Problems lighting fridge on gas Ace Award Firestar

[mcork]

Hi All

I have an Ace Award Firestar, which this year we are putting on a permanant pitch with no EHU

I have tried the fridge on gas for the first time and have problems keeping it alight. It fires up and stays alight for maybe half a minite before going out.

I keep repeating this for about half an hour and it will then stay alight, any ideas why it will not stay alight on first try?

Many thanks and Happy Caravanning for the coming season to you all

 

[ij.brooks]

Hi, Its Possible that the your caravan is not level, some fridges need to be completely level to work, My fridge only lights if the caravan is level, so I use a small spirit level before pitching to get a level surface. Hope this helps.

Ian

 

[JTQ]

One thing to try:
Some fridges were made with the fascia panel a little too far forward which inhibited the proper setting of the “flame failure device”. To set this device the knob has to be “fully” pushed in but the panel stops this happening.

I found that removing the knob [ it pulls off] then pressing the shaft fully home set the device properly. So do that test and if it is the problem them scrunge up a little bit of aluminium foil into a ball and put that into the knob's shaft hole as a spacer. I found that a permanent solution to that problem.

If that does not cure it then either the flame failure system, usually the thermostat has go wrong or the burner/jet needs cleaning. Modern H&S forces me to advise you then to seek qualified assistance.

 

[Damian]

The fridge is telling you it needs servicing.
The burner is probably contaminated and needs cleaning or replacing.
Get a Dometic approved engineer to service it.
http://www.dometicapproved.co.uk/service.aspx

The fridges in caravans will light at almost any angle,gas and a spark and it WILL ignite, but may not stay alight.
They will only cool however if the fridge is level to within 3 degrees in both directions

 

[forestgump]

As daman say it cold be the exhaust bloked if its been run on gas a lot ,

 

[waffler]

Some Dometic fridges from 2005 ish had a problem with gas ignition. The flame lit but the sensor did not register it and shut the gas off. We had ours fixed under warranty. Equally might be just a cobweb over the burner. Get it serviced.

 

[forestgump]

What is it forest gump 2

 

[mcork]

Thanks to all the replys. Went out today and tried lighting fridge, again same thing, ingnites and stays alight for 30 sec's or so then goes out showing error code 9. Though this time stayed alight after about the 6/7 trys, and cooled fridge right down after an hour even though 'van is well off level so this is a great improvement . Tried to find a Dometic engineer put in post code but came up as no results. Will keep trying as maybe it has not been used on gas before and may need persuading to act correctly! By the way it is a Thetford fridge on a 2008 van

Thanks again

 

[metz13]

Hi, No good contacting a Dometic engineer if your fridge is a Thetford, go to the Thetford site for an engineer contact in your area, Fault Code 9 is a gas lockout, the fridge is'nt igniting correctly, you do need an engineer to check it out.

 

[Damian]

As Metz says, now that it is known to be a Thetford fridge, it is no good contacing Dometic.
It would be very helpful indeed if users gave the Make and Model of the item they have problems with, it would save a lot of us trying to give helpful advice only to be talking about the wrong make or model.

As it is a Thetford, the most likely problem will be the power board which will need replacing and is certainly NOT a DIY job.