# Fridge not working on Gas



## spigot (May 28, 2013)

Hi,
   I see there has been a recent thread on this subject but my problem is slightly different, my pilot DOES light but the fridge is not cooling.

Has anyone got any ideas on this?

The pilot light seems quite low, just a slight glow, could this be the problem? 

The pilot light area is enclosed, if crap is restricting the flow how do I get to it?

My fridge is a the small Dometic RM4213S.

I am currently in Spain & the weather has just decided to get very hot, just the time time for a fridge to go belly up & any advice would greatly appreciated.


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## n brown (May 28, 2013)

first check is does it work on 12v or 240v ,if it does then the fridge works,and you're either on a lean or the flue is blocked or the flame is bad. if it doesn't work on electric,all you can do is take it out and stand it upside down for the night then the right way up for a couple of hours then try it


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## vindiboy (May 28, 2013)

Most probable reason is gunge in the  burner [ rust ] and a semi blocked jet, and dirty chimney, it needs taking apart and cleaning, this usually does trick, but you MUST be  careful when you  do the job, if in doubt leave it alone and get someone competent with GAS to do the job, DO NOT LOOSE THE  JET, [small cone ]


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## maingate (May 28, 2013)

Has your van been standing for a long time?

Take the top fridge vent off and see how far the heat from the flame has travelled round the pipework. If it only gets so far, then it is not operating. Do as Mr Brown said and turn it upside down. 

Alternatively, leave it swirched to gas while you drive. This sometimes starts it working. At least it does in the UK, due to all the potholed roads.


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## spigot (Jun 2, 2013)

*Fridge now fixed*

Hi,
  Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated.

But as I am currently wild camping in Spain, taking the fridge out and inverting it overnight was not really an option.

However, luckily I found a mobile caravan engineer, English chap working on the Costa Blanca who turned up last Thursday at 9am, took the fridge out back to his workshop and returned it repaired & serviced the next day at 12 midday.

Cost me 120 euros but it's getting very hot down here & I can't stand warm beer.


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## Philcott (Jun 2, 2013)

You're lucky spigot! I've had to resort to a completely new fridge as no spares availablefor my old 1991 one! They can't even find a model number on it! With a bit of luck no more problems with the fridge! Just got to get the heating fixed now, as that has decided to go on the blink.

It's never ending isn't it!


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## coolasluck (Jun 7, 2013)

Hi guys i have also the same problem on my 1992 hymer.
It works on mains but has stopped running on gas.
Looking into a replacement from electrolux (now dometic) i am looking at about 600 quid  inclusive of delivery.
Had a caravan specialist around who stated that the gas may be leading me to a new fridge, however he stated that  for 60 quid he would take it out turn it upside down e.t.c and service the gubbings.
He said that on most fridges if you can get 10 years out of your 3 way fridge you are doing well.
Can the gas lessen over time or leak to mean i need a new fridge?
I can understand that the refrigerant can be a problem if sitting around alot but wouldnt have imagined that this would be why i need a new fridge.
My fridge is a rm275 and the replacements on offer would be the dometic rm5330 or rm5380 all at 589 quid.
Any reccomendations?
The fridge is about 20 years old however.


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## n brown (Jun 7, 2013)

if a fridge works on any energy source 240v 12 v or gas then it works! it's a working fridge,might need a bit of cleaning ,but as it WORKS it doesn't need to stand on its head !


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## barnyb2012 (Jun 8, 2013)

*240 Did not work*

I had a fridge in my 1998 MH that a mobile guy came out too and fixed, it was the heating element at rear of the fridge. He also cleaned the burner & flue whilst he had got it out. The gas side also has a heating element and the symptom was the fridge NOT getting cold any way on 240 but ok on gas 12 volts. I hope this helps someone out? Ps fridge is so much colder on 240 now, a noticeable difference.


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## Deleted member 967 (Jun 8, 2013)

I also have the same problem again with my fridge in the 1992 S700.

It had been sorted about 2 years ago and was freezing everything solid during our trip around Spain and Portugal last winter but all of a sudden it just stopped cooling.  The flame is still burning but low and after a run across country it is working a bit better.

Peter Hambilton at Preston sorted our gas jet out last time but I cannot get into his workshop until mid August.  I have had a look myself and tried clearing the jet area without success.  I am loth to try to remove the jet as the pipework is not yielding to a spanner.

As I am parked up for a while I am running a cooler box fridge in the Safari Room from the BBQ point.

The mains section also failed last year but as we use hook up infrequently we just ignored it.  The 12v side still works fine, so it is not a problem with the coolant.

I am hoping Peter will be able to work his miracles again.

We are in the process of sorting the boot out as it has been letting water in and rotted the floor.


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## coolasluck (Jun 8, 2013)

I think a good service it is then,i dont fancy forking out 600 pounds for a replacement.Good luck with your fridge john there is nothing worse than defrosted ice cream after a long walk.The good thing for you is that you will be permanently using yours which keeps the fridge in a better condition than periodic use.Yours is probably the same model as mine i would think as i believe yours is designed to be fitted over a wheel arch.


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## Deleted member 967 (Jun 8, 2013)

Thanks for that David

At one time I would tackle anything including removing and replacing a bus engine on the side of Loch Ailort south of Malaig, with only hand tools, wooden blocks and jacks.  Using a minibus to tow the big one away and back again.

I have my work cut out at present with replacing the floor in the boot.  The water had rotted the timber and ply.  I have got to the stage of getting the old wood off (almost).  Then I need to clean up and paint the metalwork before joining new ply under and above.  I will be sealing things in with fibreglass and coating the new wood and ply with it as well.  Great working in fine weather for a change.  We then intend to have the whole vehicle Waxoiled professionally before next winter.

The fridge is cooling but not well.  It will see us out until we have Peter do the job.

John


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## Deleted member 967 (Jun 10, 2013)

Hi David

We have also had the boiler pipe problem and have replaced all of the jubilee clips on all of the water pipes.  I have had water problems from the fresh water tank.  My fault on more than one occasion when I walk away while filling on a hose and only realise when the water is flowing under the van. The last one was when the pump cut in and blew the pipe off at the top of the tank.  We were driving at the time and didn't notice.  The wiring inside the kitchen tap has shorted due to wear.  This is a common problem with this type of tap and as we are full timing it get a lot of use.

The boot problem appears to have been a long standing problem and when we started pulling things to bits, it would seem to have had a professional and an amateur repair before we got the van in 2006 in Germany.  The professionals had removed and replaced the rear of the boot floor back 15 inches from the rear of the vehicle.  We saw a joint in the lino but though nothing of it when we bought the van.

We noticed that the area just inside the boot lid was wet and we tried various draught seals to see if it was coming in around the boot opening.  The boot lid had a plasticised cover on it and we noticed this was peeling.  While we were parking in Spain, Joan had an investigation and this covering was holding damp against the boot lid. We thought it may be coming in through the door locks and creeping up the door.  We packed the outer of the barrels with grease

I then had a look under the lino in the boot and found this was wet up to about a foot from the back if the vehicle.  The ply was delaminating and when I investigated further the wood frame of the floor was mush.  We dried this out as best as we could in Spain but the snow and rain on our way back up made this area wet again.

We have taken the fine weather this last week to strip the ply on top back to the insulation and pick the mushy wet wood out along the rear of the vehicle.  The side sections of the wood are not bad so we have hardened them with hardener.  Joan has repainted the metal that is bonded into the body that the boot floor sits on with Hammerite.   The boot floor is currently not supported by anything other that the side supports.

It rained last night and the boot is bone dry this morning.

I am replacing the 4cm square piece of wood along the back and will fit a new skin of ply top and bottom using expanding foam to stick it to the existing foam filling.  We have gone around the boot trim with sealant and I will have the tail lights out and reseal them in again.  The ply sits on a metal angle bonded into the body and the wood simply fills in the edge to the depth of the foam insulation.

We have the waste tank off at present to allow access to the floor and have pipes fitted to the plumbing instead.  As we are still living in the van we have to keep the services going.

The drivers side of the boot floor was totally disintegrated both top and bottom.  The passenger side was not so bad but still rotten.  I think this was partly protected by the waste water tank from road spray while travelling.

We will now seal things up and fibreglass the joints to prevent more water ingress.   We will waxoil the metal area behind the tank while we have it off and plan to have the whole van waxoiled professionally.

The joys of living fulltime in a van, but if you live in a house you still finish up needing repairs done.

John


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## coolasluck (Jun 11, 2013)

Chatting today to someone it seems that if my fridge is working on electric 230 volt and then on gas is lighting but not cooling and that my fridge is over 20 years old it is likely that the problem is the coolant.Alas the fridge is a sealed unit so cannot be regassed so that is an option out the window.It really is likely that i need a new fridge:mad2: anyone had any success with breaker yards and absorbtion fridges on the old hymer  rm 275 units?
The fridge could be taken out and turned upside down but eventually the same thing would happen.
How long are these fridges meant to last anyway?


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## Philcott (Jun 11, 2013)

coolasluck said:


> Chatting today to someone it seems that if my fridge is working on electric 230 volt and then on gas is lighting but not cooling and that my fridge is over 20 years old it is likely that the problem is the coolant.Alas the fridge is a sealed unit so cannot be regassed so that is an option out the window.It really is likely that i need a new fridge:mad2: anyone had any success with breaker yards and absorbtion fridges on the old hymer  rm 275 units?
> The fridge could be taken out and turned upside down but eventually the same thing would happen.
> How long are these fridges meant to last anyway?



I had the same problem on my 1991 FFB - I've just forked out big time for a new fridge! The new one is smaller than the old one, but decided to bite the bullet and buy new, as I can't afford to keep on paying someone to come out and sort out the old one! And wilding with no fridge, is in my book, a no no! Tea and sour milk don't go well together


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## coolasluck (Jun 11, 2013)

Hi wint the reason i asked was i had a service fellow come out who stated that the flame had lit and that this burner was not the problem,he thought that the fridge would need replacing.He told me that as the fridge is old anyhow that the coolant had evaporated over time that left less coolant.It is working on 230 volt because of the location of the ignitor but as   their is less coolant now the gas is not able to work properly.


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## Deleted member 967 (Jun 12, 2013)

[No message]


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