Thetford fridge problem

[Robby25]

Hi
My recently purchased 2008 Compass Corona Club 462, which is in excellent condition, appears to have a problem with the N112 refrigerator, unfortunately this has occurred just weeks after the warranty expired!!
So basically looking for some help in isolating the problem with a view to possibly carrying out the repair myself.
It operates fine on gas but not on electricity, I've run it on gas for 12hours and tried switching to the leccy but it just defrosts.
Tried leaving it switched on electric for 6hrs but still nothing.
I am aware that this does seem to be a troublesome unit, with the main culprit possibly being either the heating element or the board , but I have noticed that when it's on electric although it's not working there is still heat coming from the exterior vent, would this rule out the heating element making it more likely that it's the board.

Any help would be appreciated

Many thanks
Rob

 

[Martin_E]

If your getting heat out of the back of the fridge then using leccy then the element is working.

What was the outside temp when you were trying your fridge?

If it was cold out

 

[Rodone]

Hello Rob,
Are you sure that the inside of your fridge is warm enough for the thermostat to be operated, especially if you have tried it on gas and already had it down to working temperature. The interior of a fridge Inside a caravan will usually be down to its working temperature, this time of year, even if left closed. Try warming the inside of the fridge slightly and then try the leccy setting with the stat set at its coldest.Remember too that it will take much longer to show any results than will the gas setting.

 

[Robby25]

Hi
Many thanks for the replies, the outside temp was something I hadn't considered, as there is no ref to this in the handbook, but I understand what you are saying.
The temp has been pretty low so I'm hoping that this might be the solution, so as an experiment I made a couple of covers today, leaving a gap along the top and taped them on (they are £34 a pair so didn't want to fork out for the proper ones at the min just in case)
I fired up the fridge on gas and left it till it froze some cubes in the freezer, then switched over to the leccy earlier on this evening, so I'll check it tomorrow, see what's happened and go from there
Thanks again
Rob

 

[Robby25]

Okay, checked this morning and unfortunately it had defrosted, why am I not surprised! so as Rodone suggested I switched it off, put the heater on with an additional blower to heat up the inside of the fridge a bit, then restarted the fridge on the mains, and left it for 5hrs.
Then when I checked it, I was more than a bit surprised to find that the inside of the freezer compt was actually quite warm!
Could this be a consequence of partially covering the vent?
So I'm no further forward and probably even more confused as to what the problem might be.
One other thing that I hadn't really taken much notice of, is that the fridge interior light is not working, I had assumed it was just the bulb, but on checking today there is no power at the contacts, along with the initial problem, could this be an indication of a possible PCB fault or are they totally unrelated?
Rob

 

[Surfer]

Okay, checked this morning and unfortunately it had defrosted, why am I not surprised! so as Rodone suggested I switched it off, put the heater on with an additional blower to heat up the inside of the fridge a bit, then restarted the fridge on the mains, and left it for 5hrs.
Then when I checked it, I was more than a bit surprised to find that the inside of the freezer compt was actually quite warm!
Could this be a consequence of partially covering the vent?
So I'm no further forward and probably even more confused as to what the problem might be.
One other thing that I hadn't really taken much notice of, is that the fridge interior light is not working, I had assumed it was just the bulb, but on checking today there is no power at the contacts, along with the initial problem, could this be an indication of a possible PCB fault or are they totally unrelated?
Rob

When was the caravan purchased as the dealer may still be responsible for the repair even though the warranty has expired.
When ours packed up, the problem was traced to the PCB and this had to be replaced however ours is a 2011 caravan. It seems that there is a common issue with the PCB failing and cost about £120 to replace before labour costs.

 

[Robby25]

Hi
I've already spoke to the dealer when I first realised there was a problem, he said they would maybe help out a bit with the repair but it would depend on the how much it was going to cost!

Spoke again with Thetford today and it's not looking good, taking into account all the symptoms they reckon I need a new fridge, can't afford that so I'm gutted to be honest.

 

[Damian]

From your description it sounds like you have issues with the cooling matrix, or more precisely the coolant within.
Unfortunately with Thetford fridges the cooling matrix cannot be replaced on its own and it does indeed mean a new fridge complete.
I would suggest NOT replacing with another Thetford but look for a Dometic unit of the same size.

Thetford are good at making toilets, not fridges.
Dometic are very good at fridges, not toilets.

 

[Robby25]

Hi
Thank you for your advice, but I have to admit to being confused, obviously I don't know what I'm talking about but if it was the cooling matrix, surely that would affect operation on gas as well, or am I missing something?

Rob

 

[Martin_E]

Rob

The gas is more efficient, so if there is a partial blockage the extra effitiancy may be enough to circulate the coolent.

But until you get the fridge checked out professionally it's difficult for anyone to say for sure where the problem lays.

 

[lolo]

I had to replace my N112 and I was able to secure a new one for £500 ish instead of the (I believe) £800 ish which normally applies. If you find yourself needing to replace your fridge, I can give you a telephone number to check availability. Place is in Humberside.

 

[Silverwings]

Hi Rob,

I appreciate this is an old thread, but did you ever resolve the problem, or was a new fridge required? I have exactly the same problem, working fine on gas, but not on 240V even though the 240V heater is definitely working.

Thanks

 

[chrisn7]

I had an N112 that failed and after testing dealer stated it had to be replaced as some mains component which had been replaceable on previous models was no longer repairable. So I went on to the latest N3000 series under warranty which I pleased with as they cost well over £1k!

 

[Hutch]

I think if my Fridge in the Coachman was to retire, As we like this van,and seldom go on Non EHU site I would fit a non gas fridge at about £200 or less.
Thats just me though.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I think if my Fridge in the Coachman was to retire, As we like this van,and seldom go on Non EHU site I would fit a non gas fridge at about £200 or less.
Thats just me though.

There may be some trouble finding a non caravan fridge that will fit the space, but its certainly worth considering. I also wonder whether a compressor driven fridge would be too noisy in the confined space of a caravan, where the walls are like a sound box of a guitar.

 

[Anseo]

Being a hearing impaired tight Scot I could enjoy the strains of an inexpensive fridge guitar.

Am with Hutch here, why not, worth a try, it probably would be just fine.

 

[Hutch]

Prof, the fridge in our kitchen , is silent, maybe with a burst, just after the door is opened and the temp drops, the size no problems, many different. It's just a thought though.

Maybe some one on a static pitch this would be an alternative.
And of my fridge sounded like Peter Green I would be happy.

 

[otherclive]

I had an N112 that failed and after testing dealer stated it had to be replaced as some mains component which had been replaceable on previous models was no longer repairable. So I went on to the latest N3000 series under warranty which I pleased with as they cost well over £1k!

Which model N3000 series do you have as the N3080 can be purchased for £649 although the most expensive akin to a domestic fridge freezer comes in at £1238.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Prof, the fridge in our kitchen , is silent, maybe with a burst, just after the door is opened and the temp drops, the size no problems, many different. It's just a thought though.

Maybe some one on a static pitch this would be an alternative.
And of my fridge sounded like Peter Green I would be happy.

Compressor fridges are not silent, they may be very low noise when they run, and sometimes even the fluid in the pipes can make a noise when the compressor stops. My hearing is far from perfect now, and I do have tinnitus, but when I sit in our kitchen with a concrete floor I can still hear our fridge(kitchen) and freezer(utility) running. I can only imagine in the smaller confines and the resonant nature of a caravan those products wold certainly be much louder. I have certainly heard the compressors in AC units in caravans, and I think it would be difficult to sleep with any of them running.

But it may all depend on the individual appliance, and how much head banging you may have done as teenager.

 

[Parksy]

Our caravan fridge packed in just before we were due to go to St Ives, Cornwall in the summer.
Nobody could fit the caravan in for a repair before we went and the fridge didn't work on gas or on ehu so I bought a second hand relatively small table top fridge for £20 via E-Bay, put it in the back of the 4x4 for the 180 mile trip and mounted it in the awning on the caravan dining table with a foam awning floor square under the fridge to reduce the possibility of vibration and noise.
The table top fridge (which has a small freezer compartment) worked perfectly, there was no noticeable noise and the bargain fridge got me out of trouble during the hot weather.
The caravan fridge was duly repaired when we were back home (£180, the PCB had to be replaced) so the table top fridge is currently languishing in my garage at home ready for the next cooling emergency or to serve as a garden shed beer fridge when I get my new shed.

 

[chrisn7]

IIRC its N3175, which indeed like a domestic unit.