Fridge not working at altitude

[Justjack]

Hi, can anyone help with our fridge problem. We have recently spent time in the French Alps and found that if we are not hooked up and at a high altitude, our fridge refuses to work on the LPG gas. This prevented us from wildcamping at some fabulous places as we had to either find a site to hook up or move to a lower altitude. Can anyone throw any light on this problem?

 

[vwalan]

having tried many things and keep having problems like yours the answer is a compressor fridge. works up hill down dale high or low on the flat or parked on a steep bank. most of my winter travelling mates either have 12v compressors or inverters and household fridges . yes a big solarbank and batteries are required. but making lollypops or eating icecream when in the sahara desert is worth every penny. or pulling that pork chop out of the freezer bit after a few months in a muslem country is definately a bonus. we also go 3,800mtrs up in the atlas just for the adventure.
cheers alan.

 

[Deleted member 3011]

We've had no problems running our Hobby's three-way fridge on gas anywhere we could drive in the Pyrenees or the French Alps - and same in the US where the two way hasn't missed a beat on roads up to 11,000ft - and why would anyone be in the Sahara in the middle of summer anyway

Think very carefully before you go out and buy compressor fridges because although they are very good in extreme conditions and have given us no problems in a couple of years throughout Australia, they DO require a SUBSTANTIAL investment in solar panels, regulators and batteries and really can't be easily justified unless you are into full-time motorhoming.

Suggest checking the operation of your regulator (needs a manometer) and making sure the burner nozzle is clean and there is nothing blocking the chimney.

BTW what altitude was giving you problems

 

[Deleted member 207]

Its possible that the gas is freezing just before the regulator - the usual fix is to put a little 12V block heater around the pipe. They are available specifically for campervans from many European campervan stores and online.

The gas freezing is not uncommon as the vapour comes off the tank/bottle and is slowed just before the regulator.

Butane has a boiling point of between 0C and -10C (varies according to manufacturer), Propane has a boiling point around the -40C mark so is more suited to low temps/high altitudes. Change the gas to Propane and you wont have problems IMHO.

 

[rickboy]

propane

My thoughts exactly!!! But I would add that a tank mounted 37mb regulator rather than a van mounted 30 mb may help in extreme conditions of high altitude and low temeratures. For summer use just switching to propane may do it.If you have a refillable lpg tank be aware that auto gas in many countries is a mixture of butane and propane.The propane gasses off at low temps leaving the butane .
Good luck ,who wants warm beer even 1/2 way up a mountain!!
Rick

 

[Justjack]

Thanks all for your replies. We don't think it was a temperature problem, we were sweating buckets up there, more the height (about 2.000 metres). We will check the pipes and make sure everything is clean and functioning correctly and hopefully solve the problem, although we won't find out until we next visit the mountains.

Your advice has been gratefully noted.

 

[rickboy]

Regulator

I would suspect the regulator as being partley blocked then. Try another .The hole the gas passes through is tiny and can get blocked with "goo". This can sometimwes be shifted by soaking in hot soapy water,blow through afterwards and dry out.The extra pressure of a 37mb regulator can help at altitude.I love the mountains!!

 

[Deleted member 8180]

Sounds wierd - if it cures itself at lower altitude that probably rules out a mechanical fault. Air pressure at altitude is lower, so there should be less resistance to the gas coming out, although the regulator will.... regulate... IMHO it's a temperature problem - probably butane lurking in the bottom of the bottle.

*goes and hides under table*

 

[ubuntu1]

37mbar

Please don't put a 37mbar regulator on a van designed for 30mbar. All of your appliances will have been designed (and jetted) to work at 30mbar. 37 is too higher pressure and shouldn't be needed. The regulator should be providing the right pressure.

All of the comments re butane and propane are good advice and so is the heater.

If not of this works then its time to check the working pressure of the regulator and then probably have the fridge serviced.

 

[tom]

yes a big solarbank and batteries are required.

hello, i have just started using a 50ltr waeco compressor fridge. some dirty testing seems to show that if i idle the engine for 30 minutes, i can get enough charge for about 7 hours use of the fridge.

another compressor fridge user said that i could get a whole day's usage from idling the engine for 20 minutes, which would be a lot better, so maybe something is wrong with my system at the moment?

after some research i'm also wondering if adding solar is the best thing to improve the situation. i don't mind running the engine a bit, but i would prefer not to have to if i can get power from solar. would a single 80w panel make a substantial difference in south of the uk? if not i could consider adding 2 x 80w panels?

i would like to be able to go off grid / wild camping for extended periods.

thanks a lot for any experience you can share

details:
- goal is for good periods of wild camping, no hook up
- main use will be south of the UK, near london
- mercedes sprinter 308d
- 50ltr waeco compressor fridge
- i have 1 x new 110 ah leisure battery + 1 x old 135 ah one

 

[Channa]

Please don't put a 37mbar regulator on a van designed for 30mbar. All of your appliances will have been designed (and jetted) to work at 30mbar. 37 is too higher pressure and shouldn't be needed. The regulator should be providing the right pressure.

All of the comments re butane and propane are good advice and so is the heater.

If not of this works then its time to check the working pressure of the regulator and then probably have the fridge serviced.

I disagree, firstly appliances designed for Butane/ propane are jetted identical to the best of my knowledge. It is the 30 mbar regulator which is the compromise in all this.

I have a seperate thread re 30 mbar regulators and the underlying reason for the thread is how they perform with propane/butane and where the compromise is if any in terms of performance.

Propane regulators in theory operate at 37 mbar If I were issuing a safety certificate anything below 32 mbar above 42 mbar would fail.

However bearing in mind that a 30 mbar regulator too can operate at a tolerance, if it is operating below 30 mbar then propane will struggle and the pressure in the system is far less than it should be, hence lack of performance.

Channa

 

[John H]

Being technically inept, I can't help with the problem but our fridge has worked perfectly on LPG in all kinds of conditions - including being at 7,000 feet in the Alps in January so the problem probably isn't outside temperature or altitude. Hope you find a solution.