Message Forums

Hi

We have just returned from our first whole week away in our tent and our 3 month old fridge refused to cool anything down.  Now I know it was hot, but we couldn't get it below 12 degrees and overnight, when you would imagine it would have the best chance to cool down, it actually got hotter (upto 22 degrees)

I have spoken to the retailer and will be exchanging it for a new unit tomorrow, but just wondered if anyone else has had this problem?

We have used it for 2 weekends away and it was fantastic, once it even froze the milk!

golly, you know your stuff - but I am left feeling a bit fuzzy headed

it appears to be absorption after looking on a website, but it says 25 degress below ambient. however this doesn't explain it getting hotter i suppose, it was more like 12 degrees above!

We made sure it was completley level and that it had as much air as possible around it.  It doesn't have a heating function.

The usual trick when a CombiCool won`t cool is to try turning it upside down for 12 hours or so. The coolant can sometimes cease to circulate freely and the upside down trick can get it going again.

Must say though, there`s been a spate of problems reported recently on here about CombiCools not cooling properly. Yup, of course it`s been very hot recently, but lots of folk have taken their CombiCools abroad in past years to very hot places, and I don`t recall many complaints before. Where did you buy your`s? The thought "possible faulty batch" does spring to mind.

Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 30/7/2006

---

The usual trick when a CombiCool won`t cool is to try turning it upside down for 12 hours or so. The coolant can sometimes cease to circulate freely and the upside down trick can get it going again.

Must say though, there`s been a spate of problems reported recently on here about CombiCools not cooling properly. Yup, of course it`s been very hot recently, but lots of folk have taken their CombiCools abroad in past years to very hot places, and I don`t recall many complaints before. Where did you buy your`s? The thought "possible faulty batch" does spring to mind.

---

that is worth knowing.  It did work before we left on mains electric and 12v, so I think it did seem to work initially on gas for a couple of days, so I think it has properley broken.

We didn't expect it to be freezing things in the recent heat, but the heating up at night time was certainly  odd!  gaining up to 10 degrees while the outside temp was dropping!!!

Got it from Leisure Fayre in Southampton who I rang yesterday and they are quite happy to exchange it.  so hopefully it was a one off.  Interesting to hear there have been a few recent cases.

thanks both for your help and advice.

have just exchanged it and have got a different make (they didn't have the others) it is an Esetil, seems to be a bit larger than the Combicool, 42l and has built in spirit level plus a light to tell you it is working.

Hopefully it will work more like a cooler and less like a cooker than the last one

Just read this and wanted to make a comment.  I've been looking at combicool's for a while, with thoughts of getting one. 

Chester - your comments put me off of buying one and didn't ring bells with what I've read up on them.  Having just looked at this http:///mobilecoolbox/gasfridgefreezerunit/combicool.htm

I am thinking maybe you're using scare tactics to get everyone to buy a proper fridge. (do you work for hotpoint maybe?). You sound very knowledgeable, but if you read up on combicools (as above) it suggests that this one is broken and not merely 'just an expensive compressorless fridge? as the article states it cools to 30 degrees below.  Surely it's price reflects it's ability to do this?  Are you thinking of a 12v cool box, that only cools to 18deg below ambient?

I don't wish to appear rude or cause offence as I am a total lay person where these things are concerned and all I know is what I've read on different websites.

It's great that we all offer appropriate and correct help and advice to each other and give our opinions, so we all learn and improve our knowledge.

can you try that link again, it has one too many '/' but I still can't access it. I am interested to read it.

http:///mobilecoolbox/gasfridgefreezerunit/combicool.htm

try this!!  sorry!!

when I cut there are not this many // in it yet when I paste they magically appear.  sorry.  It's www.mobilecoolbox.co.uk maybe you can find it from that.  Click on the picture and then click for further info.

Julie.

Quote: Originally posted by Dobiesmon on 30/7/2006

---

Hi
I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago getting hot and found to my cost it was something as simple as putting the switch in the other way as mine does heats / cold.

---

   Oh dear!!!  Mine was only supposed to be cold luckily!

 Thanks for the link - we got there in the end!  My replacement is the Exetil EZ 4000 which seems to work OK so far!