Fridge Fumes any suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[SteveandSue]

Dometic Tower system on our Carthago- - had fume smells previously only when wind direction is blowing directly at/into fridge vents - at one time had both carbon monoxide alarms going off when van was all closed up and fridge on gas. At the top of the TEC tower inside the van there is a ventilation/air gap above the cooker and this is where the fumes blow in when its windy. Didn't have this gap on our last van with TEC tower.

Since then - had hab check done several months ago - fridge wasn't serviced but they checked with their machine & couldn't find anything wrong - of course not as no wind in their workshop.

Had fridge serviced locally before we came over to France - new burner fitted - and again everything checked out OK - and again - their workshop was surprisingly lacking in wind.

So how to solve the problem when we get back to the UK? thinking that there must be a problem with the seal behind the fridge - so to try and identify where the problem is - I was thinking to use a smoke bomb in lower compartment/grill - seal both of the grills and try and see where smoke is getting through? and seal with tape? Of course the only test will be when its windy

Any suggestions or experiences with this problem?

 

[Lenny HB]

The vent at the top of the oven are fitted in factory fitted TecTowers but not in dealer fitted ones. If you take the fridge top vent off or the front panel above the oven you will see the fridge is sealed from the area above the top of the oven, normally sealed with clear silicon and a s/a foam tape and this sometimes gets ruffled up when fitting the tower often happens if a dealer or service guy has had the fridge out.
Easy to cure just run some clear silicon around all the edges and the joint between the fridge & oven.
We had a 2008 Hymer that used to do it occasionally but only in winds well above gale force, our last van a 2014 Hymer was fine and the new one looks OK.

 

[movan]

I paid £80 to have mine taken out and all vents cleaned, etc., whilst at a show ... not a lot to pay for sleeping securely. It has been great since and that was about 3 yrs ago.

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[tonyidle]

The fridge should not produce CO - sealing it to the van interior makes sure that if it is faulty the resultant CO is vented outside. If the fridge smells strongly it is burning improperly, is producing CO, and will probably smoke stain the vent / flue area too. It simply needs the burner servicing & probably a new jet.

 

[Mr B]

We had it happen on our swift caravan.....
Turns out it was a huuuuge dead spider in the burner thingy. Made a big black soot mark on the fridge vent and side of the van. New vent and a good polish was needed

 

[JJ]

I have a feeling that carbon monoxide is odourless...

JJ

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[Lenny HB]

I have a feeling that carbon monoxide is odourless...

JJ

True, it will the burnt gas fumes they are smelling and that is probably setting off the alarm as they respond to other gases as well as CO.

 

[DavidG58]

I recall many years back having a solid fuel advisor at our house regarding chimney improvements

Before the days when CO monitors were widely available, we had a smokey coal smell in one bedroom, turned out we had a crack in the chimney that needed relining

His words stuck with me, that we were lucky to have the smell of the smoke, as CO is indeed colourless and odourless, we could easily have been poisoned if we had not been made aware of the leak by the smoke smell, he also said that in most cases if you can smell fumes you will have almost certainly have CO present to a dangerous level if inside

Hence the alarm in this case maybe, although as said other gases may trigger it

 

[SteveandSue]

Thanks for all the replies -
Note it has just been serviced and new burner fitted - everything seemed OK with the old one but when tested it set off his tester so replaced - as Lenny is saying it is only when the wind is in the right direction - sealing from the back via the vents is my option but just wondered if anyone had used a smoke bomb to thoroughly test? or is this a daft idea?

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[WillH]

I removed my fridge and sealed it properly at both the rear and front, stopped all the draughts as well.

 

[pappajohn]

just wondered if anyone had used a smoke bomb to thoroughly test? or is this a daft idea?

Have you ever smelt a smoke bomb ?

Most acrid smell I have ever had the displeasure of.

 

[Fletton]

Have you ever smelt a smoke bomb ?

Most acrid smell I have ever had the displeasure of.

And they make a LOT of smoke too!!!
Used them lots in the past when testing domestic flues...
It wouldn't be something i'd consider "letting off" in a MH ..

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[Busman]

Thank you for posting this @SteveandSue and peoples replys, happened to me a couple of days ago. Booked into Camperserve 10/04 to get it checked out

 

[treetops1]

You could fit a 12v extractor fan on the inside of your top exterior vent .I fitted mine to remove heat build up when in Spain and improve the refrigeration and I did notice that the odd fumes when the wind was blowing in a cirtain direction stopped lol.