Hi we have just bought a hobby 620 uk 2001 and the fridge doesnt seem to be working ,doese any one have any ideas or is there some secret button we havent pressed.
What I have done in the past is to take the fridge out and literally turn it thru 360 degrees. The refrigerant tends to crystallise in the heat exchanger coil and the action of turning can sometimes put the crystals back into solution. Short of that, you'll have to take it to a Dealer
Yes, I did that with mine - turned it upside down for 15 mins, lots of gurgling... then turned it back the right way up and it worked! That was a two way though, gas and 12v.
It could be that it's not working because it isn't level - just check that your van is as level as you can get it with a spirit level.
Google electrolux plus your fridge model number to see if there's a trouble shooter for it on the web.
The older 3 way fridges did not have a very steep angle to the returns of the heat exchanger hence the problem. The new ones are a bit better. As JAX365 says, 3 ways are sensitive to being level; even 5 degrees off level on the very old ones was enough to almost stop them working
One thing I wondered was - is it plugged in? As I mentioned before, I only have a 2-way so don't know about a three way - but would imagine on mains electric it would have to be plugged in to one of the sockets?
Another thing I wondered was if you had it switched to 12v by mistake - it will not cool down for about 100 miles. I was told not to turn mine to 12v unless the engine was actually running, as it would drain the battery flat very quickly. I never use the 12v when travelling, just use freezer blocks (meant for freezers bags and boxes), turn the fridge into a freezer box, then turn on the gas when I get there.
If it is a levelling prob, try it on gas - it should get cold really quickly (within 15/20 mins)and that at least will let you know if its working or not.
Often they are plugged into a socket behind the fridge, so in a UK van with 13amp sockets/plugs there could be a fuse blown. Have you tried it on gas? If it works on that then it points to a fuse (if there is one) or a duff 230v element. Ours went last time we were away, it was the element. A new one costs about £30 to fit yourself.
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Topic: hobby fridge
