Thetford fridge overcooling and gas is burning all the time

[Colin McCourt]

I have looked through the existing threads before posting this.
My Thetford 3 way fridge is overcooling, despite being on its lowest setting. It runs full time on gas and I assume also on electricity but I don’t have a meter to prove that. I have changed the thermistor in the fridge and moved its position nearer the right hand end as suggested by Thetford. The burner appears to be burning correctly with five blue flames and it roars when burning. I have checked that the thermistor connector is pushed onto the control board fully, although this appears to rely on a sprung connector making good connection with the track on the circuit board. I suspected the gas valve not switching off when it should, but then again it over cools on electric so that killed that idea. I am now leaning towards the control board but wonder if anyone has other ideas? I am currently in Finnish Lapland and worried I will run out of gas before I get down near Helsinki which is the only place in Finland to get LPG at 3€ a litre! The only alternative is, after I have gone round the top of Finland is to head for Pitea in Sweden but that is a 2-3 day detour. I have the time, just not the inclination!

 

[Clivefog]

Turn it off overnight?

 

[Colin McCourt]

Turn it off overnight?

Have thought of that. MOH is worried about the food.

 

[Colin McCourt]

Turn it off overnight?

Might try a few hours and note temps to quell her worries.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Is it hot where you are?

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[GeoffnDee]

Is this a N3000 series Thetford fridge , if so is there an error code ? I would expect error13 if the thermistor was faulty.

 

[Colin McCourt]

Is it hot where you are?

Northern Finland. Max 10°C

 

[Colin McCourt]

Is this a N3000 series Thetford fridge , if so is there an error code ? I would expect error13 if the thermistor was faulty.

No fault codes and I have already changed the thermistor which I carry as a spare

 

[GeoffnDee]

Is the door sealing ok , if not , maybe it would keep cooling to compensate for the loss ?

 

[Colin McCourt]

Is the door sealing ok , if not , maybe it would keep cooling to compensate for the loss ?

Think it is Geoff Dee. I thought of that as well but it is taking the temp down to near zero at times! It appears to have no issue getting cold, just not stopping when it gets to about 4°C.

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[GeoffnDee]

Does the thermistor separate from its signal cable when it is replaced , if so , it could be worth checking the cables continuity back to the power board

 

[Colin McCourt]

Is the door sealing ok , if not , maybe it would keep cooling to compensate for the loss ?

An update on the door seal. I had a wireless thermometer which I placed in the fridge and switched it off. It was 3.3°C when I switched it off and 72 mins later it was reading 5.7°C. That says to me the door isn’t sealing right. I will give everything a good clean and use some Thetford spray for rubber seals to see if that helps. There is no adjustment on the door or lock so it might be a new seal, if they are sold separately.

 

[Growly bear]

I wonder what the typical or actual hysteresis is off this fridge? You'd think that it would have to cool to say 1 degree before switching off and then not back on until 4 degrees so as to maintain a temp of 2 degrees etc.

 

[Flairy]

Many people would love your fridgeours has a job to stay below 10 degrees freezer is ok at -15 degrees

 

[Howard B]

I have a Thetford N3097 , which also runs constantly on gas.

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[Colin McCourt]

I have a Thetford N3097 , which also runs constantly on gas.

Mine never used to which leads me to believe there is a problem.

 

[jockaneezer]

Try shutting a sheet of paper in the door (do one area at a time) and see how easily it pulls out, it might need a bit of a "twist" ?