Late westy fridge advice

[keith]

Hi

my fridge has always worked great on all 3 sources...until last week.

it now doesn't get cold on 240v...but gas and battery are still fine.

I have read that it may well be the 240 v element ?

does anyone know how to

find it on the fridge !
test it
test any other components that may be suspect

I checked to see that I had 240v power to the van...and that's all good.

any help appreciated

[Ralf85]

If your circuit breaker system is like mine it might have tripped for some reason. You haven't mentioned it but have you checked that? Is the circuit breaker working?

[keith]

If your circuit breaker system is like mine it might have tripped for some reason. You haven't mentioned it but have you checked that? Is the circuit breaker working?

checked that thanks......power to socket is ok ?

[pirate-pete]

If you take the fridge out you can get decent access to the wiring. The power lead ends in a terminal block underneath a cover on the top right hand of the fridge. The elements (both 240 and 12V) go into a canister shaped cover filled with rockwool - as does the flue from the gas burner - where they transfer heat to the coolant. You will see the leads coming out of the element covered in heat resistant insulation sleeving. Should be easy to tell which is 12v and which is 240 v by following where they connect to. Then put a meter set to resistance across the two terminals of the element and make sure you get a reading ( prob hundreds of ohms for the 240v). If you do then the element is fine and you need to check the continuity of the mains cables in and out of the push button switch when set to use mains. Again should be easy to follow which cables you need by looking at what is connected to the mains lead at the terminal block. If you have continuity there try measuring the resistance across the two pin mains plug and you should still see a resistance close to that of the element. If that is OK then you need to make sure your 240V is getting to the mains socket the fridge plugs into.

Most likely you will find your element blown and showing infinite resistance - or else there is a problem with the push button switches that select mains/gas or 12v.

If you need to change the element you can remove that canister of rockwool by unclipping the seam. Then you can unscrew the element from its tube and disconnect the other end at the terminal block.

It's a simple circuit so have a go. The hardest bit is getting the fridge out but once you have done that it is much easier the next time. I've had to remove mine a few times, once for the 240v element but more frequently to clean the gas burner area as rust and that sometimes fall down the flue and stop the igniter sparking.

[keith]

Nice one....thanks. I will do just that.