Electrics question
Hi
Have a coachman pastiche 2 berth
Not used for ages. Here is the issue:
I have van connected to mains supply. the 12v option is switched off. A few of the wall lights work. The lights at the other end wont. Nor will the ceiling fan or radio, or the water pump. If I switch 12v on ( still mains connected) The fan radio and
all lights work. But not the fridge (set to mains setting)- although it works on gas supply. My questions are what could be causing this? and as I am due to go away in it in a few days, when everything works with mains connected
and 12v inside caravan switched on is drawing power just from the battery?
Basic questions I know but with this kind of stuff I am a bear of little brain
---thanks
Comments
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Radio, water pump and lights not connected to the 240v circuit are fed from the 12v battery or charger. Fridge will only operate on 12v when hooked up to car and engine running.
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When connected to mains, the bullbs that work may be 240V (mains) bulbs, check this first.
The things that don't work sound like 12V devices?
All of this sounds normal to me.
If the fridge works on gas but not on mains, that seems to be a fault which will need investigating provided you have followed all of the instructions in the manual and the thermostat is turned to make the firdge as cold as possible.
May be the mains element or control system for it or poor connection somewhere. On our (2011) fridge, it needs 12V to control the other power sources. It also takes some time to be obvious that it's cooling (a few hours to be sure?)
If you are connected to the mains, and the battery charger is working, it should supply your 12V needs AND keep the battery charged.
Hope this makes sense and, more importantly is correct!
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You have not said whether the fridge works with the 12v turned off but what you have written implies that it does, and that it stops working when the 12v is switched on. Is this what is happening?
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Agree with DougS - if it's hot it does seem to take quite a while for the fridge to get down to temperature when on electricity. Once there it's fine but it can take time. We always make sure we put cold goods in the fridge eg. cooled wine! It helps.
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I think 'pathfinder' and 'DougS' have give very good advise and I agree with them. Your fridge may well be working (I hope it is) but you may not realise it. You could check if any heat is coming from the outside vent after say 1 hour, which if it is indicated
the fridge is working. Hopefully all your problems will be resolved.0 -
Thank you for all your replies.
I have had the mains connected and 12v switched on for 3 hours with a thermometer in the fridge 20c so not working
Fan sockets and other stuff all working OK when 12v switched Im thinking it points to a faulty fridge
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The most probable reason is that 240v is simply not getting to fridge. With older fridges there is nothing to indicate whether mains power is present AT THE FRIDGE or not. There may be a socket or switch somewhere (under a bunk?) which has got knocked to OFF?.
The only other explanation is that the 240v heating element in the fridge has failed, or the thermostat. Good news is that either are (relatively) cheap and easy to fix.
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Would that fuse be in the consumer unit under the sofa? The lights work when the fuse is taken out!
What lights? .... lights on the fridge??? That would point to a different problem.
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I was referring to the caravan lights
If the display is working on fridge then not any of 12 volt fuses. My fridge is plugged into a three pin socket under adjacent cooker and that plug is fused. Rest is probably rcds which you will have checked
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There is no display on the fridge it is a Dometic circa 2004, the only way to tell if it is on is if it gets cold- which makes fault finding time consuming
In both the vans we have owned the fridge has been pluged into a switched 3 pin socket under the cooker. (could be elsewhere dept on van layout) Unplug the fridge and plug in a table lamp, or something, to check if you have power to the fridge.
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There is no display on the fridge it is a Dometic circa 2004, the only way to tell if it is on is if it gets cold- which makes fault finding time consuming
In both the vans we have owned the fridge has been pluged into a switched 3 pin socket under the cooker. (Could be elsewhere dept on van layout) Unplug the fridge and plug in a table lamp, or something, to check if you have power to the fridge.
That will check if there is power to socket - check plug fuse as well though
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Mystery solved.
I was puzzling about this and noticed oin the church car park opposite a van which was a mobile caravan repairs. I lurked for a bit and accosted him. He did a voltage check and found it was a duff element - he had the right type in the van so I bit the
bullet and he has repaired it.Thank you for all your advice and pointing out the trees to bark up
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