electrolux fridge - wont ignite. anyone any instructions?

Post by **_wendy_** » 11 Feb 2007, 10:23

does anyone have any instruction booklets or anything. we cant get our fridge to ignite on gas. its an electrolux product number 9267523, model number RM122F, serial number 6120015 if any of that helps. thanks

Post by **_wendy_** » 11 Feb 2007, 10:45

nvm find it here:

http://wognum.co.uk/images/ElectroluxRM122.pdf

now to see if it will work

Post by **DiscoDave** » 11 Feb 2007, 10:47

is it 2 or 3 way?? if 3 way make sure the stat for the mains is set to 0!

turn the gas knob up to full, hold in for 10 seconds, then press the ignitor, hold the gas know in for a further 10 seconds!

make sure you are level for the frige to work properly!

Post by **phade** » 12 Feb 2007, 22:11

Your Electrolux fridge is the same as my one. It is a gas/12V fridge (two way).

To light the fridge, turn on the gas supply and turn the thermostat knob to 3 and hold it inwards for at least 30 seconds to one minute (maybe longer). After that time repeatedly press the igniter to light the gas until the fridge is running.

To see if the fridge is running or not, take a peek through the inspection door on the bottom left hand side of the fridge to see if you can see a blue flame at the back. If you can then the fridge is working.

If however you cannot get your fridge to work, then you will have to remove it and unblock the "pilot hole" next to the burner. This is located at the back of the fridge and looks like a french stick looking piece of metal with slots in the top of it. Unblock this hole very carefully with a thin piece of wire or a very thin drill.

To remove the fridge do the following:-

- Remove the outer flue cover from the campervan along with it's gasket and flue pipe connecting mount.

- Remove the covers from the top and bottom of the fridge. The thermostat knob just pulls off.

- Undo the supply pipe from the bottom (front right) of the fridge and move it out of the way

- Remove the four mounting screws above the fridge (these are on two metal brackets)

- Remove any further mounting screws which hold the fridge in place

- Undo the 12V connecter and detach it from its wires if necessary

- Remove the fridge from the campervan carefully

I hope this helps

Post by **Johanna** » 14 Feb 2007, 12:38

Hm, was just wondering, how can you tell if it's cooling when you test it off the battery? Should it make a noise, any lights that come on etc?
We're not sure if our fridge is working or not, but I'd like to avoid taking it out if it is actually fine, but just taking a while to cool down!

Post by **Ian_Fearn** » 14 Feb 2007, 18:06

These Dometic fridges have what i'd call a 'black box' of tricks on them solely for operating on gas.

If its the same design as mine then the ignitor isnt like a gas fire in your house but its an electrical switch that tells this black box to fire.

I've had to bypass this black box and replace the electrical ignitor switch with a traditional piezo ignitor.

The other problem you may be experiencing is the thermocouple in the back of the fridge. These burn out after an amount of time. These are virtually identical to the thermocouples you'll find in your gas boiler at home.

If yours is an older model like mine you'll find it virtually impossible to find a parts supplier as they'll tell you its obsolete.

Post by **stuckin88** » 14 Feb 2007, 18:38

The leisure battery needs to be fully charged for the igniter to work---igniters can fail tho--cost around £60 to replace--

Post by **Johanna** » 15 Feb 2007, 13:52

Yeah - my question wasn't really about the gas though, I was just hijacking the thread so I wouldnt have to start a new one.

What about running it off the battery: How can I tell it's working without having to wait for hours until it's getting cold? Any lights/noises/moving parts that should come on?

Post by **phade** » 15 Feb 2007, 17:15

Guessing from what the first post mentioned, I'm guessing that it's a very old electrolux RM122F. These ones have a piezo-electric lighter (eg. it doesn't need 12V).

These fridges will also make hardly any noise at all since they are absorbtion fridges and take forever to get cold.

Post by **Ivorblueun** » 15 Feb 2007, 19:09

Hi Johanna the 12v side of these fridges is designed to keep it cold when on the move. If you run them straight off a battery it will flatten it very quickly so you need a relay like the split charge setup for the leisure bat so its on when the engine is running off of the main van bat. As for indications that its on, if it stays cold its working if gets warm its not and it won't make a noise as these fridges don't use a compressor unlike the ones in most peoples kitchens which you hear cut in and out.

Post by **Tex Ritter** » 15 Feb 2007, 20:37

If it's the 2 way fridge are you sure you are getting gas to the spark? Those old fridges have a (what looks like a cigarette filter 'in-line') my old 2 way used to block up with crud from the gas, I had to take the armoured supply pipe off and clean it out. If you are getting gas to the spark and the fridge only runs for as long as the knob is held in, then it has to be a faulty thermo coupling.

The coupling problem also applies to the 3 way type.

Tex R

Post by **Hacksawbob** » 16 Feb 2007, 09:34

In this weather? leave the door open to get it cold inside

or at a push you can get a long lighter in the back through the air vent and light "manually"