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Your help would be appreciated.

we are going on a site without hook-up, not usually a problem, but our fridge is wierd.  It will light up (pilot light) but doesnt get cold on gas, its fine on electric though and we checked the van is level. Any ideas what it can be and how to solve it would be a great help, many thanks, Jane x

do you have the outside vent covers off ?.  that will stop it working. hope that helps.

floppy

What Metz's says is correct, he knows as much about fridges as I do, more probably

I'm only wondering though if this Bessacarr is a 94 model or not? will know then if it's likely got a gas thermostat or not?

Most likely though the flames at fault, is it yellow instead of bright blue? then possibly a blocked flue, is there any black sooting coming from the flue?

Another possible is an over-sized or worn jet, to much gas overheats the cooler and it won't work.

WARNING INFORMATION GIVEN BELOW MAY UPSET COMPETANT ENGINEERS

Last weekend we were on a rally with no electric so we lit the fridge after an hour it was obvious it wasn't getting cold left for a few more hours and it didn't get cold at all so we switch it off.  It had worked perfectly the previous weekend.  Relit it on Saturday morning the same flame lit and appeared to be blue but no cooling.  I assumed I was going to have to call out an engineer in the week to sort it, but I thought I would have fiddle first and decided to clean the flue.  Having no tools I used a wooden kebab scewer a goose feather taped on with duck tape.  I removed the top of the flue and the baffle thingy its like strip of metal thats twisted and it sits in the top of the flue.  Uses the tool to clean flue an a 12v vaccum cleaner at the bottom.  Reassembled the whole thing and tried to relight it result disaster it would light but it wouldn't stay lit so I assumed that my prodding had knackered the thermocouple.  However being the bodger I am I realised that I could wedge the gas valve in and the fridge would stay lit.  After 15 minutes it is obvious the fridge is cooling but the thermocouple is alowing the the fridge to stay lit  After about another hour wife returns says whats this wedging the gas valve (actually I'm not sure she used the words gas and valve) and pulls it out obviously with out waiting for an answer but the fridge stays working.  The following day we switch the fridge off I let it cool for about 10 minutes and try to relight it which it does so it appears to a have cured its self.  The only thing I can think that happend was that something had dropped onto the thermocouple when I had cleaned the flue and was slowly cremated and eventually allowed the thermocouple to work.

I am sure that a feather and a stick are not the recommended tool for cleaning the flue in the service manual but they seemed to be effective and quite gentle

Gary I agrree with your comments the flame failure devices is there for a reason and I only over rode it to see if the fridge was cooling a didn't leave it and kept an eye and a nose nose on it.  If it fails again I will get a professional to look at it no question but hopefuly it won't!!!

Hi all,

OH had the vent cover off and it looks clean in there, he vacuumed to be sure and tried the fridge again but no joy, It is an  electrolux RM4230s it says in the book. Our caravan is a Bessacarr Denaby 450/4 1994 model.  I have googled for a thermocouple for it but cant see one anywhere. arhhh so frustrating. thank you all. Jane

Gary, i emailed you but forgot to say terry says the knob seems to be turning fine.

regards, Jane x

Hi Gary,

Just had to write and thank you for your kind help.  After Terry spoke to you on the phone, he got the gas alight and it stayed on, (huge achievement for us) but alas, the fridge did not get cold.    However, we had a thoroughly good time with all the family (3 caravans with our children, grand-children one side of us, and our niece with her two kiddies the other side of us) at the Royal Welsh Show and, hopefully this is the only site we will need to visit where there is no electricity available! We will have to review the fridge though sometime in the future. So many thanks to an unknown but very helpful and really likeable ukcs member...Gary  Thank you.

warm wishes, Jane x