, and has the jet been removed and blown out? If the answer to both these questions is yes, then it seems the gas controls will be at fault. There is, presumably, a temperature sensor in the fridge, a thermostat control to set the desired temperature, and a gas control valve to vary the strength of the gas flame. The larger the gas flame the cooler the fridge will run, so for some reason the gas flame is not now large enough. Logically, unless someone else knows otherwise, it seems any of these could be at fault. If your technician is a fully paid up Dometic bod, I think he'd be the best person to work out which. If he isn't, then I think it may be wise to turn to one who is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalobs Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Thanks to all. Last year all the pipes were blown through by a gas technician and there was some gunge found and a new regulator fitted. Since then I have been paranoid about "oily residues" in LPG but put this post to see if there are any other possibilities. Van booked in on Thursday at manufacturer and will post the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalobs Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 As promised the result of the Thursday visit. The gas pipes and jet were clean.As the gas rings worked with no obvious loss of flame height it was felt that the regulator is not the cause of the problem but it was exchanged and there was no difference. The gas thermostat seemed to work in that turning the control increased and decreased the flame which is perfectly formed though looked a little small. Unless there are any other ideas it looks as though a new gas thermostat is the next course to take. There was not one in stock. Anyone have an idea of the cost for one for aRM4212/13 and are they easy to fit? Finally can anyone recommend a gas fitter on the Surrey/Hants border area. Quick internet search brings up Albany Caravan Services. Does anyone Know of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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