14' Series Fridge not working on mains?

Paul118

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Mar 29, 2019
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We store our Expanda 14.44-4 in our front yard, but we have a slope towards the road. I’ve plugged the van in to the mains for the first time and the fridge doesn’t seem to be working, the exhaust fan & light aren’t working. Is this due to the van not being level?
 

Boots in Action

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Mar 13, 2017
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We store our Expanda 14.44-4 in our front yard, but we have a slope towards the road. I’ve plugged the van in to the mains for the first time and the fridge doesn’t seem to be working, the exhaust fan & light aren’t working. Is this due to the van not being level?

Hello @Paul118 and welcome to the forum. Firstly, your heat absorption fridge MUST be level to work. In fact trying to operate the fridge way out of level will cause damage to the internal parts causing crystals to build up inside the pipes and stop the flow of liquid ammonia moving through the entire internals. The limitations are looking at front of fridge: Length ways (draw bar to rear of van) within 3 degrees of level. Raise or lower draw bar to get within limits!! Cross ways (side to side as across axle) must be within 6 degrees of vertical. Raise one side of van at wheel to get within tolerances. If this is done, you should have the freezer part down to minus 12 to 15 degrees after about 4 to 5 hours, whilst the fridge part will take up to 24 hours (or overnight) to get down to 3 or 4 degrees. Resist the temptation to keep opening fridge to see if it is getting cold. This really delays the cooling process. Get a wireless thermometer.
If you have connected the power correctly, you should look to see that all fuses are okay and that the mains switch in the van is on. Also, does the van have a battery installed. That will be your first lot of checks before even worrying about fridge. The levelness (or non- levell-ness) has nothing to do with the non operation of lights and exhaust fan. Do any of the 240 volt electrics work?? How long since last used? Need more info to be able to help further and some other members will also provide ideas.
 

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Boots in Action

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2017
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Ferny Grove, Queensland
We store our Expanda 14.44-4 in our front yard, but we have a slope towards the road. I’ve plugged the van in to the mains for the first time and the fridge doesn’t seem to be working, the exhaust fan & light aren’t working. Is this due to the van not being level?

Hello again @Paul118 , here is a good diagram of how a heat absorption fridge should work (when you get some power into it!) so you can see why level-ness is so important for proper operation.

http://www.portablefridgesonline.com.au/how-3-way-fridges-work
 

Paul118

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Mar 29, 2019
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Perth

Drover

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In addition check that the 12v switch in van is turned on along with the 240v breaker switch.......... basically if lights come on you have 12v, turn on microwave if clock illuminates then there's 240, with fridge turned on check rear of fridge from outside after an hour or so, if warm air is coming out the flu its working and as Boots mentioned all level, bubble within the lines on a level is a must.....................if all these things get a tick and after 4 hours the freezer panel is still hot then A; the dial isn't on 240 b; Its stuffed c: you haven't turned the 240 on for the fridge lead.....
 

Paul118

New Member
Mar 29, 2019
4
3
3
Perth
In addition check that the 12v switch in van is turned on along with the 240v breaker switch.......... basically if lights come on you have 12v, turn on microwave if clock illuminates then there's 240, with fridge turned on check rear of fridge from outside after an hour or so, if warm air is coming out the flu its working and as Boots mentioned all level, bubble within the lines on a level is a must.....................if all these things get a tick and after 4 hours the freezer panel is still hot then A; the dial isn't on 240 b; Its stuffed c: you haven't turned the 240 on for the fridge lead.....
Thanks Drover, appreciate it.
 
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Drover

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I have been caught out as when I turned the Stove power point off I actually turned off the fridge....dirty terminals can be a cause..... Try on gas and work from there.
 
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Boots in Action

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Thanks Boots, I’ve got the van level now and it’s working properly. Thanks for the info on the van being level, good to know. Turns out one of the fuses was blown, I might need my eyes checked

Good to hear of a success story @Paul118. The same applies for your fridge regarding level-ness when operating on gas. I thought it must have been a fuse or a missed switch and @Drover was on the ball too. Hope you enjoy the forum and all the info therein. A lot of very experienced members on this forum covering lots of subjects. Just ask a question, it is never silly, and there will normally be someone to give you a good response. Cheers
 
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Boots in Action

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I have been caught out as when I turned the Stove power point off I actually turned off the fridge....dirty terminals can be a cause..... Try on gas and work from there.

Similarly here too @Drover. The 240 volt power plugs into the same socket for the Setec and is under the bed. Whilst putting other articles under bed, accidentally knocked the fridge plug out just far enough that connection was broken. Only found out about it when fridge temp started to rise, then a mad flurry to find out the cause. Now very careful when loading/unloading anything in that area. You only do it once - always check that now!
 
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Drover

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Now that's weird, my first response was just after Boots , no sign of @Paul118 response at 9.58pm on my gear until recently a good 12 hrs later, must have been showing an archive page........
 
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Boots in Action

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Now that's weird, my first response was just after Boots , no sign of @Paul118 response at 9.58pm on my gear until recently a good 12 hrs later, must have been showing an archive page........

Hi @Drover , yes I noticed the difference in time too. No sign of @Paul118 's message when I went to bed late. But then, remember, @Paul118 is in Perth WA and they are 2 hours behind our time. Also, because @Paul118 did not prefix my name with an "@" sign, just called me Boots, it did not come through to me as an alert.
@Paul118 , if you prefix a member's name with the @ sign and no space before forum name, the person you are replying to gets an alert message and/or an email to let one know quickly that you have responded or used the member's name in your message. Don't worry about it now. I made the same mistake and a few others, when I first joined the forum, and was politely informed what to do. It just speeds things up and saves one having to wade through a lot of new posts to see/if when you have replied. You will get used to it I am sure. The main thing is we have cleared up your problem and you have gained a little more knowledge. I am still learning heaps from others and still exchanging ideas. As another member @bigcol said "We aim to please, but sometimes we miss!!" Isn't that right @Drover ??
 
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chartrock

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Now that's weird, my first response was just after Boots , no sign of @Paul118 response at 9.58pm on my gear until recently a good 12 hrs later, must have been showing an archive page........

Just as a reminder to you (and everyone else), all new members have their first 5 posts checked by the mods before it is posted live. So the post can sit until a mod comes on line and checks it. If we decide it is a legitimate post, we OK it and it appears to all members, if it is a post just to advertise something unrelated to vans or is a "nasty" post, then it is just deleted and if they continue to try to post, they are blocked by @expanda. Mods may not get on line until evening or the next day so posts can sit for some time between posting and appearing to members.
If you are curious about how many posts a member has made, just click on the down arrow under their avatar.
 

Boots in Action

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Mar 13, 2017
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Just as a reminder to you (and everyone else), all new members have their first 5 posts checked by the mods before it is posted live. So the post can sit until a mod comes on line and checks it. If we decide it is a legitimate post, we OK it and it appears to all members, if it is a post just to advertise something unrelated to vans or is a "nasty" post, then it is just deleted and if they continue to try to post, they are blocked by @expanda. Mods may not get on line until evening or the next day so posts can sit for some time between posting and appearing to members.
If you are curious about how many posts a member has made, just click on the down arrow under their avatar.

Thanks for the reminder @chartrock . It is so easy to forget these checks when a new member joins. @Drover , your memory is slipping because you should have remembered that. But then, you have been around so long now, your posts no longer need censoring - or do they??
 
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Drover

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Yep forgot all about that stuff @chartrock and enough of your babble MR @Boots in Action my memory isn't slipping its just overflowing with brilliant ideas and jibberish, sometimes self censoring is required due to corn mash typing................a few times I thought my phone was playing with my mind but now I realize my phone wasn't and my mind is perfectly safe in the shoebox.
 
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