fridge does not work on mains

[16vmini]

ok , fridge did not work at all (3 way ) .. but after a local camping shop cleaned it up a bit , and me ordering a new thermo coupler and 240v element things are better.

works great on gas , gets nice and cold
works great on 12v ( when driving )

240v .. the heating element is getting hot , as you can feel the heat at the back of the fridge.
but fridge does not get cold ?

done some searches but cant find anything...

is there some sort of pump that should run as well as the heating element ?

matt

[horns]

Nope, no pump. Sounds a bit strange, if its getting hot at the back it should be cold at the front, otherwise it wouldn't work on gas or 12v either. Are you sure the element is getting hot?

[16vmini]

Nope, no pump. Sounds a bit strange, if its getting hot at the back it should be cold at the front, otherwise it wouldn't work on gas or 12v either. Are you sure the element is getting hot?

maybe its not getting hot enough ?

Matt

[1664]

How long are you giving it and what's the thermostat set at? Like horns says if the elements getting hot and it works on 12v and gas it should work on mains.

[16vmini]

How long are you giving it and what's the thermostat set at? Like horns says if the elements getting hot and it works on 12v and gas it should work on mains.

thats is what strange...

drove to devon (5 hours ) ran it on 12v , it had ice inside ,

plugged into hookup , and switched over to mains , overnight it thawed out.
but could feel heat coming up via the vent.

i wired in the new element can you wire them up backwards ? i thought not ?

thermostat was set at max

tis strange....

[lloydy]

i think there is a fuse down by the drivers seat for the fridge on 240v, have you checked for power there?

[16vmini]

i think there is a fuse down by the drivers seat for the fridge on 240v, have you checked for power there?

surely they are 12v fuses ?


Matt

[jpennington]

Re Lloydy's comment - No, that fuse is for the 12v feed. The 240v feed is protected by the circuit breaker just to the left of the fridge.
Is the 240v element is getting warm enough? Have you tried a mid-position setting for the thermostat - just in case its faulty, or sticky?

You've fitted a new 240v element - was it the right wattage? IIRC it should be around 100W.

jp

[lloydy]

i think there is a fuse down by the drivers seat for the fridge on 240v, have you checked for power there?

Oops should read thread properly

[16vmini]

You've fitted a new 240v element - was it the right wattage? IIRC it should be around 100W.

jp

pretty sure , but cant be 100% , i ordered it from the place recomended on brickyard , he looked it up on the electrolux system , had been superseded a few times though

Matt

[horns]

If the element is definitely heating up, then I guess either it isn't getting hot enough, or its not coupled effectively to the fridge and the heat isn't getting transferred.

[1664]

Also, check the thermostat 'clicks' when you turn the knob between max and min values.

[DentedDevon]

Your van (or the fridge) needs to be level for the fridge to work.
Part of the cooling system works by gravity.
The fridges are "tilt tolerant" up to about 6 degrees - not much realy.
Think about how you have been parked when the fridge wasnt working .....

[pirate-pete]

Can you get a meter on the element terminals to measure the resistance? If my maths is right it should be around 56k ohm give or take a few k.

As others have said your fridge sounds OK if it works fine on gas and 12V. As long as the element is in its holder that transfers heat to the coolant pipe then it should work great on 240v. The heat won't be coming from anywhere else will it? Like you have made sure gas is disconnected and so on.

Only other thing I can think is the thermostat cutting power too quick. I suppose you could rule that out by connecting the element directly to the mains and bypassing the front panel controls.

[jpennington]

Pirate-pete: regret your maths is wrong. The element should be around 600 ohms.

P= E**2/R so for a 240v supply 240*240/600 = 96 watts

jp