Hi I just brought a 2010 sterling europa 550 and was told everything was working when I’ve got home I’ve plugged the electric in and the fridge or heating is not working, there are no lights coming on the outside of the fridge even when you press the on bottom fuse looks fine any ideas on how to fix this?
Have you checked the fuse box? It is usually under the front seat. There will be a number of trip switches for various things plus a whole raft of fuses. That would be my first place to start looking.
Check the consumer unit( fusebox).The main circuit breaker may have tripped. Check,other cct breakers at the same time.
There may be a 12v mains switch which needs to be on or alternatively a switch which says car/van. This would need to be on van.
Fridge would need to be set to mains.
If you plug a light or something into a mains socket, it will tell you that mains is getting to the van in the first place.
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Quote: Originally posted by Ancient Uncle on 05/5/2025
Did the person you bought from show you everything working?
I suggest contacting the seller who may be able to guide you to some simple solution.
Agreed. Never trust anyone telling you anything. Always ensure fixtures and fittings are actually working and you are shown where all the main switches, relays and fuses are.
As part of your new kit, get yourself a cheap multimeter, and use the ohm range to test suspect fuses. Sometimes the blade type look fine, but have gone. The blades sometimes get a bit of corrosion, so a rub with an emery board is useful too. The 20v DC range is useful for circuit testing on low voltage circuits and checking battery output, while the 240v AC can be used to check mains output (use something to open the gate on the socket earth. Even better, get a plug in mains tester - great for polarity checking abroad. About a tenner each.
The fridge, even on mains, will have a 12v control system. Maybe the heating too. With all fault tracing, start upstream at what you are sure is working, then down the line til you find the problem. Enjoy your new van!
On more modern vans, EVERYTHING is run from 12v system power for the control panels, regardless of whether you are using EHU or gas to power the device, so you need to switch on the master 12v power switch before anything works. That is often/usually found on the panel with the fuses and breakers, and often in an under seat locker near the battery box/EHU inlet.
Cant find the exact manual for your van (but didn't look too hard!), but 2011 manual, page 62 shows the 'System Shutdown Switch' which needs to be 'ON'.
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Topic: Fridge and heating not working
via mobile 05/5/2025 at 12:27am
