12V/24V Caravan, Camping & Portable Fridge Preventative Maintenance – Before Your Next Trip

Preventative maintenance on your caravan or car 12V/24V fridge can save you a lot of trouble when you are out travelling. If you regularly or permanently use your caravan or car fridge, whether it is in a caravan, motorhome, car, truck, canopy or out on your ute tray in the weather, it is worth getting it checked over from time to time.

If you use your fridge a lot, especially in rough conditions such as corrugated roads, dusty roads or on the beach, things can start to move, loosen up or wear. Even if you are only going on a long trip, it can be worth bringing the fridge in for a general check-over before you leave so we can hopefully prevent any faults that are starting to develop.

 

What I Check on a 12V/24V Fridge

I check the refrigerant charge and measure the voltages at the fridge. I also check for bad electrical connections, make sure the fan and compressor are running properly and check that the condenser is clean. Some of the other things I look for are pipes on the fridge rubbing against things they shouldn’t be.

Over time, especially on rough roads, this can wear through a refrigeration pipe and cause you a major drama if you are away on a big trip. Even if you are only travelling close to home, it can still spoil your weekend if the fridge lets you down. It is also not a cheap fix if a pipe wears through and you lose all the refrigerant gas. The photos with this article show a condenser I recently pulled out of a fridge because it was leaking refrigerant. I replaced it with a new condenser.

This is a condenser from a fridge often at the beach at the mercy of salt water in the air often.

Rough Roads Can Loosen Things Up

I also check the nuts, bolts and screws that hold the compressor, fans and other components in place. These can come loose over long drives on rough or corrugated roads. Another thing I check for is corrosion, which can also eventually cause refrigerant leaks or electrical problems. If your fridge spends its life in a canopy, camper or ute where it is exposed to dust, moisture and changing weather, this is even more important.

Sometimes the Problem Isn't the Fridge

I also check voltages to make sure your solar is charging, your DC-to-DC charger is charging and, if you have a 240V charger, that it is charging properly as well. As I have said before, not every fridge problem is actually a fridge problem.

Sometimes the fridge is fine and the problem is somewhere in the batteries, wiring, charging system or solar setup. If you give your fridge a workout before you go away, especially if it has been sitting for a while, you have a much better chance of finding a problem at home instead of finding it halfway through your trip.

Dometic, Waeco and Other 12V/24V Fridge Brands

I repair a range of 12V and 24V compressor fridge brands, including Dometic and Waeco. I also work on brands including Bushman, Evakool, National Luna, Primus, Vitrifrigo, Auto Fridge, Explorer and Companion, along with other 12V/24V compressor fridges depending on the model and parts availability.

If you are not sure whether I work on your particular fridge, give me a call first and tell me the brand and model.

Make Sure Whoever Works on Your Fridge Is Qualified

There are not that many of us specialist qualified 12V/24V compressor fridge mechanics around anymore, especially once you get away from the larger populated areas. When you are in the middle of nowhere, it can sometimes be hundreds of kilometres before you find someone who can repair your fridge.

Before getting refrigeration work done, ask to see the technician’s Refrigerant Handling Licence and the business’s Refrigerant Trading Authorisation. A refrigeration mechanic has a restricted electrical licence for the electrical work they perform on the fridge. It is worth making sure the person working on your fridge is properly qualified.

The close-up corrosive effects of salt water/oceanside environments on a fridge condenser.

Get It Checked Before You Go

If you are interested in getting your fridge checked over before your next trip, give me a call and I can have a look over it for you. I am a qualified refrigeration mechanic with over 40 years of experience, and I am a caravanner and camper as well. I practise what I preach.

I am also a one-man show, so when you call The Fridge Whisperer you will be talking to the refrigeration mechanic who will actually be looking at your fridge.

So get yourselves out there and enjoy this beautiful country of ours. Don’t leave your next camping trip for another day. Do it now while you still can. And while you are out there, if we can all pick up a bag of somebody else’s rubbish and dispose of it, it will help keep our campgrounds open.

Become a rubbish picker-upperer. It really does help.

Take care, remember there is no time like the present, and get out there and enjoy yourselves.

Andrew

The Fridge Whisperer

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