I have just replaced the 240v fridge element in my Dometic 2350. Left it over night to get cold and guess what no joy, after an extensive search found I had forgotten to plug it back in after I had finished the instal.
Tried it again but still no joy. It works great on gas and holds on 12 v so my question is can I test the old element with a volt meter to see if the old element was actually shot. I have tried and I get a circuit but really do not know what setting the volt meter should be on and in fact should there be a circuit at all
The reason I am thinking about the test is that I read on another forum from google search that it may be the switch.
can't offer any advice on what to test with the meter but can you not just plug it in whilst it is out of the unit and simply if it gets hot ?
Or are you looking for something more specific.
I guess if you can apply 240 to it while out and it warms up, it might be worth checking that the switch on the fridge is pass the 240 through.
It dies urk me though, having no light on the fridge to let you know its on and working on 240....well mine doesn't.
I just have to wait to see if the exhaust heats up and the fridge cools down. can take a few hours of waiting,
Very funny on not plugging it back in. I did something similar today wiring up some external LED backing lights.
It wasn't working when tested after everything was wired up, I was about to start pulling it all apart to check and remembered I has disconnected the power back there to avoid getting a short whilst working.
Sometimes it pays to test the obvious simple stuff first :)
It could be the selector switch. On our Dometic fridge (smaller than yours), we have to make a concerted effort to ensure that the switch knob goes all the way to the 240 setting. Same for the 12V as well.
It could also be the 240V element is fried. To check this, you have to select 240 V (make sure the knob is all the way over), set the thermostat to the coldest position ( so that the fridge is calling for cooling) and measure the resistance between the active and the neutral pins on the 240 V plug. It should read about 0.4 ohms. To read the ohm scale, you have to set the pointer to the Ohms section of the selector (assuming you have a digital meter), and choose the lowest scale (typically 200 ohms). If you get a reading of infinity, try the next scale up, but if you do, you have an open circuit in the fridge 240V system. The next problem is to decide where the fault is. If you get that far, you will probably have to pull the fridge out and get it tested, or at least get access to the rear of the fridge and find the electrical connections to the element.
If you are having troubles interpreting a multimeter, perhaps it is time you should call in a pro to check your fridge for you.
Very funny on not plugging it back in. I did something similar today wiring up some external LED backing lights. It wasn't working when tested after everything was wired up, I was about to start pulling it all apart to check and remembered I has disconnected the power back there to avoid getting a short whilst working. Sometimes it pays to test the obvious simple stuff first :)
This is a 12V element as its all I have. But set your multimeter on Ohms & test across the element leads, you should get a reading (wont be as low as the 12V one in the picture) as your tesing a 240V element. Make sure the power is disconnected (plug removed) before doing this.
Debe Thank You as well, the picture helped a lot but my old element only got a 3 but on the next setting 3.2 so I guess still OK but age has reduced the effectiveness of it
If you got a resistance on the element, it is OK. The actual value is rather irrelevant at this stage (the lower the resistance, the higher the current flow and hence the greater the cooling effect). You have to look elsewhere now to see why it is not being told to heat up. The selector knob is one place, the thermostat is the other. If the thermostat is not telling the element that the fridge to be cooled down it isn't going to turn on. Check the knob first.
As above, simply feel if heat is coming out of the rear of the fridge. If it is, you have a gassing problem with the fridge. I had a dead fridge a few years back, and it cost me an absolute fortune to replace it. I tried all the tricks - taking it out, turning it upside down and leaving it for a few hours etc, but no go. Eventually I got a new fridge and then stripped the old one to see what was wrong (I could see nothing prior to this). When I stripped it, I could see that the gas had been leaking way up near the tip of the elements. You can get the fridge regassed, but they won't guarantee the job, and also it is quite expensive to have this done. It was quite a job simply to get the new fridge into the caravan - the doorway width is very small. But it did fit and the new fridge works way better than the old one ever did.
-- Edited by erad on Sunday 4th of February 2018 10:52:49 PM
On ours the selector switch connector spring? has unlinked itself more than once over the years - may be worth checking to see if all the selector switch mechanism is working as intended.
