Fridge cold on mains and 12v but not so good on gas

[jerryz]

The Dometic fridge in my 2009 Adria that i picked up last week gets very cold on Mains and 12v when engine runs so perfect butter is solid , but when on gas it does not get as cold inside even on top setting for cooling so butter is soft is this normal

 

[Reallyretired]

No. Gas is usually the most efficient. Possibly a partly blocked jet or sooted up flue.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

Sooted up flue needs cleaning, Flue baffle missing as mine was, Flame not a perfect blue, possibly due to dirty jet/burner.
Plenty of information on here for all the above.

 

[jerryz]

what you chaps have told me makes me really angry this van was supplied only one week ago by Timberland Motorhomes and was supposedly thoroughly checked ,,This problem is one of 3 including missing Stabilisers and a broken gas door lock that was bodged , I am also waiting for a rear lens and awning handle ,, I love the van but i dont expect problems ,,,when they had 2 weeks to service and prepare the £40k van . IM GOING TO CALL THE MD TOMMOROW

I could work on the fridge freezer myself if I have the instructions and guidance having spent 30 years on Offshore work but its not the point .

 

[DBK]

If your fridge has a manual change over switch - to select 240, 12 volt or gas - it is possible the switch is faulty. You could try cycling it to clean the contacts, switching between modes 20 times or so. If this doesn't work, it didn't for me but was worth trying, then a new switch may sort it.

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[Just smiffy]

Sooted up flue needs cleaning, Flue baffle missing as mine was, Flame not a perfect blue, possibly due to dirty jet/burner.
Plenty of information on here for all the above.

This would be my guess too, there was no baffle in mine…

 

[suavecarve]

Sooted up flue needs clea1!ning, Flue baffle missing as mine was, Flame not a perfect blue, possibly due to dirty jet/burner.
Plenty of information on here for all the above.

Another missing baffle ! There must be quite a number of us on here where the baffle wasnt inserted.

2009 model on this one so unless a new fridge should have been noted before, but still a possibility if only ever used on sites and on electric

 

[suavecarve]

Thinking about it, does the gas supply come through to the oven/cooker ? If no then there may be a cut off somewhere. Just irradicating the obvious

 

[Roby2008]

My vote is for the Burner too, had the same symptoms on a run into Greece a year or so ago, new burner and life was back to normal.

 

[Chris Stephens]

The 3-way Electrolux fridge on my old Hymer had this problem. Turned out to be fine surface rust on the inside of the gas piping to the burner which was partially blocking the jet. I removed the burner and used an old-fashioned pipe cleaner to shift the rust. A quick blast of the gas was enough to blow it all out, then reassemble and it's been okay ever since. I now carry pipe cleaners and a small spanner for undoing the burner.

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[Clive Beeza]

The 3-way Electrolux fridge on my old Hymer had this problem. Turned out to be fine surface rust on the inside of the gas piping to the burner which was partially blocking the jet. I removed the burner and used an old-fashioned pipe cleaner to shift the rust. A quick blast of the gas was enough to blow it all out, then reassemble and it's been okay ever since. I now carry pipe cleaners and a small spanner for undoing the burner.

Had the exact same issue
and could run a long flue brush down the
flue tube to clean
opened up the burner access and gave the area
and flue a blast with compressed airline
made am amazing difference

 

[Hettie's Crew]

what you chaps have told me makes me really angry this van was supplied only one week ago by Timberland Motorhomes and was supposedly thoroughly checked ,,This problem is one of 3 including missing Stabilisers and a broken gas door lock that was bodged , I am also waiting for a rear lens and awning handle ,, I love the van but i dont expect problems ,,,when they had 2 weeks to service and prepare the £40k van . IM GOING TO CALL THE MD TOMMOROW

I could work on the fridge freezer myself if I have the instructions and guidance having spent 30 years on Offshore work but its not the point .

I know it’s a pain but I’d recommend you DIY then you know it’s done. Cleaning the flue properly is time consuming, if the baffle is missing you could get them to supply one. I tend to think they are likely to give it a quick going over rather than a thorough clean.

 

[Lambreeta 125]

My fridge has stopped working when travelling on my engine battery which is a nuisance it works on electricity and gas though

 

[Klondike Ed]

My fridge has stopped working when travelling on my engine battery which is a nuisance it works on electricity and gas though

I have a similar problem works on mains works on engine but not gas or habitation battery so a double issue, any ideas ?

 

[RV72 SAM 🏴]

Know it sound's stupid, but did you insist on a hab check to test and check everything safe???
When I collected mine new they fitted gaslow and left the isolator turned off for truma/boiler head scratching time finding out why error code on contol panel and no gas heating 1st off grid car park. Not happy, but found it next morning !
Worth checking all isolator's are switched on, normally under sink/hob clipped push in panel

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[Hettie's Crew]

I have a similar problem works on mains works on engine but not gas or habitation battery so a double issue, any ideas ?

It’s not supposed to work on habitation battery.
EHU, Gas or with power from the engine running just to keep it cool.

 

[jockaneezer]

Sounds like the fridge burner/flue needs a service, but another point is, if you run it full chat on gas, that can have an adverse effect on cooling (possibly extra heat generated radiates out from the flue, warming up the back area of the fridge too much ?), there seems to be a sweet spot with gas, around half to three quarters on the dial seems to give the best results ?
I do think a lot of dealers can't be arsed doing a proper PDI and think the customer may find the faults and sort them out themselves, as I imagine, a high number of purchasers won't be buying local and won't want the hassle of trawling back and forwards to a distant dealer ?
I'm not normally this cynical first thing in the morning, it's gonna be a long day methinks !

 

[jerryz]

It had full Hab check but as it was not running full tilt and takes time to warm up to cool the unit down I could not tell how effective it was ,, I have now noticed it is not switching to 12v when engine running so its onlt feeble cooling on gas.

when on 240v its great ,, definitely someting not right , i have checked fuses etc

 

[jerryz]

Is there a 12v fuse for the fridge inside the dometic unit ????

 

[TheBig1]

As it sounds like you are new to motorhomes I have a little advice. If you already know, please don't be offended, it is meant to help

3 way absorption fridges work different to compressor ones like the kitchen at home. They rely on a small heat source for cooling. the hottest being burning LPG

Try setting the fridge to the middle setting and it may actually cool better. It usually does

To properly service a fridge, it is often necessary to take the fridge at least part way out. It is very rare for dealers to ever bother and it's not part of a standard habitation service

The other regular fault is inside the fridge. The cooling fins are not attached to the pipework but rely on a good surface contact, enhanced with thermal paste, like used in computers. Dometic and electrolux use a cheap rubbish paste that dries out. Renewing it with decent paste is only a 30 minute job. 4 or 5 screws, clean the surfaces, add new paste and reassemble. It works absolute wonders and for £20 is well worth the effort


most importantly with most things on motorhomes, learn to maintain it yourself. Not to save money but to know it's done right

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[jerryz]

As it sounds like you are new to motorhomes I have a little advice. If you already know, please don't be offended, it is meant to help

3 way absorption fridges work different to compressor ones like the kitchen at home. They rely on a small heat source for cooling. the hottest being burning LPG

Try setting the fridge to the middle setting and it may actually cool better. It usually does

To properly service a fridge, it is often necessary to take the fridge at least part way out. It is very rare for dealers to ever bother and it's not part of a standard habitation service

The other regular fault is inside the fridge. The cooling fins are not attached to the pipework but rely on a good surface contact, enhanced with thermal paste, like used in computers. Dometic and electrolux use a cheap rubbish paste that dries out. Renewing it with decent paste is only a 30 minute job. 4 or 5 screws, clean the surfaces, add new paste and reassemble. It works absolute wonders and for £20 is well worth the effort


most importantly with most things on motorhomes, learn to maintain it yourself. Not to save money but to know it's done right

yes i like fixing stuff myself , been building motorcycles for over 50 years and fixing ships, oil rigs , telecoms etc for more than 45 years
I still cannot locate 12v fuse for the fridge it on the wiring diagram in the dometic manual but its not shown where its physical position is ,, its not on the Adria lesiure battery fuse panel .

 

[TheBig1]

Sorry I can't help with the exact position of the fuse. There are in fact 2, one for the control circuit the other for the element

The control fuse is often the same circuit as something else. The element feeds from the starter battery via a relay and the fuse will be either on the battery, on the 12v distribution (where the relay is on a PCB inside), or in a supplementary fuse box with the relay (often near the back of the front seats)