# Gas,hookup and 12v fridge ??? what is this strange magic.



## bigfinger (Oct 12, 2015)

OK still getting to grips with our new camper and we went out on our first wild camp in the stang this weekend and it was great. now can someone explan this odd thing known as a 3 way fridge to me please ?

1) she works fine on mains hookup.

2) gas ? eh how can a fridge run on gas and how wuld this work as i drive with my gas off ?

3) 12v appear not to work at all.

before i take it to bits to work all this out does anyone have any knowlage about these things.

cheers.


----------



## Fazerloz (Oct 12, 2015)

12v should only work when the engine is running.
Gas when you are parked up and have no EHU.
240v when on EHU.


----------



## Obanboy666 (Oct 12, 2015)

I often drive off forgetting to turn the fridge onto 12 volt.
Regarding safety, I have the facility to have the Truma heating on gas and operating when on the move so don't see having the fridge on gas when on the move as a problem but I'm sure many will disagree.


----------



## Lee (Oct 12, 2015)

The fridge will have 2 switches on the front a red one and a green one, the red one should light when you start the engine, this is the 12v switch.
The Green switch will light when you are on electric hook up.

The gas should have 2 dials one to turn the gas on which you need to press in and press the ignite button or on some models a switch which when you turn it on will flash and you will hear a clicking noise from the fridge, if your fridge has this switch the flashing will  stop when the fridge is alight.

If you have a push button igniter and hold the gas dial in, you should also have a small viewing window in the bottom back of the fridge , you need to look through this and keep pressing the igniter and keep the gas dial pressed in until you see a blue flame then keep the gas dial pressed for about 20 seconds the blue flame stays alight.
I hope this helps.


----------



## witzend (Oct 12, 2015)

This is what Brittany Ferries say about Gas Bottles Off during crossing although some Idiots choose to ignore it

Can I transport gas cylinders? - Brittany Ferries


----------



## Steveyates02 (Oct 12, 2015)

:idea-007:OMG 
when on gas the fridge has to be level to work properly so when driving it is not. That being said say you have a crash petrol and a lite gas appliance don't go well together what the hell are you thinking I don't care a f@@@@ about you but if I am behind you I care about me.
so please see sence and do as the fridge is made for 12 volt driving 240 on hook up and gas when no hook up .
They are desined this way for a reason


----------



## Pauljenny (Oct 12, 2015)

Uh huh &#55357;&#56854;


----------



## TJBi (Oct 12, 2015)

The controls depend on the make and model of fridge.  There are many more possibilities than described above.

Some motorhome gas installations are fitted with a device to cut off the gas supply in the event that the pipe suffers a catastrophic fracture (e.g. in the event of an accident).

It makes sense to switch from gas to 12v while driving as you will economise on use of gas.


----------



## Steveyates02 (Oct 12, 2015)

Pauljenny said:


> Uh huh ��


What's that mean Paul


----------



## Tbear (Oct 12, 2015)

If you are heading through Peterborough, I will be happy to show you. Just PM me for details.

Richard


----------



## Obanboy666 (Oct 12, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> :idea-007:OMG
> when on gas the fridge has to be level to work properly so when driving it is not. That being said say you have a crash petrol and a lite gas appliance don't go well together what the hell are you thinking I don't care a f@@@@ about you but if I am behind you I care about me.
> so please see sence and do as the fridge is made for 12 volt driving 240 on hook up and gas when no hook up .
> They are desined this way for a reason



And what's your thoughts on lpg fuelled vehicles and motorhomes like mine that allow the Truma combi to be used on the move to heat the habitation area ?


----------



## Teutone (Oct 12, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> :idea-007:OMG
> when on gas the fridge has to be level to work properly so when driving it is not. That being said say you have a crash petrol and a lite gas appliance don't go well together what the hell are you thinking I don't care a f@@@@ about you but if I am behind you I care about me.
> so please see sence and do as the fridge is made for 12 volt driving 240 on hook up and gas when no hook up .
> They are desined this way for a reason



I prefer to run the fridge on gas because it workes best IMHO. But I have a crash-save regulator which turns the gas supply off in case of impact.
From my experience it takes a considerable amount of time for the fridge to work properly again when switching sources. So I only use 12Volt if I am going to drive for a while. When sitting at home, I switch the fridge on with gas a few hours before (or even the night before) and keep it going on gas for shorter distances or when I know we don't use 240V at the destination.

I have used the fridge on gas even when parked with two wheels on the pavement. So it does work, even when not level.


----------



## Teutone (Oct 12, 2015)

sigh....everything is just so much better in france :wave:


----------



## TJBi (Oct 12, 2015)

Actually, it didn't fail once DUE TO negotiating hills, roundabouts, etc.  The problem arises when it's level and stationary.

Tom


----------



## Steveyates02 (Oct 12, 2015)

Ok you all think i am soft that's fine.
but if it was ok to use a gas appliance on the move whey do Electrolux make a 3 way fridge years ago I worked for a caravan company as a fitter and I would never have told a customer to use gas on the move perhaps I am old and things have changed.
But old habits dye hard and I think I will stick with my opinion 
i will stick with my opinion and feel safe as for a truma being able to stay lite as you drive WHY you have heating from the engine don't you.
I get myself in the **** loads on here maybe it's my age lol


----------



## sparrks (Oct 12, 2015)

Not too sure how accurate that statement is, many a time I've pulled the fuel hose off of a carb and had petrol spill onto the extremely hot exhaust and all it did was vaporise. One major cause of fire in car accidents was with the brake fluid resevoir breaking free/rupturing and spilling it's contents over the exhaust manifold and bursting into flames,  diesel would no doubt react in a simliar way.

Obviously any fluid that was released as a spray would ignite easily and petrol only needs a spark.


----------



## Obanboy666 (Oct 12, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> Ok you all think i am soft that's fine.
> but if it was ok to use a gas appliance on the move whey do Electrolux make a 3 way fridge years ago I worked for a caravan company as a fitter and I would never have told a customer to use gas on the move perhaps I am old and things have changed.
> But old habits dye hard and I think I will stick with my opinion
> i will stick with my opinion and feel safe as for a truma being able to stay lite as you drive WHY you have heating from the engine don't you.
> I get myself in the **** loads on here maybe it's my age lol



I have never used the hab heating to date as I tend to be on my own when out and about but I assume it's for when you have passengers onboard in the hab area which is a fair distance from the cab.


----------



## Teutone (Oct 12, 2015)

well I would think it's ignited by the sparks of the scraping over the tarmac metal. When a bike get's crashed, it's usually upside down or at least on it's side
and the tank is more often than not separated from the bike and not dripping down to the exhaust.
And racing bikes tanks are filled with fire retardent foam as well to combat going up in flames. It takes some serious sparks to light them up and it happens very rarely.

I am one of the braver ones I believe, but having the choice I would still turn the burning flame off when in the belly of ship out of my sight


----------



## Steveyates02 (Oct 12, 2015)

We can have our opinions on this but I feel safe with mine next you will all be telling me you have the wife cooking on gas as you test your skills driving through the Alps at break neck speeds


----------



## Steveyates02 (Oct 12, 2015)

BTW running on lpg is totally different to a naked flame dur omg am I talking to children


----------



## ChevyVanMan (Oct 12, 2015)

If you do find the need to remove your fridge, to cast an eye over it, re the non working gas issue, feel free to ask any questions; it does seem, at first thought, a bit bizzare, that gas may power a fridge, but it does, and it does it well.  I work with such things, so, may be able to offer some advice.
Cheers,
CVM


----------



## Tbear (Oct 12, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> We can have our opinions on this but I feel safe with mine next you will all be telling me you have the wife cooking on gas as you test your skills driving through the Alps at break neck speeds



If I ever get my van to do break neck speed up an Alp, I'll let you know.  

My van stays on gas as it works better like that. Never had a problem. I am sure we would have heard if it was a regular problem. You can't beat a good gassing thread can you. 

Richard


----------



## Steveyates02 (Oct 12, 2015)

Tbear said:


> If I ever get my van to do break neck speed up an Alp, I'll let you know.
> 
> My van stays on gas as it works better like that. Never had a problem. I am sure we would have heard if it was a regular problem. You can't beat a good gassing thread can you.
> 
> Richard


Funny but safety first would you look right or left when u cross the road ok depends where you are in the world


----------



## Tbear (Oct 12, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> Funny but safety first would you look right or left when u cross the road ok depends where you are in the world



Both ways as I have seen many problems with people failing to do so.

Richard


----------



## Johnnygm7lsi (Oct 12, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> We can have our opinions on this but I feel safe with mine next you will all be telling me you have the wife cooking on gas as you test your skills driving through the Alps at break neck speeds



Takes Fastfood to a different level LOL


----------



## trevskoda (Oct 12, 2015)

Jess all the chap ask was how the fridge worked ,bet he did not expect ww3,as for the gas bit it heats a bulb of gas in a closed loop as the gas rises it cools below freezing point taking any heat away from inside the fridge simple,in olden days they used parafin fridges where there was no mains lecy.


----------



## bigfinger (Oct 13, 2015)

thanks i will look on the sites, forums i find are usually the best way for real world opinions which i value over manuals any day of the week. especially when dealing with my 91 swift.


----------



## wuffy (Oct 13, 2015)

*gas fridge on move*

Tosser, you will be crying in your unspoiled food when your van takes fire and the insurance company refuse to pay up because your gas was turned on all the time. Guide lines and rules are devised to protect you and your van and others, pity you can't legislate against idiots.


----------



## bigfinger (Oct 13, 2015)

Yeah, got an A in my O level physics and a B in it at A level was considering it for university but took an apprenticeship in engineering instead and never to this day do i regret that decision. so i know the principles of refrigeration, ok my knowledge is probably now 25+ years out of date hence me asking how gas is being used to power a fridge.  

as for opinions i'm after things like 'should i travel with gas on etc' which actually seems to have stirred up quit the debate...

I will indeed be checking out the manuals when i find out who the manufacturer is, as the camper came with hardly any manuals and i'm still working my way round collecting them all.

Thanks to everyone who posted though its helped me expand my knowledge quite a bit


----------



## Polar Bear (Oct 13, 2015)

wuffy said:


> Tosser, you will be crying in your unspoiled food when your van takes fire and the insurance company refuse to pay up because your gas was turned on all the time. Guide lines and rules are devised to protect you and your van and others, pity you can't legislate against idiots.



Would it be a good time to talk about the virtues of a pint of Spitfire?


----------



## trevskoda (Oct 13, 2015)

Polar Bear said:


> Would it be a good time to talk about the virtues of a pint of Spitfire?



Ill drink to that.


----------



## antiqueman (Oct 13, 2015)

Polar Bear said:


> Would it be a good time to talk about the virtues of a pint of Spitfire?



Its a good virtue if they:dance: have no timmy taylors and luckily it is best not to chill ale.


----------



## RichardHelen262 (Oct 13, 2015)

Nice to know that it isn't only me that leaves the fridge running on gas when on the move


----------



## RichardHelen262 (Oct 13, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> We can have our opinions on this but I feel safe with mine next you will all be telling me you have the wife cooking on gas as you test your skills driving through the Alps at break neck speeds



But if there is no time to stop and your hungry then cooking on the move it will be, this is where cruise control comes in handy for the single traveller


----------



## Beemer (Oct 13, 2015)

I am sure there are many different makes of 3 way fridge, ours has an auto function, so that we may select auto and the fridge will decide what fuel source to use i.e.:
Connect to EHU (electric hook up) 240v and the fridge will use mains electric (LED lights indicate the sources used), start the engine and 12v is automatically selected, even if vehicle is on EHU.  
Park up for a while and the fridge looks for gas and ignites.  It takes longer to connect to gas because there is an assumption that you may have stopped for fuel, in which case, perhaps, igniting gas in a petrol station, may be a hazard.
We also have the option of manually selecting either 3 supplies.
We have found 240v to be the better source for the fridge.

As for gas on the go, the blurb in our Eura Mobil manual states that we can use the gas fridge and heating (front and habitation gas heating) whilst driving.
We have never had issues with the fridge not working on uneven ground when on either supply.


----------



## Tbear (Oct 13, 2015)

helen262 said:


> Nice to know that it isn't only me that leaves the fridge running on gas when on the move



I confess I started leaving mine on because I kept forgetting to turn it off. Then one day I drove across a particularly bumpy field which must have sloshed the fairly full gas tank around a fair bit. Did not seem to course an issue so the only time I turn it off now is to fill up with fuel or when the van is not in use.

Richard


----------



## TJBi (Oct 13, 2015)

bigfinger said:


> <snip> so i know the principles of refrigeration, ok my knowledge is probably now *25+ years out of date* hence me asking how gas is being used to power a fridge.<snip>)



Gas was being used to power domestic fridges back in the 1960s (and possibly before).


----------



## TJBi (Oct 13, 2015)

Steveyates02 said:


> We can have our opinions on this but I feel safe with mine next you will all be telling me you have the wife cooking on gas as you test your skills driving through the Alps at break neck speeds



Haven't tried that yet.  She did so regularly as we bounced up and down crossing the Channel; slowly getting my head round the fact that she isn't allowed to serve up hot drinks when I'm at the helm of the motorhome.  :boat:

Tom


----------



## TJBi (Oct 13, 2015)

Tbear said:


> I confess I started leaving mine on because I kept forgetting to turn it off. Then one day I drove across a particularly bumpy field which must have sloshed the fairly full gas tank around a fair bit. Did not seem to course an issue so the only time I turn it off now is to fill up with fuel or when the van is not in use.
> 
> Richard



"Fridge to 12v" is one of the many items on our pre-flight checklist.  The problem arises at the other end; we have yet to produce a checklist of things to do when parked up!  It's surprising how long the fridge will stay cool if there are a few small bottles of frozen water in the icebox.

Tom


----------



## st3v3 (Oct 13, 2015)

12V is all that is necessary for maintaining the temperature when on the move and is 'free'. It also doesn't leave a naked flame that is, un-arguably, more dangerous than no naked flame.

It's also what the manufacturers, insurers and any ferry company have in their rules, why would you not abide? Ludicrous.

The gas crash shut off thing makes this better, but still, why would you want to?

I don't think 12V cools a warm fridge very well, although some say it does - I suspect it depends on time travelling/amount of already cold stuff in the fridge, but I find a few hours on EHU before we go is best. It usually cools things enough that I don't even turn on the gas for the first 24 hours. Even more so if I throw an ice pack in. Then, when on gas ice pack goes in the freezer compartment to repeat the cycle.

To the OP - as others have said, let us know what your fridge is/pictures and we'll tell you how the manufacturer recommend it's used


----------



## Tbear (Oct 13, 2015)

TJBi said:


> "Fridge to 12v" is one of the many items on our pre-flight checklist.  The problem arises at the other end; we have yet to produce a checklist of things to do when parked up!  It's surprising how long the fridge will stay cool if there are a few small bottles of frozen water in the icebox.
> 
> Tom



You are of course correct but when you tend not to bother with filling the beer fridge with ice packs. Do not make up your mind to go away in the van until half an hour before you leave. Stop every few miles for an hour to look at the pretty valley or walk on the beach, a few more miles and then its lunch. A few more miles and its time to shop for dinner. The fridge never gets cold so we just bung it on gas and we have a nice cold drop of something to drink when we park up for the night. 

Richard


----------



## st3v3 (Oct 13, 2015)

David, please. You know exactly what I mean.

I know there is a cost - hence the apostrophes - but gas is often more precious than diesel.


----------



## Sparks (Oct 13, 2015)

.


----------



## st3v3 (Oct 13, 2015)

Sparks said:


> Correct, which is why there was an extra firewall/bulkhead introduced between the brake reservoir and the engine.



I had to read that twice before realising you weren't talking to yourself lol.


----------



## runnach (Oct 13, 2015)

Let he who hath never sinned break his blinker at the first roundabout.......I have set off forgetting to knock the gas off on my preflight checks, dog was sat on it and a bad idea to wake him up !!.

Fact of the matter is there are so many variables. SO many different appliances within fridge world , same with regulators ,no hard and fast rules.

When people talk of crash proof regulators etc...what they are actually saying is they have and not everyone does have a regulator with a under pressure shut off valve. (UPSO).

The idea is in the event of a pipe rupture or leak the regulator closes shutting gasflow. What i am not sure of is any of the manufacturers doing this so gas can be used on the move.

Some systems are designed to be used on the move and will have an upso fitted different design brief ? 

12 volt thats a can of worms too, it maintains a temperature rather than refrigerates according to some , others say nope it deffo cools my fridge . FWIW in my mobile shed I chuck in a couple of those blue plastic thingies that I used in a coolbox camping days in a tent ...just to give the fridge a bit of help.

Most absorption fridges almost exclusively use ammonia as the refrigerant, by its nature limited in what it can achieve ,and generally the temp inside the fridge will always correalte to the ambient temp outside so sahara its going to struggle.

Other fridges like the Waecos are compression fridges and typically hold a refrigerant the same as a domestic fridge at home . they tend to be far more effective in hot climates physical properties of the gasses used.

Most are a blend or azeotropic gas mix to give their correct name. Because they are a mix of gasses , the physics bit means that there is an array of boiling points , latent heat and vapour points...this gives a "temperature glide" in real terms a lot more versatile than a single refrigerant like ammonia. 

my two penneth 

Channa


----------



## Deleted member 207 (Oct 17, 2015)

There was a whole range of Electrolux models that were ok to use in transit, the proviso being they were fitted into diesel engine vehicles and instructions posted if the vehicle refuelled within 22m of a petrol pump that it should be turned off. The advent of the five hose bowser with petrol and diesel has made that pretty much meaningless nowadays as its almost impossible to find diesel only pumps 22m away from a petrol pump. 

The risks of running lpg appliances whilst in motion are probably over stated, "it happened to a friend of a friend", but no one can find evidence of lpg fires being started. The same element of risk applies when you turn over the starter motor with plenty of sparks flying about inside the motor, but has anyone heard of a petrol station catching fire because of a starter motor?

The risks in accidents are the same for petrol tanks and lpg tanks - except lpg bottles/tanks are made to a higher standard. Most tanks have excess flow valves which means they close down if the valve throughput is exceeded. Bottles don't generally have excess flow valves. Petrol tanks just leak with no safety devices at all.

An awful lot of the so called safety legislation is about manufacturers protecting their turf. In Australia we prohibited by law from using autogas to power a fridge, irrelevant of the fact that the same road tanker delivers the BBQ gas and Autogas. All tied up nicely to protect the incomes of the service stations.


----------



## SeanW (Oct 17, 2015)

Fixed systems on a vehicle deck are likely to be a combination of: water mist/high fog, drench, water curtain, AFFF.

The sailors will have completed STCW95 or 10 Fire Fighting courses - these have only recently been given expiry dates - 5 years.

Also, the basic fire fighting course is incredibly generic.  So don't rely on the crew.  Not to mention the lack of continuation training  (often just touch drills in the Merchant World).

I am a sailor, I have sailed on RORO's (granted, they're not commercial - but we follow - and exceed all safety legislation).

Whilst I suspect that the comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek...I'd still like to ask that a little respect and consideration be shown to the safety rules onboard ship.

If you really do want to run your gas fridge on the ferry - ask the 3/O on deck.  Half the battle is knowing what we're up against.


----------



## witzend (Oct 17, 2015)

Teutone said:


> sigh....everything is just so much better in france :wave:



Perhaps Thats why so many are trying to sell up and come home


----------



## n brown (Oct 18, 2015)

was a time when Mrs B would cook me a bacon sandwich and a cuppa as we drove along those endless roads in Spain.the kids would be crashing up and down,sat on skateboards,dexterously avoiding the glowing woodburner. 
but now we too,are mild campers, grateful to have survived our youth


----------

