MF2002 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hi folks, Our 'van ihas had a birthday and is due a habitation check (vehicle service & MOT just done). Do the gas appliances ( cooker / fridge / heater / water heater) need servicing ie cleaned / adjusted. We've a Gaslow system - as did the previous owners - and I read somewhere (Truma or Dometic handbooks) that appliances should be serviced more frequently if run on "Autopgas" as it's not as clean as bottled gas. We're going to Europe for a year, leaving in October so would be interested in any thoughts on efficiency / reliability ( the gas boiler in our house nearly always breaks down within a month of being "serviced"). Didn't have to worry about this when we'd a tent and a single ring Gaz stove :-D Thanks Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 how old fridge etc? do you want to die of carbon monoxcide poisining? dometic £40 your choice, i would get it done jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I have just serviced my own fridge, and as far as I'm aware it hasn't been touched in 10 years, and was working fine, we also have a Gaslow bottle. I changed the filter on the fridge gas supply line, replaced the jet, inspected the flue for soot build up, and internal rust both of which were zero. A good check you can do yourself is to remove the bottom grill and inspect the flame, it should be burning blue without a hint of yellow, and where the flue gases that exit from the top of the fridge, look out for any sooty deposits, and it's worth adding that as far as CO2 is concerned it is miniscule, and wouldn't be a concern of mine unless you were sucking directly on the pipe, although using a built in gas oven with all the windows shut to keep warm may be the last thing you did :D Another good tip to check for gas leakage I picked up some years ago was to first turn on the gas, light an appliance briefly, then turn it off, followed by the top tap on your gas bottle, return to the van a good few hours later, or leave it overnight, and without turning the gas bottle on, try lighting a hob ring, it should ignite and burn for a couple of seconds therby showing the pressure has been retained in your system, if it doesn't then seek advice is probably the best course of action. Youtube is an excellent resource for information on these kind of things, take a look, although an American gentleman doing the explanation, these gas fridges are largely the same everywhere ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hi we have used Gaslow for about 6 years and took our system with us to a new van after 3 years (we have now moved it to a third van). less than 2 years in on the new van started getting a smell from fridge vent and then it stopped working on gas. Called the agent under warranty who came and inspected and cleaned the flue. Soot had built up and a lump had fallen down and blocked the flame. (all done under warranty - no charge) The question is - would a service pick up the soot build up - in theory yes but in practice? if it were me and i was away for a year i would have a full habitation check and ask them to clean the flue. I would look on it as an investment. my view is the cost of a jab service against cost of vehicle is tiny. finally, i have an annual ha service and haven't had subsequent problems (the soot problem was 6+ months later after more than 8 weeks away). peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keninpalamos Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 MF2002 - 2015-07-28 11:27 PM Hi folks, Our 'van ihas had a birthday and is due a habitation check (vehicle service & MOT just done). Do the gas appliances ( cooker / fridge / heater / water heater) need servicing ie cleaned / adjusted. We've a Gaslow system - as did the previous owners - and I read somewhere (Truma or Dometic handbooks) that appliances should be serviced more frequently if run on "Autopgas" as it's not as clean as bottled gas. We're going to Europe for a year, leaving in October so would be interested in any thoughts on efficiency / reliability ( the gas boiler in our house nearly always breaks down within a month of being "serviced"). Didn't have to worry about this when we'd a tent and a single ring Gaz stove :-D Thanks Fraser I take the view of "If it ain't broke don't brake it" If it's working fine leave it alone. A carbon monoxide detector is a good investment and common sense even if you have your system "serviced" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MF2002 Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Thanks folks, Have booked it in for a habitation service ( to maintain the Autotrail warranty as much as anything) and will ask for the vents and flues to be checked. Appreciate all the comments. Cheers F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wirralian Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Every winter we go to Spain for 4-5 months and before we go get a habitation service. Last year just after few weeks in Spain we experienced carbon monoxide fumes in the van from the fridge. We had the fridge serviced and it was found that the flue was badly sooted up. The several years use of Spanish gas may very well have contributed to this. As the servicing of the fridge is not part of the habitation service, from now on I shall make sure that the fridge is also checked. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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