Motorhome Fridges, Are They All Crap? (1 Viewer)

[Techno]

Yesssssss... Well I have seen it as low as 180v on some of the bigger sites !!!
Voltage in the UK is supposed to be 230v but in a lot of areas is now 220v to match the rest of Europe
Today mine is sitting at 222v according to the read out ( which may be wrong of course, but is on a pucka EE supplied panel which I occasionally get to borrow for testing purposes ;-)

Europe is supposed to be 230 volts, that is everyone

 

[Glandwr]

Every time you open the door on a fridge at that temp all the cold air inside tumbles out onto the floor. Ever since I got a cool box and take my beer out a dozen at a time instead of every 5mins mine has performed much better.

Dick

 

[Minxy]

The only time we've really had a problem with a fridge not working was when in France during a heatwave in 2005 where the temperatures were over 40!!! Everything was melting ... including us!!!!

As for levelling the van, some older fridges are very sensitive to even a small angles, however modern ones are much more tilt tolerant.

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[gus-lopez]

Mines a Truma T800. 25 years old. works well in lower ambient temps. but obviously struggles here except maybe in December ! lol. I installed fans in the air outtake & it works well on 12v & gas. At the moment its on ehu & struggles during the day, with ambient temp around 38ºc . The ice on fridge fins that is there overnight disappears as does the freezer box. So Sunday I decided to turn on the fans whilst on mains & it is now running far, far better.
In all honesty it does need replacing as it has seen better days !

Yesssssss... Well I have seen it as low as 180v on some of the bigger sites !!!
Voltage in the UK is supposed to be 230v but in a lot of areas is now 220v to match the rest of Europe
Today mine is sitting at 222v according to the read out ( which may be wrong of course, but is on a pucka EE supplied panel which I occasionally get to borrow for testing purposes ;-)

Here the voltage could be anything. Especially if you have the older thin overhead cables. They are guaranteed to fall below the requirements , especially if you are towards the end of the line, & always at around 1,30pm onwards in autumn , winter , early spring , as everyone starts to prepare the afternoon meal. You could set your watch by it .
My mate used to be on the end of a couple of bell wires & you could tell the time by the voltage Used to get down to 167v. We always had to stop welding around 1pm as the machines wouldn't work.
Any fancy washing machine with programmers gets scrambled.

Europe is supposed to be 230 volts, that is everyone

see above. They don't do anything here until you complain & then if they think the can get away with it & you don't know the law ,they'll tell you that you've got to pay for the " upgrading "
There is actually an electrical body you can contact that will install test recorders over a 30 day period & then instruct the electric company to rectify the problem at their expense .
That's if the threat of the 'hojas de reclamación' didn't do the trick!

 

[FunnyFendt]

Had exactly the same problem as just done 6 weeks in France and fridge was fine on gas and also on hookup but nothing when driving. Had a poke about at the back and found a couple of problems, the easy one was removing the winter covers, plastic strips that cut down the venting area. The main problem however was a faulty relay that switches the load to the 12v element when the van is running.
Our 12v element is 170watts and it is written on the side of the cable. You will need the trusty meter to check the voltages. Ours was a broken coil wire which I couldn't fix as it was the first bit that gets wound and not the last bit. Anyway after failing to find a replacement we survived on buying daily stuff and using fridge as storage.
Managed to get another from my bro. When visiting him in Belgium and replaced it. Now it will freeze the blue blocks after about 1 hours drive. In the photo the relay is the small black bit just under the terminal block. Fridge is a domestic, van is a Rapido. Need to clean out the area. Hope you get things fixed.

 

[etap]

I have just read in the Thetford user manual " to improve the cooling performance in high temperatures, Thetford advises to install the Ventilater Kit. It helps to detract the warm air quicker to the vents, the kit is suitable for all Thetford Refrigerators"
Does anyone know what this looks like or indeed what it is.
Etap

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[GJH]

I have just read in the Thetford user manual " to improve the cooling performance in high temperatures, Thetford advises to install the Ventilater Kit. It helps to detract the warm air quicker to the vents, the kit is suitable for all Thetford Refrigerators"
Does anyone know what this looks like or indeed what it is.
Etap

http://www.thetford-europe.com/product/ventilator-kit-refrigerators/

 

[etap]

Thanks GJH, it looks too complicated for me I wonder if it works?
Etap

 

[GeebeeJaybee]

Thanks everyone. Not sure how old an "older" fridge is. Ours is a 5 year old MH with dometic fridge.

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[gus-lopez]

Thanks GJH, it looks too complicated for me I wonder if it works?
Etap

see post no.34
yes it does work . any sort of extraction will work. Mine is just 2x 80mm computer fans , 12 volt, operating on an on/off switch. I'll track down a thermal switch when I am in the uk.

 

[GeebeeJaybee]

Intermittent data connection now since at summit of Col D'aspin for tomorrow's race. Good news is no longer care about the fridge as they are selling beer and bbq up here!

 

[Gorse Hill]

Yesssssss... Well I have seen it as low as 180v on some of the bigger sites !!!
Voltage in the UK is supposed to be 230v but in a lot of areas is now 220v to match the rest of Europe
Today mine is sitting at 222v according to the read out ( which may be wrong of course, but is on a pucka EE supplied panel which I occasionally get to borrow for testing purposes ;-)

If it's as low as 180v, possible it's outside the operating tolerance of the fridge
Surprised it's gets that low, as a lot of equipment only has a 20% tolerance rating if not less

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[Moodybrook]

I keep mine on gas

Don't think that would be recommended, I'd be worried that it got blown out and Gas was building up somewhere for a maxi ignition/explosion.

However does it work ?

 

[Jean-luc]

View attachment 69335 View attachment 69336 Had exactly the same problem as just done 6 weeks in France and fridge was fine on gas and also on hookup but nothing when driving. Had a poke about at the back and found a couple of problems, the easy one was removing the winter covers, plastic strips that cut down the venting area. The main problem however was a faulty relay that switches the load to the 12v element when the van is running.
Our 12v element is 170watts and it is written on the side of the cable. You will need the trusty meter to check the voltages. Ours was a broken coil wire which I couldn't fix as it was the first bit that gets wound and not the last bit. Anyway after failing to find a replacement we survived on buying daily stuff and using fridge as storage.
Managed to get another from my bro. When visiting him in Belgium and replaced it. Now it will freeze the blue blocks after about 1 hours drive. In the photo the relay is the small black bit just under the terminal block. Fridge is a domestic, van is a Rapido. Need to clean out the area. Hope you get things fixed.

See the rusting on the pipes.
A friend with a similar Dometic Fridge Freezer which is only five years old is having to replace the unit costing over €1000.
Reason, the rusting pipes sprang a leak and let all the ammonia go.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9762893.Students_recovering_after_fridge_leaks_toxic_gas/

 

[Malcolm Bolt]

I have a fridge. It did not work very well. Got it fixed by Ash at Stratford show. Now it works. Sometimes it works bloody hard. We have recently been in Spain with hook up at 43 degrees. It done well. We moved to the coast for a much more comfortable 36 where it performed well on gas. When we move on we resist the temptation to open for cold drinks every few kilometres. This evening we pulled up and it was 49 degrees outside. The fridge vents were on the sunny side so we have taken cooling bebidas in local bars. Leaving the fridge closed 'til morning
It il be fine. Thanks ASH.

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[dpsuk999]

See the rusting on the pipes.
A friend with a similar Dometic Fridge Freezer which is only five years old is having to replace the unit costing over €1000.
Reason, the rusting pipes sprang a leak and let all the ammonia go.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9762893.Students_recovering_after_fridge_leaks_toxic_gas/

That was a DOMESTIC fridge freezer not a DOMETIC fridge freezer as in MH's and caravans.

 

[mjltigger]

Thanks everyone. Not sure how old an "older" fridge is. Ours is a 5 year old MH with dometic fridge.

Not knowing how old it is ... Standard .. ours is a self build someone else did and more than likely had a second hand fridge put in when it was done.

Keeps stuff cold though

 

[busby]

Don't think that would be recommended, I'd be worried that it got blown out and Gas was building up somewhere for a maxi ignition/explosion.

However does it work ?

If flame goes out ,,gas supply to jet stops,,,bi metalic strip sees to that ..BUSBY.

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[Jean-luc]

That was a DOMESTIC fridge freezer not a DOMETIC fridge freezer as in MH's and caravans.

I know
But I was referring to the leaking ammonia issue which was common to both the fridge in the newspaper article and my buddy's DOMETIC fridge freezer.
The rusting pipes I was referring to were the ones in the pics accompanying FunnyFendt's post.

 

[Lenny HB]

Yesssssss... Well I have seen it as low as 180v on some of the bigger sites !!!
Voltage in the UK is supposed to be 230v but in a lot of areas is now 220v to match the rest of Europe
Today mine is sitting at 222v according to the read out ( which may be wrong of course, but is on a pucka EE supplied panel which I occasionally get to borrow for testing purposes ;-)

Not as far as I'm aware, the UK is still nonmally 240v & the rest of the EU 220 v.
All that changed was the definition & tolerances, which are now:
230v +6% -10%.
This allowed EU countries to operate at their existing voltages but still be within the global specification.
The volatage can between 207 - 244 and still meet the 230v standard.

 

[Jaws]

Not being in Sussex I canna comment on what the voltages are there..

This morning, in Thetford, on transformer 1198 spur A6 my voltage is 227v.
I have no doubt it will be different again in an hour !
About the only consistent thing is the 50 hertz.. But then that is easy to maintain

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[Lenny HB]

227 is well within spec.
I take it you are on one of those dodgy overhead connections. Our supply never varies outside 240-242.

 

[Tricia and Bill]

We are now down in Fleurence and i am worrying about our fridge. Are they just crap or is it only ours?

It seems alright overnight on gas when its cooler but through the day when driving with it on cab battery it does nowt. Similarly if on gas if not the middle of the night. No hook up here but was ok on that in Uk but then again it wasnt 25 degrees plus!

So, are they just crap?

Jen

We have never had a problem with any of ours but many people think. That because it is very hot they have to put it on the coldest setting and this means that the fridge is trying to get colder while the motor is getting hotter, an impossible task. Just keep it on your normal setting and it should be fine, especially on gas.

 

[Jaws]

227 is well within spec.
I take it you are on one of those dodgy overhead connections. Our supply never varies outside 240-242.

Not really no, but we are right on the end on a large estate and furthest from the backbone..
I would have expected the compensator windings to normalise the local transformer output but suspect the installation is past its best.. It is almost 60 years old now..

In the town centre not so long ago one street suffered a massive surge ( lord knows how high it went ! ) It destroyed all the stock on display in a computer shop, and popped every light that was on down the whole street !!!

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[TPMM]

I keep mine on gas when driving , stays colder.

Are you serious? I thought that driving with gas on was unwise - we always have a mini panic if we realise we haven't switched it off when we are on the road and stop and do so. Current husband says he thought it was illegal in France. Our fridge works fine in all three power modes so we've never needed to worry about it - but if we did have a problem with it working on battery then suing gas mode whilst driving might be relevant - if legal and/or advisable!

 

[Sallytrafic]

As usual there are facts and opinions all mixed up plus the experiences which each of us have had are bound to vary as the model of fridge and the installation vary. Here is what I think is the truth.
Unless you have a compressor fridge (IMO the best option) all fridges work by heating a liquid (coolant) in a closed system. The liquid then condenses and cools the fridge. The liquid has to find its way back to the heated part by gravity and that is affected by whether the fridge is being vibrated by being moved or if stationary what angle it is at. It used to be the case that the fridge had to be within three degrees of level to work but newer designs can cope with higher tilts.
If you have a three way fridge there are three ways of heating the coolant. The 12V heating element tends to be a lower powered one than the other two as the current demand is high. Older fridges drew about 8 Amps which meant it was about 100W. This was often only enough to maintain whatever temperature the fridge was at when you started driving. As others have said voltage drop due to inadequate wiring poor relay contacts etc would make it worse. Modern fridges rely on modern standards of vehicle electrical wiring and I have seen over 200w heaters, these are well capable of cooling a fridge down especially with improved insulation. My 6 y/o fridge has the same wattage for mains and 12V. The jet of a gas heater can get partially blocked by soot or as a result of corrosion. As less heat will be available from a blocked jet the effect will be for the fridge not to keep cool. The same result would be if the mains voltage was too low although some fridges wouldn't cope at all with low mains voltage.
Lastly how you use a fridge has a big effect, even your compressor fridge or freezer at home won't cope if you fill it up with room temperature stuff or keep opening the door. So those that advise a cooling down period have got a valid point.

 

[Guruken]

Great information & insights by several commentators.
In summary my experiences have been as follows especially when ambient temps exceed 25C.
Keep the MH gas Fridge as close as possible to "side to side" level. I fit a small sight bubble on the top of an adjacent cupboard.
Keep fridge side of MH in shade if possible ( in hot parts of Australia a small detachable sun shade is often fitted over fridge side location).
Keep the gas jet clean as wax and rust particles can reduce gas flow and consequently cooling. I carry a special fine wire tool + 2 correct spanners + gas pipe sealant for jet dismantling & cleaning .
Make sure door seals are air tight ( a test strip of fine stiff cellophane should have resistance to side movement all the way around the door seal.
Discourage fridge gazing with the door wide open. I fit a small stick on press to operate LED light inside fridge to make finding items easier & quicker.
Make sure the fridge is not so stuffed with packages that the door cannot close and seal properly.
These fridges can technically be described as a Heat Pump.
A high back end heat rejection temperature will markedly reduce cooling performance. I fit a pack of 3 x 80mm square 12V computer fans ( about 0.1A ea) tied together with nylon cable ties & close coupled/strung with a loop of fine wire directly under the rear top finned heat exchanger. A small control toggle switch on front control panel to allow switch off when not needed.
It works a treat to dramatically improve the fridge cooling performance in hot weather with a very small 12v Battery drain.
I hope this helps.
Kindly
Ken Curry

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[tonyidle]

As usual there are facts and opinions all mixed up plus the experiences which each of us have had are bound to vary as the model of fridge and the installation vary. Here is what I think is the truth.
Unless you have a compressor fridge (IMO the best option) all fridges work by heating a liquid (coolant) in a closed system. The liquid then condenses and cools the fridge. The liquid has to find its way back to the heated part by gravity and that is affected by whether the fridge is being vibrated by being moved or if stationary what angle it is at. It used to be the case that the fridge had to be within three degrees of level to work but newer designs can cope with higher tilts.
If you have a three way fridge there are three ways of heating the coolant. The 12V heating element tends to be a lower powered one than the other two as the current demand is high. Older fridges drew about 8 Amps which meant it was about 100W. This was often only enough to maintain whatever temperature the fridge was at when you started driving. As others have said voltage drop due to inadequate wiring poor relay contacts etc would make it worse. Modern fridges rely on modern standards of vehicle electrical wiring and I have seen over 200w heaters, these are well capable of cooling a fridge down especially with improved insulation. My 6 y/o fridge has the same wattage for mains and 12V. The jet of a gas heater can get partially blocked by soot or as a result of corrosion. As less heat will be available from a blocked jet the effect will be for the fridge not to keep cool. The same result would be if the mains voltage was too low although some fridges wouldn't cope at all with low mains voltage.
Lastly how you use a fridge has a big effect, even your compressor fridge or freezer at home won't cope if you fill it up with room temperature stuff or keep opening the door. So those that advise a cooling down period have got a valid point.

A perfect description of the way they operate. I would take issue with your statement about running on 12v though. The 12v and 230v elements on most Dometic and Thetford fridges are within a few Watts of each other. The difference in operation is that the mains element is controlled by a thermostat whereas the 12v element is not. My experience of both caravan and motorhome fridges is that, correctly wired according to the manufacturers instructions, they will freeze milk stored in the door if the journey is long enough (200 miles+). Until I bought my current MH I had never seen either a caravan or motorhome with fridge wiring of adequate size.

 

[Techno]

On my van I'd guesstimate Rapido used a good 16 metres (for each pole) of wire to feed the fridge on 12 volts because they are idiots. It could have been 3 metres if they used the relay built in on the fridge instead of theirs in the CBE distribution board.

 

[GeebeeJaybee]

Thanks everyone. We did cool the fridge before we left for at least 16 hours so that wasn't the issue. The freezer part has also been fine. We have the dial set on about 60% of maximum so not turned up full.

Now we are further north again the fridge seems to be coping better. To be fair tge temp here is 23 though, not the 39 we recorded while watching the tour stage. It must have been particularly hot as one of the riders was vomiting with heat stroke!

Had a great time though. Will post some photos when back on wifi.

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