We've had our van 4 years from new. Our 90lt Dometic fridge was working well up until 1 year ago. It still works well on 12v when traveling & 240v in CP's but on gas it struggles if the temperature gets near 25 degrees. We have a proper temperature gauge & the fridge compartment doesn't get cold enough, the freezer is OK. We've recently arrived home from a 5 week trip from Melbourne as far as Eden NSW. The temperatures were around 20-24 degrees. We had our fridge serviced the day before were went away at a cost of $685, with a new regulator & thermostatic extraction fan fitted. From the first day we were away it was no different & we ended up staying in CP's for the last 2 weeks just so that the fridge could run on 240v. When we were free camping with the fridge on gas the fan flattened our 95amh battery as it was running continuously for 3 days & we couldn't use our 120w portable solar panels as it was wet & cloudy for a while. Has anyone got any bright ideas how to remedy our problem? We even resorted to buying ice, putting it in clip-lock bags & spreading it over the shelves to drop the temperature.
dragonfly1 said
05:03 PM May 23, 2016
Try removing the gas jet at the burner and cleaning it should have a Good blue flame not yellow
Dragonfly1
KFT said
05:07 PM May 23, 2016
If you paid that much to have it serviced I would be taking it back and asking for them to check and remedy the problem at no charge because it has not worked on gas since the service.
Dougwe said
05:46 PM May 23, 2016
Mmmmm, not often I agree with KFC The other thing it cpuld be is the actual flu might need cleaning but I would have thought they would have done that during the service.
Keep Safe on the roads.
woofta and precious said
05:49 PM May 23, 2016
I had the same problem with our previous van, and as dragonfly1 mentioned, it was a partially blocked burner.
It tricked me, as it would light ok, and you could hear it burning, but the flame was not blue. That's all that was wrong with it, and cost nothing to fix, but almost sent me silly troubleshooting it!!
Regards,
Brian
Desert Dweller said
06:35 PM May 23, 2016
Thanks all for your opinions. We omitted to say that we'd taken our van back to the service people today. They found nothing wrong & charged us nothing. They wouldn't want to have because a new unit only costs $500 dollars more than their service fee! They are a very reputable company with 35 years service. We've had camping fridges serviced by them over many years & they did wonders! Google caravan refrigeration & they come up first. We're so frustrated that we're thinking of selling our caravan.
Luckily we kept our camper-trailer which is not that old.
patrol03 said
06:48 PM May 23, 2016
Desert Dweller,you still haven't told us what colour the flame is.You may have the same problem Woofta had.
Delta18 said
06:54 PM May 23, 2016
Dougwe wrote:
The other thing it cpuld be is the actual flu might need cleaning but I would have thought they would have done that during the service.
Keep Safe on the roads.
Maybe they couldn't find a Chimney Sweeper small enough to get in!
Tony Bev said
07:27 PM May 23, 2016
Hello Desert Dweller
I am not a Gas Fitter
It is possible that you have an intermittent fault, which can not be picked up, when the fault does not show up
It is also possible that a foreign body, such as dried thread sealant compound, entered the gas line, after the Gas Fitter removed his gas pressure check (manometer) tool, at your original service
It is also possible that the foreign body has now removed itself, while the Gas Fitter was dismantling the pipes/burner to check them
Is your fridge now working on gas? I am sure that we all want to know the outcome, in case it happens to us
From my own research, (some years ago) set out below are just four of many theories, which can be checked, on why the gas side of the fridge is not working correctly
New LPG regulator set well below the recommended eleven inches of pressure
Faulty gas side of the LPG/240 VAC fridge thermostat. (240 Volt will still work)
Foreign body in gas line, partially blocking the gas at the thermostat or burner
Interior of flexible rubber hose, with wire braided protection, from gas cylinder to regulator deteriorating
I hope this info helps you out
KevinC said
09:05 PM May 23, 2016
Your Dometic fridge will cool the freezer first and the cabinet next. The symptoms you describe indicate insufficient gas supply. My tuppence worth is along the lines of the posts above. However, to add a little bit extra, you'll probably find that the gas service people can only test the pressure at the burner and they can't test the flow. And they can't test the pressure when the thing is actually burning. Now as we all know, the pressure will show as OK even if the pipes are almost totally blocked. (Remember that pressure is constant throughout liquids and gas stuff you learned at school.) If your gas stove works fine but your fridge doesn't, then get someone to blow through the pipes with compressed air and make sure they are clear. I'll accept that there won't be any dirt or other foreign matter in the pipes, but a pipe can be squashed flat, maybe by a rock, and that goes unnoticed because the copper pipe is inside a plastic sleeve. It happened to me, and it took a lot of convincing before the service person agreed to check the flow of gas to the burner. A new bit of copper pipe solved my issue, maybe that's all you need.
Dougwe said
09:10 PM May 23, 2016
Delta18 wrote:
Dougwe wrote:
The other thing it cpuld be is the actual flu might need cleaning but I would have thought they would have done that during the service.
Keep Safe on the roads.
Maybe they couldn't find a Chimney Sweeper small enough to get in!
Me thinks you have been reading too much of my stuff Delta
Sorry to go DD, not like me at all But Delta made me do it.
Hope you get your fridge sorted though.
sandsmere said
06:08 AM May 24, 2016
Get the gas regulator checked. ( the regulator at the gas bottles ).
We had trouble with our gas heater a while ago , put a new regulator on and have not had a problem since. They apparently stuff up fairly often.
In 5 years we have replaced ours twice.
Desert Dweller said
06:35 AM May 24, 2016
sandsmere wrote:
Get the gas regulator checked. ( the regulator at the gas bottles ).
We had trouble with our gas heater a while ago , put a new regulator on and have not had a problem since. They apparently stuff up fairly often.
In 5 years we have replaced ours twice.
If you read our original post a new regulator was fitted.
Neil n Chris said
04:09 PM May 24, 2016
Regulators get blocked with gunk from the flexible lines, get rid of those and replace with copper lines, problem solved.
oldtrack123 said
08:30 PM May 24, 2016
Hi The first thing to do is check the flame size
It should burn with a bluish colour & the outer edge of the flame should just touch the lip of the flue tube
If that is not occurring, you definitely have a gas problem, unfortunately it could be any one of a number of things
Blocked Jet
Clogged pipes
Gas regulator not set to right pressure faulty or clogged gas section of the thermostat '
Playing with the gas side can be potentially dangerous & should really only be done by experienced persons
But one thing you should check is the spiral diverter inside the boiler vent tube is in position hanging from the top lip of the burner flue tube
macka17 said
09:47 AM May 29, 2016
He did say it was alright on freezer???.
I had a couple of those over the yrs. (Never any good) Always swapped out for a Waeco 12/240v.
Just have a look in freezer first.
From memory, there was a tray or something at bottom of freezer bay. or I was blocking rear of with contents.
stopping the cold dropping down to the fridge section.
There are a lot of posts on Caravaners forun about those things over the yrs.
One of favourite improvements was a Computer 12v inside to circulate air.
There's no difference in pricing t'ween them and Waeco's
and they work well in middle of Simpson and Darwin.
Best one is to dump it and put a 12v fridge in there if you serious travelling.
I had one of them in the shed till a while ago.
Nothing mechanically wrong, just know they no good so swapped it out for a Waeco.
It went down the dump on trailer.
Change the regulator. They should be done every 5 yrs or so with todays gas mixes.
take out the tray. (If they still have it in there).
and give it a go. And that internal fan DOES help.
oldtrack123 said
09:44 PM May 29, 2016
Hi Desert dweller
As you say that the fridge works OK on 240V &12V that would pretty well means you do not have a fridge system problem, no loss of refrigerant, no blockage in the refrigerant!!!
As others have said it is almost certain a gas Flame problem
The easy way to confirm that is to check the FLAME colour & size
It should be a clear blue colour & the OUTER cone [edge ]of the flame should just touch the bottom edge of the flue tube when on full flame.
IF that is not the case ,it could be a number of things ranging from a faulty pressure reduction gauge ,a pipe/ hose blockage
Or in the fridge itself, a blocked jet ,faulty thermostat.
I assume the fridge was workshop tested not tested in actual van.
If so it is very likely that there is nothing wrong with the fridge,
& you should have it checked in situ, so do not panic & dump it as some may suggest
It is not as simple as some make out to go to any form of full electric fridge unless you only go to Mains powered sites
Aus-Kiwi said
10:08 PM May 29, 2016
Can fridge be turned upside down ?
oldtrack123 said
11:27 PM May 29, 2016
Aus-Kiwi wrote:
Can fridge be turned upside down ?
WHY ??
It works OK on 12V & 240V!!
macka17 said
11:27 PM May 30, 2016
Hi.
If you happy with it. and it works on 12/240.
Instead of wasting all the dollars you are/will spend. Trying to get the gas working.
Just buy a 200w panel or so and run fridge on DC with boosts of AC in parks.
Price of panels, they almost give away.
But you'll find that with very few exceptions, they no good once you get up North
or in middle.
The installation of and draught design, is very finicky and hard to get right.
12v Comp fans internally really do help them.
Go on Caravaners forum. there are a lot there have/had and they'll give you a LOT of good info
as to how to make the most of it.
PS Flipping it over and giving a shake,
sometimes agitates the gas system in the lines... Sometimes.
We've had our van 4 years from new. Our 90lt Dometic fridge was working well up until 1 year ago. It still works well on 12v when traveling & 240v in CP's but on gas it struggles if the temperature gets near 25 degrees. We have a proper temperature gauge & the fridge compartment doesn't get cold enough, the freezer is OK. We've recently arrived home from a 5 week trip from Melbourne as far as Eden NSW. The temperatures were around 20-24 degrees. We had our fridge serviced the day before were went away at a cost of $685, with a new regulator & thermostatic extraction fan fitted. From the first day we were away it was no different & we ended up staying in CP's for the last 2 weeks just so that the fridge could run on 240v. When we were free camping with the fridge on gas the fan flattened our 95amh battery as it was running continuously for 3 days & we couldn't use our 120w portable solar panels as it was wet & cloudy for a while. Has anyone got any bright ideas how to remedy our problem? We even resorted to buying ice, putting it in clip-lock bags & spreading it over the shelves to drop the temperature.
Try removing the gas jet at the burner and cleaning it should have a Good blue flame not yellow
Dragonfly1
Mmmmm, not often I agree with KFC
The other thing it cpuld be is the actual flu might need cleaning but I would have thought they would have done that during the service.
Keep Safe on the roads.
It tricked me, as it would light ok, and you could hear it burning, but the flame was not blue. That's all that was wrong with it, and cost nothing to fix, but almost sent me silly troubleshooting it!!
Regards,
Brian
Luckily we kept our camper-trailer which is not that old.
Desert Dweller,you still haven't told us what colour the flame is.You may have the same problem Woofta had.
Maybe they couldn't find a Chimney Sweeper small enough to get in!
Hello Desert Dweller
I am not a Gas Fitter
It is possible that you have an intermittent fault, which can not be picked up, when the fault does not show up
It is also possible that a foreign body, such as dried thread sealant compound, entered the gas line, after the Gas Fitter removed his gas pressure check (manometer) tool, at your original service
It is also possible that the foreign body has now removed itself, while the Gas Fitter was dismantling the pipes/burner to check them
Is your fridge now working on gas? I am sure that we all want to know the outcome, in case it happens to us
From my own research, (some years ago) set out below are just four of many theories, which can be checked, on why the gas side of the fridge is not working correctly
I hope this info helps you out
Me thinks you have been reading too much of my stuff Delta
Sorry to go
DD, not like me at all 
But Delta made me do it.
Hope you get your fridge sorted though.
Get the gas regulator checked. ( the regulator at the gas bottles ).
We had trouble with our gas heater a while ago , put a new regulator on and have not had a problem since. They apparently stuff up fairly often.
In 5 years we have replaced ours twice.
If you read our original post a new regulator was fitted.
Hi The first thing to do is check the flame size
It should burn with a bluish colour & the outer edge of the flame should just touch the lip of the flue tube
If that is not occurring, you definitely have a gas problem, unfortunately it could be any one of a number of things
Blocked Jet
Clogged pipes
Gas regulator not set to right pressure faulty or clogged gas section of the thermostat '
Playing with the gas side can be potentially dangerous & should really only be done by experienced persons
But one thing you should check is the spiral diverter inside the boiler vent tube is in position hanging from the top lip of the burner flue tube
I had a couple of those over the yrs. (Never any good) Always swapped out for a Waeco 12/240v.
Just have a look in freezer first.
From memory, there was a tray or something at bottom of freezer bay. or I was blocking rear of with contents.
stopping the cold dropping down to the fridge section.
There are a lot of posts on Caravaners forun about those things over the yrs.
One of favourite improvements was a Computer 12v inside to circulate air.
There's no difference in pricing t'ween them and Waeco's
and they work well in middle of Simpson and Darwin.
Best one is to dump it and put a 12v fridge in there if you serious travelling.
I had one of them in the shed till a while ago.
Nothing mechanically wrong, just know they no good so swapped it out for a Waeco.
It went down the dump on trailer.
Change the regulator. They should be done every 5 yrs or so with todays gas mixes.
take out the tray. (If they still have it in there).
and give it a go. And that internal fan DOES help.
Hi Desert dweller
As you say that the fridge works OK on 240V &12V that would pretty well means you do not have a fridge system problem, no loss of refrigerant, no blockage in the refrigerant!!!
As others have said it is almost certain a gas Flame problem
The easy way to confirm that is to check the FLAME colour & size
It should be a clear blue colour & the OUTER cone [edge ]of the flame should just touch the bottom edge of the flue tube when on full flame.
IF that is not the case ,it could be a number of things ranging from a faulty pressure reduction gauge ,a pipe/ hose blockage
Or in the fridge itself, a blocked jet ,faulty thermostat.
I assume the fridge was workshop tested not tested in actual van.
If so it is very likely that there is nothing wrong with the fridge,
& you should have it checked in situ, so do not panic & dump it as some may suggest
It is not as simple as some make out to go to any form of full electric fridge unless you only go to Mains powered sites
WHY ??
It works OK on 12V & 240V!!
If you happy with it. and it works on 12/240.
Instead of wasting all the dollars you are/will spend. Trying to get the gas working.
Just buy a 200w panel or so and run fridge on DC with boosts of AC in parks.
Price of panels, they almost give away.
But you'll find that with very few exceptions, they no good once you get up North
or in middle.
The installation of and draught design, is very finicky and hard to get right.
12v Comp fans internally really do help them.
Go on Caravaners forum. there are a lot there have/had and they'll give you a LOT of good info
as to how to make the most of it.
PS Flipping it over and giving a shake,
sometimes agitates the gas system in the lines... Sometimes.