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3 Way Fridge Not Working

  • 21-07-2020 3:41pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 505 ✭✭✭


    The fridge in our 1994 campervan is not working (except on gas which takes a while to get working).

    Given it's age it may need replacing.

    Can someone recommend where to have it looked at/repaired/replaced?

    We are based in Dublin but can travel.


    Thanks


«13

Comments

  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Operational ones don't exactly work either. People defend them but the same people would never fit one in their house.

    Go electric.


  • Registered Users Posts: 698 ✭✭✭landmarkjohn


    To my knowledge the 3 way works this way

    1. Gas
    2. 240 V mains, this mode only works when hooked up to mains. (could take a while to know if it's working)
    3. 12 V, this mode only works when the engine is running.

    The correct switch(es)position for the 3 modes must be right. Just saying as I had mine for about 10 years before we figured this out.... the fridge was always cold at the end of a journey.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,412 ✭✭✭Markcheese


    Try googling your fridge and it's fault ... Have you had it long ? Did it work before ?

    Slava ukraini 🇺🇦



  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    The correct switch(es)position for the 3 modes must be right. Just saying as I had mine for about 10 years before we figured this out.... the fridge was always cold at the end of a journey.


    That depends on how the installer wired it. You can use all three at once if you're imaginative. Running it on mains from an inverter works better than 12v because mains has a thermostat.


    It uses 10 times the energy of a compressor model. The wind blows the pilot out frequently and spoils food. If one forgets to changeover: spoils food. If gas bottle runs out: spoils food. If operating on gas and atmospheric conditions change temperature ie night happens; spoils food. If you drive for 10 hours on 12v the contents will freeze because no thermostat, spoils food. €20 every 3 weeks to power with buthane.


    If you try to power it from a battery: spoils battery.

    €600 for your pleasure.

    You only need 100W of solar to power a 60L compressor jobber. Turn it on, leave it on, no worries.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    If you fancy a trip to Pat Horan's they can probably resusitate it. I've a "working" one I inherited with a vehicle, probably <100 hours on it.
    I'll be donedealing it when I start the conversion.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,250 ✭✭✭Buford T Justice


    That depends on how the installer wired it. You can use all three at once if you're imaginative. Running it on mains from an inverter works better than 12v because mains has a thermostat.


    It uses 10 times the energy of a compressor model. The wind blows the pilot out frequently and spoils food. If one forgets to changeover: spoils food. If gas bottle runs out: spoils food. If operating on gas and atmospheric conditions change temperature ie night happens; spoils food. If you drive for 10 hours on 12v the contents will freeze because no thermostat, spoils food. €20 every 3 weeks to power with buthane.


    If you try to power it from a battery: spoils battery.

    €600 for your pleasure.

    You only need 100W of solar to power a 60L compressor jobber. Turn it on, leave it on, no worries.

    Any suitable links for an electric one?


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Anything with a danfoss compressor (dometic/shorline/ waeco) or a cheap and cheerful mains fridge and large efficient sine inverter


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,250 ✭✭✭Buford T Justice


    I've been reading that the small mains fridges are very inefficent vs the camper one, so may be something to consider too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 819 ✭✭✭autumnalcore


    I've been reading that the small mains fridges are very inefficent vs the camper one, so may be something to consider

    Was what you were reading backed up by any examples or facts and figures.

    Vapour absorption is a minimum of 5 times less efficient than vapour compression even theoretically then add the fact that you've strapped a heater to the outside of the poorly insulated box you are trying to keep cool. And the rubbish maximum heat differential attainable with vapour absorption.

    I've been running a husky beer fridge on inverter for last three years it's rated A+ 95kwh per annum which is 260wh per day which is only enough to run our old absorption fridge for 3 hours. Was mainly worried the pipes would fracture internally in the compressor with all the bad roads so I bought secondhand for €50 or so and its still trucking.i would buy a slightly bigger one if I was getting one again


  • Registered Users Posts: 187 ✭✭lastsaturday


    Have a look at this video.. It got my fridge working fine..
    https://youtu.be/agZJ3T66wOI
    531 wrote: »
    The fridge in our 1994 campervan is not working (except on gas which takes a while to get working).

    Given it's age it may need replacing.

    Can someone recommend where to have it looked at/repaired/replaced?

    We are based in Dublin but can travel.






    Thanks


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,250 ✭✭✭Buford T Justice


    Was what you were reading backed up by any examples or facts and figures.

    No. Like I said, I was reading, that's all


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    There's been more innovation in mains fridges than 12/24v volt compressor fridges. The upshot of this is one can run a mains fridge and a resonable inverter quiescent load for the same power requirements of a 12/24v jobber. Saving ~€500 to be put towards a decent inverter.

    Comparatively a 60L compressor fridge will use in the order of 250Wh per day whereas an absorption fridge will use about 2.4kWh per day for less reliable cooling with a human thermostat on gas.

    Another failing of the absorption fridge is that it is usually setup to run continuously from the alternator. Most split charge systems will deliver about 10A charge. 15A would be considered good, 20A far above average. I generally expect to see ~7A.
    Split charge systems I build incidentally deliver >70A.

    So if attempting to recharge a depleted service battery while driving with an absorption fridge running you can expect your charge system to be delivering somewhere between -3A and +5A. An altogether pointless excercise.

    A compressor fridge will use about 3.5A and turn off at desired temperature.
    I have nothing good to say about gas fridges and I've plenty of experiance with them to colour my opinion, they're boat anchors. €600 buoyant boat anchors...:rolleyes:

    Ask yourself a question, would you fit it in your house?
    If the answer is no, why would you pay 5 times the market value of something you would for the disservice?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,457 ✭✭✭An Ri rua


    If you were in my situation with s 3 way fridge only working on gas, not mains, would you leave it unfixed and buy a mini fridge? If space wasn't an issue which it's not for me.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I replace working absorption fridges with compressor jobbers.

    There's about 5 > 10 gas fridge not working threads here every year. I've never seen a broken compressor jobber thread. Anyone else notice that?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,250 ✭✭✭Buford T Justice


    :p
    I replace working absorption fridges with compressor jobbers.

    There's about 5 > 10 gas fridge not working threads here every year. I've never seen a broken compressor jobber thread. Anyone else notice that?

    Admit it, you just hate 3 way fridges! :P


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,943 ✭✭✭spaceHopper


    :p

    Admit it, you just hate 3 way fridges! :P

    Open the door - food spoils :p

    Yes he doesn't like them. Mine is great by the way, it keeps the beer cold, what else do you need.

    It runs of mains (used it for two weeks in France) Runs of engine but I tend to forget to turn off the gas so the thermostat kicks in and starts a fan to cool the element. Then I've to stop and turn off the gas so I've unplugged the 12 from the engine. Had to replace the sparker as it was going slow now it starts easily every time and I've never had it blow out.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    tongue.png

    Admit it, you just hate 3 way fridges! tongue.png

    Sure. Extortionate Jank.
    Have a "perfectly working" extremely low hours one for sale. PM me if you wanna get robbed a discount on RRP.


    Open the door - food spoils :p

    Yes he doesn't like them. Mine is great by the way, it keeps the beer cold, what else do you need.


    Superior reliability at 1/6 the cost and 10 times the efficiency?




    Would you use a gas fridge in your house? Why not? Because they're shyte, unreliable and ridicously expensive to run?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,250 ✭✭✭Buford T Justice


    Sure. Extortionate Jank.
    Have a "perfectly working" extremely low hours one for sale. PM me if you wanna get robbed a discount on RRP.

    Tempting, but I'll either repair the one I have for about €15 in parts, or I'll get an electric under the counter one. I have you to thank for that - you've put me right off them you have.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Ah bottom...are ya sure that ya don't want to give me €350 for something guaranteed to spoil yer provisions every 2 weeks?
    I lived with one for years. Careful what tinternet advice ya follow. Beer is way more tolerant of temperature fluctuations than say chicken and milk.
    Humans are the least reliable part of most systems. Electric is fully automated because it's efficient and doesn't need supply changeovers.

    Good rule of thumb though...I wouldn't fit anything in a camper that I wouldn't use in a house. I would use a 12volt compressor in a house for that matter. The gas yolk is a door stop lovingly stored until spring when it'll fetch a better price.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,943 ✭✭✭spaceHopper


    Would you use a gas fridge in your house? Why not? Because they're shyte, unreliable and ridicously expensive to run?

    No but I wouldn't run my camper fridge off 220 either. It suits me perfectly in the camper for a long weekend surfing. I don't have much storage space for banks of batteries invertors... and I need gas for cooking and heating so it suits me to run the fridge off gas.

    If it was live a board I'd be bigger, solar and off grid so I'd have a 12/220 fridge maybe a top loader so that the food doesn't spoil every time you open the door.


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  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    All ya need to run a Danfoss is 100W of solar and some external insulation.
    Your gas bottle will last months longer without the fridge. It's ludicrously inefficient.
    I'm tempted to do a no gas build. Or just carry gas in the winter maybe.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    If you don't use the mains element of the 3-way fridge the thermostatic regulation on 12v is on 100% duty indefinitely, and on gas it's manual compensation for atmospheric variations. €600 fridge man...:rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,393 ✭✭✭Jaden


    I know I will end up regretting this. But I have a 3 way under counter in my Carioca. What _should_ I get, if I want to go Gas free? I have 2 Leisures (one added to the existing one), and ideally, I only need it the fridge to run for maybe 48 hours tops before I get to a hookup.

    Thinking specifically of the "Gas off" rule on Ferries, but also off-grid for a couple of nights.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    If you want to get rid of the gas fridge 100W solar + 30Ah per day overhead (in case there's no sun, can be a battery, campsite hook up or alternator...my fridge runs for 15Ah p/d but I insulated it and the condenser cooling is top-notch). If you want to get rid of Gas from the vessel I'd say about a quarter ton to a half ton of lead, 1kW of solar maybe 1.2kW, twin alternators, a ~20kg inverter, induction hobs, halogen oven anna diesel heater oughta cover ya.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,943 ✭✭✭spaceHopper


    Jaden wrote: »
    I know I will end up regretting this. But I have a 3 way under counter in my Carioca. What _should_ I get, if I want to go Gas free? I have 2 Leisures (one added to the existing one), and ideally, I only need it the fridge to run for maybe 48 hours tops before I get to a hookup.

    Thinking specifically of the "Gas off" rule on Ferries, but also off-grid for a couple of nights.
    If you want to get rid of the gas fridge 100W solar + 30Ah per day overhead (in case there's no sun, can be a battery, campsite hook up or alternator...my fridge runs for 15Ah p/d but I insulated it and the condenser cooling is top-notch). If you want to get rid of Gas from the vessel I'd say about a quarter ton to a half ton of lead, 1kW of solar maybe 1.2kW, twin alternators, a ~20kg inverter, induction hobs, halogen oven anna diesel heater oughta cover ya.

    Or you could put the milk in the freezer before you go and put it in the fridge.
    ;):p:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,030 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    My trick for the gas off requirement on ferries.
    Get a dozen 250ml bottles of water in the local supermarket, put them in the home freezer for a couple of days before you head off (open each one first and empty a little water out to allow for expansion as they freeze).
    Transfer them to the motorhome fridge for the ferry journey and use them for cool drinking water when you get to France after they've thawed out.
    Waste not want not ;)


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Jaysus...or yee could just get a fridge that works the way it's supposed too. Turn it on, never worry about it?!

    Ye're only defending them because it's inconvenient to change it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,030 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    Jaysus...or yee could just get a fridge that works the way it's supposed too. Turn it on, never worry about it?!

    Ye're only defending them because it's inconvenient to change it.

    I must say the fridge I have is a 150 litre three-way fridge freezer which has now given 15 years of trouble-free service except for needing a replacement burner last year.
    The convenience of it automatically selecting 12v, 230v or gas depending on which is available great. One of the good features is it will change automatically to gas if the mains voltage drops to 190v which can happen on caravan and camping sites with an insufficient supply from the grid, so you never end up with defrosted or insufficiently chilled food.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Didn't I hear of those fridges being super dangerous at petrol filling stations?

    My compressor jobber paid for itself in one year based on gas savings and reliability compared to the lemon I jettisoned.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,030 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    Didn't I hear of those fridges being super dangerous at petrol filling stations?

    .

    Don't know where you heard that, fake news perhaps!

    Quote from the manual
    When switching from one energy source to another, there are some delays implemented in the AES system. The 15 min. delay between switching off the engine and starting gas mode is intended to delay the starting of gas mode e.g. when stopping at a filling station.


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