Fridge help - gas lit but not cooling

[1 Cup]

Interesting thread i,ve the same problem but only one burner which i can see giving off a redish flame which i believe should be blue

Hope you have a blue flame soon as possible as a carbon monoxide dont do red flames. !

 

[n brown]

my knowledge of fridges only goes up to about 15 years ago . i have never seen one with a pilot light ,just a single burner . your jet has a tiny hole which may have been reduced by stuff in the gas passing through it . i would try clearing it wth as many strands of copper wire as it will take . if this works to give a better flame ,by a new jet

 

[maingate]

Have you tried cleaning out the Flue? Chances are it has never been cleaned for 23 years.

 

[winks]

(Frustrating that I have replied to all of these messages over an hour ago - now 14:25, but they are still waiting moderation - "This message is awaiting moderator approval, and is invisible to normal visitors".

Realise this message won't come through either, but when it does, can someone please let me know if there's a way to avoid this! )

Not a tech wizard, but I would think it goes to moderation because you are not a full member of the forum.

Cheers

H

 

[martinmartin]

The flame should go up and down when you turn the gas knob ,does it have an audible roar when turned up full.

 

[Canalsman]

When you say "lights (and stays lit) on gas" do you mean the main burner "lights (and stays lit)" or the pilot?

If you don't know the difference say so, don't guess!

No fridge that I'm aware of has anything other than a single burner.

Older fridges moderate the cooling effect by varying the gas flow through the jet so the flame is alight permanently.

New fridges light the burner through spark ignition as required to maintain thermostatically controlled temperature within the fridge.

 

[Canalsman]

Not a tech wizard, but I would think it goes to moderation because you are not a full member of the forum.

Cheers

H

Correct.

 

[Canalsman]

I've suffered two types of failure of a '3 way'.
First was the blocked jet, this was cured by replacement jet as the original was corroded.
The second failure was of cooling unit, in this case it worked on mains and 12v, but not gas, it was caused by corrosion and/or crystals in the cooling circuit which only affected part of circuit which is used by gas. This can sometimes be 'cured' by turning the fridge over, but that's not a given, and might only be temporary.

There is only one evaporative circuit. This is heated either by gas flame or one of two heater circuits, 240v and 12v.

 

[Canalsman]

my knowledge of fridges only goes up to about 15 years ago . i have never seen one with a pilot light ,just a single burner . your jet has a tiny hole which may have been reduced by stuff in the gas passing through it . i would try clearing it wth as many strands of copper wire as it will take . if this works to give a better flame ,by a new jet

Mechanical cleaning of the jet is a bad idea. The material is very soft and will be enlarged easily. The only way to clean a fridge jet is with solvent and compressed air.

 

[colinm]

There is only one evaporative circuit. This is heated either by gas flame or one of two heater circuits, 240v and 12v.

On my Dometic fridge there is a 'cooling unit', it is as you say one evaporative circuit, but the mains and 12v are at different points in the circuit to the gas part, this means the gas part can block whilst the other parts still function, it's a common problem. This means the gas can appear to work correctly, and indeed produce the heat required, but it will not provide any cooling.

 

[Canalsman]

On my Dometic fridge there is a 'cooling unit', it is as you say one evaporative circuit, but the mains and 12v are at different points in the circuit to the gas part, this means the gas part can block whilst the other parts still function, it's a common problem. This means the gas can appear to work correctly, and indeed produce the heat required, but it will not provide any cooling.

That's useful information. Thanks!

 

[merl]

On my Dometic fridge there is a 'cooling unit', it is as you say one evaporative circuit, but the mains and 12v are at different points in the circuit to the gas part, this means the gas part can block whilst the other parts still function, it's a common problem. This means the gas can appear to work correctly, and indeed produce the heat required, but it will not provide any cooling.

Sorry but I dont get this. A blockage anywhere will stop the flow in the evaporation/condensation circuit so if the circuit gets blocked then it cant work on any source surely?
Unless you mean there is a secondary circuit (heated by the gas flame) that branches off of the main circuit and re-joins it again. sort of like a pit lane which only contains the gas burner part?

 

[colinm]

Sorry but I dont get this. A blockage anywhere will stop the flow in the evaporation/condensation circuit so if the circuit gets blocked then it cant work on any source surely?
Unless you mean there is a secondary circuit (heated by the gas flame) that branches off of the main circuit and re-joins it again. sort of like a pit lane which only contains the gas burner part?

I would need to look at my cooling unit to confirm, but yes I think there must be a pipe which bypasses the part of circuit warmed by gas.

 

[Tezza33]

On my Dometic fridge there is a 'cooling unit', it is as you say one evaporative circuit, but the mains and 12v are at different points in the circuit to the gas part, this means the gas part can block whilst the other parts still function, it's a common problem. This means the gas can appear to work correctly, and indeed produce the heat required, but it will not provide any cooling.

I would need to look at my cooling unit to confirm, but yes I think there must be a pipe which bypasses the part of circuit warmed by gas.

I have never seen a Dometic fridge that has a separate cooling unit or a bypass pipe for the gas, I can understand three different heating sources must connect at different points but if the cooling unit is blocked then there is no circulation so none of the sources work, I stand to be corrected

 

[merl]

I have never seen a Dometic fridge that has a separate cooling unit or a bypass pipe for the gas, I can understand three different heating sources must connect at different points but if the cooling unit is blocked then there is no circulation so none of the sources work, I stand to be corrected

I'm with you Tezza. "Fridge not working on gas" has been posted countless times on the many internet forums but this one has drifted into new territory with secondary evaporation circuits and twin burners with pilot lights!
I'm confident the pilot burner thingy is basically rubbish and I'm very doubtful about Colin's theory but I could be wrong??
What I don't get is IF you and I are correct and there's no secondary entry point for the gas circuit then why does the fridge not work at all on gas?
The jet has been cleaned and the flame lights and stays lit, the jet may not be perfect but I'd expect the fridge to partially work and get slightly cool at least?

 

[n brown]

if the jet is reduced in size there may still be a nice blue flame , but not burning hot enough to boil the coolant ,so it might get warm ,just not warm enough
i've found in the past that it doesn't take much to upset the gas part of the 3 way . 12v and 240v heating elements are pretty much clamped to the pipework so they either work or not ,the gas is a bit trickier and can usually be sorted by process of elimination . sadly this sometimes involves buyin a jet

 

[jagmanx]

The gas control valve in the fridge may have failed,
Thus fridge lights but stops as no gas,
Or a new burner,
Go to a service centre for the make of fridge you have.
Dometic have a map so find one near you and telephone.
They often have parts in stock and will likely effect a repair.
Not cheap but a working fridge {on gas) is a must for us

 

[merl]

I think what I'd do is get the fridge down to temp using 240, then switch over to gas and see if the main temp control knob altered the size of the flame which it should. If not then I'd suspect the control valve.
Probably buy and fit a new jet first, just to eliminate it from the equation, even though they are ridiculously over priced for such a simple item.

 

[witzend]

If a fridge is working on 240v an 12v but not on gas can anything be gained by turning it upside down

 

[mistericeman]

If a fridge is working on 240v an 12v but not on gas can anything be gained by turning it upside down

Not usually ....

If an absorbtion fridge is not working on any heat source ...
Then sometimes it can be 'cured' or at least improved by inversion to remix the ammonia solution that it uses as a 'refrigerant' as it can settle and separate out over time ...
Though frankly I'd consider it a temporary fix as by that stage your average absorbtion fridge will be developing other issues (circuit boards/heater elements/jets etc )