interior gas smell (1 Viewer)

mentaliss

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after a lot of 'sniffing' ,switching over to electric etc, etc I'm pretty sure now that the dreaded smell appears to be coming from the fridge area, no lights flickering, no real signs that there's a problem, no experience with this type of problem.....so any pointers to look for??
 

Mikey RV

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Just check all connections, not with a match:eek: make sure the motorhome is well ventilated. Is the smell a gas smell or amonia as when fridges leak you will get a amonia smell. If in doubt get it checked by someone qualified.
 

Don Quixote

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Not long enough, but a little common sense helps..........
Smell gas............................... GET IT CHECKED NOW

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JeanLuc

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What type/age fridge do you have? I have a manual energy selection Electrolux/Dometic RM6401 (fitted in 2003) which has a thermostat control knob on the top right. This is also the ignition activator for the gas burner. Over the years I have sometimes noticed a gas smell from this knob. It has been pressure tested (twice) and inspected thoroughly by a Dometic-accredited engineer and there is no problem evident. The engineer told me that this has been known about for some time but until recently he did not have any answers to it. On his last visit, we were discussing the issue and he asked me if it was noticeable all the time or only when the supply LPG cylinder was getting low? 'Bingo' that is the case - it is only noticeable in the day or so before I switch to a new cylinder or refill (Gaslow).
Perhaps this is the case with yours?
 

Welsh girl

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We also notice a gas smell when one bottle is running low.

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Dazzlin

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Glad it's not only me! 2007 dometic AES 6 series fridge.

Only when v low, ie last day, and only on gaslow. Just top up before it's that low now.

On 13kg maroc butane bottle no smell when low!
 
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mentaliss

mentaliss

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Further examination shows no sign of gas actually leaking, Fumes then, but this is a Dethleffs Advantage and there no way to get to the chimney without pulling the hole fridge /freezer out to gain access to the bits and pieces,
just a thought, has anyone used a 12volt computer type Fan wired up within the the heat chamber to help draw up the hot air?
 

sdc77

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just a thought, has anyone used a 12volt computer type Fan wired up within the the heat chamber to help draw up the hot air?
Lots of threads on fridge fans and some instructions/ideas with pics.. just do a search

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DanielFord

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We have a cooling fan fitted to the back of our fridge, but it only kicks in when the temp gets too high. It was a standard Thetford accessory, and easy to fit.
 

Lenny HB

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Get yourself a gas sniffer like this, I always carry one in the van well worth a few quid for piece of mind.
Had a caravan started to smell gas occasionally from the fridge, a pin hole caused by rust in the pipe from burner to control they are steel, replaced it with copper.
 
Feb 5, 2014
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VERY INTERESTING! We have had the odd smell of gas from the fridge over several years BUT I can't vouch for the level of the cylinder.

Like JL, it has been tested by Dometic-accredited engineers (3 in total!) who have all declared it "safe".

The most recent incident saw us heading for a CC site to use electric, rather than a Britstop, so I was about to bite the bullet and get a new 3-way control valve fitted (approx £130+labour+VAT) because the money spent could be recouped by site savings. [It was the only thing I could think of, as everything else has checked out OK :( ]

Now I need to get out and see if it is smelling, because the tank was almost empty when the smell appeared but it is now full.

Would anyone like to suggest a reason for this link in tank contents and smell? Does the regulator fail to maintain pressure when the tank is low? Does reduced pressure result in partial combustion, with the unburnt gas getting back into the van?

Gordon

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Jan 28, 2008
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only thing i can think of is if pressure is low it may not push the o rings to seal properly but i cant see it when were talking millibars to start with
 
Jan 29, 2014
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Very common in my static caravan when the bottle is about to run out can smell it on the hob.

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Dec 12, 2010
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The smell added to natural gas (ethyl mercaptan) can adhere to the steel walls of your gas bottle, perhaps as the level of the tank reduces, the concentration of e.m. carried over by the gas might increase, leading to a more noticeable smell ?
 
Jan 10, 2013
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GOAL! Just been out to check with a full gas tank and there is no smell. This little thread could possibly have saved me the best part of £250 - perhaps I should buy a life subscription?

Thanks to all (y)(y)(y) - Gordon
YAY!!!!! Sorted. :Grin:

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TerryL

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Good news, thanks for letting us know. But anyway the thread has prompted me to get one of those gas sniffers; been meaning to for a while after I had a similar problem at Stratford Show but Ash sorted me out then.
 
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mentaliss

mentaliss

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Is it a leaking gas smell or is it coming from the flue? Is there any sign of soot or discoloration around the flue outlet/top vent? If so then it is most likely that your burner is dirty and the flue is sooted up, basically the fridge needs servicing.

D.
Thanks, leakage tests that I have carried out shows no signs of gas so I believe its a build up of soot within the flue and as you say may need servicing but what does this entail, do dealers really do a proper job? I say this as its virtually impossible to get to the flue stack whilst the Fridge/Freezer is in its fitted position and from further inspection it seems that the fridge,freezer may have been removed sometime before we purchased the MH ..(there's DIY Sealing tape applied within the top vent 'exhaust chamber') but you can see daylight inside the van between the 'supposed' to be sealed fridge walls to the interior panels so any fumes that don't extracticate via the vent appear to get into the interior of the vehicle..so it looks to me that the whole Fridge/Freezer tower has to come out for this work to be carried out ...this problem must be quite serious when you consider that this vehicle (Dethleffs Advantage 2007) is also fitted with atmosphere roof chimney vent which doesn't alleviate the fume smell ??
 

JeanLuc

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I think you may have found your answer. The fridge unit has to be hermetically sealed around its body so that fumes cannot get back into the van from the burner unit. DIY tape and visible light gaps do not bode well.
Regarding the flue, mine is an older, smaller unit (not a tower) but assuming the same procedure, you should see the top of the flue tower behind the top vent. The bottom of the burner unit and flue from the bottom vent. Then you can get a flue brush down the flue tube to clean it.

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mentaliss

mentaliss

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I think you may have found your answer. The fridge unit has to be hermetically sealed around its body so that fumes cannot get back into the van from the burner unit. DIY tape and visible light gaps do not bode well.
Regarding the flue, mine is an older, smaller unit (not a tower) but assuming the same procedure, you should see the top of the flue tower behind the top vent. The bottom of the burner unit and flue from the bottom vent. Then you can get a flue brush down the flue tube to clean it.
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Unfortunately not, as the bottom of the top vent is some 8-10" from the top of the flue tower..as I said the only way to get to the flue is either by releasing the fridge's retaining screw's, disconecting the gas and electric supply and pulling the tower out enough to gain a semi 'blind' access to the rear of the tower BUT you would still not be able to remove the flue, only by removing the tower completely would you be able to remove the flue and thoroughly clean it....that's my opinion If anyone knows different ( Dethleffs Advantage) please feel free advise?
 
Feb 5, 2014
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.... The fridge unit has to be hermetically sealed around its body so that fumes cannot get back into the van from the burner unit. DIY tape and visible light gaps do not bode well.

That was always my impression, so when I took my van for it's first hab service (3rd owner, 6y old) the engineer said he would do this, as there would be a Dometic kit for it. When I got it back he said he'd not been able to do so. We have never had any fumes entering, to the best of my knowledge (we do have a CO sensor) but we do get icy blasts if the wind is in the wrong direction :eek:

I tried sealing all visible holes with DIY tape via the vent access, but to no avail. When I removed the fridge I saw that hot air pipes, water pipes, gas pipes and electrical cables were all passing through the fridge void and the chances of sealing round them where they pass through the walls was slim. :(:(

IF I plucked up the courage to remove the electrical connections and the gas connections to the fridge, so that I could totally remove it and sort out my imagined "gas valve" problem, then I was looking at the possibility of making plywood boxings to isolate the pipes from the void, with perhaps a small, sealable hole for the gas and electrical connections. However, as this thread has solved my problem without necessitating removing the fridge, I shall continue to live with the draught (the vent covers help considerably in winter).

I do not understand why a renowned manufacturer (Rapido) would fail to ensure the safety of their customers: I can only conclude that the "hermetic seal" advice is simply that - Gordon :unsure:
 
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mentaliss

mentaliss

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Unfortunately not, as the bottom of the top vent is some 8-10" from the top of the flue tower..as I said the only way to get to the flue is either by releasing the fridge's retaining screw's, disconecting the gas and electric supply and pulling the tower out enough to gain a semi 'blind' access to the rear of the tower BUT you would still not be able to remove the flue, only by removing the tower completely would you be able to remove the flue and thoroughly clean it....that's my opinion If anyone knows different ( Dethleffs Advantage) please feel free advise?

______________________________________________________________________________________________
Today, whilst doing my search's i found this a 'Dometic 12 volt CK 155 Cooker Hood Fan Ventilator'..this type of
equipment is something I have been considering as I know from other topics that people have fitted a 12 VOLT Computer Fan to the top exhaust vent.. to assist the extraction of the heat/gas fumes? however you have to be carefull that to much vacuum/pull could dose the burner out then causing unignited gas to enter the flue??? so an inline flue extraction fan attached to the exterior chimney may be a positive assist...but of course this is still not getting to the root of the problem...
why is there fumes in the first place?

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jumar

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Its an additive that sits within the final 10% of the LPG tank....its there to warn you that you need to refill...so my sisters second husbands nephews aunts next door neighbours window cleaner said.

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Jun 14, 2014
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At the risk of upsetting a few. Just reading this thread is really scary stuff. Non qualified gas engineers I assume testing for gas, adapting a flue quick fixes to a serious issue. Not only gas but carbon monoxide potentially. How much is your life worth? No shortcuts with these 2. Dread to think you got it wrong. The thing is you won't know!!!
 

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