I have an electrolux 212B 3 way fridge in my van, it works fine on 240v, and it has previously been working great on gas. The last 2 times I have been away though it has not been working proplerly on gas. It lights ok but it does not stay lit? Sometimes it goes out as soon as I release the button, other times it will work for a few minutes before going out. The gas bottle is new so i know it is not low on gas. Any suggestions?
Sounds like the thermo-couple . Basically if the gas is lit it heats up the thermo-couple and lets the gas flow. If the flame goes out the thermo-couple cuts the gas, meaning the van won`t fill with gas which could be very bad news. A faulty thermo-couple means it `thinks` the gas has gone out and is cutting the flow.
Had a similar problem with the pilot light going out as soon as pressure is released on the knob. The guy who rebuilt my fridge , advised me to pull the knob off and pack something inside the hole to make it shallower , then to give it a go. Works fine now , until I change the gas bottle , then it's a pig to light.
Thanks for the replies everyone! I have a spirit level on top of the fridge to make sure its always level as it really affects its performance. I wil take a look at the thermo couple - see if i can clean it and make sure it looks ok, other than that I dont know what to look at! I will take a look the what you suggest mkethef too and report back.
Could just be sooted up but there is no actual visual check , might be able to test it with a multi-meter but I wouldn`t know where to start !! Levelling does make a big difference with performance but should still stay lit if resting on an angle - within reason...
The bit in the original thread ''it will work for a few minutes '' makes the thermo- coupling the likely culprit , but this involves moving the fridge first. Padding out the inside of the knob is well worth trying however and only takes a minute. mine is also a 212 B
you should be able to loosen the locknut holding the thermo coupl in situ....if you can, leave the rear locknut in place, pull the thermocouple back far enough to wire brush it (it's quite bendy), then screw the rear locknut on a turn or two, so that when you refit it, the end of the TC will be just a bit further into the flame
did this to mine after reading thread on camper fridges elsewhere , works first time now. Make sure you give gas time to flow thru for a while 20 secs before you light .
Well, I am stumped! I have cleaned the thermocouple, packed something in the end of the knob and blown through the gas pipes to make sure there are no blockages but it still wont stay lit on gas! I have run out of ideas. I might have to try and find a local specialist who will try to fix it other than just trying to sell me a new one.
the thermocouple has to be in the hottest part of the flame to function properly...in the outer blue halo, not the pale blue cone in the centre of the flame. The only reason a gas heated absorption fridge runs badly when un level, is because the heat from the flame isn't being directed to the base of the boiler tube. Also, the thermocouple works like a bimetallic element...one metal expands and contracts at a different rate to the other....if the thermocouple has been badly bent , the internal strand may have been broken....they are only a couple of quid from a plumbers' merchants if you want to DIY it...alternatively, try here
