Chescold fridge/freezer

Submitted: Monday, Feb 10, 2003 at 20:37
ThreadID: 3315 Views:3336 Replies:6 FollowUps:1
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A warning and a question. I own a Chescold 3 way fridge/ freezer of which up till now I couldn't fault. During a recent trip the inside of the chest developed a foul smell which no amount of cleaning could get rid of. On getting home and cleaning it properly, a crack was discovered in the bottom corner and the juices of all sorts of things had entered causing the smell. I plan to seal it and hopefully trap the smell in. If you own one of these fridges - keep an eye out for this type of this thing!
Now for the question. I run this fridge in the back of my 80 series and have 2 very large cables (1x pos and 1x neg) running from the large aux' battery down to a 2 pin 15 amp plug in the back. After about an hours drive the plug and wires into the fridge get too hot to touch (the heavy cables do not - as you would expect). Why are the fridge's cables getting so hot? Is there something wrong with the fridge? For the cables to be getting so hot, the fridge must be drawing too many amps so why has Chescold fitted too large an element or too small wiring. Any professional help would be greatly appreciated before an emergency arises. Thanks guys.
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Reply By: Member - Steven - Monday, Feb 10, 2003 at 21:34

Monday, Feb 10, 2003 at 21:34
derek
1 have you checked for any loose connections around the area getting hot
2 i run a 32 volt "T" plug it seems to carry a bit more current
steve
AnswerID: 12838

Follow Up By: Derek - Monday, Feb 10, 2003 at 22:26

Monday, Feb 10, 2003 at 22:26
Hi Steve. Thanks for the reply. The plug I'm using is a 15 amp, low voltage 'T' plug. I did have those nifty chromed brass screw together Hella marine connectors but they got so hot you couldn't touch them. I've checked all the connections for tightness as far as the unit but am loathe to go inside it. All of my connections are soldered not crimped. Your comments now have me wondering if something has come loose inside the cabinet. The female part of the connector (GPO?) attached to the car does not get hot but everything downstream does eg male plug, ceramic in-line fuse holder and most worryingly of all, the cable (Chescold supplied, twin core). What are your thoughts? Thanks for your response.
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FollowupID: 7489

Reply By: Topcat - Monday, Feb 10, 2003 at 23:25

Monday, Feb 10, 2003 at 23:25
Hi Derek, hot cables usually mean a high resistance is occurring due to insufficient current flow. This could be caused by a short in the electical circuit possibly the convection heating coil if yours is the model I'm thinking of. The moisture that occumulated in the insulation could have got into the insulation around the coil. The only way to check this out is to remove the cover off the back of the fidge and check for signs of moisture or burnt electical wiring into the coil. Hope this helps. Cheers.
AnswerID: 12854

Reply By: Smithy - Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 07:04

Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 07:04
G'day Derek,
I'm a shift sparky and if I had the sort of problem that your describing I'd be looking at the the spot where it starts to get hot ( at the plug did you say? ). The reason the wiring is getting hot is due to a high resistance joint. The cable installed on your fridge is rated for the amount of current the fridge draws, when you get a high resistance joint you try to restrict the flow of current, hence increasing the amount of current being drawn. These spots 90% of the time usually occur where the heat starts.
Hope this helps.
AnswerID: 12862

Reply By: David - Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 11:09

Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 11:09
Your Chescold should be drawing about 11 or 12 Amps.
If possible check that. Then as everyone has said check for a bad joint. Finally DOUBLE CHECK the size of wire- it may well be too small. It needs to be a genuine 6mil cable or it's no contest.
(That's just one reason why a compressor fridge is so much better on 12v- only draws about 3 Amps)
Good luck
AnswerID: 12872

Reply By: Member - Steven - Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 16:37

Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 16:37
derek i would be checking the solder joint on the plug to make sure it has taken properly and then work down to fridge check for damaged cable how old is fridge is it still under warranty if it is element type (not sure about these but if similar to van fridge)most only have a spade clip join onto element and this may have heated and got loose and need replacing would cause some heat but i agree with the others you may have to takethe back off are you in melb as caravan refridge services are good and ithink they may be agent for chescold if you want i have address and phone no steve
AnswerID: 12904

Reply By: Derek - Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 23:36

Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003 at 23:36
Thanks everyone for your advice. It was sincerely appreciated. Steven, I have rechecked the connections in the plug and found them to be sound. Smithy, what you have said concurs with what I was taught about hot wiring eg starter cables. I have decided that there may be something wrong inside the unit (despite its charmed life) and will therefore take it back to Chescold, at least to show them the crack in the case. Once again, thanks for your help.
AnswerID: 12942

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