Fionas Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Hi all, just bought out first motorhome so all very new & slightly confusing, but also very exciting ! First question of probably many ! Mclaren sports shadow motorhome - having fridge problem, light in fridge is on & the inner dial is on maximum but it’s not cooling, is there another switch somewhere or something else I’m missing? Any advice would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 What is the make and model of the fridge, or if you don't know can you post a photo please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 Hi, I have hopefully attached relevant photos. Thanks Fiona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 OK, so it is a 12 volt only fridge and is possibly wired to only work when the engine is running. Can you try with the engine running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 Many thanks for your reply, I’ll give it a go tomorrow & let you know . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) Hi Try the re set Turn it off for a minute, and then turn it on again Was the fridge working previously ? Regards Edited February 1 by onecal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayc Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Any help?https://www.vitrifrigofridges.co.uk/installation.htm The manufacturer says "In our experience it is extremely rare for a DC compressor to fail and the most common fridge fault is electrical. This is because DC fridges are very sensitive to voltage due to the relatively high start loads. If the wiring is undersized or there is any corrosion, or a poor connection in the wiring, the compressor will not start." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 Many thanks to you all for all the advice it’s much appreciated. we were told the fridge was working when we purchased the motor home ! I will try all your suggestions & let you know how I get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Ah Ok Did you actually see it working previously? Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevec176 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Might be useful to have a copy of the user manual, this covers all languages so start at page 16. The manual says there is a courtesy light, does it come on? If not there's probably a power feed problem. https://www.vitrifrigo.com/ww/en/c95l_c95la_external_cooling_unit_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Fiona's first posting says "light in fridge is on" There have been a few forum discussions about Vitrifrigo fridges (2018 example here). https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/topic/44834-compressor-fridge/ As the interior light of Fiona's fridge comes on when the door is opened, power must be reaching the fridge, and onecal has provided above a copy of the relevant part of Vitrifrigo's troubleshooting guidance. I'm not sure from Fiona's enquiry whether her motorhome's fridge is 'dead', or starts up and runs but does not cool. As the Vitrifrigo fridge is the compressor type, start up should be audible. It's stating the obvious, but if the fridge won't start, it won't cool. It's possible that, even if the 12V battery (presumably the motorhome's leisure-battery) that provides power to the fridge were heavily discharged, there might be sufficient voltage for the fridge's interior light to illuminate bit not sufficient voltage for the fridge to start up. It would be worth connecting the motorhome to a 240V power-supply to see if that does any good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 Hi again, no luck I’m afraid, had the van on mains hook up, 12v on. have turned the power on /off & tried with engine running but no joy ! the light comes on when the door is open so definitely power getting through but no noise & definitely no cooling ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Was this a private purchase or from a dealer? Either way go back to the seller and explain the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayc Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 24 minutes ago, Fionas said: Hi again, no luck I’m afraid, had the van on mains hook up, 12v on. have turned the power on /off & tried with engine running but no joy ! the light comes on when the door is open so definitely power getting through but no noise & definitely no cooling ! I guess that you need the services of someone with knowledge of DC and the use of a meter. As I understand it the operation is basic with an electrical supply which goes to the condenser via the thermostat. Is your the model with the condenser separate from the main unit? I think the engine running has no effect, the fridge is a pure 12v/24v unit which operates at all times from the leisure battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 It was purchased from a dealer so at least I can take it back, although 3 hrs away ! I do have an electrician friend so I might ask him to have a look first. many thanks to you all for your input & advice, I will of course post the outcome as it may well help some else in the future.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Hi Make sure you have a good 12V supply from your leisure battery/batteries , That all connections are good (make and break) you friend should be able to confirm and all switches and fuse connections are good and working correctly. Just a tip for your friend A 10mA light emitting diode (LED) (6) can be connected between the terminals + and D. In case the electronic unit records an operational error, the diode will flash a number of times. The number of flashes depends on what kind of operational error was recorded. Each flash will last ¼ second. After the actual number of flashes there will be a delay with no flashes, so that the sequence for each error recording is repeated every 4 seconds. If nothing simple can be found, bring it back to the dealer Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Fiona On the webpage retrieved using the link provided by rayc https://www.vitrifrigofridges.co.uk/installation.htm it is suggested that Penguin Refrigeration be contacted for assistance and the contact details are here: https://penguinfrigo.co.uk/contact-us/ If your electrician friend can't identify why your fridge won't run/cool, Penguin Refrigeration might be able to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 Electrician friend coming out Tuesday so I will show him the information you have kindly supplied one cal . if no joy I will contact Penguin refrigeration as Derek has suggested, failing that back to the dealer ! glad I joined this forum you have all been very helpful, I’ll give an update next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 (edited) Hi I think your dealer may be the best bet without playing around with your appliance too much and maybe invalidate your warranty or goodwill Usually ensuring you have a good and charged leisure battery and all connections /switch's and fuses are in good connections and the wiring is undamaged it should be fine The light on does not mean you are getting the proper voltage that is needed to work the fridge There may have been a solar panel connection fault or indeed solar panel removal ? Maybe now causing you issues Can you please confirm that as your fridge nameplate suggests it is a 12v/24v model only Hope this helps Edited February 2 by onecal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 14 hours ago, Fionas said: Hi again, no luck I’m afraid, had the van on mains hook up, 12v on. have turned the power on /off & tried with engine running but no joy ! the light comes on when the door is open so definitely power getting through but no noise & definitely no cooling ! Good advice, I’ll contact dealer on Monday. Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeF Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) It's possible the thermostat has failed. Get your electrician to bridge the thermostat contacts on the control unit to simulate the thermostat action. The compressor takes a high current to start and inadiquate battery voltage or poor wiring/connections between battery and fridge can prevent starting. This is the most common issue where the compressor fridge fails to run. Measure the volts at the fridge controller to ensure it's within range , above 11.5 volts as its attempting to start. As discussed the fridge electronic controller has fault indication if a led is added to the control unit It's very unusal for the compressor or control unit to fail, but the mechanical thermostat is a weak point. A sucessful start will be indicated by the fan running continuously Mike Edited February 3 by MikeF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Hi Can you please confirm that as your fridge nameplate suggests it is a 12v/24v model only. Again the light on does not mean you are getting the proper voltage that is needed to work the fridge There may have been a solar panel connection fault or indeed solar panel removal ? Maybe now causing you issues . Excellent info for you and your electrician friend from Mike in previous post as the thermostat is a common fault I will attach a DC battery protection settings which also may be of help to your friend , but I think the best advice is to return to your dealer without playing around with your appliance too much and maybe invalidate your warranty or loosing any goodwill from them if the appliance has been tampered with Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 Many thanks Mike & one cal , the dealer said it was 12v & having looked at the website pretty sure it is . I have scene shot & printed off all the electrical advice you’ve provided for my electrician. but as you have advised I will be aware of the warranty implications. fiona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Hi Fiona Yes I would not play around with it too much especially if the dealer may have the issue rectified for you. Without actually seeing and testing the appliance can be sometimes difficult to diagnose hopefully what may be a simple fault in the first instance Regards Brendan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionas Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 Thanks Brendan, Help & advice greatly appreciated, I’ll let you know the outcome. Best wishes Fiona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.