Electrolux fridge

[molestrangler]

EMERGENCY...........just bought a secondhand electrolux fridge, caravan type, seemingly in v.good physical condition, for use in cooling the essentials at le mans, it's a 3 way,(propane,12v, 240v ). Just tried to test it on gas and it ignites ok but, does not stay lit, any clues please.

[Momentofmadness]

Haven't a clue but our gas fire goes out unless you keep the gas button held in for 30 secs after it has lit - worth a try?

[Who me ?]

After about 30 s thermocouple (heated by pilot) keeps pilot supply on. If not doing this suggest thermocouple u/s , but i'd wait for opinion from gas expert.

[molestrangler]

Momentofmadness said:

Haven't a clue but our gas fire goes out unless you keep the gas button held in for 30 secs after it has lit - worth a try?

Thanks, but done that, held knob in for over a minute (ooh matron) but no use.

[tribbles]

Mate of mine had something similar on his space heater - thermostat had gone. Ever the engineer, he mole-gripped a piece of right-angle steel to the case to permanently hold the button down.

No, he hasn't blown himself up yet

ETA: Not that I'd recommend doing it yourself!

Edited by tribbles on Monday 11th June 22:37

[condor]

I'd have thought the brand name Electrolux might have indicated it wasn't suitable for gas

[Parrot of Doom]

I had a similar problem with my gas fire. Turned out that a grille had fallen off the air intake, and a big ball of cat hair was blocking it - which meant that the pilot light was about half the size it should be, which meant the thermocouple wasn't getting red hot, which made the fire turn the gas off immediately.

[Balmoral Green]

Is the tip of the thermocouple clean and is it sitting directly in the pilot flame? If yes, then just trace the thermocouple tube back to where it is screwed into its housing, remove and replace. This is not a gas joint so is straightforward and safe to DIY.

[Mikey G]

Am i the only one that finds lighting a fridge ironic?

So how does that work then?

[molestrangler]

Thanks for all the input, I will try "all of the above tomorrow" cheers, chaps.

[molestrangler]

Mikey G said:

Am i the only one that finds lighting a fridge ironic?

So how does that work then?

White man's magic ( is that PC ?)

[Pigeon]

Mikey G said:

Am i the only one that finds lighting a fridge ironic?

So how does that work then?

Absorption cycle - some of the links at the bottom are better than the actual page.

Very handy on a boat.

[Wedg1e]

Pigeon said:

Mikey G said:

Am i the only one that finds lighting a fridge ironic?

So how does that work then?

Absorption cycle - some of the links at the bottom are better than the actual page.

Very handy on a boat.

Or for camping. I used to have a 12v/ gas version in our trailer tent, it was great to have cold beer when everyone else's was warmed by the sun

I couldn't get my head around the idea of a gas fridge at first but it's bloody genius really. ISTR they use ammonia and if the fridge isn't used for long periods it settles to the bottom and the thermo-siphon effect won't start. The cure is to invert the fridge overnight so the ammonia disseminates back into the system! My boss told me that one, he was a former refrigeration engineer... but I thought he was having me on.

[Pigeon]

Haven't observed that one, but then I'm thinking of a marine installation and maybe the rocking of the boat is enough to keep it stirred up.

[Wedg1e]

Pigeon said:

Haven't observed that one, but then I'm thinking of a marine installation and maybe the rocking of the boat is enough to keep it stirred up.

Aye, one to watch out for if you're buying these little fridges secondhand... a lot of fishermen use them to keep the maggots chilled so they don't hatch...

[condor]

Wedg1e said:

Pigeon said:

Haven't observed that one, but then I'm thinking of a marine installation and maybe the rocking of the boat is enough to keep it stirred up.

Aye, one to watch out for if you're buying these little fridges secondhand... a lot of fishermen use them to keep the maggots chilled so they don't hatch...

Thought it was more for the fun of warming maggots up in the mouth so that they'd wriggle on the hook better