Electrolux 3 way fridge

[Tanya123]

Hi, Im hoping someone can help, I recently took my 3 way fridge for repair and servicing it wouldnt work on 12 volt, no problems with 240 or gas, the repair & servicing cost over £300 pounds, but everthing seemed ok, until recently myself and my family went camping in France, as we were doing a lot of wild camping I needed the fridge on gas, I noticed that the fridge vents on the outside of the van had blackened and the smell coming inside the van was awfull, I put a carbon monoxide tester next to the fridge and the alarm went mental, I phoned the company that had repaired my fridge, their reply was to take the outer vents off and ventilate the van, they said we would be ok, as you can imagine I didnt fancy taking a chance so we couldnt use it on gas, which is not easy when wild camping, so before I go back to the company can anyone suggest what may have caused the smell and blackening, they fitted a new jet could that be the problem, many thanks.

 

[Canalsman]

I would suggest that there are problems with the jet and/or flue.

Four causes spring to mind:

1. They fitted the wrong replacement jet.
2. They fitted the replacement incorrectly.
3. They didn't replace the jet, but damaged it whilst attempting to clean the old one.
4. The flue has become blocked possibly due to a poorly executed attempt at cleaning it.

Whatever it may turn out to be, don't use the fridge on gas till the company you took it to has fixed it, and tested it in situ to your satisfaction.

 

[maingate]

Hi Tanya,

It is an industry norm to give a 12 month guarantee on any work done.

Ask them nicely to rectify the fault that appeared after they serviced it.

If you get any trouble at all, tell them that you are going to Trading Standards for legal advice.

If that does not work then do what you threatened and tell them that they will be named and shamed on internet forums and Watchdog on the telly.

If they are cowboys, they are generally cowards as well. If they are genuine, they will sort it without a fuss.

You have one advantage over me, you can wear a mini skirt when you ask for help. I cannot, not with my varicose veins.

Good luck.

 

[caspar]

On the back of the fridge is a pipe which needs to be inserted correctly into the flu outlet pipe. I suspect they've mislined it. Take it back and ask them to have another look - it's only a 10 minute job, literally so don't be persuaded to part with any more money!

 

[Tanya123]

Hi, thanks for the replies,I will be taking it back to the company to be rectified, hopefully it will be fixed without any problems, I'm just wondering though should he have told us not to use the fridge rather than saying youll be ok if you remove the vents and ventilate the van, he does sound a little patronising when you speak to him, I just need as much info as I can to be ready when I confront him, many thanks

 

[Canalsman]

I'm just wondering though should he have told us not to use the fridge rather than saying youll be ok if you remove the vents and ventilate the van ...

No he shouldn't have told you to use the fridge - carbon monoxide KILLS

 

[caspar]

Tanya,
As Canalsman says DO NOT USE IT! The fridge emits carbon monoxide fumes which will kill you without you noticing any signs. PLEASE DON'T USE IT!!!!!!!

 

[Deleted member 207]

Soot is normally a good indicator of the gas not burning properly - the supply of gas is "rich" in comparison to what it should be to get a nice blue flame.

Next question is why? If they fitted a new gas jet I'd take a punt that it was the wrong size. If they fiddled with the jet and tried to clean it by poking wire up the orifice then its buggered (in more ways than one). The jets are made from a gemstone and usually end up being cracked if something gets shoved up them which makes them too big. Check that the flameout works as well, as pressing the ignitor button can make the gas supply rich. There is a thermocouple that should poke into the flame.

The other issue is that the soot should not be appearing on the vents at all. There is a "chimney" fitted to make sure that all the burnt gases exit the vehicle. Its a problem when the chimney is dislodged from the top of the boiler (which is right above the flame). Some of the chimneys have a little grub screw to make sure they dont fall off - but it has to be unscrewed to get the chimney off, if it just gets pulled off it will damage the boiler tube so that the grub screw wont do its job properly and can easily fall off when driving over a bit of rough road.

To be on the safe side I think you need to check that the fridge and fittings are all where they should be - the owners manual will have details on how it should be fitted. eg; Gaps between walls, baffle design and placement, vents, chimney. Some of the more recent fridges have a combined top vent and chimney, older ones have a separate chimney that exits away from the vents and windows.

Take photos in case it turns nasty.

 

[defitzi]

sue the b*****RDS for every cent and poublicise who dey is!

 

[Tanya123]

3 way fridge saga continues

Hi, its me again, I took the fridge back to the company and explained that I thought the problem had been caused by the jet that they had fitted, as I explained he is a bit patronising, he was convinced that it was not the jet but our gas regulator, I wasnt convinced and eventually he pulled out the fridge and said he would monitor it overnight, this was 4 days ago and I heard nothing, I've just phoned him and he said it wasnt the regulator or the jet, it is now the gas valve behind the button that you press when you put the gas on, he said he was not happy with the flame, is he trying to pull the wool or can this valve cause such problems as I will now have to pay for the new valve plus labour, when I asked was that also causing the smell he couldnt give me an answer, many thanks.

 

[Canalsman]

Hi Tanya

I think he's trying it on.

Do you have a helpful (and assertive) male friend you can take with you next time you go?

Don't pay the repairer (?) any more money.

If you don't get anywhere this is what I suggest you do.

Write a letter and either hand deliver or post it recorded.

The letter must state that you are dissatisfied with the repairs.

It must also give the repairer a reasonable time scale to rectify the problems to your satisfaction - I would suggest 7 days.

If he is unwilling to do this, you should ask for a written response or take a witness and get a verbal refusal.

Then start a Small Claims Court action to get your money back.

Your local CAB or a Google search will tell you how to do this.

Use the information on this thread as evidence if it goes to court.

Good luck.

Chris

 

[Deleted member 3011]

Perhaps I missed something. but didn't the OP take the fridge in because it didn't work on 12 volts. 300 quid later, the fridge didn't work properly on gas. 300 pounds!!!!!!

Repair costs should have been - what? 40 for the heater element and an hour (for an incompetent) labour.

Anyway, he is now fixing the problem that presumably caused so provided there is obvious progress, there is absolutely no point - and it would be counterproductive anyway - in engaging the services of a QC just yet. Be polite and firm if necessary and let him know you understand that stuff happens and it is just bad luck that his repair caused the extra problems that he now has to fix at his expense.

BTW You didn't say how recent the repair was. A month or two? Week or two? Too long and he would be justified in saying your problem is different to the one he fixed and is not his problem

 

[caspar]

I'd follow the advice of Canalsman. He seems to be trying it on. These fridges are not rocket science, especially the 12 volt side, so give him written reasonable notice of a timescale in which to repair it, then pursue him through small claims court.