# Fridge not working on gas, can anyone help?



## Ant

I have an electrolux 3-way fridge in my motorhome. It works perfectly on 12v and mains electric but not gas. It ignites easily and burns however it does not cool the fridge. Can anyone offer advice?


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## Cidamiesta

*Fridge*

That sounds an odd one usually its the other way around due to the elements burning out! Can you see it burning? Does it have a window to view flame?. If so does the flame inrease when you turn up the thermosat on the front? I would think but dont take it for gospel that theres a seperate themosat for gas than electric could be thats the problem. If its failed safe then it would be a small heat output and would take ages to cool if ever. 
  Another trick I was told with relation to problem caravan fridges was to turn it upside down for an hour then turn it back for a day to settle but ive never tried it myself!!


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## vindiboy

Yes, It probably is the jet and burner  need cleaning, also the chimney probably needs cleaning too, simple job if you are  capable, best left to the experts if not.


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## Deleted member 207

Cidamiesta said:


> Another trick I was told with relation to problem caravan fridges was to turn it upside down for an hour then turn it back for a day to settle but ive never tried it myself!!



Thats the cure most likely to work if the fridge is working on 12/240V power.


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## Canalsman

Roger said:


> Thats the cure most likely to work if the fridge is working on 12/240V power.



No I don't think so ...

The fridge works by absorbtion irrespective of which power source is used.

12v/240v/gas are all used to provide heat to run the process.

It is only necessary to invert such a fridge if it doesn't work on any type of power.


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## chubsta

i had the same problem last year, just clean the jet , it worked for me,


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## lyn

You need to be on the flat, if you are not level the flame won't go up the chimney.

lyn


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## curlytail

*Fridge .. recently ...*

Recently my fridge was not cooling on gas and the flame would burn between a blue and a dangerous yellow.  Previously my old caravan fridge had problems and I replaced the burner but you could try cleaning it first - the hole size is critical so do not be tempted to poke any wire or similar into it just use compressed air to blow it through.  This was not the problem with mine recently though it was a blocked flue.  I dismantled the rear burner and swept the narrow flue out with a toothbrush taped to a bamboo stick and, due to the flame burning outside the burner I had to replace the ignition electrode.  This was simple enough to do but finding the correct one was tricky.  I searched on the web and found a company leisureshopdirect. They had exploded diagrams and were very helpful and got me the part even though my fridge is 13 years old.  Now it is working excellently.
Also if your worktop above your fridge gets hot you need to fix a baffle above the fridge that directs the heat from the fridge rear to outside via the top vent not just let it circulate in the dead space above the fridge.


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## tan-all-over

We had the same prob and this year had the fridge serviced........£104 But it is working perfect now just had to bite the bullet and have it done.........


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## Deleted member 967

Ant said:


> I have an electrolux 3-way fridge in my motorhome. It works perfectly on 12v and mains electric but not gas. It ignites easily and burns however it does not cool the fridge. Can anyone offer advice?



Our Electrolux RM275 (18 years old) has failed in exactly the same way while in France in early June.  I priced a burner online at £49.  On mains hookup since we returned on Wednesday so I havn't got round to getting it sorted out.
It worked find on 12v on the move and on Mains when we had hookup. It was lit but failed to cool the fridge on gas (Yes it was level).  Infact the outside temperature was lower than that inside the fridge cabinet at one point before we stopped trying to get it to work on gas.  It had been a bit dodgy for a while which I blamed on the gas we were using.  It failed after out first gas fill in France, so it still could be something to do with that, so I am running our gas out completely before filling the tank again.

Fortunately I carried another 3 way Fridge that goes in the awning and we relied on that for the best part of 6 weeks on Aires and France Passion sites with no hookup.  This fridge was very smelly (gas fumes) when running on the gas but worked fine.

We are fortunate with the Hymer S700 as fully loaded we still have 300kg spare load capacity, so carrying extra kit still doesn't overload us.


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## Vennwood

Ant said:


> I have an electrolux 3-way fridge in my motorhome. It works perfectly on 12v and mains electric but not gas. It ignites easily and burns however it does not cool the fridge. Can anyone offer advice?



As has been said above the problem is a sooted up flue.  Soot clings to the wall of the flue and stops the heat from transferring - hence not cooling.  Works ok on electric as the heat gets to the absorbsion unit.

Happened to me recently, changed the burner and jet but still didn't fix the problem then cleaned the flue and away it went.  Speaking to the Dometic service engineer (Derwent Services - great guy and is a mobile engineer) this can happen because of using LPG.  Apparently its not as refined as calor and can soot up more frequently.  We obtained a cup full of soot from ours. Once cleaned the fridge cooled down to operating temp within 1 hour.


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## Deleted member 967

Vennwood said:


> As has been said above the problem is a sooted up flue.  Soot clings to the wall of the flue and stops the heat from transferring - hence not cooling.  Works ok on electric as the heat gets to the absorbsion unit.
> 
> Happened to me recently, changed the burner and jet but still didn't fix the problem then cleaned the flue and away it went.  Speaking to the Dometic service engineer (Derwent Services - great guy and is a mobile engineer) this can happen because of using LPG.  Apparently its not as refined as calor and can soot up more frequently.  We obtained a cup full of soot from ours. Once cleaned the fridge cooled down to operating temp within 1 hour.



Thanks for your reply.  Our problem only occured since we changed to a tank.  It seems to wotk on on Calor or Jet Propane but if we use other brands it stops working.  I will get a bottle brush and try cleaning the flue.  I will keep you posted.

I did have a severe sooting problem in the Truma fire while using Fina LPG and this time the fridge failed as soon as we put gas into the tank in France.


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## vwalan

calor gas is lpg. the same truck delivers to my big tank in the garden as fills the tank in one of our local autogas stations .calor is calor. lpg stands for liquid petroleum gas. both propane and butane are lpg. its a shame these so called experts tell so much crap..our local calor main station takes all its gas from the same tank of propane or  butane. depends what bottles or tankers its filling.(butane tank different to propane tank .)


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## Vennwood

vwalan said:


> calor gas is lpg. the same truck delivers to my big tank in the garden as fills the tank in one of our local autogas stations .calor is calor. lpg stands for liquid petroleum gas. both propane and butane are lpg. its a shame these so called experts tell so much crap..our local calor main station takes all its gas from the same tank of propane or  butane. depends what bottles or tankers its filling.(butane tank different to propane tank .)



I hear what you say and would have agreed with you except that the Dometic Installation service notes says that they don't recommend using the the RM7000 series fridge/freezers on LPG unless it is fitted with a different size burner jet.

I agree that calor is calor but maybe there are different levels of refining between say Calor and Shell, Esso, BP etc. as these companies supply primarily automotive engines and maybe they have jets that are designed to cope.  I think Calor sells most of its product to the leisure industry in bottles, not to the automotive industry in bulk.  We had a Calor burning home central heating boiler but when natural gas became available we had to change the boiler jets to cope - maybe the same applies here.

The Dometic service engineer had no axe to grind, he didn't work for Calor.  He changed our jet and said that the flue would be clogged and he was right.  Only time will tell in our case.  Our fridge is just 4 years old and had only been run on LPG.  Our previous camper vans and caravans were much older, didn't run on LPG and never had a problem.


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## vwalan

you missed my point. its all lpg. doesnt matter what company sells it its all lpg.plus you can only buy calor in uk . how do you go on if the fridge was sold in france ,germany,etc they sell dometic fridges every where. but they cant all be only run on calor. but they do all run on lpg.


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## Vennwood

You missed my point(s)


1.  Dometic say you need a different jet if you run on bulk LPG - why would they say that?

2. There are two basic methods of distribution - bulk or bottle - whichever country you live in.

3.  Gas sold in bottles is aimed directly at the leisure market - in all countries

4.  Gas sold in bulk on forecourts is aimed primarily for the automotive industry in all countries.

All I'm saying is that MAYBE the gas sold by Calor or any of the leisure market companies that sell in bottles is perhaps better or differently refined than the LPG sold from pumps on forecourts

Lots of companies sell beer but its not all the same consistency,  Bottled beer is different to draft beer

All I'm trying to do is offer some kind of help to resolve a particular problem.  It worked for me so it may work for someone else.


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## vwalan

but its still all lpg . your first statement infered that it isnt. 
this can happen because of using lpg. only in your last post you now say dometic say bulk gas before you said lpg.
no good to get annoyed you wrote it. i just explained its all lpg . thought you didnt realise it.
i also say they fill every thing from the same tanks . be it bottles or trucks. have a word with your local main distributer if you dont believe me.


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## maingate

I have been following the 2 threads regarding gas problems with fridges.

1.Nobody ever seems to get a habitation check, which includes testing gas appliances. They just expect everything to work as normal for ever

2. No unqualified person should be messing about with a gas appliance.

If you do not have a Carbon Monoxide detector in your van, then for God`s sake go out and buy one. Your family is worth more to you than a few quid when you have an obviously faulty gas appliance.


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## vwalan

unfortunately there arent that many qualified to work on m,homes as gas safe or corgi cant .


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## mildred

maingate said:


> If you do not have a Carbon Monoxide detector in your van, then for God`s sake go out and buy one.



*AND* a propane/butane gas detector/alarm  mounted in a suitable pace - in other words low down *below* the level at which your head will be when asleep, and below the highest potential source of gas leak - lights for those who have them or more likely hob burners.

and unlike the CO detectors they're easy to test regularly - just hold a full gas cigarette lighter about a foot away  with the button pressed down, but not alight.

If you've got an iffy gas appliance you've got at least three vectors of risk - carbon dioxide, poisonous gas and fire.  

Don't get me started on Gas Safe (Corgi as was) though - the certification doesn't seem to include the ability to think out of the box when presented with a non-domestic installation, or consideration of what happens inside vans ... 

Mild Red


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## Ant

*Cleaned and still no different*

Thanks for all your help. I got it cleaned by a caravan specialist, he cleaned it up including the flue and recommended changing to propane as he said it burns better than butane. I have done this and still it isnt working on gas. He said he would be reluctant to start changing parts as its badly corroded and may open a can of worms, so its either a new fridge or forget using gas, which of course affects us wild camping. Van is 18 years old by the way.


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## vwalan

if you really need ice then you are b.....d but you can still put milk in a bucket of water or wrap it in a wet cloth butter etc in a damp cloth. i used to like the old easy cool cool boxes ,you put water in the top inside was cool .worked on evaporation causes coldness .never a real fridge but worked a treat. it seems the new owners of easy cool have stopped making them for a while .i was speaking to them a few weeks ago .they need an order of about 50 to get it proffitble to manufacture some. if going abroad some supermarkets sell bags of ice or ask in a bar a few cents can get you a bag of ice. put it in the fridge keeps it cool.


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## gasman

*Fridge problem*

Having come in right at the end of this, just a couple of points.

LPG stands for Liquified Petroleum Gas not Liquid.

Occasionally even cleaning the jet does not help it will need replacing. 

It is my understanding that some automotive LPG may have an upper cylinder lubricant added which will cause problems with the small fridge jet.

If your fridge works in one of the modes 12v/230v/gas then the absorption unit is usually ok. It is either a blocked jet or the 12v or 230v element gone.

The law states that only people competent to work on gas should do so. You cannot just say or think you are competent it is a bit more in depth than that. Gas Safe registered engineers can and will hold the qualification to work on LPG fridges (REFLP2). However engineers working on private motorhomes do not have to be Gas safe registered but they do have to hold a competency certificate which in this case would be an ACOP. Please check that anybody working on your gas appliances are qualified to do so.

Hope this helps.


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## vwalan

but not all gas safe have acops .i have spoken to gas safe and they agree gas safe quite plainly is not for motorhomes. .but never mind .
thanks for the liquified bit . i apologise. 
i do know calor deliver the same gas to my tank as the local petrol station as i had a delivery afew weeks ago and as we were talking the driver said his next stop was the garage. 
as for upper cylinder agents .thats new to me .i pump gas into tanks and bottles .never had a problem. i do find morocco gas can cause problems but then i,m told they use alot of pentane in their gas. there is a table of what autogas mix is throughout europe as it does change i agree. 
pentane is used alot in hot climates . iuse it here with no probs i must add .but then i dont stay here in winter when its cold.
gas in morocco is about 4.50 to fill a 13kg bottle.


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## mervyncp

Ant said:


> Thanks for all your help. I got it cleaned by a caravan specialist, he cleaned it up including the flue and recommended changing to propane as he said it burns better than butane. I have done this and still it isnt working on gas. He said he would be reluctant to start changing parts as its badly corroded and may open a can of worms, so its either a new fridge or forget using gas, which of course affects us wild camping. Van is 18 years old by the way.


 
Did you solve this problem?
My RM275 has been problematic for several years.  It's fine as long as the weather isn't too hot.  As soon as the weather heats up it stops working on gas.
Like you, I have cleaned the whole thing out several times without finding a long term solution.
Did you try fitting a new jet?


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## MarcJ

I know this is an old thread, but just in case anyone else is looking for a solution. I had the exact same problem. The thermo coupler had failed, got another one for a few quid problem solved...


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## mclacr02

MarcJ said:


> I know this is an old thread, but just in case anyone else is looking for a solution. I had the exact same problem. The thermo coupler had failed, got another one for a few quid problem solved...


 
I think you mean thermocouple. It's what tells the system the flame is there and allows gas flow. That is why you have to hold the knob in for 15 seconds after lighting the flame, it's to allow the thermocouple to heat up. They can get out of position or the flame shape not be correct and when you let go of the knob the flame will go out even if the thermocouple itself is ok.


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## lebesset

the question of what gas is what seems to come up regularly ; Alan is , of course correct , it is all lpg 

calor is , of course just a brand name like tesco or hoover  , they just buy and distribute , in other words they fill bottles and tanks , and are on record as saying that what they sell on forecourts as lpg and what they sell in propane bottles  [ and what they put in bulk tanks at your home or similar ] is identical ; in fact it is an international traded product known as industrial grade propane . a semi-refined product which is very largely propane but also a small percentage of other hydrocarbon substances ...frankly it is not necessary to have a pure propane for the purpose in hand

with regard to additives for lpg sold for road use , as a long term user of this product I can assure you that there are no additives ...if the user wants this he has to fit special equipment to add it to the propane as it is consumed



I have had a chat with my local lpg tanker driver [ not calor ] who confirmed that he fills his tanker from the same tank as is used to fill propane bottles , and he delivers it to domestic / industrial heating tanks and to filling stations for sale as lpg

dometic is , of course , american ; there they call it all propane , but the same product is again used for all purposes ; so it is hard to believe that they would especially make a fridge for europe that can't be run on lpg which is propane anyway !

alan made a point about dirty butane in morocco ; they don't seem to filter the butane before sale , so I concur ....however I have never encountered this in europe or N.america ; but when I have been to the gas factory and filled with propane it was to european standards ..this seems logical as bulk customers would not be amused at constantly having to clean their equipment

so if your fridge runs on 12v and 240v , but not on gas even though it lights...yank it out and clean out the soot ; if it won't light it is often just a bit of rust fallen down on the jet ...which is why the old ..take it out and turn it upside down ....idea works ; personally I have access to a high pressure air jet .....sticking that down the chimney instead often works as well !

and do bear in mind that the european sized fridges are normally marginal for cooling capacity , especially on gas ; in really hot weather be prepared to buy something frozen to put in to help out , and set it to maximum cold and run on 240v before you set out !


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## mrbinary

*Cooling Fridges & Making them more thermally efficient*

We tend to use reusable ice sheets called chillerz Welcome To Chillerz.com freeze them first, place inside the motorhome fridge (pre-cools right down) then when motoring along or unhooked from power the sheets keep everything chilled & fresh. Keeps it chilled & energy efficient too. The good thing is the sheets can then be used for putting under food, wrapping around bottles of wine / drinks or you can even heat the sheets up if you've got a bit of a sore back after driving. Far superior to your freeze blocks, take up virtually no space, flexible, reusable, don't melt and we would definitely recommend them.
Hope this helps


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## michaelconroy

*Dometic 3 way fridge RM 7361 L*

Hi

I have a problem with the gas operation of my fridge. 240v & 12v both work fine.

The pilot flame ignites and the burner heats up (blue flame) but doesn't roar. However the gas doesn't cool the fridge down, no matter what setting I put it on. 

Should different temperature settings on the fridge affect the flame / heat at the burner or is the flame running at a constant level until the fridge reaches the desired  temperature, at which point the thermostat switches the gas off?

I have cleaned the flue and all gas lines & the gas jet & gas burner.

Any ideas anyone, please?

Mike


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## Deleted user 48797

michaelconroy said:


> Hi
> 
> I have a problem with the gas operation of my fridge. 240v & 12v both work fine.
> 
> The pilot flame ignites and the burner heats up (blue flame) but doesn't roar. However the gas doesn't cool the fridge down, no matter what setting I put it on.
> 
> Should different temperature settings on the fridge affect the flame / heat at the burner or is the flame running at a constant level until the fridge reaches the desired  temperature, at which point the thermostat switches the gas off?
> 
> I have cleaned the flue and all gas lines & the gas jet & gas burner.
> 
> Any ideas anyone, please?
> 
> Mike



Is your van level, some fridges won't tolerate a tilt of more than 5 degrees?


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## michaelconroy

Yes it is level.........


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## Deleted member 5816

Is it working on Mains and 12v

Alf


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## martinmartin

If you have cleaned the jet and pipes then i would suggest looking at the gas control knob and yes that flame should go up and down as you turn the gas knob.Also double check the jet feed by seperating it from the gas feed pipe.


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## Tezza33

Make and model of fridge would help, I sometimes have the same problem on mine but turning the temperature control off really tight then turning it back on usually cures it if only for a few months, (it feels loose before I do this) I suspect the gas valve


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## runnach

It sounds like the gas control valve if you have tried the other things,

1) they often wear on the spindle so that is your first check

2) the GCV itself is faulty, dependent on the fault depends on what can be repaired or needs replacing

Channa


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## n brown

we need to know about the 12v and 240v


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## michaelconroy

Alf said:


> Is it working on Mains and 12v
> 
> Alf



Yes it is, perfectly


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## michaelconroy

Alf said:


> Is it working on Mains and 12v
> 
> Alf



Yes the fridge is working on 240 volts & 12 volts.

Fridge is Dometic RN 7361 L.

Thank you all.


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## michaelconroy

martinmartin said:


> If you have cleaned the jet and pipes then i would suggest looking at the gas control knob and yes that flame should go up and down as you turn the gas knob.Also double check the jet feed by seperating it from the gas feed pipe.



Thank you. 

On my model there is one dial to regulate the temperature, whatever the source of energy. That works for 240v and 12v but has no visible eefect on gas.

Please explain what you mean by "double check the jet feed from the gas feed pipe" - what should I be checking?


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## eddyt

hi
  i had trouble with mine. i pulled the fridge outand extended the gas pipe
 with some tube so i could see the flame with the cover removed. the flame
 looked a bit small even after cleaning so i removed the jet and cleaned the
 burner behind where the jet sits it was rusty. i fitted a new jet cost £8
  the flame seemed to be a lot larger. it could have been a different size jet
  though because i dont know what model fridge it is no numbers. while i had it
  out i fitted a small fan to the fins on the back to help ventilation. there was a 
  vent on the back of the van under the rear light not being used so i opened
  it up a fitted a grille, it works perfect now even without the fan. last month
 i had it turned to no 2 on the controller and it was still 4 deg c


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## michaelconroy

eddyt said:


> hi
> i had trouble with mine. i pulled the fridge outand extended the gas pipe
> with some tube so i could see the flame with the cover removed. the flame
> looked a bit small even after cleaning so i removed the jet and cleaned the
> burner behind where the jet sits it was rusty. i fitted a new jet cost £8
> the flame seemed to be a lot larger. it could have been a different size jet
> though because i dont know what model fridge it is no numbers. while i had it
> out i fitted a small fan to the fins on the back to help ventilation. there was a
> vent on the back of the van under the rear light not being used so i opened
> it up a fitted a grille, it works perfect now even without the fan. last month
> i had it turned to no 2 on the controller and it was still 4 deg c



Thank you. I've looked at the jet, how on earth do you remove to insert a replacement? M


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## martinmartin

michaelconroy said:


> Thank you.
> 
> On my model there is one dial to regulate the temperature, whatever the source of energy. That works for 240v and 12v but has no visible eefect on gas.
> 
> Please explain what you mean by "double check the jet feed from the gas feed pipe" - what should I be checking?



Hi,What i mean by double check is do it again,undo the nut holding the gas feed to the burner exposing the jet,I poke fine wire down the jet,I can hear members shrieking in disbelief but it works for me.Also your dial that controls temperature should still turn the flame up or down when you have selected it to gas.If the jet is 100% clear then it must be the temperature dial.


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## Tbear

Stuck a new burner (£45) in mine and gave it all a good clean out. Worked a treat afterwards.

Richard


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## n brown

what area are you in, maybe some kind soul will popround and direct you


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## eddyt

michaelconroy said:


> Thank you. I've looked at the jet, how on earth do you remove to insert a replacement? M



hi
  you have to prise it out with a pointy tool it damages  it in the process
  it is very thin. the new one will push in with the pipe fitting after you
  have placed it in posistion.


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## maingate

michaelconroy said:


> Thank you. I've looked at the jet, how on earth do you remove to insert a replacement? M



It sounds like you should take it to an expert as you could do more harm than good. It's dangerous to mess about with gas appliances.


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## eddyt

hi
  there is at least two different burners fitted that i have seen.


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## michaelconroy

martinmartin said:


> Hi,What i mean by double check is do it again,undo the nut holding the gas feed to the burner exposing the jet,I poke fine wire down the jet,I can hear members shrieking in disbelief but it works for me.Also your dial that controls temperature should still turn the flame up or down when you have selected it to gas.If the jet is 100% clear then it must be the temperature dial.



Thank you to everybody for your help & advice.

I had a spare gas jet and fitted it, also cleaned out the burner. Gas lights with no delay but doesn't respond in any way to the temperature dial on the front of the fridge. 

I've opened up the Electronic Component Assembly (pcb) and find that the temperature shaft offers no resistance because it's is not attached. It doesn't look as though it's broken off, though, both the end of the shaft and the component are smooth. 

What am I missing here? Is the shaft meant to fit in the pcb, or what?

Do I need to buy a new pcb & a new shaft?

Finally (2nd image), on removing the pcb an unattached cable was revealed. I can find no connection for it anywhere. Is it a standard but redundant cable?






Thanks  M


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## Deleted member 5816

Michael it looks as if the shaft has sheared off in the variable resistor may be it was stepped down in diameter at that point can you get the bit of shaft out. It looks like ordering a new shaft.
Perhaps the knob had been overturned  the wrong way and sheared the shaft
Alf




michaelconroy said:


> Thank you to everybody for your help & advice.
> 
> I had a spare gas jet and fitted it, also cleaned out the burner. Gas lights with no delay but doesn't respond in any way to the temperature dial on the front of the fridge.
> 
> I've opened up the Electronic Component Assembly (pcb) and find that the temperature shaft offers no resistance because it's is not attached. It doesn't look as though it's broken off, though, both the end of the shaft and the component are smooth.
> 
> What am I missing here? Is the shaft meant to fit in the pcb, or what?
> 
> Do I need to buy a new pcb & a new shaft?
> 
> Finally (2nd image), on removing the pcb an unattached cable was revealed. I can find no connection for it anywhere. Is it a standard but redundant cable?
> 
> View attachment 58050
> 
> View attachment 58051
> 
> Thanks  M


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## Tezza33

Parts  are available from here , click on the gas/electric zone and scroll down, it looks like you need 487C
Dometic Shaft for Temperature Switch - Yellow | Dometic RM7271 Absorption Refrigerator Spare Parts | Leisureshopdirect


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## michaelconroy

Tezza33 said:


> Parts  are available from here , click on the gas/electric zone and scroll down, it looks like you need 487C
> Dometic Shaft for Temperature Switch - Yellow | Dometic RM7271 Absorption Refrigerator Spare Parts | Leisureshopdirect



Thanks Tezza33. Sadly I can't remove the old shaft that's broken off so I think it'll have to be a new pcb as well as the shaft. Thanks for the info though. Mike


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## ChrisInNotts

Drill a hole into the broken spindle.  You should then be able to screw a self-tapper into that hole and then hopefully give you something to pull with pliers.  Failing that it will be a standard potentiometer so anyone with a soldering iron should be able to replace it 

Keith


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## Tezza33

I would try anything to get it out, if the only alternative is to replace the PCB then you have nothing to lose if you break it


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## Canalsman

Can't you glue the shaft back together?


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## michaelconroy

ChrisInNotts said:


> Drill a hole into the broken spindle.  You should then be able to screw a self-tapper into that hole and then hopefully give you something to pull with pliers.  Failing that it will be a standard potentiometer so anyone with a soldering iron should be able to replace it
> 
> Keith



Thanks everybody. I would have followed your advice to drill out the broken shaft but, my only accident of the day, one of the springs behind the selector switch dropped down the plug hole. I know, I know! I'm kicking myself! M


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## eddyt

hairydog said:


> More than two sorts of burner. But only one type of jet. Not all the same size hole, of course.



hi
  when you said the jet unscrews with two 11mm spanners did you not
  mean the burner. because on mine after you unscrew the burner with
 two 11mm spanners you have to prise out the jet from behind the pipe
  fitting. but looking at the op photo it is different to mine as i dont have
 the cicut boards.


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## Tezza33

hairydog said:


> No, on the ones I've looked at, you don't need to touch the burner to remove the jet. There is a space between the jet and the burner, big enough to remove the jet.
> Sounds like what you are looking at is very different.
> This is a picture I found on the web, and although it is reversed L-R compared to most of the ones I've seen, this is how they look, and this picture is annotated. They call the jet the "orifice".
> View attachment 58076


The RVM7631 has this type of burner, it is the one that eddyt is referring to where you unscrew the pipe with a 11mm spanner then prize the jet out


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## Tezza33

hairydog said:


> I've not seen one like that.
> 
> It doesn't look as if it is made of stainless steel. Wonder how long it will last?
> 
> I had a search. Seems it is an RM7361


Sorry it was a mis-type, I meant RM7361, I gave him a link to the parts earlier.
They are not made from stainless steel, I changed my burner assembly last year because it was rusty and the rust particles kept blocking the jet, it was 14yrs old by that time


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## Tbear

Tezza33 said:


> Sorry it was a mis-type, I meant RM7361, I gave him a link to the parts earlier.
> They are not made from stainless steel, I changed my burner assembly last year because it was rusty and the rust particles kept blocking the jet, it was 14yrs old by that time



It is much the same as the one that I replaced and a similar age.

Richard


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## Tbear

Its a fortune for a simple bit of metal but cheap for the piece of mind. Loosing your fridge in hot weather is a serious pain.

Richard


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## Tbear

hairydog said:


> If it was made of stainless, it wouldn't rust and wouldn't let you down.



But residue would still probable build up inside it and a replacement would cost an arm and a leg. 

This sort of thing will always be designed and built to have a limited life so that they can make a profit from service contracts and spares.

Richard


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## runnach

hairydog said:


> I don't understand. The local depot where I sometimes refill my LPG tank also fills gas bottles for local bottled gas suppliers. The same gas, from the same tank.
> 
> What you buy as autogas is just Propane. As is the stuff in the red bottles.
> 
> Can you clarify what they were referring to? Is there a different jet intended for propane instead of butane?


Not sure of the context Vennwood suggests different jets are fitted for LPG.

In theory jets are the same whether propane or butane even under the old reg pressures of 28 /37 mbar and ok with current standard of 30 mbar

I can only summise the 7000 series were installed in possibly natural gas installations, or if appliances built by Dometic Germany the old 50 mbar regulators jetting was standard in  both cases would require re jetting for UK applications 

Channa


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## eddyt

hairydog said:


> No, on the ones I've looked at, you don't need to touch the burner to remove the jet. There is a space between the jet and the burner, big enough to remove the jet.
> Sounds like what you are looking at is very different.
> This is a picture I found on the web, and although it is reversed L-R compared to most of the ones I've seen, this is how they look, and this picture is annotated. They call the jet the "orifice".
> View attachment 58076



hi
  i have not had that type in my fridge. i have only had the one tezza has shown
  it is steeland can rust inside after the jet. i have even had the flare on the end
  of the pipe corode away. i think even if its not blocked but has a bit of rust just
  disrupting the smooth flow of the gas will give a poor flame. my fridge has no
  serial number on but it might be a 4200 or something.


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## JohnClimber

Sorry to resurrect this thread again.

My 3 way electrolux works on mains and 12v.

It lit and ran for a few minutes before I turned it off on our original calor bottle which we got with the van, but because I didn't trust the bottle valve and where it was fitted we never ran it while were were out and about and as it's winter it was never needed.
Last week we have an LPG underslung tank fitted, the gas rings work and the fridge lit and burnt with a nice round looking blue flame when testing it.

Last night we ran the fridge on 12v on the way to the wild camping spot.
We lit the fridge and all was good..... an hour later I took another look in the fridge and the flame had gone out....
After several fire up's and run's the flame goes out after 20 or 30 minutes.

Is a simple clean going to solve it?
Should I buy and fit a new burner?

Please can you advise me on how to get it working full time? :drive:


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## ChrisInNotts

The thing to do with any such problems is to clean the burner.  Soot build up on the burner can mean that the flame is not cleanly hitting the thermocouple so the flame is easily put out.

Keith


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## Tbear

I would make sure the van is level. The cylinder is fairly full, not too cold and nothing else is using much gas. Give it all a damn good clean including the control nobs. Make sure the flu is venting well. Do not push anything into the delicate burner jet as you will turn it into a blowtorch. Any doubts about it, change it. Stick back on full blast and see what happens. Mine cured itself of a failing to fire problem with a good fast run on the motorway. Spider issue I guess?

Richard


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## JohnClimber

Thanks to the both of you.

I took it to pieces although I couldn't get the nozzle out, I gave it all a good clean and blew through and now it works better as it has lasted for around 2 to 3 hours before it went out again.






The new flame





The igniter is removed on these shots




Although it's stiff and doesn't bend, but should the thermocouple be directly over the flame outlet?

The fridge is a RM212F (I think as the typed letters are hard to read)

I have found this on ebay which looks the same but I've no idea how to get the nozzle out
Electrolux RM212 3 way fridge Gas Jet Repair Restoration Service  | eBay

Any ideas on where I can see the exact burner in other photos as I can't seem to find a similar photo Google?

Thanks for your help


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## n brown

before doing anything further, your thermocouple looks a bit old and worn, i think it's a likelier bet


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## n brown

REF: TC1240 CARAVAN FRIDGE DOMETIC ELECTROLUX GAS THERMOCOUPLE  FREE POSTAGE  | eBay


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## JohnClimber

n brown said:


> REF: TC1240 CARAVAN FRIDGE DOMETIC ELECTROLUX GAS THERMOCOUPLE  FREE POSTAGE  | eBay



Ordered, many thanks

Fingers Crossed


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## n brown

i may be wrong of course , but it's the t/couple that shuts off the gas , and your flame doesn't look bad- fingers crossed too !


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## Tbear

I do not know that burner but everything Mr Brown is saying makes sense. I would add that looking at the amount of rust and crud on the outside, I would guess that the inside is not pristine. If you cannot get in to clean it then either a solvent clean, making sure all solvent is removed or consider renewal of the whole unit. This will be expensive but if you consider the amount of time you spend on trying to sort it and posible fail in the end. Pay yourself minimum wage and it then looks a lot cheaper. Pay yourself garage rates and its a no brainer.

Richard

PS

The gunk on the inside may well be oily deposits from bottom of gas cylinder


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## runnach

I am with the others,as a rule most issues with fridges tends to be detritus building uo being disturbed via van bouncing about so a good clean normally does the trick.

Thermocouples as a rule either work or don't,  not withstanding that one doesn't look healthy so whilst the unit is out and given realatively low cost I agree with Nigel replace it. Also it will have new wire and replacing gives opportunity to make clean fresh connections.

Re location of the t/c in relation to burner it looks correct 

Channa


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## JohnClimber

N Brown,
Thanks for your link. The thermocouple is in place, a good blast of compressed air has cleared out the valve and it's burning nicely........
Well it has been for the last 15 minutes and it's still going, so all's well.
One quick question as I've never had a fridge like this before.
Should the tip of the thermocouple be glowing red or is it too close to the flame?
It looks to be in the same place as the original one.

Thanks


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## Tbear

JohnClimber said:


> N Brown,
> Thanks for your link. The thermocouple is in place, a good blast of compressed air has cleared out the valve and it's burning nicely........
> Well it has been for the last 15 minutes and it's still going, so all's well.
> One quick question as I've never had a fridge like this before.
> Should the tip of the thermocouple be glowing red or is it too close to the flame?
> It looks to be in the same place as the original one.
> 
> Thanks



Thats fine

Richard


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## JohnClimber

Just had another look and it's fine out again.
It fires up with one click but will not stay on unless I'm holding the regulator button in.
Once I let go the flame goes straight out.

Any ideas on what's wrong now please?


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## Tbear

My guess is the control knob. I have never repaired one but it has come up on here a couple of times in the past so someone will be along soon.

Richard


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## eddyt

hi
  on the other end of the thermocouple where it screws into the gas
  valve there is a magnet and spring which holds the gas open.
  perhaps this needs cleaned or replaced.


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## n brown

poll off the control knob and use your thumb to hold it in while firing up, it may not be travelling enough to fully open the valve


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## JohnClimber

Thanks all,

I'll give them a try tomorrow after work

EDIT, CBA'ed tonight, will have a go this week.


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## JohnClimber

Thanks for all your help. I think I've solved it.

Good news, bad news and good news......

Good news - The flame is stronger than before and it's been on for an hour before I turned it off....... (see bad news)

I took the top unit to part blew it all out with compressed air and I was suprised how clean and new looking it all was.






When it was apart out of the pipe that is circled with the yellow circles. this fell out of the gas inlet pipe.





It looks like some sort of filter, should I have taken it out as it was loose in the pipe, but obviously in tight enough to slow the gas flow to the unit

Bad news - I must not have tightened up one of the fittings and when I returned to the van there was a loud noise (see next good news) and a slight smell of gas.
So I turned it off to tighten up the nuts again tomorrow night.

2nd Good News - My cheap Chinese gas detector works perfect as the smell was only very slight and wouldn't have woken us up. The alarm was screaming away because it smelt the gas in the cupboard under the sink where I fitted it (because I read on here that CO2 detectors can't detect LPG or butane (1 because it can't "smell" it and 2 because CO2 detectors are placed high up and LPG sinks)

Link here 12V Combustible Gas Leak LPG Natural Gas Detector Propane Alarm For RV Van Boat  | eBay

I'll tighten the nuts up and spray them tomorrow to check for leaks and try it running again.

Thanks again


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## n brown

i always thought that thing was a form of flame arrestor, bit like a davy lamp , stopping any flame blowing back


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## JohnClimber

n brown said:


> i always thought that thing was a form of flame arrestor, bit like a davy lamp , stopping any flame blowing back



So should I put it back?


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## n brown

i would

did you try pushing that spindle in with the knob off ? those knobs wear inside  and don't allow full travel


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## n brown

hairydog said:


> I don't think you should get distracted. The problem of the flame going out when you let go of the knob is the thermocouple or possibly the magnetic valve it connects to. 99 time out of 100 it is the thermocouple.
> 
> If it lights with the knob pressed in, the knob is pressing in far enough. If it works on mains, the coolant is circulating.
> 
> If (when) the gas is staying lit and giving a strong blue flame, if the fridge is not getting cold, there are other things to look at.
> 
> But start by sorting out the thermocouple issue first. Well, second, after fixing the leak!
> 
> ALWAYS leak test any connections you have disturbed before considering the job done.


when you push the knob in , the spindle pushes the valve against a tubular electromagnet, which is energised by the power generated when the t/couple is heated
if the valve , which is a simple metal and rubber washer , isn't pushed firmly against the magnet , then it won't hold when the knob is released , and the gas flow will stop. but even opening the valve a little will allow gas to the burner


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## ChrisInNotts

n brown said:


> when you push the knob in , the spindle pushes the valve against a tubular electromagnet, which is energised by the power generated when the t/couple is heated
> if the valve , which is a simple metal and rubber washer , isn't pushed firmly against the magnet , then it won't hold when the knob is released , and the gas flow will stop. but even opening the valve a little will allow gas to the burner



Yep.  On mine I once had a loose self tapper that held the bracket for the valve. That meant that the valve body pushed inwards when the knob was depressed.  Upshot was was the knob hit the plastic housing and as you describe above the solenoid would not hold.  Simple things but several failure modes 

Keith


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## n brown

hairydog said:


> The people talking about the knob going in far enough are overlooking that we have been told that it does (sometimes) stay on for a while after the knob is released, then it goes out later.


that's right- if the gas stays on at all then the valve is working


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## runnach

Not unknown the new thermocouple could be faulty 

Channa


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## JohnClimber

Everything has failed.

Going to call in an expert now, thanks for your help


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## Tbear

JohnClimber said:


> Everything has failed.
> 
> Going to call in an expert now, thanks for your help



That is a great shame John but at least you have learned a lot about it and are now better equipped for the future. Please let us know how it all goes.

Richard


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## runnach

From what has been described the fault lies with either the thermocouple or Gas control valve. Despite you replacing the T/C it is known new ones can be faulty so to give a clue 

If you have a chefs blowtorch or you can start the appliance by depressing the GCV let it run for a minute then let go of the GCV wait between 30 sec and a minute typically and you will hear a click ,( that is the T/C closing the magnetic contraption explained earlier ) At this stage hear a click odds are the issue is with the gcv no click and it is the new T/c 

At this stage once it has been determined depends on next course of action 

Channa

Should add with the blowtorch heat the t/c for a few seconds to fool it into opening if it is working correctly


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