Troubleshooting; Control Panel Diagnostics - Thetford N108 Instruction Manual

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Important! - Do not use force or sharp objects to remove frost.
- Do not try to accelerate defrosting by using (for example) a hairdryer.
6.3 Door locking mechanism
Frost will form in the refrigerator if the door is not closed properly. To determine
whether the door closes properly, close the door with a piece of paper between the
door and the refrigerator. Pull at the piece of paper. If you feel resistance, the
refrigerator door closes properly. If you feel no resistance, the door does not close
properly. Perform this test regularly on all four sides of the refrigerator door.
If you find that the door does not close properly, check whether the door locking
mechanism keeps the door properly shut.
6.4 Winter operation
If you use the refrigerator when the outdoor temperature is below 8°C, install the
Thetford vent winter/storage cover (see illustration 9) on the ventilation grills. The
cover protects your refrigerator from excessively cold air. The winter cover is a
refrigerator accessory obtainable from your caravan dealer.
Tip! It is advisable to use the winter/storage cover if you are not going to use the
vehicle for a long period of time.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT USE THE WINTER/STORAGE COVER IN TEMPERATURES
HIGHER THAN 8°C AS THIS CAN DAMAGE THE COOLING UNIT AT THE REAR OF
THE FRIDGE. Remove the covers and re-fit when placing the vehicle back into
storage.
6.5 Maintenance of gas equipment
A qualified service engineer must maintain and inspect gas and electrical
equipment. It is advisable to have this maintenance work performed by a customer
service centre. Contact the Customer Service department of Thetford for a list of
qualified parties.
Important! European laws covering gas appliances and extractors prescribe
observance of the following rules (which are the user's responsibility):
- appliances that run on liquid gas must be inspected before being used for the
first time and every year thereafter.
- the gas burner must be cleaned at least once a year or more frequently if necessary.
- If a gas hose is used, it must be checked annually. This hose has a limited life
and, thus, must be regularly replaced. Check the hose regularly for cracks, splits
and ageing. If in doubt, replace the hose. Pay attention to the maximum life of
the hose and replace it in time, as advised by the manufacturer or in
conformance with local regulations.
- For replacement, a gas hose approved in accordance with the local regulations
must be used. Position the hose so that it can rotate, is not kinked, and will
allow no bends to occur.
- Due to the limited life of the gas hose, it must be installed so that replacement is
possible.
6.6 Maintenance checklist
This refrigerator will give you many years of trouble-free use if you simply run
through the following checklist regularly:
- keep the refrigerator clean (see section 7.1, "Cleaning");
- defrost the refrigerator as often as is necessary (see section 7.2, "Defrosting");
- check the door closing mechanism regularly (see section 7.3, "Door locking
mechanism");
- make sure that the ventilation grills are not blocked;
- Regularly clean the ventilation grills.
6.7 Vent screen
The vent has a vent screen to prevent bugs from entering the combustion area of
the refrigerators. These vents need to be cleaned regularly to insure a good airflow.
When the refrigerator performs poor because of external circumstances such as
extreme ambient temperatures, the vents can be removed to improve the airflow
and improve the cooling performance of the refrigerators.
7 STORAGE
If you do not expect to use your refrigerator for a lengthy period, carry out the
following actions:
- Remove all food
- Switch off the refrigerator
- Clean the refrigerator as described in Section 7.1 'Cleaning'
- Shut off the gas tap to the refrigerator
- Leave the door of the refrigerator ajar using the special door closure hook
(storage position)
- Place the winter protection on the ventilation grill.

8 TROUBLESHOOTING

If your refrigerator does not refrigerate properly or will not start, run through the
following checklist. If this fails to solve the problem, please contact the Customer
Service Department in your country (see the addresses at the back of this manual).
- Check whether you have followed the instructions in chapters 4 or 5 ("Switching
on the refrigerator").
- Check whether the refrigerator is on a level surface.
- Check whether the refrigerator can be used with an available energy source.
8.1 Problem: refrigerator will not work on gas
Possible cause Action you can take
a) Gas bottle is empty. a) Replace the gas bottle.
b) Valve of the gas bottle or one of b) Open the valve of the gas bottle or
the shut-off valves is closed. shut-off valve(s).
c) LPG gas has been used. c) Switch over to Butane or Propane Gas.
8.2 Problem: refrigerator will not work on 12V DC
Possible cause Action you can take
a) Fit a new fuse (Camper ➞ fuse box of
a) 12V fuse is defective.
camper. Car ➞ fuse box of car)
b) Battery is empty. b) Test the battery and charge it.
8.3 Problem: refrigerator will not refrigerate sufficiently
Possible cause Action you can take
a) Insufficient ventilation for the a) Check whether the ventilation grills
refrigerator. are covered.
b) Thermostat set too low. b) Increase the setting of the
thermostat.
c) Too much ice on the condenser. c) Check whether the refrigerator door
shuts properly and defrost the
refrigerator.
d) Too much hot food stored d) Let the food cool off first.
simultaneously.
e) Gas burner is dirty. e) Have the gas burner cleaned.
f) Door does not shut properly. f) Check the door closing mechanism.
- 9 -

9 Control panel Diagnostics

Refrigerators with a LCD control panel have a special diagnostics area which
displays an error code if there is a fault.
• Fault 1: AC heater current is measured to be 75% below nominal current.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 2: DC heater current is measured to be 75% below nominal current.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 3: AC heater is ON when it should be OFF.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 4: DC heater is ON when it should be OFF.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 5: Senses flame when gas should be OFF.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 6: Senses gas output terminal ON when should be OFF.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 7: Senses gas output terminal OFF when should be ON.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 8: AC mains supply is 20% below nominal.
Action: Your controls are in manual AC mode, but there is no power available.
Check if you plugged in the 230V connection, if so the voltage
supply on the 230V connection is to low, contact the power supplier.
• Fault 9: Gas lockout because flame fails to ignite after 30 seconds.
Action: Your controls are in manual gas mode, but the flame fails to ignite.
Check if your gas cylinder is empty or if one of the shut-off valves is
closed. Select another energy source. Reset the fridge 3 or 4 times
in gas-mode until flame ignites. Contact your dealer or a Thetford
Service Centre if problem isn't resolved.
• Fault 10: No "engine running" signal is present and control is in Manual DC mode.
Action: Your controls are in manual DC mode and the engine of your vehicle
is not running. The refrigerator can only cool on 12V when the
engine of your vehicle is running. Start the engine or select a
different energy mode.
• Fault 11: No energy source is available and control is in AUTO mode.
Action: Your controls are in AUTO mode, but no energy source is available.
Start the engine, connect the 230V supply or open the gas supply
and reset the refrigerator by turning it of and on again.
• Fault 12: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 13: Thermistor fails; control automatically switches to Backup mode (BOS).
Action: Check if the connector above the fin on the inside of the cabinet is
correctly plugged in. If so contact your dealer or a Thetford Service
Centre.
• Fault 14: Display Board and Power board lost communication with each other.
Action: Contact your dealer or a Thetford Service Centre.
• Fault 18: No fault, only lighting all LCD segments on start-up.
Action: Wait a few seconds for the fridge to start up normally.
10 GUARANTEE
Thetford B.V offers the end users of Thetford refrigerators a three-year guarantee. In the
case of defects within the guarantee period, Thetford will repair or replace the product.
In this instance, the costs of replacement, labour costs for the replacement of defective
components and/or the costs of the parts themselves will be paid by Thetford.
1. To make a claim under this guarantee, the user must take the product to a
Service Centre recognised by Thetford. The claim will be assessed here.
2. If components are replaced during repair under guarantee, these become the
property of Thetford.
GB