Put my fridge on over night(on gas) to get it nice and cold before we set of the following day. Went down to the van and found a black mark from fumes on the vent and up the caravan side.
I have noticed a smell in the van but we have a battery operated carbon monoxide detector in the van and it has not gone off.
A couple of things i have noticed.
1. I can usually here the burner going when i first light it. I listen by the vent and it is quite loud. I can no longer here this
2. The little indicator on the fridge which moves up to the green when the thermocouple is hot enough to hold the gas valve open now only just gets into the green.
3. Lots of black soot on the metal deflector plate inside the vent.
Does this sound like blocked burner jets. If so are they easy to unblock.
Sounds like the gas is not burning off correctly, so a service is essential! DON'T risk faulty gas appliances! Try your local friendly gas engineer first, probably cheaper than the the caravan centre who will not neccessarily have the same experience/qualification if they are anything like my local one!
------------- There's nae pooches in a shroud, so spend it before the Government does it for you!
Hi, I suspect you have a Thetford fridge, these are prone to this problem, the fridge should be serviced at least once a year, in your case going on your description of the problem i would say the fridge needs a service plus possibly a new burner, this is not a DIY project, have a word with your dealer or mobile fitter.
Michael i take it i just go to his web site and send him an email. I am a bit far away for him to come and service it. Would he mind me asking him his advice if he is unlikely to get some work out of it.
no he welcomes anyone who needs his help on here and has done for some time now.if he can give repair instructions by email or phone he will do at no charge.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
If the burner is the same as an Electrolux or Dometic fridge you should be able the access the burner by removing the lower fridge vent on the outside of caravan. Clean burner & surrounding area with a small artists paintbrush & plenty of meths, you might find crud & dead insects in the burner tube. Try that & it may well cure it, it should be a once a yr job.
I had this problem as did my friend and it would seem to be the burner that need cleaning as well as the exhurst pipe,
We did ours, on my van we did it throught the fridge vents, on my friends we had to move the fridge forward in the van slighty to gain access again through the vents.
Well i finally got some time to get down to the van and have a look at the fridge.
I had to pull the fridge forward a bit but i then managed to get into the back of the fridge and remove the burner.
Yes as you lovely people said it was the burner. All the slots in it were allmost blocked. i used a wire brush and they cleaned up lovely. I put it back and fired it up. The gauge which tells you it is lit went right up to the top of the green area (before it only just got to the green) and i could now hear the gas burning from out side the van.
I was contemplating cleaning the flue when the heavens opened. Do you think the flue will be ok or will i wait for another dry day and clean that as well.
I was contemplating cleaning the flue when the heavens opened. Do you think the flue will be ok or will i wait for another dry day and clean that as well.
Any way thanks for all your help Andrew
check for cobwebs in the flue as this can cause problems.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
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Topic: fridge causing black marks
