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I recently needed to take my fridge out of it's houseing and have now put it back in, when I fired it it up useing the gas it started straight away but after a while I noticed a lot of fumes in the caravan, when I put it back together I did think the flue assemble did'nt seem to be that substantial, can anyone tell me if any sort of mastic / putty is required to seal the flue joints up, when I dismaanted it I cannot recall seeing any signs of any sealants being used, Any advice or tips would be greatly received, turned system off for safety reasons.

Thanks for your help................. Phil

When you say fumes, what is the smell?? Gas or combustion gases?

The fridge should realy be sealed off at the back and sides from the living area, this will stop burnt gas exhaust from entering the inside of the van and instead will expel from the flue and top vent.

Also make sure that the flame is blue in colour, anything else is bad and will result from carbon monoxide fumes!

Make sure you do not have a gas leak from the conecting pipe work. When I took mine out and refitted it, I done up the coupling 'dog-tight' and thought it was sound but i still found it to be leaking! Check with some soap and make doubly sure its not leaking at the coupling.

I would say it's combustion gases fumes, checked the flame and it is blue as blue can be ! ! ,  you say the sides should be sealed ? well they are in respect that its in a space under the work sevice with the sides of cuboards on each side, the back has a alloy shield over the flue etc, will perhaps have to take flue apart to see if anything is amiss.

Thanks for your assistance

Phil

Phil, another little lesson i learnt with mine, when I fired it up before refitting the sink, I could also smell burnt exhaust gas entering the van even with a healthy blue flame. The only thing stopping some of this smell was the sink, when fitted in its normal position. I discovered that someone before me had removed the fridge and refitted it VERY poorly. Drafts were entering the living space and the thing was nigh-on wobbling around in its cabinet. Even when the flue was fitted and functioning properly, i could still smell the exhaust entering the van, especialy with no sink in to impede its progress!

With the help of these drawings-  http://www.obrienscamping.co.uk/articles/FridgeInstall.htm

I came to the conclusion that the fridge would, A, work better and B, there would no exhaust fumes entering the van if I sealed off the back and sides from the living area.

Also some more usefull information here-

http://www.ourwanderer.org/wan6.htm#illustrations

I simply made up a piece of ally sheet that went from the top of the fridge, bridgeing the gap between the top rear of the fridge and the caravan wall and so the fumes had no where else to go but  exit via the top vent as well as the flue. I also fixed in  2 slithers of thin ply to seal the  sides of the fridge at its top to the cabinet the fridge sits in. This little lot was simply stuck in with some seam sealer.

I then fired it up again (without the sink in) and vola, no more fumes inside.  Also because there is more of a convection effect over the absorbtion unit, it now gets colder than my fridge in the house!

Hope this helps.

Thanks Gary for your info will certainly follow it up and hopefully resolve the problem.

REGARDS .............Phil

Hi Gary.

I noticed you mentioned that your caravan has a vent as well as a flue for your fridge,My caravan being a bit of an oldie only has a flue i am now wondering if the best route would be to fit a vent, can you tell me if your vent is high or low on the wall and how far away is it from the flue.

thanks for your help

Phil

Quote: Originally posted by Gary H on 10/8/2010

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Phil, another little lesson i learnt with mine, when I fired it up before refitting the sink, I could also smell burnt exhaust gas entering the van even with a healthy blue flame. The only thing stopping some of this smell was the sink, when fitted in its normal position. I discovered that someone before me had removed the fridge and refitted it VERY poorly. Drafts were entering the living space and the thing was nigh-on wobbling around in its cabinet. Even when the flue was fitted and functioning properly, i could still smell the exhaust entering the van, especialy with no sink in to impede its progress!

With the help of these drawings-  http://www.obrienscamping.co.uk/articles/FridgeInstall.htm

I came to the conclusion that the fridge would, A, work better and B, there would no exhaust fumes entering the van if I sealed off the back and sides from the living area.

Also some more usefull information here-

http://www.ourwanderer.org/wan6.htm#illustrations

I simply made up a piece of ally sheet that went from the top of the fridge, bridgeing the gap between the top rear of the fridge and the caravan wall and so the fumes had no where else to go but  exit via the top vent as well as the flue. I also fixed in  2 slithers of thin ply to seal the  sides of the fridge at its top to the cabinet the fridge sits in. This little lot was simply stuck in with some seam sealer.

I then fired it up again (without the sink in) and vola, no more fumes inside.  Also because there is more of a convection effect over the absorbtion unit, it now gets colder than my fridge in the house!

Hope this helps.

Post last edited on 10/08/2010 20:48:44

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Well im gald its of some use. Thanks.

At one stage I was looking into buying a new fridge because i thought mine was life expired but after 'having a go' myself and doing some research into the subject, ive saved myself over £400! My problem turned out to be a bad earth on the Piezo sparker stopping the gas from igniting as well as very poor fitting and a bodge job from the previous fitter! I also found out from the above link that theres new parts freely available for these older models, very handy to know for the future.

Hi Petemate,

 Having recently replaced my gas burner & Piezo sparker, I should have read my own web site!, Afterwards,  I realised the piezo sparker was slightly loose in the front frame. The piezo sparker has a very small mechanical earth return on its body, which earths to the fridge frame. When you press the sparker you can push this earth away from the frame, causing a poor spark. So ensure the retaining the sparker nut is secure and tight.

Brian