Troubleshooting a Thetford fridge with an LCD display

Today we shall look at a Thetford three way fridge with an LCD touchscreen.
To start the refrigerator, press and hold the power button until the light comes on.
The type of energy can be chosen in the left part of the display.
Then the cooling capacity and, in this refrigerator, the anti-condensation button for the display.
If no button is pressed, the display lighting goes out after a short time
The setting can be changed from automatic to manual selection by tapping on energy type.
230 volts, 12 volts and gas.
It is advisable to set the refrigerator to automatic - the device itself searches for the type of energy available to it according to the principle of conserving its own resources - this means that it will always favour electricity over gas.
The cooling capacity is adjusted in the middle. Always start the device on medium level - 3 bars. A higher setting could have a negative effect when the outside temperature is hot and lead to a build-up of heat behind the device.
Depending on the outside temperature and the type of energy, you have to wait 10 - 12 hours for the cooling to start properly. Only after this time should the cooling capacity be adjusted if necessary.
It is important to keep the vehicle on as flat a position as possible. It the vehicle is parked on a hill or other inclined position, then the fridge may not work correctly.
If possible, load the device with chilled goods once it has reached the cooling temperature. If products are warm it will affect the internal temperature of the fridge.
This refrigerator model is equipped with an anti-condensation button to avoid the formation of condensation on the control panel. This function is activated automatically when the device is started. Disable it only when the remaining power is scarce.
The device will notify you of a malfunction by flashing on the display.
Error 11 tells you that the device has none of the three types of energy available for automatic mode and you need to check the desired source.

Error 10 in manual mode shows you that there is no 230 volt current or that the incoming current is too weak. This is a frequent problem in southern Europe in summer on old campsites where the power is not adequate for the number of campers. If necessary, change the socket or check whether the supply cable is OK and unwound. If the current is too weak, consider changing to gas.
Error 7 - the device is manually set to 12 volt, but the vehicle engine is not running. Note that absorbtion fridges do not work off the 12 volt battery.
Error 3 - the device has no gas available. Check that the shut-off valves are not closed. These are open at 90° to each other. The frost icon is for the fridge.
Also check if you have fully opened the gas bottle.
12 volt flashed because the vehicle's engine was not running.
When the fridge is on automatic, the fridge turns over to gas from 12 volts 15 minutes after the engine is turned off. This is a security feature in the fridge.
You may also be interested in some of our other videos including those comparing the two way fridge to the three way fridge and those explaining the maintenance.


I live in a motorhome full time and travel around Europe in it. I spend most of my time in Poland, Germany and Italy. Vanlife is my life.

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