Gas Fridge will not light

[Countryboy33]

I have a 2004 Autosleeper Duetto I have tried to light the gas fridge but it will not. I can see and hear the spark igniter but the gas is not igniting. Sometimes if I hold in the gas button on the fridge and the igniter is clicking after a few seconds there is a pop which Is the ignition of a little gas but the flame will not stay alight . I think there must be a blockage. On the outside of the van there are two plastic grills one of which, the top one incorporates the fridge gas flue. I wonder if the bottom grill gives access

to the fridge flame so that I could unblock it ? Has anyone had this problem. Any information would be gratefully received. The cooker hob is working ok so there must be plenty of gas.

[Derek Uzzell]

Countryboy33 - 2020-04-28 1:06 PM

 

...On the outside of the van there are two plastic grills one of which, the top one incorporates the fridge gas flue. I wonder if the bottom grill gives access to the fridge flame so that I could unblock it ? Has anyone had this problem. Any information would be gratefully received. The cooker hob is working ok so there must be plenty of gas.

 

It’s generally the case that removing the lower plastic ventilation grille will provide sufficient access to clean a fridge’s gas burner.

 

In your case, if the fridge has not been serviced for a while, soot and debris may have dislodged from inside the gas flue and rained down on to the burner unit inhibiting the gas from lighting successfully, and/or the fridge’s jet may need replacing.

 

Cleaning the interior of the gas flue can be much more challenging and may demand displacement or removal of the fridge.

 

These links may help you

 

 

 

The Electrolux fridge of my first motorhome (a 1996-built Herald) became very reluctant to light on gas, but the lower ventilation grille was in the wrong place to allow access to the burner to clean it. Eventually I cut a hole lower down in the bodywork and fitted a 3rd grille. Having done that I still could not ’sweep’ the gas flue via the upper ventilation grille and (following a motorhome dealer’s advice) every now and again I used to tap the outside of the flue to encourage debris inside the flue to drop down where I could vacuum it from the burner. Not best practice, but the alternaive would have meant removing the fridge.

 

[Ocsid]

I once had a similar experience, the cause I tracked down to the gas control knob not being pushed far enough in to set the "flame failure device". Something had eased so that the knob physically could not be moved far enough, the facia panel in effect stopped it before it full reset the FFD.

 

I pulled off the knob and inserted in it a very small "spacer" made of crunched up aluminium foil, so the valve stem was more fully pushed in home, before the knob could ground on the panel.

 

Check if possibly that is happening in your case; just looking if the knob grounds could be all needed to check. I have found my issue was not a one off, another camper was helped this way.

[chas]

Had a similar problem a couple of years back, had new jets fitted, worked perfectly ever since. :-D

[Barryd999]

I often have this problem. ive seen my motorhome fixit bloke take off the grill and blow around with a compressor which often fixes it. Really they should be serviced annually but the issue with mine I think is its that old all the crap thats in the flue just builds up again. Nothing can be done apparently apart from fit a new or recon fridge. Its the exact same problem by the sound of it though.

[TeePee]

Many thanks for your help I will let you know how I get on .

[BruceM]

Are you certain that the flame is not staying alight? Once fully lit and warmed sufficiently to release the gas switch remove the top grill and check the flue for continuing heat.

 

If it is staying alight but the igniter continues to ‘click’ then there could be a number of causes but in my case it was dirty igniter sensor electrodes that monitor for the presence of a flame, they do so not by checking for the presence of heat but, I understand, the flow of electrons through the air gap with and without the flame, or something like that. The lower grill should give access. I cleaned the electrodes a bit with fine emery paper and some WD40. Worked perfectly ever since.

[Derek Uzzell]

The attached photo of a 2004 Auto-Sleepers Duetto shows the ventilation grilles for the fridge.

 

As was the norm, the gas-flue has a dedicated outlet behind the rightmost section of the upper ventilation grille and if the fridge’s gas burner did actually light and stay alight, this should be obvious as hot air would very soon emerge from the grille’s flue outlet.

 

I get the impression from Countryboy33’s previous forum postings that he is an experinced motorcaravanner and has owned the Duetto for at least eight years. I now need to be diplomatic when observing that, if he was unaware that removal of the lower ventilation grille should allow access to the fridge’s gas burner for attention, this suggests that the burner assembly has not been regularly maintained.

 

The gas burner failing to light properly suggests it needs a thorough cleaning: lighting but failing to stay lit would suggest a thermocouple problem that might again be down to dirt.

 

(Doesn’t a 2004-vintage small Dometic 3-way fridge have, at the bottom-rear of its interior, a ‘sight-glass’ through which the gas burner’s flame can be examined? My Herald’s fridge had a sight-glass and, when debris had fallen on to the burner, the debris could be seen glowing orange rather than the flame being a nice blue colour.)

[Brian Kirby]

Countryboy33 - 2020-04-28 1:06 PM

 

I have a 2004 Autosleeper Duetto I have tried to light the gas fridge but it will not. I can see and hear the spark igniter but the gas is not igniting. Sometimes if I hold in the gas button on the fridge and the igniter is clicking after a few seconds there is a pop which Is the ignition of a little gas but the flame will not stay alight . I think there must be a blockage. On the outside of the van there are two plastic grills one of which, the top one incorporates the fridge gas flue. I wonder if the bottom grill gives access

to the fridge flame so that I could unblock it ? Has anyone had this problem. Any information would be gratefully received. The cooker hob is working ok so there must be plenty of gas.

As already said, yes the grille can be removed, and until you do so you won't know whether that alone gives sufficient access to reach the jet etc.

 

However, what its removal might do, if the sight glass Derek mentions isn't present in the fridge, and if you can get someone else to go through the ignition sequence, is allow you to watch what actually happens with the flame. Assuming Dometic grilles, it should be released by either vertical sliding catches, or turn-buttons, at/near its bottom corners. With the catches released you then ease the bottom of the grille away from the van when, after a little resistance, the two top lugs should click free from the frame and the grille come away.

 

It might be a blocked jet - 'though it's a bit difficult to understand why it seems sometimes to light if the jet is actually blocked.

 

It might be a dirty flue - though I'd be a bit surprised if that resulted in flame failure as quickly as you appear to be experiencing.

 

So, theorising, I'd favour the thermocouple as the culprit. Once the gas ignites, the flame plays onto the thermocouple which, in turn, opens the gas valve to maintain gas flow after you have released the gas button. (I'm assuming here that when you say the gas won't stay lit you are referring to it extinguishing immediately you release the gas button, rather than simply igniting and immediately dying before you have released the button.)

 

If it just pops, ignites, and then immediately dies, that might suggest a small particle of debris is being propelled into the jet orifice when the gas flows, sometimes immediately blocking it, but sometimes only blocking it after the gas has lit. If you can get the jet out you should be able to see if it is blocked, and possibly clear the blockage by blowing it clear - but not by poking wire through it. If it can't be cleared, replace with new.

 

If you can get to see both jet and thermocouple, you should get a clearer picture of what actually happens when the gas button is operated and the igniter pressed.

[TeePee]

Many thanks for the postings, particularly Derek. My Duetto is identicle to the one in the photo and we have travelled most of Europe in it. It is our 7 th camper and the best one hence the length of ownership. The fridge does have a view glass and I could see the spark ignite. The good news is that I have removed the bottom grille and gave the gas burner a good hard tap with a screwdriver and hey presto it now lights! Again many thanks, I will be glad when we can take to the road.