Has anyone successfully converted an electrolux 122F 2 way (gas and 12V) fridge to 3 way so it can be used on 240v at a campsite by adding a 240V heating element to it? I assume 3 way fridges have some sort of thermostat that allows the temperature to be adjusted on 240V which could be a problem.
Sounds like a lot of trouble? Why not just have a voltage drop circuit - mains to 12 v and use what you have?
Theres no thermostat on the 12V side of things though, so it makes milk slushies if used on 12V over a whole weekend. If i could work out how to regulate the voltage going to the 12V element when run through a 240-12V transformer/voltage dropper then i suppose i could use the existing 12V heating element.
I have converted one of these in the past. Its not too difficult but you will need a basic VC1 universal fridge stat and a 240volt element. The element slots in a spare tube next to the current 12 volt element. I then made up a bracket to mount the stat thru the lower grill and routed the stat phial into the cabinet thru the back of the fridge with the evaporator. The vc1 stat kit comes with a control knob and connectors. The dearest bit was the element which came from a mains model fridge. All the parts can be found on fleabay and it did work very well.
Just looked and theres no spare tube for a 240V element to go in. Welding another tube on looks a tad dangerous too.
If i could somehow use one of those VC1 fridge stats (as they are only £6 on ebay) and a voltage drop transformer on the original 12V element with a switch to swap to 12V when the engine is running and the 240V is off then it would solve my problems. I've already got a ZIG unit installed which gives 12V when connected to 240V on campsites.
Could you not use a timer on the 240 volt feed so the fridge was on for half an hour then off for half an hour and so on You could adjust the amount of time it was on or off by trial and error untill it was set to be cold but not start freezing the milk 240 Volt digital timers are around £10 and are plug and play
Could do i suppose. I've sent my dad all the info about the VC1 and ZIG units and he's gonna look into it. If he can't figure it out no-one can, though going by his version of a split charge relay i might need a trailer to carry it. :
Maybe i was just lucky with mine reguarding spare element tube! A timer might work but a stat will always be better. You could use a relay to switch between 12 & 240 volt but seems overly complicated. Definatley do not try welding to unit but it is possible to glue a tube in place with jb weld or similar. All you want is good contact between the element and tank. This will have the advantage of keeping the 12 & 240volt supplies separate.
I'm definately not gonna be welding to a pipe full of amonia and other nasties but I think i've got it figured out now though. If i was to use one of the VC1 universal thermostats like this you mention that are availalbe on ebay for about £6: And drilled through the back of the fridge here so to avoid all the pipes and stuff: Then it would mount here inside: My ZIG has a couple of 10A fused circuits free so i'm gonna use one of those to run the existing 12V element while hooked up to 240V at a campsite. Only problem i can see is the thermostat runs on 240V but the element is 12V so i suppose i'm gonna have to run them both off separate circuits. :-
I think you'll find a way to make this work, but this type of thermostat is different to the one in my Westy. In mine I have an Electrolux RC152EG. It seems to have the same internal works as a 122 though the plumbing is twisted round differently. The electrical thermostat is inside the control box above the heating mechanism and is a high temperature detector such as in a boiler or central heating system. As the air in the heating mechanism gets hot it trips the fridge element out and prevents the chiller cabinet getting too cold. This operates only on the mains supply. The gas incidentally does have a thermostat in the chiller section. This is a mechanical device which causes the gas to turn down when it's getting too cold..
On mine i pushed the thermostat phial thru the same hole as the cooling unit ( to the left of your arrow), there was plenty of room and clamped the end onto one of the cooling fins ( the vc1 stat would normally be clamped to the underside of the ice box or evaporator plate on a normal fridge). Hope that helps
The gas side of my fridge has 3 settings (so 3 heat/cold settings). Snigofhawson, I've not seen any fitting instructions for the VC1 thermostats but from what you're saying i could just push the thermostat phial (is that the long probe thingy?) through the same hole the cooling unit passes through and clamp it to the cooling fins under the icebox? The actual thermostat control unit thing could be mounted under the fridge as theres loads of space with the dial spindle through the front panel (thats been removed in this piccy) like the gas control units? If so that sounds simple enough.
zebedee, exactly as you say. generally the stats come with a basic wiring diagram but just remember it is just a switch. Live in on term. 6( or 3 ). Feed to element on Term 4, plus earth to metal body of stat. If you run it on 12 volts it probably won't need a stat as the element won't get as hot but theres no reason you couldn't use the same type of stat if it got too cold.
The fridge would always get too cold on 12V which makes lovely milk slushies do I'm gonna give it a go using one of those VC1 things and see how it works.
Well i've finally remembered about doing this and bought a thermostat. Gonna wire it up and give it a try at spring camp.
