We have had gurgling noises from our 3 way, still works OK

If we are not going away, every month I use all the appliances to check that they are all functional. Fridge, stove, hot water, satellite dish, TV etc

Putting cold items in the fridge will definitely help the cooling process

brandchampion wrote:

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Hello again,

This is an update on my previous enquiry re: Dometic RM2555 three way fridge.

We have double checked the levels, if anything the unit is half an inch off level front to back.

We turned it off last night as the unit was getting cold on 240 after being on for nearly two days, but then it started to get warm. So as mentioned we turned it off.

Today we started it again on gas, have any of you noticed any "gurgling" noises? The unit is a replacement under warrantee that has been used twice and is at most just over two years old.

Due to Covid and other reasons we have not been able to use the caravan, is this something that is a problem? What do people do if they are unable to use their caravan for an extended period of time?

One other thing, if the unit does start to look as though it's getting colder do we "fill" it products, or even add frozen items to the freezer as we have been a fridge with produce does cool better??

This being very frustrating.

Thanking all in advance 

-- Edited by brandchampion on Wednesday 5th of January 2022 05:54:48 PM

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 They should run silently on all three heat sources. 

You could have a faulty unit were air has got into the system. 

Have you ever come across a strong ammonia smell, which indicates a cracked pipe and leaking cooling fluid. That means a new Absorption Unit on the back of the fridge.

It is the Fridge that has to be level.

With the caravan  level,  one would assume the fridge is installed level.  I would also check that the fridge is actually level Fore and Aft. Inside the Freezer box unit use a  level long enough to fit in. (Not a Bulls Eye)

Take the top outside fridge vent off and feel the pipe indicated in the picture. It should feel "hot" enough to feel very uncomfortable about say 80-90 deg C.

 (Your fridge may not quite look like this  picture but it will have all the same components)  If this pipe is hot at the highest point and cooler or cold at the lower end  the Ammonia vapor/medium is stalled in the pipework.

 

With the fridge running for an hour or two, Try raising the front (Draw Bar)  as high as possible and leave it for a period of say 5 -m 10 minutes.   Then lower it as far as possible for a period. Then bring it   back level.

I have never done this on big caravans only smaller Avans,  but it has often got the cooling medium circulating  through the system on friends vans. 

  have years ago even done the old "Remove" the fridge and rotate it 8 hours on the side+ 8 hours upside down+ 8 hours on the other side+ Stand it up and run it. That sort of worked but I still needed a new fridge.

Having said all that we run a Compressor Fridge  about Five years now. But people still ask me can I sort out their Three Way problems. 

Good Luck.

 

 

-- Edited by elliemike on Wednesday 5th of January 2022 08:04:57 PM

elliemike wrote:

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It is the Fridge that has to be level.

With the caravan  level,  one would assume the fridge is installed level.  I would also check that the fridge is actually level Fore and Aft. Inside the Freezer box unit use a  level long enough to fit in. (Not a Bulls Eye)

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 Too much is made of this levelling business. The levelling limits of absorption fridges is far wider than a lot of people realise. I do however acknowledge that you should be taking the fridge as your reference rather than the van. In saying that, if the freezer bottom will be in the same alignment with the cabin floor unless your van has been badly built or horribly bent after its delivery.

Regarding bullseye levels, if you can locate the ones that were provided with Dometic fridges way back, they are the best things to use for levelling the rig. I have established that floor just inside the door of my van accords accurately with the freezer floor. I use that when siting the van, I can reach the level and locate it on the floor without entering the van. These bullseye levels are calibrated to reflect the operating potential of the fridge. If you can get the reference to have the bubble wholly within the outer circle then the fridge then the fridge should operate to near its specification. I have found my RM-2453 will work satisfactorily if the bubble has that circle cutting through it (however, I have not tried that in extreme climatic conditions.)

It does not matter what size the level is. They all have similar bubbles. It is the accuracy of that bubble that counts, not the length of the level. The location of the reference plane determines the length of the level you need. If you have something fairly rough like brickwork you require a long level so you can get a good estimation of things over a long distance. If you have a short level then you have to be careful how much grit and so forth is under the level, you must ensure things are clean between your work and the underside of the level. with my bullseye, I clean its underside and wipe the floor before before I place it. I do notice a difference sometimes when the navigator just plonks it on the floor and I then subsequently do my cleaning act.

As an aside, if I set up the van with the bubble is at its limit, the navigator picks it up when she goes to bed. (By that time I consider it too late to relocate the van so she gets told.)

PeterD wrote:

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 Too much is made of this levelling business.

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Agreed.

My Chescold blue fridge worked perfectly in my 4WD in motion across the High Country.

If the van feels level to you then the fridge will be fine.

I second the fitment of a small fan to help ventilation at the rear of the fridge. I used a computer fan - the 12 V to run it comes from the 12 V supply for the caravan lights. I have a switch to isolate the fan when it is not needed.

Caravan manufacturers are notorious for poor installation of fridges. They just throw them into a cupboard space, with no science behind the ventilation requirements for the fridge. At the rear of a 3 way fridge, there is a lot of heat. Sometimes they throw a bit of insulation on top of the fridge, but rarely on the sides. Our Jayco van has no insulation on the sides, and the front cupboard gets very hot when the fridge is operating - so much so that we have to leave the door open, except of course when we are travelling.

I mounted two fans in the space behind the top grille - the second fan being there in case a single fan was not enough. When you wire the fan, make sure of the direction the air is blowing - in my case, outwards. Theoretically, it matters not if you mount the fan under the fridge element or above it, but I chose to have it mounted high, mainly because access was easier. I also have a fridge switch which senses motion and isolates the fridge if the rig is not moving. Very useful, because in a matter of less than 2 hours a fridge can flatten a car battery. With the fan operating and the fridge on 12 V, it is easy to put your had next to the vent and feel if warm or cold air is coming out of the vent, so you know that the 12 V heater is actually working.

If I am understanding correctly the problem is when on gas.

A shame as I reckon the fridge runs best on gas.

Maybe, just maybe the flu needs a clean out, might have a carbon build up. The other thought is, the regulator on gas bottle may need adjustment. I had that problem with my gas heater, reg needed a little more gas coming through. All just thoughts on my part. I reckon the more thoughts people come up with, one might hit the nail on the head or get that beer cold for happy hour.



Keep Safe out there.

I was bored & wanted to see how the fridge performed, 1.768kWh energy required.