Fridge ignition problems on gas

In my Recro, my fridge only works on 12v and gas (although I'm positive I was told it was 3-way when I bought it). I'm not entirely sure the 12v actually does anything anyway but have only just discovered that it only works when the engine's running. However, on sites, the fridge is gas only of course.

On several occasions I haven't been able to light the fridge because the ignition hasn't worked. The fuse was been changed but didn't help. Last time I was away, I spent the weekend with no fridge because of this but, when I got home and was on my drive, I could hear the ignition clicking so it obviously works.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions or is it a matter for a professional? If so, I assume I can go to a caravan service man?

Nora

Hi again Nora,

From your 'Intro' i can see that you are a very competent Lady (Towing on your own etc ... my hat off to you ) , but i am very

worried about you trying to sort this out yourself. There are quite a few possibilities, so i suggest a professional would be best.

I hope you take this in the spirit it was meant.

Regards, Brian

Nora,
There is a good guy on the Wirral that did my habitation check. He comes to you. His rates are really reasonable (he did my habitation check for £65). I can send you his contact details if you want.

Thanks Brian, I think you're right.

Thanks, Paul, yes please.

Nora

Nora, I've sent you a PM

Thanks Paul, I've got it. I'll give him a ring today and see what he can do for me.

Nora

As a person who was brought up to look for the simplest solution, a thought has crossed my mind that perhaps the 12 volt has not been switched on. Without 12v the igniter wont work
Pete

I have two switches for the 12v, one on the zig unit, the other by the steering column, which I imagine has been put it by a previous owner, and I'm never entirely sure which combination of up and down is on and off, if you see what I mean. I think we tried all combinations and it was working when I got home, which is the odd thing.

Nora

Hi Nora,

As i have in said a previous post, possibly rust falling down the flue. as it was working before.
I am sure, Paul's man will will sort it.
Brian

PS I wrote ; (11th June)

I have often found the fridge not working on gas is due to rust from the flue dropping down and blocking the gauze.
On vans fitted with a lower vent it was fairly easy to clear.
On the Clubman it is possible by removing the entire outer vent/flue, lifting out (with care) the twisted flue restrictor and connecting a length of nylon tube (12 mm ish) to to a vacuum cleaner with gaffer tape and passing this down the flue.....Make sure the gas is turned OFF first.
When reassembled, you should then see a nice blue flame in the fridge window.

Hi, Brian, it's not the gas that's the problem, it's the ignition.

Nora

Traficlady wrote:Hi, Brian, it's not the gas that's the problem, it's the ignition.

Nora

Sorry Nora,
I thought you meant it was sparking, when you said it was 'clicking'
Brian

Hi, Brian, sorry, bit confusing. There was no sparking/clicking on site so the gas wasn't igniting. When I got home, something had obviously started the sparking off because I could hear it clicking.

Nora

Hi Nora,
I'm no expert as I said before. However the fault sounds like an intermittent connection on the 12v line from the zig unit or the igniter itself. Even if there was no gas supply the igniter should click
Regards
Pete

My thoughts entirely Pete.

I've got someone coming in the week to have a look so I'll let you all know how it goes.

Nora

Hi Nora,

Glad you have someone coming, will be pleased to know how it all works out.

Brian

I'll let you know.

Nora

Well, the man came round this afternoon. He took the fridge out and checked it all over, couldn't find anything wrong but he did check all the electrical connections and some of them were a bit "iffy" so he's re-joined them to new sections of wire and tightened them all up. I'm using the van tomorrow so he said I should try the ignition when I get home and if it's not working he'll come back on Thursday morning and have another look - the problem is that it's working at the moment and, obviously, because it's an intermittent fault, it's hard to locate. He charged me £40, which I didn't think was bad - he didn't actually find any fault but he might have done.

Watch this space..............

Nora

Hi Nora.



The fridge igniter the bit near the burner has to be placed in the exact position to get a good spark and light the burner gas. If the igniter is to close or to far away from the burner it will not spark. Sometimes igniter gets out of line especialy if the van has been over rough ground. So with a bit of luck your repair guy has checked it out and fitted it with the correct gap. Thats why its now working. If thats the case it should all be OK. Will also add that at 40 quid he did you proud. Sounds like you've found yourself a decent chap there.



Cheers. Whisky.

Hi Nora,

Lets hope all is OK now, thanks for letting us know

Brian

I had this problem in my VW T25. A friend of mine who used to run a caravan business fixed it for me. He cleaned around the area where the spark comes out as it was rusted up. I think he used wire wool. Hey presto - it worked

It's worth a try. Sometimes, it is the simplest of things.

It is also important to ensure that the igniter is earthed properly at it's clamp. It tends to get corroded and therefore present a poor earth. This results in either no spark or a weak spark which will not ignite the gas.

squip

That was the problem, sometimes the ignition would spark and sometimes it wouldn't. Hopefully all the connections have now been checked and work properly.

Nora

If you can hear the ignition clicking but no flame, try lighting one of the gas hobs to pull the gas through, that worked on my all my vans if they'd been standing for a while.