waeco fridge not working on electric? (1 Viewer)

[russT25]

My recently purchased VW camper van has a WAECO fridge box that can run on gas,12v or mains. i think it is a german fridge ( as the van is imported from germany ) It works fine on gas and gets really cold inside. however when i plug into 12v and mains the fridge just doesn't work on either. I don't know if i am missing something really obvious. the sockets i am plugging into are working ok ( i have plugged other appliances in successfully) does anyone have any ides.

 

[spannermanwigan]

Suggest you read all the posts here may point you in the right direction.

http://forum.australia4wd.com/index.php?/topic/9241-power-problems-waeco-fridge/

no personnel Knowledge of this type of fridge.
sure someone will come along with something more.

Hope it helps
Regards
Steve:thumb:

 

[pappajohn]

could be the mains heating element has burnt out or the mains thermostat has failed.

it will always get much colder on gas than 12v or 230v and 12v only works with the engine running to prevent battery drain and is design to maintain the pre chilled temp...not bring it down to temp.

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[russT25]

cheers spanner man, after scanning through the forum you sent the link for it looks like it could be as simple as a fuse. i will check if there is an internal fuse in the fridge tomorrow if only to rule that out. I have checked prices of new fridges and was surprised how expensive they are.

regards
Russ

 

[pappajohn]

oops just realised its a standalone fridge and does run on 12v...though with a drain of 110amps per 24hrs i wouldn't run on 12v

 

[russT25]

thanks for that information papa john

do you know how i could test the components you mentioned? would i need testing equipment?

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[TheBig1]

If its the thermostat you wont be able to test the heating element easily. However if you disconnect the power supply and visually check both for obvious corrosion or overheating it may be obvious what is faulty. The heating element is not particularly large nor do they get very hot on leisure vehicle fridges. Most of those that I have seen that failed were pretty coroded

Not too familiar with the waeco fridges, but they all work the same way if they are non compressor versions. A small heat source heats a tube containing refrigerant. This process draws the heat out of the fridge cavity. The thermostat is a bimetalic switch cuts in and out with temperature allowing current to flow to the heating element. If you are competent to use a test meter and work with mains voltages safely, its a simple matter of checking for a voltage both sides of the thermostat and test the current drawn by the element with a clamp meter.

As with anything mains voltage, if you dont fully understand how the item works and how to use the correct test equipment safely, its better left to a proffessional. Mains voltages have the risk of death if handled incorrectly

 

[russT25]

yeah i am way out of my depth so i will probably try to find someone local to check it out for me. i don't have any electrical testing equipment or any know how. thanks for taking the time to reply.