scotchjock Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Hi to all, just registered. I recently imported a new Hymer from Belgium (March 07). Having used it extensively (10000km in 6 months) I am delighted with it. However, last week I noticed fumes inside the vehicle when we were parked without hookup. As a corgi registered gas installer I was in no doubt what the problem was. We rushed to the nearest Dometic service point where my fears were confirmed. Products of combustion were not going where they should be. The fridge (fridge/freezer + oven) was classed as 'immediately dangerous'. On investigation it was found that a plate had been fixed above the flue outlet and that the burner was heavily carbonned. What concerns me is that there may be others out there with the same problem. Because of the Dusseldorf show I am unable to reach the seller yet. I am about to contact Hymer direct in Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Hi Scotchjock, I wonder if it is related (?) : http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=8224&posts=35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotchjock Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Hi Robin No it is not related. This is a design fault and if it is common throughout the range or ranges then the implications are serious involving recalls for modification scotchjock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Presumably you are referring to a Dometic "Tec-Tower" appliance and the function of the 'plate' above the flue outlet is to shield the underside of the oven. (Is that correct?) Normal practice nowadays with non-oven Dometic fridges seems to be to have the flue exhaust into the upper part of the void behind the appliance from where the fumes find their way into the open air through the top ventilation grille. There's nothing directly above the flue to obstruct the gases, so the design fault you describe sounds like it will relate to Tec-Towers only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotchjock Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Yes possibily. But in these days of cost cutting anything can happen. This particular problem is life threatening and as a corgi installer I am extremely concerned that a major manufacturer can allow at least one motorhome onto the market with a serious design fault. It seems also that the appliance in my case is not 'room sealed' as it should be. Much the same as a domestic appliance that takes its air for combustion from outside and expels the waste products to the outside. The products of combustion are escaping into the living area of the'van. This should not be happening!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 scotchjock: Poor 'room sealing' of 3-way refrigerators in motorhomes has been a constant complaint since the Year Dot and I've mentioned it several times before on this forum (eg "Smelly" Gas fridge...... ?? thread beginning14/07/07). The design of Dometic's fridges (I can't speak for Thetford) makes it virtually impossible simultaneously to seal the fridge hermetically from the motorhome's interior during the conversion phase and still allow the appliance to be removed relatively easily for subsequent repair/maintenance. Some motorhome converters just don't seem to bother about fridge room-sealing while others do their best. But I doubt if any converter would be able to guarantee to seal every Dometic fridge they installed so effectively that, when strong winds were blowing directly on the motorhome's external ventilation grilles, no gas fumes could enter the vehicle's living area. A motorcaravanner doesn't need to be a gas specialist to appreciate that this is a BAD THING, that it is clearly potentially dangerous, and that it shouldn't be happening, but that's the sad reality of the situation. I've re-read your postings and I'm pretty sure my original interpretation of them was wrong. I thought that the design fault ('plate' fixed above flue outlet) you referred to related to the Dometic fridge itself, but I now believe you were saying that the plate had been installed by Hymer when they built your motorhome. (Essentially, your warning is of a "Hymer Fridge Danger" rather than a Dometic one.) Dometic fridge manuals provide detailed guidance on installation, but how closely this is adhered to by motorhome manufacturers seems to vary radically. Even when Dometic's instructions are followed, that doesn't mean the work itself is carried out properly. It's often the case that a specific motorhome interior-layout design makes it particularly difficult to install a fridge or (as may be the case with your Hymer) causes the motorhome manufacturer to do something hare-brained to try to circumvent a problem caused by that design. It would be useful if you said exactly which Hymer model you've acquired so that other owners can check whether or not their vehicles are similarly afflicted. I'm still finding it hard to visualise exactly what the design fault entails. It's commonplace for a deflector plate to be fitted at the top of a fridge to direct exhaust gases to the outside air, but obviously this plate should not obstruct the top of the flue outlet in any way. I'm assuming 'your' plate partially blocks the flue outlet and that this has resulted in the burner sooting up - is that right, please? If you could post photos to the forum about this (or perhaps expand on the technical details) I'm sure that would be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotchjock Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share Posted August 22, 2007 The Hymer is a T686SL. The deflector plate fits horizontally spanning the full width of the fridge housing and although there are some cut outs, the plate has been fitted too close above the flue, with no clear exit for products of combustion The other problem is that the cut out for the ventilator grill is higher than than the flue terminal and therefore out of sight of a camera lens. The oven above also shares the high level grill for the fridge as a low level source of air with a flue terminal through the roof of the vehicle. Although I am not an expert on gas installations in motorhomes, I also wonder whether the fly screens fitted to the inside of the vents comply with regs. Certainly in domestic situations, ventilation grills must not have fly screens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 The horizontal deflector-plate idea doesn't sound very wonderful! It might be interesting to check what Dometic advise regarding installing Tec-Towers. I understand that gas-related regulations for vehicles differ from domestic ones. Dometic warn that protective insect nets behind ventilation grilles can reduce the free cross section by up to 50%, but don't say anything about UK legal restrictions. The nets are a relatively recent innovation and can easily be removed if you are concerned about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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