Trillium original fridge repair

[Wizard765]

Well I hope this is a repair anyhow..

I think it is the original fridge (first two pics) I even have the manual for it and the trailer (1982 Jubilee)

Seems the fridge is not getting as cold as it use to.. on electric (110) it gets pretty cold but I had to turn it up somewhat from where it was set last time I used it (10 years ago)
On Propane it barely got cool set to high.. so

Two thing I'm trying..

I had heard a long time ago that sometimes if these things sit for too long the ammonia in the cooling system will settle and crystalize. If you turn them upside down for a few days this is suppose to let the ammonia move around and hopefully uncrystalize..(spell check says that isn't a word but you know what I mean)

Fridge was easier to take out than I thought it would be.. 6 screws on the sides of the face.. disconnect the gas line and unplug the 110 plug. Undo two small screws to disconnect the 12V and pull it out into the trailer.
So it is out and turned over (next pic)

While I have the fridge out I thought I'd take apart the propane burner section and clean the orifice etc.. (next pic)

Glad I took it out. The screw holding the burner into place was very hard to loosen up and there would have been no room to get at it while the fridge was in place (next pic)

Once I had it apart it was easy to blow compressed air through everything including the orifice.. and I believe I can only see one orifice.. (next 3 pics)

Major cool thing is I now know what the red push rod thing is.. I did not know that it had a piezo electric starter.. Been starting it with a BBQ lighter all along.. and the darn thing still produces a spark (next pic)

Anyhow it is upside down right now and I'm gonna leave it like that for a couple of days then reassemble and test it.. I will update with my results..

[Talia]

I've successfully repaired three different 3-way refrigerators. If it cools at all, your ammonia unit is working.

Also, if it cools on electric but not very well on propane, you need to clean the flue, the baffle, and the flame orifice. Spider webs, rodent nests, carbon buildup, etc. can easily affect the cooling ability of the refrigerator when it is on propane, but it may still function normally on electric power.

If you need to know how to clean and service these things on your fridge, there are YouTube tutorials that are simple and easy to follow. Also remember that you can affect the interior temperature of your refrigerator by moving the thermistor to the cooling fin closest to the wall of the refrigerator, and sliding it all the way to the top of that fin. That puts it in the typically coldest spot of your refrigerator compartment and will make the fridge cycle longer before it turns off.

[Victor Benz]

You are doing all the right things, but do not forget to clean the chimney above the burner. Lots of stuff can set up in there, such as mud dauber wasp nests.

[Talia]

Originally Posted by Victor Benz

You are doing all the right things, but do not forget to clean the chimney above the burner. Lots of stuff can set up in there, such as mud dauber wasp nests.

That's the flue I mentioned.

[Wizard765]

Thanks guys and gals.. I had not thought of that flu or chimney.. while it is apart is a good time to look at that.. can I just blow compressed air through it or do I need to take it apart and brush it or something? Looking in there it seems to be fine..;

[Talia]

Originally Posted by Wizard765

Thanks guys and gals.. I had not thought of that flu or chimney.. while it is apart is a good time to look at that.. can I just blow compressed air through it or do I need to take it apart and brush it or something? Looking in there it seems to be fine..;

First pull out the baffle.The refrigerators I've fixed all had a clip that holds a long rod hanging down into the flue. Just unclip it and pull the rod out, and there will be a spiral piece of metal hanging on the bottom of the rod. Clean the spiral and the rod, and use a long soft brush to clean the inner walls of the flue. I found a dryer vent brush was long and flexible enough to get the job done. If the baffle is covered in carbon deposits, just scrub it with a Scotchbrite dish scrubber and dish soap. It should clean up just fine.

[Carl V]

They sell small flexible brushes to clean BBQ grill venturis. Perfect size, that's what I use and it works great.

[Wizard765]

Well I cleaned it best I could and let is sit upside down for a day or so.. Planning on camping this coming weekend so decided to put it back together today and test it.
First off the flame is somewhat bigger now on the pilot light. It's been running for a few hours and it seems to be getting cool.. Think I'll let it run over night and check in the morning but so far so good..

[David Tilston]

Typically, I put a small container of water in the freezer. If it is frozen the next day, the fridge works.

[Wizard765]

That's perfect.. going to do that myself

[Wizard765]

SUCCESS!!!!

Well either the cleaning or the turning it upside down worked because I have frozen water in the bottom of my mug. I think it was both..

[Talia]

Good job! Now that you know how to clean it, just do it every season and that fridge should last a good long time. I've got one that is 30 years old and still works like a champ.

[JRTrillium]

Following this fridge help!