Absorption fridge over 10 years old , probably better read this !

[airwave]

Okay , well i'm gonna wave a red flag here , based on what i've just found on my own van . Make of van is unimportant , this is more of an age thing .

My van is still fitted with its original 3 way absorption fridge . Despite being 22 years old , it works fine , but it does require attention on a couple of issues , and is in line for a couple more modifications . This work began proper today , and immediately i found an issue , which deserve a general warning .

As many will already know , this type of fridge uses heat to super cool a mixture of helium and water to cool the cabinet . This cooling process can be done in three ways , one of which involves gas . Now unfortunately , gas has the habit of creating carbon monoxide . A tasteless , odorless gas , which has gained the unenviable nickname of being , a silent killer . The manufacturers know this , so the fridge is designed to be fitted in such a way , that this burning process is sealed from the interior of the van , to prevent this gas seeping through .
The problem is these seals , they appear to be made from some form of foam , which disintegrates with age . Today i removed a closure panel to which i found the seal had completely disintegrated , it literally just crumbled away to dust .

On finding this i began to check the remaining seals , and found exactly the same thing on all seals i could reach surrounding the fridge . Big gaps existed in some areas , others no seal was present . Basically the burn side gases , had a direct route into the inside of my van .
I recommend that if you have this type of fridge fitted , that is over 5 years old to check these seals , if it's over 10 years old , i would suggest you think about sourcing new seals before checking , and over 15 years old , just change them .

Okay guys , that's all i have to say on the subject .

 

[Figaro]

My seals were just foam draught excluder type with self adhesive on one side. Like yours they turned to powder.
I replaced them when refitting the fridge but it was extremely difficult to achieve a good seal.
My CO alarm is now placed near the fridge and being less dense than air, any CO should rise and set it off - hopefully

 

[busbuddy]

I doubt most manufacturers fit any seals

 

[WillH]

Swapped mine out for neoprene foam a long time ago , and made sure that there was a proper seal.

 

[pampam]

When my eldest two kids were small we lived in a caravan,we nearly died with carbon monoxide poisoning, from a gas fridge, luckily the little ones were in the end bedroom with door closed and window open,i have never been so ill it was horrible,vomiting and the most explosive headache ever, i would always have a monoxide alarm in a caravan or motorhome

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TheBig1]

I have pulled out far more of these fridges to repair them than most on here. On many there is absolutely no seal. Some have duct tape, which dries out and fails. In all cases, you can test the effective sealing by checking for draughts around the front of the fridge on a windy day. A telltale of a badly burning fridge flame is sooting on the side of the van

If you have either fault, or woe betide, both, you need to act urgently

 

[airwave]

My seals were just foam draught excluder type with self adhesive on one side. Like yours they turned to powder.
I replaced them when refitting the fridge but it was extremely difficult to achieve a good seal.
My CO alarm is now placed near the fridge and being less dense than air, any CO should rise and set it off - hopefully

Yes mate , that's pretty much what i've found out too , being interrogating ebay . I'd had been wondering about them for a while , and i was thinking of getting a co2 detector myself . But then being honest , i normally close the door , and engage the travel lock . Give it a couple of minutes then shut it off for the night , fire it up first thing . I had a portable version and did the same thing , but it was becoming difficult to fire up .

we nearly died with carbon monoxide poisoning,

This is the reason for flagging this up . That kind of thing happens every year , i'm just trying to make sure no one here does . I figured the seal might be in a poor state , but i never expected what i found ! .

If you have either fault, or woe betide, both, you need to act urgently

Actually neither me ole mucker , but thanks for the warning . My problem is , i suspect the 12v heater ent working , and the chimney exhaust is not in good condition . Your right , but i don't take chances either .

 

[ROCHESB]

It's not just elderly vehicles that can have problems. We had a 2mm gap between the fridge cabinet woodwork and the exterior wall of a brand new motorhome, you could feel the draught on a windy day. I noticed it first trip out, fortunately we were on an EHU so the fridge was running on 230V. It was fixed by the dealer under warranty when I pointed it out to them.

 

[Figaro]

Yes mate , that's pretty much what i've found out too , being interrogating ebay . I'd had been wondering about them for a while , and i was thinking of getting a co2 detector myself . But then being honest , i normally close the door , and engage the travel lock . Give it a couple of minutes then shut it off for the night , fire it up first thing . I had a portable version and did the same thing , but it was becoming difficult to fire up .

It's a CO alarm you need for carbon monoxide, CO2 is carbon dioxide

 

[funflair]

My experience twenty years ago and certainly in caravans of the day you were lucky if the fridge was sealed at all, not that that makes it right but it was quite normal.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[airwave]

It's a CO alarm you need for carbon monoxide, CO2 is carbon dioxide

Opps !!!!!

I was close !

My experience twenty years ago and certainly in caravans of the day you were lucky if the fridge was sealed at all, not that that makes it right but it was quite normal.

Hmmm , interesting !

 

[pampam]

Yes …………about the sootiness,when it happened there was a dusting of fine soot on ceiling , and my nostrils were blackened, the little ones didnt have that ,and seemed to have no side effects,i can only assume that the bedroom door protected them.ive had an aversion to gas fridges ever since,which is funny cos when i bought my little old caravan last year ,on our way home from the highlands where we bought it we overnighted at a lovely cl in moffat ,and the old fridge gave off noxious fumes from the fridge itself and we had to sleep in back of transit,(it turned out the fridge was leaking the gas from the fridge itself with it being so old)
the monoxide incident was 45 years ago but has stuck in my mind to be very wary lol

 

[Wabs]

This is all very worrying,,I’ve noticed a draught from the top of our fridge on a very windy day,,is that something I should be worried about?

 

[eurajohn]

Yes, for all the reasons above.

 

[Wabs]

Sorry in advance for sounding dim, but would this only be the case if running on gas?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Figaro]

Sorry in advance for sounding dim, but would this only be the case if running on gas?

Yes

 

[Wabs]

Thanks Figaro,,,we never use it on gas

 

[EuroTrotters]

Okay , well i'm gonna wave a red flag here , based on what i've just found on my own van . Make of van is unimportant , this is more of an age thing .

My van is still fitted with its original 3 way absorption fridge . Despite being 22 years old , it works fine , but it does require attention on a couple of issues , and is in line for a couple more modifications . This work began proper today , and immediately i found an issue , which deserve a general warning .

As many will already know , this type of fridge uses heat to super cool a mixture of helium and water to cool the cabinet . This cooling process can be done in three ways , one of which involves gas . Now unfortunately , gas has the habit of creating carbon monoxide . A tasteless , odorless gas , which has gained the unenviable nickname of being , a silent killer . The manufacturers know this , so the fridge is designed to be fitted in such a way , that this burning process is sealed from the interior of the van , to prevent this gas seeping through .
The problem is these seals , they appear to be made from some form of foam , which disintegrates with age . Today i removed a closure panel to which i found the seal had completely disintegrated , it literally just crumbled away to dust .

On finding this i began to check the remaining seals , and found exactly the same thing on all seals i could reach surrounding the fridge . Big gaps existed in some areas , others no seal was present . Basically the burn side gases , had a direct route into the inside of my van .
I recommend that if you have this type of fridge fitted , that is over 5 years old to check these seals , if it's over 10 years old , i would suggest you think about sourcing new seals before checking , and over 15 years old , just change them .

Okay guys , that's all i have to say on the subject .

It’s Ammonia and sometimes hydrogen. Not Helium

 

[Off da Grid]

Fan on the top vent of the fridge will help with cooling a pull any fumes out of the back of the fridge to the outside.

 

[Cush]

Anyone got any data on how much CO might be produced by the flame on a fridge? Haven’t seen one in full burn.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Wabs]

I think any CO is not good…

 

[Cush]

I think any CO is not good…

Agreed. Just interested. Not trying to argue against sealing a fridge.

 

[Lenny HB]

Anyone got any data on how much CO might be produced by the flame on a fridge? Haven’t seen one in full burn.

Shouldn't produce any if the flame is burning correctly.

 

[pappajohn]

Anyone got any data on how much CO might be produced by the flame on a fridge? Haven’t seen one in full burn.

Very, very little.
There is no 'full burn', the flame is little more than a constant pilot light when working.

 

[airwave]

the monoxide incident was 45 years ago but has stuck in my mind to be very wary

I learned of the dangers from an early age . My parents were avid campers , and had seen the effects . Normally it's water heaters that cause a problem in the household , but all combustible appliances emitted Co , be it an oven , hob , even a heater . However in our line , a fridge is the most likely to cause an issue , closely followed , i would wagger by the heater . This is another thing i never leave on when i'm asleep , and a point of fact here , i've been a trucker for 39 years , at one point i pretty much lived in a truck for 5 years . You are right to be thinking of it , every year an incident will occur , and occasionally people die , this is when it hits the news .

I’ve noticed a draught from the top of our fridge on a very windy day,

This is exactly the reason for this thread . One person who didn't know the dangers , now does . Don't feel dim my friend , it's more important , you are aware of the dangers . There have been 769 views to date , and only 10 replies . I will lay money there are others , earwigging in the background , who didn't know , but won't admit the fact . No ones perfect , despite those that pretend to be ! .

It’s Ammonia and sometimes hydrogen. Not Helium

I'm gonna be honest here , the type of gas is pretty academic , and certainly not the point of this thread . I wanted a working knowledge of how the system functioned , so i could in the main , work on it . I needed to figure out a safe method to service the fridge , maybe even improve its operation .
The tutorials i watched did mention what the actual gas was , but frankly , i classed it as useless information , and took little noticed . The system does not appear to be refillable , and even if it was , it's unlikely i would do it anyway , so basically i'm not even close to being interested .
This thread is a warning of what i found during that process ,

Fan on the top vent of the fridge

Yes mate , just so happens , i'm gonna install twin fans as part of an upgrade on the outlet vent . I'm also toying with the idea of installing a single fan on the intake vent as well .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scally]

My experience twenty years ago and certainly in caravans of the day you were lucky if the fridge was sealed at all, not that that makes it right but it was quite normal.

Mines a 30 year old model with a new ffridge but has no sealing fitted , with two big vents at the back.

 

[bigwood]

As long we have had our current motorhome there has been a draft from around the pull out work top above the fridge. I mentioned this on several habitation checks to be told that the fridge is sealed correctly.
The co alarm is on the end of the cupboard above the fridge and as yet it’s not been triggered when the fridge is on gas so far.
I can only trust what I was told but I intend to look into this matter myself for piece of mind.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I learned of the dangers from an early age . My parents were avid campers , and had seen the effects . Normally it's water heaters that cause a problem in the household , but all combustible appliances emitted Co , be it an oven , hob , even a heater . However in our line , a fridge is the most likely to cause an issue , closely followed , i would wagger by the heater . This is another thing i never leave on when i'm asleep , and a point of fact here , i've been a trucker for 39 years , at one point i pretty much lived in a truck for 5 years . You are right to be thinking of it , every year an incident will occur , and occasionally people die , this is when it hits the news .

This is exactly the reason for this thread . One person who didn't know the dangers , now does . Don't feel dim my friend , it's more important , you are aware of the dangers . There have been 769 views to date , and only 10 replies . I will lay money there are others , earwigging in the background , who didn't know , but won't admit the fact . No ones perfect , despite those that pretend to be ! .

I'm gonna be honest here , the type of gas is pretty academic , and certainly not the point of this thread . I wanted a working knowledge of how the system functioned , so i could in the main , work on it . I needed to figure out a safe method to service the fridge , maybe even improve its operation .
The tutorials i watched did mention what the actual gas was , but frankly , i classed it as useless information , and took little noticed . The system does not appear to be refillable , and even if it was , it's unlikely i would do it anyway , so basically i'm not even close to being interested .
This thread is a warning of what i found during that process ,

Yes mate , just so happens , i'm gonna install twin fans as part of an upgrade on the outlet vent . I'm also toying with the idea of installing a single fan on the intake vent as well .

Amonia is a warning to others not to cut into the system