Swift group recall

[TommyG_5041736]

Swift group have started to end out recall letters..

2006 model fridge/freezer instalation fault.. to be rectified by local dealer.

Apparently it is lack of ventilation holes and is a "proactive fault" and not a health and safety issue...

TommyG

 

[geoffh]

I wonder if this is on the thetford fridges I have been speaking to them for the last three weeks about mine Still awaiting a confirmation letter to tell me if its safe or not.they say the fridge should be fully sealed from the habitation area.mines got holes and gaps etc.

Chichester caravans tell me not to worry all they other vans in stock are the same.

Not happy with this answer will post update when I get it

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

Our van is back at the dealers for it's first service.

Thankfully, we got the recall letter on Saturday, so that's saved an extra trip. Dealer did mention that he's having difficulty with the parts from Swift, but would certainly be sorting the problem out, what ever it is!

BTW it is the Thetford fridge!

 

[geoffh]

I am worried about my lunar because the fridge cooling area which is also where the gas burner is because it is not sealed from the habitation area of the caravan thetfords tell me it should be .

but chichester caravans say otherwise.

who is right?

I will write to both

 

[antrimboy]

Geoff, I THINK you'll find Chichester C'vans are right.Gas is heavier than air, and if there is a gas leak, in theory, it should escape via the holes cut out of the floor.

Re the Swift recall, see here; http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=8&TopicID=93325&PagePosition=1

 

[rob_jax]

The fridge heat exchanger (which includes the gas exhaust for the fridge) must be sealed from the interior of the caravan - cooling air should only enter via the lower vent and exit via the upper vent.

The space at the back of the fridge also needs to be smaller than most people expect - to get a good rate of air flow across the heat exchangers.

Robert

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Geoff and Eddie

With regard to the sealing of the Thetford fridge to the habitation area of the van the correct information is supplied by the appliance manufacturer, not the installer.

The Gas Safety (Installation and use) regulations quite clearly state that all gas appliances must be installed according to the manufactures instructions, and the relevant codes of practice. This means that the installer must follow all the relevant instructions. If Thetford state that the product must have a room seal, then to fail to achieve it is a breach of the regulations.

Thetford will have spent a great deal of time and money to establish the correct way of installing their product such that it affords the maximum safety to the user and that the product works correctly. These instructions will have been ratified by an independent laboratory, for safety under a wide range of operating conditions, and to comply with a number European Standards, before the product would be accredited with meeting the criteria for CE marking which it must have for a gas appliance to be sold within the EU.

Eddie, yes both unburnt butane and propane gas are heavier than air, and whilst the hot fflue gasses are lighter than air, all these can be blown about by wind. Consequently if an appliance is designed to be room sealed, but the seal is compromised, then it is possible that a wind of sufficient strength and direction could carry unburnt gas or flue products back into the habital volume.

Based on the limited information given, It is my view that the installer has probably failed to complete the installation correctly, with potential issues relating safety.

 

[antrimboy]

Hello John L, many thanks for your informative reply.

I'm not sure whether I have misunderstood Geoff's query or not, but are we referring to a seal which surrounds the housing, between the fridge and the housing, because if so, I have never had one sealed to the best of my knowledge?

 

[gary]

Until recently the only choice for fridges was Electrolux and these fridges had a seperate flue to the outside, a 'room seal' for the rest of the fridge was then, (and still is for Electrolux), more to do with stopping cold drafts into the van.

However some Thetford fridges work differently in as much as the flue terminates just inside the van behind the top vent. Although with this method the flues gasses will still for the most part go outside, the room seal becomes more important to stop anything getting back into the van.

So with Eletrolux it is not a safety requirement but one of comfort while with Thetford it's a must.

As regards the recall, this is a potential problem which I'm told requires an unlikely malfunction of the fridge where normal 'floor' ventilation may or may not be able to cope.

It's under these circumstances Swift want to improve the ventilation 'just in case' and would explain their use of the word 'proactive'

 

[geoffh]

I have a thetford fridge in my new lunar but no recall?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Eddie,

I cannot give specific advice about yours or Geoff's particular installation as I cannot see them, and I do not have a set of Thetford installation instructions to refer to, so my earlier reply was to set out the position with regard to required conformance to the appliance manufacturers instructions, and my conclusion was based on the information supplied in this forum.

I think that Gary's subsequent contribution may provide you with more specific information about the differences between Thetford and the well established Electrolux(Dometic) fridges.

If Thetford state in their installation instructions that a room seal should be established, they will have indicated how this should be achieved. If the Installers have not conformed to that instruction, they have failed to meet the requirements of the Act.

As to the consequences of the non-conformance, the occupants of the caravan could be exposes under certain wind conditions to the products of combustion, which are hazardous to health.

However the risk to health is probably quite low, because fridges tend to produce relatively small amounts of flue gasses, and it would require a particular set of wind speeds and directions to cause the flue gasses to be forced into the habitation area.

With the amount of ventilation that that should be fixed in a caravan, it is likely that the rate of air change within the habitation area would prevent the flue gasses from accumulating to a hazardous concentration in the caravan.

Even with these mitigating circumstances, if the appliance has not been fitted correctly, then the installers are in breach of the Act.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Eddie,

I cannot give specific advice about yours or Geoff's particular installation as I cannot see them, and I do not have a set of Thetford installation instructions to refer to, so my earlier reply was to set out the position with regard to required conformance to the appliance manufacturers instructions, and my conclusion was based on the information supplied in this forum.

I think that Gary's subsequent contribution may provide you with more specific information about the differences between Thetford and the well established Electrolux(Dometic) fridges.

If Thetford state in their installation instructions that a room seal should be established, they will have indicated how this should be achieved. If the Installers have not conformed to that instruction, they have failed to meet the requirements of the Act.

As to the consequences of the non-conformance, the occupants of the caravan could be exposes under certain wind conditions to the products of combustion, which are hazardous to health.

However the risk to health is probably quite low, because fridges tend to produce relatively small amounts of flue gasses, and it would require a particular set of wind speeds and directions to cause the flue gasses to be forced into the habitation area.

With the amount of ventilation that that should be fixed in a caravan, it is likely that the rate of air change within the habitation area would prevent the flue gasses from accumulating to a hazardous concentration in the caravan.

Even with these mitigating circumstances, if the appliance has not been fitted correctly, then the installers are in breach of the Act.

I should add that to put the the hazard issue into perspective the burner rings on your cooker probably produce more flue product than the fridge.

 

[DeliDave]

As a corgi fitter,sadly not qualified for Leisure vehicles,I should think you could ask for a Corgi Inspector to view the installation to see if it has been done properly.

 

[gary]

There seems to be a confusion creeping in between the recall and some fridges being room sealed and others not.

The recall is specifically to do with adding extra floor ventilation and not with incorrect room sealing. The recall amounts to adding two extra 'gas drop holes' in the floor to eliminate any potential of leaking gas building up.

From posts on other forums it would appear that the recall only applies to certain Swift group vans fitted with a particular fridge, regardless all recall notices have gone out direct to owners and should have been received by now.