Thetford fridge not working on gas

[jamestaylor18]

Hi all

I picked up my new to me 2012 Sprite Alpine yesterday, but the fridge doesn't appear to be working on gas. Gas is getting to the fridge as I could smell it after attempting to purge it in case it was air in the gas line (from outside at the vent i could smell gas).

Before taking the van back to the dealer, I wondered if i could check the Peizo manual ignition sparker was in the right place. I took the vent off the outside of the van, but the ignition looks to be housed in a metal case, held on by 4 screws. If I remove the 4 screws, will the ignition then be visible? My thought is by checking this, I could a) see if the ignition is in the correct place, and b) see if it is sparking.

Thanks in advance

 

[Craigyoung]

If you've only just getting the van yesterday I think id be on the phone to the dealer to get them to sort it out.

 

[jamestaylor18]

Hi Craig

I probably will, going away today for 4 days, so wanted to see if any other faults crop up first rather than taking it straight in to the dealer. My thought was if it was something as simple as a miss aligned ignition i could do that myself without taking the van back to the dealer. Just saves a trip back that's all.

 

[Craigyoung]

Hi James, if you've only just getting it and haven't been away yet I agree , go away for a bit and see what else may crop up when away, make a list and get the dealer to sort it out , I must admit , we've had hours a year gone may and I haven't ran mine on gas yet , probably never will cos I'm always on hook up. I'm hoping mine will be fairly easy as I've only got a EHU symbol a battery and a gas symbol on the front of my fridge to press . Have a good first trip .

Craig .

 

[otherclive]

Hi all

I picked up my new to me 2012 Sprite Alpine yesterday, but the fridge doesn't appear to be working on gas. Gas is getting to the fridge as I could smell it after attempting to purge it in case it was air in the gas line (from outside at the vent i could smell gas).

Before taking the van back to the dealer, I wondered if i could check the Peizo manual ignition sparker was in the right place. I took the vent off the outside of the van, but the ignition looks to be housed in a metal case, held on by 4 screws. If I remove the 4 screws, will the ignition then be visible? My thought is by checking this, I could a) see if the ignition is in the correct place, and b) see if it is sparking.

Thanks in advance

I've got a similar van (not identical) and it is quite pernickety to get it to light on gas, although once lit it works fine afterwards. Even after adjusting the ignitor it was still not 100% but got better after using it several times. Someone reckoned it could be moisture in the circuit cables that takes time to dry out. Don't know about that one as we tend only to use it on EHU, but I do like to know that it would work if required.

 

[jamestaylor18]

Thanks Craig, weather looks good so fingers crossed!

Clive, it’s an older thetford fridge, so not much electrical to go wrong hopefully! I tend to use gas initially for the first couple of hours then go to electric once it’s cooling down.

It’s got a 12 month warranty, so that gives me some peace of mind.

Thanks for your replies

 

[Lappy]

Hi James,
Was the fridge working OK when it was at the dealers, prior to bringing it home? and how long did you leave it for, before you decided it did not appear to be working?
It could be as OtherClive says and just needs a bit of practice to get it to light.
Hopefully it will be a simple fix and will not stop you enjoying your time away.
Regards,

 

[otherclive]

One thing worth checking is whether the gas jet is clear. It’s not part of a caravans normal service. Small Tepe brushes can be used as well as a small vacuum with soft brush nozzles.

 

[Dustydog]

One thing worth checking is whether the gas jet is clear. It’s not part of a caravans normal service. Small Tepe brushes can be used as well as a small vacuum with soft brush nozzles.

Clive,
Sorry I have to disagree on the Tepe brushes.
They are soft, designed for teeth and gums. They can shred material which in itself can block the jet and its entry pipe.
Jet pipe steel cleaners are available on the market. They do work but you have to be careful they don’t enlarge the jet orifice.
Best remove the jet, thoroughly clean the feed pipe from source to jet. New jets are cheap as chips. Buy and fit a new jet.
I say all this because I learnt the hard way with our grill. In fact the manufacturers knew of a problem on the grill jet so say you can go up one size of jet by 0.05 mm.
Well the next size up.Never had a problem since.

 

[jamestaylor18]

Hi all

I ended up taking my van back to the dealer as my left side indicator would not work either! I had tried bulb and fuses but nothing! So turned out my adaptor lead was just a bit temperamental which was causing the indicator issue! Next job is to get my tow car electrics changed over! The fridge was that the ignition was not close enough to the burner. All sorted now and happily set up in Wales!

 

[otherclive]

Jet pipe cleaners? Are they like the primus type needle cleaner? I’ve used a fine pink Tepe without problem but accept your view.

 

[Dustydog]

Clive
I did as you until Sir Sproket, a fully qualified caravan engineer corrected me on the gas jet thing. I’m sure our Prof will agree :kiss:

 

[Damian]

Nothing should be used to try and clear fridge gas jets, replace it !!!!

 

[waffler]

Another word of warning about the older Thetford fridges. We had one in a 2009 van and in 2013 had a fridge fire that melted the plastic screens etc- terrifying. Turned out the jet had rusted and the hole was too big. We had had the van serviced every year but inspecting the jet isn't part of the service. It has been since, at extra cost. Apparently the jets are now made of stainless steel. For the record we do go off grid a lot so it gets lots of gas use.