We're VERY new to being Grey Nomads (3 days and counting!), have never had a motorhome before and have already had problems with the fridge! It's a 12/240v Fisher and Paykel fridge freezer living in a Mitsubishi Canter motorhome (1992) and it works VERY occasionally. The freezer works long after the fridge stops but the fridge only seems to work for a day and then switches itself off and we have to keep buying ice to keep anything cool (especially beer!). We had it 're-gassed' as I think it has had a 12v compressor retro-fitted as it is a domestic fridge but it only stayed cool for a day. We have been staying in free camps and do have a built-in generator but have not used it yet. We also have two solar panels on the roof and the fridge has been solely on 12v power so far. Any ideas? Help? We would be most grateful.......
Old Crofter said
12:46 AM Nov 2, 2013
Not knowing your power specification makes it hard, but for me I would try running it on your generator,(240v) to prove that it works fine on that power source or otherwise, if it performs fine then you need to look at your 12volt side of things, running ok on 12v for a day and then not performing leads me to think not enough 12v amps available.
there are others more tuned to things fridges and 12volt than me and Im sure they will respond but in the mean time my two bobs worth.
hope you can sort it out
Bob
KFT said
12:46 AM Nov 2, 2013
Wirroff, welcome to the forum. I am sure you will find lots of help here on just about anything to do with this fantastic lifestyle.
In order to assist we need some more info.
What model is your fridge?
What is the power setup to the fridge? eg does it have a transformer or power supply to run it when on mains power or genny?
the more details you can give the better your chances of finding a solution from people who cannot see what you have.
frank
Wirroff said
01:02 AM Nov 2, 2013
Guys, not sure about transformer or power supply. All I know is that it did 'konk out' running off the mains (240v) at a friends house and I'm guessing that the 12v side of things isn't the only problem. We have two 110amp/h house batteries (12v) and the truck is 24v. We really do know nothing about electrics but when we took it to a fridge/appliance guy in Hervey Bay he reckoned it had a 'leak' and he put some gas in. This lasted just over a day. At the back of the fridge you can see the compressor and it has been 'retro fitted' with a fan from a hard drive off a computer I'm told. If this helps?....
Should I post a picture of the back of the fridge? Would that help? Sorry, we are SO novices at this!
oldbobsbus said
01:52 AM Nov 2, 2013
I am thinking the pump(motor) has some problems and you also may have a leak in the gas pipework.
Where are you at the moment so I can get some idea who to recommend you go and see..
I have some experience in this area but I really do need to know more ..
Feel free to contact me at the email address below and give me your phone number so I can call you and try to sort out your problem..
KFT said
02:41 AM Nov 2, 2013
good on you oldbobsbus.
I hope you can help these newbies so they are not scared off the lifestyle.
I wonder sometimes why a "fridgie" would put gas in when suspecting a leak and not find and fix the leak.
from wiroff's reply the fridge "konking out" when on 230v is a worry. maybe the low pressure cutout if it has one and the leak is still there.
I look forward to you giving us a bit more info after you have spoken with them.
frank
Sheba said
03:14 AM Nov 2, 2013
This may be no help at all, but my fridge [Engel 12V/240] cuts out when it is cold enough, and cuts in when necessary. Have never run it on 240 yet, only ever on 12V.
Cheers,
Sheba.
oldbobsbus said
03:46 AM Nov 2, 2013
Sheba wrote:
This may be no help at all, but my fridge [Engel 12V/240] cuts out when it is cold enough, and cuts in when necessary. Have never run it on 240 yet, only ever on 12V.
Cheers,
Sheba.
LOL... Sheba, thats how they are supposed to work..
Wirroff said
02:42 PM Nov 2, 2013
Guys, we are currently free camping around the Gympie area but have to be back in Hervey Bay next week to settle on an investment property. As the price we paid for our Motorhome was relatively low, we've decided to get a new 12/240 fridge fitted (Waeco?) and at least we'll then get a warranty. The guy who sold us the van did tell us that the fridge 'played up' and he used to freeze a plastic container and put that in the fridge to keep it cool. I'm guessing he shouldn't have had to do that! Thanks once again for all your assistance and ideas and reading through the forum, fridge problems are not uncommon on the road! We'll catch up sometime soon....
oldbobsbus said
03:12 PM Nov 2, 2013
Thats a very good decision, the most annoying thing when you're on the road is to have fridge troubles...
I couldn't think of anything worse than to pull up for the day and there wasn't a cold beer in the fridge...lol..
brian said
06:52 PM Nov 3, 2013
Consider putting in a standard 240 volt domestic fridge.
They are very much cheaper to buy and the extra power consumed by an inverter on full time will be no more than about 25 Ah/day.
Apart from the compressor, there is very little difference between a domestic fridge and a 12v one for which you pay a very high premium.
With the cash that you save on the fridge (probably close to $1500 depending on the size) you can put in some extra solar and battery power to support comfortable bush camping.
Loki said
07:39 PM Nov 3, 2013
Check the wiring from the battery to the fridge: Often a minimal size is used, but when the battery is slightly down, the voltage drop along the wire could cause the voltage at the fridge to be too low (some fridges automatically cut out when voltage gets below a certain level). I have a small Vitrirfrigo 12V connected with about three of wire and when I ran a bigger cable the amperage draw reduced from 4A to 3.2A. You will also need to run a bigger ground wire.
As the freezer works but the fridge part doesn't, it may be a thermostat problem.
Good luck on your travels, its a great life!
Wirroff said
07:29 PM Nov 4, 2013
Thanks for all your help guys. We have decided to install a new Waeco fridge/freezer (I understand the domestic fridge is a lot cheaper but we'd already decided to go with the 12/240 option). We will, no doubt, catch some of you on the road........
We're VERY new to being Grey Nomads (3 days and counting!), have never had a motorhome before and have already had problems with the fridge! It's a 12/240v Fisher and Paykel fridge freezer living in a Mitsubishi Canter motorhome (1992) and it works VERY occasionally. The freezer works long after the fridge stops but the fridge only seems to work for a day and then switches itself off and we have to keep buying ice to keep anything cool (especially beer!). We had it 're-gassed' as I think it has had a 12v compressor retro-fitted as it is a domestic fridge but it only stayed cool for a day. We have been staying in free camps and do have a built-in generator but have not used it yet. We also have two solar panels on the roof and the fridge has been solely on 12v power so far. Any ideas? Help? We would be most grateful.......
Not knowing your power specification makes it hard, but for me I would try running it on your generator,(240v) to prove that it works fine on that power source or otherwise, if it performs fine then you need to look at your 12volt side of things, running ok on 12v for a day and then not performing leads me to think not enough 12v amps available.
there are others more tuned to things fridges and 12volt than me and Im sure they will respond but in the mean time my two bobs worth.
hope you can sort it out
Bob
In order to assist we need some more info.
What model is your fridge?
What is the power setup to the fridge? eg does it have a transformer or power supply to run it when on mains power or genny?
the more details you can give the better your chances of finding a solution from people who cannot see what you have.
frank
Guys, not sure about transformer or power supply. All I know is that it did 'konk out' running off the mains (240v) at a friends house and I'm guessing that the 12v side of things isn't the only problem. We have two 110amp/h house batteries (12v) and the truck is 24v. We really do know nothing about electrics but when we took it to a fridge/appliance guy in Hervey Bay he reckoned it had a 'leak' and he put some gas in. This lasted just over a day. At the back of the fridge you can see the compressor and it has been 'retro fitted' with a fan from a hard drive off a computer I'm told. If this helps?....
Should I post a picture of the back of the fridge? Would that help? Sorry, we are SO novices at this!
Where are you at the moment so I can get some idea who to recommend you go and see..
I have some experience in this area but I really do need to know more ..
Feel free to contact me at the email address below and give me your phone number so I can call you and try to sort out your problem..
I hope you can help these newbies so they are not scared off the lifestyle.
I wonder sometimes why a "fridgie" would put gas in when suspecting a leak and not find and fix the leak.
from wiroff's reply the fridge "konking out" when on 230v is a worry. maybe the low pressure cutout if it has one and the leak is still there.
I look forward to you giving us a bit more info after you have spoken with them.
frank
This may be no help at all, but my fridge [Engel 12V/240] cuts out when it is cold enough, and cuts in when necessary. Have never run it on 240 yet, only ever on 12V.
Cheers,
Sheba.
LOL... Sheba, thats how they are supposed to work..
Guys, we are currently free camping around the Gympie area but have to be back in Hervey Bay next week to settle on an investment property. As the price we paid for our Motorhome was relatively low, we've decided to get a new 12/240 fridge fitted (Waeco?) and at least we'll then get a warranty. The guy who sold us the van did tell us that the fridge 'played up' and he used to freeze a plastic container and put that in the fridge to keep it cool. I'm guessing he shouldn't have had to do that! Thanks once again for all your assistance and ideas and reading through the forum, fridge problems are not uncommon on the road! We'll catch up sometime soon....
Thats a very good decision, the most annoying thing when you're on the road is to have fridge troubles...
I couldn't think of anything worse than to pull up for the day and there wasn't a cold beer in the fridge...lol..
Consider putting in a standard 240 volt domestic fridge.
They are very much cheaper to buy and the extra power consumed by an inverter on full time will be no more than about 25 Ah/day.
Apart from the compressor, there is very little difference between a domestic fridge and a 12v one for which you pay a very high premium.
With the cash that you save on the fridge (probably close to $1500 depending on the size) you can put in some extra solar and battery power to support comfortable bush camping.
As the freezer works but the fridge part doesn't, it may be a thermostat problem.
Good luck on your travels, its a great life!
Thanks for all your help guys. We have decided to install a new Waeco fridge/freezer (I understand the domestic fridge is a lot cheaper but we'd already decided to go with the 12/240 option). We will, no doubt, catch some of you on the road........