"The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you're finished" - Benjamin Franklin

Sheba · Guru

Fridge is getting hot on gas

allinone · Senior Member

The Electrolux 3-way fridge had a major service last year (another story) and was working well on 240v and on gas. Then last week when operating on gas it was getting hotter and hotter on the inside and the freezer also defrosted. This was after driving steadily on a gravel road for 30km at relatively slow speeds.

On 12v it cools and on 240 it cools down to around 0 on setting 5. When switching over to gas the tubes at the back did not stay warm but on 12v and 240 they were warm. After switcching back to 240v from gas the tubes are warmin <15mins. The flame and burner is on, and the pipe has been cleaned with the pipe cleaner and is hot. It was clean anyway as one would expect from a recent service.

Any ideas? as I am thinking it may be the gas thermostat, but perhpas there are other things too. Thanks :)

Happywanderer · The Master

I really can't help you with the problem except to say I didn't think we were supposed to drive with the fridge on gas. I had been told that was a nono.
Hope someone comes up with an answer for you.

oldtrack123 · Guru

Suggest you visually check the flame

To make sure it is burning correctly[ size & colour]

Is the baffle rod still down the boiler vent & attached to support wire hooked over the top of the tube?

PeterQ

PeterD · Guru

Has the flue between the top of the fridge and the ventilator been dislodged whilst driving on the rough road? This link will give details of the installation. Refer to option one for your instaLLATION.

allinone · Senior Member

PeterD wrote: Has the flue between the top of the fridge and the ventilator been dislodged
Hi Peter thanks for the great link that shows how a 3way fridge should be installed. Unfortunately the installation does not meet some of those requirements but gives food for thought. The gas flue sits on top as always. Gas always worked very well before
oldtrack123 wrote:Is the baffle rod still down the boiler vent
Hi old123 thanks yes the baffle rod is down the vent and still hooked over the top. The flame(s) looks OK too while the exhaust stack is hot and the flue extension is very hot too.
others wrote:I'm pretty sure it's illegal to drive in Qld with the gas on, or its a nono
Well the service technician in Qld actually said it was better to operate like that than on 12v? And a friend who said in the old days the fridge in the caravan was only 240v/gas so when driving around Oz, gas was the only way to go. But point taken it would be dangerous to go to a fuel stop with 12v or gas operating in case of a spark.
But any more tips most welcome by me and no doubt others too J

ozjohn · Guru

If the fridge is OK on 240V then there is nothing wrong with the operation of the fridge, only the heating source. i.e. LPG.
Check that the flame which is nothing more than a usual pilot flame, is the correct colour and that it hasn't moved out of alignment with the boiler tube

I believe the report of a service station blowing up in WA, SA, NT, QLD, NSW, VIC & TAS due to fumes being ignited by the flame in a van fridge to be an urban myth
Although it's still not a good idea to drive with the fidge on gas if it can be avoided as it could theoretically happen and you don't want it to be you.
Those with older vans fitted with Electrolux 2 way fridges on the other hand have little choice but to run with the fridge on gas, but probably a good idea to turn the flame off before refuelling.

Hope you get it sorted out quickly. Ozjohn.

-- Edited by ozjohn on Wednesday 27th of February 2013 05:32:09 PM

oldtrack123 · Guru

Hi allin one

Seems strange that the gas is ok yet the fridge does not work correctlyCheck te temp about half way along the large tube that comes from the boiler[feeds into the condenser ]'

It should vary from vary hot at the boiler to hot as it enters the condenser??

GAS is usualy the best source

Oooh ,another couple of points

HOW hot is the line from the condensor into the fridge evaporator??

IS the gas FLAME excessive?[too large leading to overheating]

What do you have the thermostat set at?

PeterQ

neilnruth · Guru

ozjohn, we talked to the people who were involved in the petrol station fire. One friend decided to get his fuel before dark, the other was going to get it in the morning. He missed out.

Even if you believe it is an urban myth - it's a timely warning to back up not using gas while travelling.

-- Edited by neilnruth on Wednesday 27th of February 2013 09:10:33 PM

Wombat 280 · Guru

Get a fridgie to check the coolant gas level

neilnruth · Guru

Yes, allinone - don't drive with fridge on gas. A caravan pulled into a service station in WA and there was no service station left afterwards! We used to do itin the old days until we realised how dangerous it was and it is also illegal now. Hope you sort it out. Our sink (which is over fridge) always feels very hot when fridge running on gas but fridge itself always works better than on power.

GaryKelly · Guru

I have an early model Electrolux 2-way but I also have a house battery and a 240V inverter. Neh, neh, neh, neh, neh, neh. I would never use gas while driving. Running the fridge off the battery with an isolator fitted to the car batter is a better idea. Then camp and switch over to gas.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Ozjohn - we were in Halls Creek - northern WA - a leaking gas bottle caught fire - luckily there was an extinguisher nearby - but the garage and the road through town were closed till the firies were sure there was no other problem with the car. This was in 2005.

oldtrack123 · Guru

Wombat 280 wrote:
Get a fridgie to check the coolant gas level

Hi

IT is a 3way!!!

PeterQ wink

Old Crofter · Senior Member

oldtrack123 wrote:
Wombat 280 wrote:
Get a fridgie to check the coolant gas level
Hi
IT is a 3way!!!
PeterQ

The Electrolux 3-way fridge is in the first sentence

oldtrack123 · Guru

HI
YES
Exactly
IT IS A 3WAY!!!
No means of checking the GAS level

ozjohn · Guru

Jules47.
There have been untold thousands of gas bottle fires over the years, but that's not the sme thing as a pilot light on a fridge burning down a service station.

neilnruth,
Can you or anyone else supply some more information such as a report from the Fire Authories, Office of Gas Safety, or even a newspaper article that points the finger at such a fire and its cause happening in this country.
Until such time as I see something definitive it will remain an urban myth in the realms of Australian Vanning.
But I agree, it ain't a good or safe practice to tow with the gas turned on for any reason.
The same can probably be said for those that run a 12v DC - 240V AC inverter to power the van while on the move.

Cheers, Ozjohn.

oldtrack123 · Guru

ozjohn wrote:
Jules47.
There have been untold thousands of gas bottle fires over the years, but that's not the sme thing as a pilot light on a fridge burning down a service station.
neilnruth,
Can you or anyone else supply some more information such as a report from the Fire Authories, Office of Gas Safety, or even a newspaper article that points the finger at such a fire and its cause happening in this country.
Until such time as I see something definitive it will remain an urban myth in the realms of Australian Vanning.
But I agree, it ain't a good or safe practice to tow with the gas turned on for any reason.
The same can probably be said for those that run a 12v DC - 240V AC inverter to power the van while on the move.
Cheers, Ozjohn.

HI John

I believe that there is a low risk of the pilot starting a fire in a gas station

Most likely ,if there is a fuel spill & the fumes waft through the fridge ventialtion slots

There is a requirement for the TANK filler to some distance from any flame source as some means of minimising the risk

Peter

Sheba · Guru

ozjohn wrote:
neilnruth,
Can you or anyone else supply some more information such as a report from the Fire Authories, Office of Gas Safety, or even a newspaper article that points the finger at such a fire and its cause happening in this country.
Until such time as I see something definitive it will remain an urban myth in the realms of Australian Vanning.
Cheers, Ozjohn.

I know I saw a Newspaper report of the servo. incident that some-one provided a link for on one of the Forums I'm a member of, but I can't remember which one now. There were pictures of the aftermath. Not a pretty sight.

I remember posting that that was a perfect example of why I won't have Gas in my Campervan. Only use the small Butane Cartridges, in a small stove.

Quite a while ago now.

Cheers,

Sheba.

justcruisin01 · Guru

ozjohn wrote:
If the fridge is OK on 240V then there is nothing wrong with the operation of the fridge, only the heating source. i.e. LPG.
Check that the flame which is nothing more than a usual pilot flame, is the correct colour and that it hasn't moved out of alignment with the boiler tube

I believe the report of a service station blowing up in WA, SA, NT, QLD, NSW, VIC & TAS due to fumes being ignited by the flame in a van fridge to be an urban myth
Although it's still not a good idea to drive with the fidge on gas if it can be avoided as it could theoretically happen and you don't want it to be you.
Those with older vans fitted with Electrolux 2 way fridges on the other hand have little choice but to run with the fridge on gas, but probably a good idea to turn the flame off before refuelling.

Hope you get it sorted out quickly. Ozjohn.

-- Edited by ozjohn on Wednesday 27th of February 2013 05:32:09 PM

A friend of ours was refulling a genny out from the side of the van where the fridge is located, petrol fumes entered the vents behind the fridge which resulted in a flash back to where he was refulling. A few days in hospital with burns to the legs & arms.

Can't be to carefull.

JC.

vk6tnc · Guru

Urban Myth ??????

http://www.caravanningnews.com/banka.htm

neilnruth · Guru

Thanks vk6tnc. My point exactly.

ozjohn · Guru

vk6tnc wrote:
Urban Myth ??????
http://www.caravanningnews.com/banka.htm

Chris,
There have been lots of newpaper reports of similar incidences over the years.
But it didn't burn down a service station.
OJ

-- Edited by ozjohn on Friday 1st of March 2013 09:33:41 AM

ozjohn · Guru

neilnruth wrote:
Thanks vk6tnc. My point exactly.

No it's not. Your point was that a WA service station was burt down.
OJ

Ontos45 · Guru

Just a suggestion, replace the gas in the gas bottle/s.
Some nice garage people re-charge the gas bottles using LPG meant for car engines because its cheap.
It will not work properly with appliances meant for caravans.

Santa · Guru

allinone wrote:
The Electrolux 3-way fridge had a major service last year (another story) and was working well on 240v and on gas. Then last week when operating on gas it was getting hotter and hotter on the inside and the freezer also defrosted. This was after driving steadily on a gravel road for 30km at relatively slow speeds.
On 12v it cools and on 240 it cools down to around 0 on setting 5. When switching over to gas the tubes at the back did not stay warm but on 12v and 240 they were warm. After switcching back to 240v from gas the tubes are warmin <15mins. The flame and burner is on, and the pipe has been cleaned with the pipe cleaner and is hot. It was clean anyway as one would expect from a recent service.
Any ideas? as I am thinking it may be the gas thermostat, but perhpas there are other things too. Thanks :)

8 days since the original post and the thread has morphed into a discussion on the safety aspects of gas confuse I wonder if Allinone has solved his problem yet?

oldtrack123 · Guru

Hi Santa
The problem is the OP has not came back with any answers to the suggestions ,directed as possible reasons for his problem
Any further comments would be just blind stabs in the dark!!!

IF it works OK on 240V & not on gas, the the energy source [GAS] must have problems.

The best indication of THAT is the FLAME!!!

PeterQ

allinone · Senior Member

So finally had this fixed earlier in the week and have not had any signal since. A great gas fridge technician in Penguin diagnosed the problem after I described the symptoms. I had already check the operation of the thermostat and the flame went up and down with an adjustment. Maybe the flame was not the best of blue colour.....

Rod the technician pulled it the burner and blew out the lines and the burner and put it back in. Now the fridge is so damm cold, even on 1 it gets so cold overnight will have to set it below 1 or leave off for several hours.

So all good after several weeks of having a cold freezer and not so cold fridge, just replaced a couple of times the items that needed Refridgeration more often.

Cruising Cruze · Guru

G'day Allinone

where you there when he did clean it
next did he do it from the back of the fridge ??
may I ask how much he charged for it

Regards John

Santa · Guru

allinone wrote:
So finally had this fixed earlier in the week and have not had any signal since. A great gas fridge technician in Penguin diagnosed the problem after I described the symptoms. I had already check the operation of the thermostat and the flame went up and down with an adjustment. Maybe the flame was not the best of blue colour.....

Rod the technician pulled it the burner and blew out the lines and the burner and put it back in. Now the fridge is so damm cold, even on 1 it gets so cold overnight will have to set it below 1 or leave off for several hours.

So all good after several weeks of having a cold freezer and not so cold fridge, just replaced a couple of times the items that needed Refridgeration more often.

Great result Allinone, pleased to hear you have it sorted out.