A/S Trident Fridge not working on 240v

I have indeed read through the thread.

It's very easy to get sidetracked by variable symptoms when tracing faults in any device, I know, I do it for a living.

It often gets confusing until the moment that you snag the problem, whereupon everything suddenly falls into place with remarkable clarity.

You said a couple of times that you suspected the 230V element, and a few times that both gas and 12V seem to be working:

"I am strongly suspecting it is now the 240v element which is a little dicky..."

If you have a spare, then swap it and eliminate an internal O/C fault in the element, (although they usually fail live to ground), as you said previously that the back of the fridge was only lukewarm, suggesting that the element was not heated even though the 230V was plugged in. That shouldn't be possible with the freezer still warm unless the thermostat has failed. Can you hear the thermostat click as you move the 230V temp control, (difficult I know, if it's less than totally quiet)?

Note that the element will be around 150-250W, thus it should be 'bluddy hot' when powered, not just 'a bit hot'

Meanchris, thanks.

I have tried to hear the thermostat, but have never heard anything. I'll change the element and see how we go. I suppose I could actually take the fridge out and run it from the mains in the house, thereby eliminating the levelling issue.

Cheers.

Having just purchased "Frank" the Trident I am reading this threat with interest as my fridge seems not to work on 12v or 240v but gas only - In fact 240 v trips the fuse after around 10 mins - Will try the levelling but thought I would add in in case there are any other thoughts other than those mentioned here.

Thanks

My bet would be that the element goes short to ground when it gets hot. My pal's caravan fridge was doing exactly the same a couple of years ago.

Coincidentally - Our domestic fan oven element failed just before we left home for France last month, and I got a replacement from ebay this week (£12 and 5 mins to replace), when I took the old element out I was surprised at how badly contorted the two turn spiral was by the heat, and it had failed open circuit, not live to ground as my previous assertion suggests that they do.

Same happened to be on our crappy lemona oven - 3 years old and element blown. Easy repair.

Update on the van fridge. It's at the 'shop' undergoing a bench test on all 3 sources. In the meantime I have also bought from eBay a RM4200s, slightly more modern fridge. For £135 inc delivery seemed a good deal. I'll keep you updated!

Thanks.

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 by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Today at 12:00 pm


Same happened to be on our crappy lemona oven - 3 years old and element blown. Easy repair.

Ok thanks - I have managed to get the 12 working now (I read the instructions !) so this runs with the ignition !!

The 240v Shorting to ground, how did your friend fix this issue / what should I be looking for when I pull the unit out ?

Thanks

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Ok thanks - I have managed to get the 12 working now (I read the instructions !) so this runs with the ignition !!

The 240v Shorting to ground, how did your friend fix this issue / what should I be looking for when I pull the unit out ?

Thanks

I fixed it for him.
My friend's caravan fridge proved unusually difficult, as the element was inside a thick steel tube, not the thin openable sheet steel one I have and had in our old vans.
The element had rusted onto the tube inside and we had to chisel it out with unreasonable force, without also fracturing the coolant tube, which took us about 3 hours altogether. In the end we had to use his specialist hot air gun (for fitting vinyl flooring) to heat and cool the tubes to about 250C to break the rust bond. Without this heat gun I doubt that we could have done the job.
Having said that, the other fridges that I've repaired in our boat and van have been of the type with a thin rolled tube that can be unclipped along its length to open it.

I don't know what your particular fridge will look like, but they generally have an approx 2" diameter tube containing all the heating/coolant tube elements at the back of the fridge, usually (with some difficulty sometimes) accessible through the fridge vents from the outside of the van.

The tube is filled with insulating wool and can (usually) be unclipped to allow it to open along its length to give access to the heating/cooling elements.

The 230V element usually looks something like these:

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It can usually be replaced simply by removing it and fitting the new one of the correct type for your fridge. As this involves making 230V connections which may be sited anywhere on the fridge casing (sometimes on the top) DISCLAIMER - I would NOT recommend doing this unless you have the required understanding and skills necessary.

Right, probably my final update on this!

The fridge has bveen comprehensively bench tested, and found to be working 'OK' on 12v, when there is a non-thermostatic input, and very flakey on other sources. The tester reckons a blockage in the system, or low gas, either way, a bit of a problem that I don't really have the impotus to continue to srt, especialyl given the closeness of our hols.

Anyway, I've sourced a very good condition second hand RM4200s, which I will fit tonight!

Thanks again for all the replies.

CJM.