Newbie requiring help.

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Mrs DT

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Swift Escape
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I'm a newbie
Fridge worked perfect 1st trip and we were hooked up to electric, 2nd trip we did 'wild camping' and couldn't get the fridge to work on gas or leisure battery. What are we doing wrong?? help
 
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The fridge wouldn't normally run off the leisure battery - it only runs on 12v when the Engine is running.
When you set the fridge to gas do you hear the ignition clicking or is it a manual ignition?
Make and Model of the fridge might help diagnosis as well.
And Welcome to the Fun!
 
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Hi there. It may help if you introduce yourself first..Just to give us a chance lol..What fridge do you have ?
How old is the camper and appliance etc? Is it a 3 way manual or automatic type?
Thetford or Dometic or Electrolux etc

Kev
 
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Van has to be level for fridge to work,or at least within about 3 degrees.
Maybe needs a new or cleaner jet/burner.
Is the gas OK on other appliances,eg hob?
Most fridges seem to work better when put to a medium setting rather than high.....don’t ask me why!
Good luck.
Have you joined? It’s worth it,you’ll get a lot more help.

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ooops sorry Hi I'm Wendy lol We have a Swift Escape 694, 2yrs old as is the fridge. Will have to check the model of fridge, wondered if it was the ignition switch?
 
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what and where is the islolation valve?? no clue lol
 
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fab thanks for your help everyone, al go hunting for them tonight :)

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Like this (y)
image.jpeg
 
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Welcome! From the vehicle spec it should have a Dometic 138 litre fridge. This probably has automatic energy selection - that is, it will for example, switch to gas if you are stopped without EHU. I also suspect the gas maybe turned off too. :)

If the gas is on then you may need to find someone to look at it. Fault finding isn't easy unless the fault is something obvious. I'm assuming you have gas - can you boil a kettle? :)
 
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If you've never used it on gas before, it may take quite a long time for the gas to push the air along the long thin pipe and reach the fridge. A few minutes, even. To confirm the gas supply is OK, do the other gas devices work OK? The hob, for example.
 
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w2f
from another Wendy.

(If it's only 2 years old I suspect it's something simple, not a fault, like the gas not turned on, hopefully!;))

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Also worth bearing in mind there should be a time delay between turning the engine off and it switching to gas.
 
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On our Domestic AES fridge it for some reason won't switch to gas if in the AES position and either AC or DC power is removed.
It shows the gas led flashing but never powers the igniter.
I have to turn it off and then to the gas position.
It then runs happily on it.

Might be worth checking.

Also check if your igniter is trying to light the gas. You should hear a ticking sound like any conventional gas hob etc.

If it's a Dometic flashing led is lighting mode, steady led is on and working.
 
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First question ... did you have the ignition turned on not with the engine running though (eg so you could listen to the radio)? If so, this will stop the fridge working so you need to turn the ignition off.

Second - is the gas on at the bottle and at the isolation tap?

Third - is the gas is getting through to the hob?
 
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The 12v only works when you are driving. The ignition is it good? You should check that. How old is it? You can look for rv fridge for sale online and check for parts if you need replacements.

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Helloooooo!
Calling. @Mrs DT, anybody there????
Well,it would be nice to know the outcome sometimes........wouldn’t it?
 
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Podney said:
Helloooooo!
Calling. @Mrs DT, anybody there????
Well,it would be nice to know the outcome sometimes........wouldn’t it?
Click to expand...
You holding your breath again Podney? :D

Maybe got the parts needed from Jack Weather's who appears to run a spares shop for RV fridges in America.
Doubt we'll hear from Jack again either as he only made one post and broke the forum rules with that one.
 
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Are there any lights on on the fridge control panel? If not, it could be a blown fuse in the 12v system.

Even using the fridge on gas, it'll still need a 12v supply.

We once thought we had a dodgy fridge, then discovered it shared a 12v supply with a 12v socket and an item plugged into the socket had blown a fuse in the 12v distribution box, so knocking out the fridge too. Although most installations will have separate fuses for the fridge -- maybe two, a lower amperage one for the controls and a higher one for the cooling.
 
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Sorry Podney for not replying, had a stressful week. Everything seems working fine, hob etc, the only thing we think can explain it is the fact that we weren't level. The fridge works fine on electric and battery so fingers crossed thats the reason, thanks to everyone for their help. Happy days x

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Mrs DT said:
Sorry Podney for not replying, had a stressful week. Everything seems working fine, hob etc, the only thing we think can explain it is the fact that we weren't level. The fridge works fine on electric and battery so fingers crossed thats the reason, thanks to everyone for their help. Happy days x
Click to expand...
That’s good!
Hope all goes well. Come back here if it doesn’t!
 
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It took me hours to work out why the "automatic" fridge in our van wouldn't switch to gas power. It switched from engine power to hook-up OK but not to gas. Checked all the taps etc. Read the manual again and again. Then I realised what was wrong. The van was hooked up (with fridge running but gas off) for a day before leaving home. I always check that the gas is off before driving anywhere. But, for the fridge to automatically switch to gas, the gas must be turned on before the fridge is switched powered up i.e. You either have to drive with the gas on or re-boot the fridge when you stop and open the gas valve. Personally, and despite assurances about automatic cut-off valves, I still don't like driving with the gas turned on so now I re-boot the fridge when we stop. And yes, there is an approx 20 minute delay before it will switch automatically - apparently to avoid the gas igniting whilst re-fuelling the van. Having worked in a filling station and seen the fire safety films I don't trust that either!
 
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