3 way fridge might as well be 1 way???

danccooke, the 12v problem may be associated with the wires from the battery in the van to the fridge, if they are not the right thickness they will not carry enough current to the fridge causing it to run inefficiently. This said the 3 way fridge will still use an extremely high amount of power so if you use it when stationary you will end up with no battery power in no time.
As for the gas pilot light location this will depend on the model of the fridge. Some are in the bottom corner of the inside of the fridge, some are just a light on the control board at the top of the fridge ect. ect. Best to ask your local caravan shop for specifics on your fridge.
hope this helps Trevor.

G'day mate,

We'd probably need to know what brand and model of fridge it is please.

Most 3 way fridges are bloody woeful on 12 volts. At best, they might be able to maintain a fridge at or near the temperature achieved on either gas or electricity. 3 way fridges need to be dead level to operate properly; something that is not going to be possible when you are on the move.

As for the gas, there should be a small window that you can look into which will show you the pilot light (depending on the type of fridge). I know the Dometic (Electrolux) have this feature.

I ditched the 3 way fridge in our camper trailer in favour of a Engel 80 litre upright, cos the 3 way was just too "hit n miss" and in really hot climates it just couldn't cut the mustard.

Good luck

Cheers

Roachie

it is an electrolux three way "thingy" (notice the techincal terms there) i am only ever away for a weekend so two nights, i don't have to worry about high temp climates i am in England ;) running on gas would be fine but i just need to try and find the pilot. took me a while to work out the heater but have that sorted. as you can tell i am a technical sort of guy.

cheers for help so far though

Hey mate we have an electolux 3 way and yes not good on 12v but good on 240 & gas with ours it doesn't have a view window to see if the pilot light is alight what ours does is the button you push to light the gas stays in when it has ignited also if it has taken a while to light it makes a woof sound when it ignites from the build up of gas.
With the 12v could be a broken connection or as said above wire not thick enough but if it is in a caravan i would think that it would be fine if it is the original fridge put in buy the manufacturer of the van.

Hope this helps
Baz.

Mate I reckon I know the type open the fridge and look in the bottom left hand corner and on the back wall of the fridge will be a little clear button about the diameter of a ciggie but - this is your pilot light sighter. pricks of things and you need it to be dark to see the little blue flame if you have achieved a successful ignition

To light the gas, set the Gas dial on Max, push it in and hold it in, press the igniter button (you haven't said that your fridge has one but the Electroluxes I've used all do) a couple of times, look in the sight glass or if you can look down the left-back of the fridge you should be able to see the flame down the chimney, after 30 secs release the gas control knob. If you have a stove, light one of the burners first to let any air out of the gas lines as this is faster than waiting for it to bleed out of the fridge. Should run very well on gas.

Adrian

I'm new to this 3 way caravan fridge thingy too, but I read the instruction book. I have a 90 litre Dometic fridge in the 7 week old Rapid. There is a flame detector which operates a little needle on the front panel and will shut off the gas if it doesn't see a flame. I have no way of actually seeing the flame.

To light the fridge, you hold in the Flame failure safety valve push button (button C) which bypasses the safety flame shut off and then push the piezo igniter button (button D)- this is the one that clicks. If a flame appears and the detector sees it, then you see the needle go from the red into the green. You can then release button C. If the flame goes out, the the flame detector will automatically shut off the gas.
You shouldn't hold in button C for a long time with the needle in the red- you'll fill the van up with gas.

I just ran mine on gas at Fraser Is for a week at Easter, and it performed perfectly. Got it running in the front yard on 240v right now ready for a quick getaway tomorrow arvo for the long weekend, and it's very chilly. Got iceblocks in the freezer and icy cold drinks inside.

It must be dead level though. A pain in the neck compared to my 40l Waeco, but for a long stay without 240v, it worked a treat.

Did not read most of the above - but a few points....
1. The 12 volt element may be blown.
2. The 12 volt wiring may be dodgy (suggest you install an indicator light to confirm that the circuit is running).
3. My 3 way in the Jackaroo has just done 2 weeks of sterling work - ran like a champ. The 12 volt circuit chews up power - we only use 12 volt when mobile (which runs very well, following a cold run on the gas)- the 12 volt is a good maintenance option - it is not woeful in my view, as someone mentioned) - we connect to gas when stopped.
Gas is the best performer - if you can't get a clear fix on the pilot and the running etc. get back to the manufacturer or agent for some guidance.Cheers.