Caravan Fridge Repairs Brisbane
A Dead Fridge Shouldn’t Ruin Your Next Trip
You’re halfway through setting up camp — or worse, mid-trip with a van full of food — and the caravan fridge has stopped cooling. Whether it won’t light on gas, isn’t getting cold on 12V while driving, or has stopped working altogether on 240V, you need someone who actually understands how these units work.
Caravan fridges are a different beast from your kitchen fridge at home. Most run on absorption technology (3-way: 12V, 240V, and gas) and the fault diagnosis is completely different from a standard compressor fridge. We’ve been repairing caravan fridges across Brisbane since 2009 and carry parts for the most common failures.
We are not an authorised service agent for any caravan fridge brand, but our technicians have deep hands-on experience with 3-way absorption and caravan compressor units across all major brands.
Book Your 1-Hour Window or call (07) 3062 2377
⭐ 4.9 Google Rating (600+ Reviews) | 🏆 Since 2009 | 🛡️ Licensed & Insured
What to Expect
💰 Upfront Pricing — You Approve First
We diagnose the fault, explain the problem clearly, and give you a fixed quote before any work starts. No bill shock.
🔧 Stocked Vans — Most Repairs Done First Visit
Our vans carry igniters, thermocouples, heating elements, gas valves, and control boards for common caravan fridge models. Most repairs are done on the spot.
Student and senior discounts available.
Book Your 1-Hour Window or call (07) 3062 2377
How It Works
- Book Online or Call — Choose a time that works for you.
- We Confirm Fast — You’ll get a 1-hour arrival window, not a vague half-day guess.
- Diagnose & Quote — We find the fault, explain it, and quote upfront. You approve before we proceed.
- Fixed Right — Guaranteed — 12-month parts warranty on all repairs.
Book Your 1-Hour Window or call (07) 3062 2377
Common Caravan Fridge Problems
Not Cooling on Gas
The single most common caravan fridge complaint. The fridge lights on gas (or appears to), but the cooling performance is poor or non-existent. This is almost always an absorption system fault rather than a gas supply issue.
Likely causes: Blocked flue or burner assembly — soot, spiders, and insect nests are extremely common in caravans stored outdoors. Failed thermocouple (the safety sensor that confirms the burner is lit), worn or cracked igniter electrode, gas valve solenoid failure, or a deteriorated burner jet. In older units, the absorption cooling unit itself can fail if the fridge has been operated significantly off-level for extended periods.
Parts we carry: Thermocouples (universal and brand-specific), piezo and electronic igniters, burner assemblies, gas valve solenoids, flue kits.
Igniter Failure — Fridge Won’t Light
You hear clicking but no ignition, or the igniter doesn’t click at all. On manual-ignition units, the piezo spark is weak or absent.
Likely causes: Failed piezo igniter mechanism, cracked spark electrode (the ceramic insulator breaks from heat cycling over time), corroded igniter wiring, or a faulty electronic ignition module on auto-ignite models. Water ingress from exterior vents during rain can also corrode ignition components.
Parts we carry: Piezo igniters, spark electrodes, electronic ignition modules, igniter wiring harnesses.
Flue Blockage
The fridge may light on gas but shuts off after a few minutes, or produces a yellow/orange flame instead of the correct blue flame. You might smell gas or notice soot deposits around the burner area.
Likely causes: Spider webs, insect nests (particularly mud dauber wasps), soot buildup, or a corroded flue tube. Brisbane’s climate means insects love the warm, sheltered space inside caravan fridge flue systems. A blocked flue is also a safety risk — incomplete combustion produces carbon monoxide.
Parts we carry: Replacement flue tubes, burner jet cleaning tools, flue caps, insect mesh guards.
Thermocouple Failure
The burner lights but goes out within 30 seconds to a minute after you release the gas control knob. The thermocouple is the small sensor probe that sits in the flame — when it heats up, it generates a small electrical signal that keeps the gas valve open. If it’s faulty, the safety circuit cuts the gas.
Likely causes: Worn thermocouple tip (the junction degrades with heat cycling), thermocouple positioned incorrectly relative to the flame, corroded thermocouple wiring, or a faulty gas valve that doesn’t respond to the thermocouple signal.
Parts we carry: Universal and brand-specific thermocouples in various lengths, gas valve assemblies.
12V Not Working While Driving
The fridge runs fine on gas at camp and on 240V at home, but doesn’t maintain temperature on 12V while you’re driving. This is a critical function — without 12V operation, your food warms up during every driving leg.
Likely causes: Blown 12V fuse (check the caravan’s fuse panel first), failed 12V heating element inside the fridge, poor 12V wiring from the tow vehicle (voltage drop over long cable runs is common), faulty relay or Anderson plug connection, or the fridge control board not switching to 12V mode correctly.
Parts we carry: 12V heating elements, in-line fuses, Anderson plug connectors, relay kits, control boards for common models.
Brands We Service
Caravan fridge brands we repair:
- Dometic (formerly Electrolux Leisure) — RM series, RMD series, RMS series absorption fridges, and CoolMatic compressor range
- Thetford — N3000 series, N4000 series absorption fridges
- Vitrifrigo — Compressor-based caravan and marine fridges
- Waeco/Dometic — Portable compressor fridges used in caravans (see our Waeco Fridge Repairs page)
- Evakool — Portable units
Authorised service for household brands: We are authorised warranty agents for Miele, Bosch, ASKO, Liebherr, and Neff.
We do NOT repair Engel fridges. For Engel warranty and service, please contact the Engel service centre directly.
Workshop repairs available at our Underwood workshop — ideal for portable caravan fridges and smaller units you can transport yourself.
Service Area
We repair caravan fridges across Greater Brisbane, from Caboolture in the north to the northern Gold Coast, east to the Bayside, and west through Ipswich. If your caravan is at home, at a storage facility, or at a local caravan park, we can come to you.
What Our Customers Say
Still Waiting for Someone to Actually Show Up?
Caravan fridge problems don’t fix themselves — and the longer you leave it, the more likely the cooling unit deteriorates beyond repair. Book with a team that’s completed over 200,000 appliance repairs since 2009.
Book Your 1-Hour Window or call (07) 3062 2377
Always Prompt Appliance Repairs
Unit 2/68 Parramatta Rd, Underwood QLD 4119
(07) 3062 2377
Mon–Fri, 7:00am–4:30pm
Licensed & Insured. 200,000+ repairs since 2009.