Club 80-90 Forums

Thanks to you all for very constructive responses :
Just need to get on with the job, well, not today

Hi guys, regarding flue cleaning with a wire rod. Oldie but Goldie says there is a portable flue baffle fitted within the flue pipe as in the diagram above. My question is; when cleaning the flue did you remove the baffle ? How was it fitted and in what position? If the spiral baffle remained in place it must be very difficult/ impossible to clean the flue properly !?!
I have not removed my fridge yet, but have been pondering ‘the flue issue’ !?!
Your responses appreciated
Thanks Bill

Hi Bill, my flue isn't like the one described in OBG's diagram (a spiral) but a series of constrictions. They can be felt when I rod the flue from the bottom. I use a straightened wire coat hanger with a small piece of nylon scourer attached. Anything like a scotch pad or the green off a washing up sponge.

As for poor quality gas I was told this by a well known refrigerator engineer and a neighbour told me he always gots better mpg and torque when on holiday on the continent. As said just anecdotal.

In the past I've bought replacement gas jets from Brickwerks but I'm not sure they're still stocked.

Trust all goes well, Max.

When you remove the “Y” shaped top of the flu it will have two slots , the twisty baffle doohiky just hangs there , you simple lift it out , its just a twisted flat baffle , looks a bit like a part of a wind chime

Still a mystery ? I have removed the fridge, removed the gas jet which is clean and clear as is the burner tube.
The flue pipe is the same configuration as described by Max, i.e. there is no loose adjustable baffle, only a few internal protruding/fixed constrictions at the lower end of the flue pipe. To inspect fully i hacksawed off the top Tee piece, removed the burner unit so i could torch through the whole flue pipe. It looked very clear apart from the few lower end constrictions, they are small sticking out metal ears (my description ) However, I did scotchbright all the flue pipe including the Tee piece. I refixed the Tee piece with epoxy glue, a slide over metal tube and c clamps, all gas tight!
Re fitted Fridge and it lit easily, however, 8 hours later it is still not cooling/Cold !!!! Its still a mystery
What to do next ????

Where do you have the (rather crude) temperature knob set? If it's set somewhere in the middle then turning up to "maximum" should create some activity with the flame.

In normal use as the temperature in my fridge increases and the thermostat kicks in I can hear the jet increasing in order to create the desired heat transfer.

If this isn't happening on yours maybe that's where the problem is. It could be something to do with the thermocouple. I had to replace mine about ten years ago.

I feel I got ripped off when replacing mine as one marketed through Westfalia cost around £30 but a generic one would have been about four quid. Not that it mattered I ended up with cold beer and fresh milk!

I'm no refrigeration engineer so beyond this I'm running out of ideas. Worth a dabble I guess.
Regards, Max.

Have you considered buying a Compressor fridge? They take gas out of the equation and only take a small amount of power to run. They are not cheap, but I reckon it's one of the best things I have bought for the van.

R0B wrote: ↑09 Oct 2023, 14:05 Have you considered buying a Compressor fridge? They take gas out of the equation and only take a small amount of power to run. They are not cheap, but I reckon it's one of the best things I have bought for the van.

And with a 100-150w solar panel on the roof, you can run the fridge indefinitely without having to charge batteries or change the gas bottle etc. Cheap solar panels and compressor fridges are a great match!

Check out mocki's Post from 2009. Page 1 second post down. Did you not remember posting it mocki?

viewtopic.php?t=56587

Thanks again for inputs guys.
As previously stated, I did run on mains 220v with Temp Knob rotated clockwise to Max and got ice on the fridge fins etc, So, im doubting the thermostat or gas cycle to be a problem !
Its difficult to see or hear a flame change when adjusting the temperature knob, however, on Max the top tee piece of the flue pipe gets too hot to touch/hold which to me indicates a good heat output from the burner unit. There is no loose baffle in the flue pipe only the 3 or 4 projections as previously mentioned. I thought maybe i could introduce a small additional baffle that would concentrate the heat lower down within the flue !??? Hence do a better job on heating the gas cycle ?

The two hob burners also work well so I assume a good gas supply from my underslung gas cylinder.

Im reluctant to revert to compressor type fridge as i dont have solar panels.

Interesting past topic also, thanks

Photos of fridge flue modified to gain access and cleaning same.

Photo of flue lower end with burner unit detached. The first/fixed baffle constriction can just be seen

I’m not sure about this, but the top tee getting too hot to touch indicates that perhaps a less than optimal amount of heat is being absorbed lower down the flue.

If I’ve time this afternoon I’ll put up a photo or two of the back of mine, hopefully I’ll be able to show the spiral baffle arrangement. My fridge has been in the garage since 2019…. Along with much else…

Had a wee look at mine, RM122

Top tee…


just lifts off…


exposing top of flue with wire loop resting on it…


which when lifted up…


has the spiral baffle hanging on it.


A very simple system. But not an RM184

Hi RogerT, thanks for the photos which shows the baffle very well, BUT your fridge is a different model, hence the loose baffle.
I agree, the flue on my RM184does get very hot at the top Tee, thats why i thought I could introduce some sort of additional baffle to concentrate the flame heat lower down !?
However, in the past years the fridge did work well on gas, most confusing ????

Hi Bill, out of interest where abouts in the world are you based?