Gas fumes from Fridge

[Clive-Cardiff]

Hi All,

I'm looking for ideas on the cause of strong smelling fumes coming from the fridge vents of my year old van when on gas. A couple of times when I had the fridge on gas to cool down before a trip the fumes have entered the van and caused the carbon monoxide alarm to set off.

I have used the fridge on gas in the past for odd days here and there and have had no trouble. The flame is a clear blue and seems to be perfect.

The Dometic rep has renewed the jet - no good. Today he fitted a new burner unit complete and cleared the very small amount of soot from the flue, and still I've got the smell.

The rep is contacting Dometic for them to come up with ideas but I am hoping that someone will have come across this problem before.

The fridge works perfectly on mains and 12v.

I'm starting to wonder about the gas regulator, is the pressure correct? If the pressure coming though the regulator was too high would this cause the problem?

It's difficult to check this now with these new bulkhead regulators, with the old type I could have just tried a different reg to check

 

[PaulHull]

I'm not sure of the cause or the cure but if there's a smell of gas anywhere in your van or your carbon monoxide alarm is being activated do not use your gas system. If you aren't poisoned to death you may be blown up!

 

[Clive-Cardiff]

Sorry I should have made myself a bit clearer. The fumes are not gas but the exhaust from the burning of the gas. The occasions when the alarm has been set off is when the fridge has been left on overnight to cool down with nobody in the van.

We would of course not use the fridge on gas while we are living in the van.

 

[gary]

I don't know whats wrong with this fridge or indeed if anything is?

First thing is the amount of gas being burnt,the total is very very small so any partly burnt, producing some CO, would be very much less still.

In other words I'm not at all sure how the possible CO from a very small start could get into the van and build enough to set off the alarm??

The mention of 'soot' does mean some CO is being produced, but then you say 'a very small amount' which ties in with what I say above.

You also mention a nice blue flame which again should not produce enough CO to deposit soot.

Finally you say it's hardly been used on gas and it's also worth mentioning CO does not smell

My feeling then is it's paint fumes from the flue tube that are burning off, this would certainly smell, would produce soot and quite probably set off the CO alarm?

 

[DEANO3528]

I know exactly what you mean. In 12 years we never had a spot of bother with our old RM212 fridge. Then suddenly after the Land Rover show at Billing this year the fridge wouldn't start on gas at our next event. So I pulled the fridge out for an inspection and found some deposit on the jet which may have been blocking it.

Cleaned it up and replaced the fridge in it's hole. Fired up first time with lovely flame and getting cool almost immediately...

...and then the CO alarm sounded - all the time; the smell was atrocious!

Hauled the fridge out again, thinking I'd got the lazy tee wrong but no, all ok.

...and then the CO alarm went off - again, and again.

Never did find the root cause, just decided to take the genny with us and run on 240 during daylight hours. Not entirely ideal but got us to the end of our season.

Looking for a new 'van now as too much going wrong with our 1981 model.