Suntrekker water tap
Suntrekker water tap
Hi, can anyone explain how to remove a suntrekker tap please?
Re: Suntrekker water tap
I bet you'd given up hope of getting a reply!...
I came on for the first time in a long while to find another old post; thought I'd reply to this one, although hopefully you've fixed the problem by now.
So, to get the tap out, you first need to remove the fridge. I've written the following assuming you have the regular Electrolux/Dometic RM123 fridge that Island Plastics regularly fitted.
Open the locker above the fridge. In the floor of that locker, you'll probably find a plastic plug in what looks like a vent hole. Pull that out and remove the screw beneath it - it screws into the roof of the fridge underneath. Use a magnetic screwdriver (or stick a magnet to the shaft of your screwdriver so that the screw sticks to the screwdriver), as otherwise you'll probably lose the screw.
With that removed, you may be able to shuffle the fridge forward out of its recess - the wiring and gas plumbing is long enough to allow it to come out, but maybe not long enough to allow it to rest on the floor once it's out, so have a box or an upside-down bucket or something handy, to stand it on while it's out. Try not to tip it over on one side - fridges don't like that. (If you have to tip it over, leave it standing upright again for a day or so before re-lighting it, to allow the refrigerant to settle).
If it just won't come out, you may have to go outside and remove the cover from the chimney vent on the outside wall behind the fridge. Then remove the metal plate and tube that extend through the Suntrekker's wall and slot over the fridge's chimney. Then the fridge should come out. If it doesn't, it's secured differently from mine, or someone's DIY'd it before you. Look around for more screws and fixings.
Once the fridge is out, you can see the back of the tap inside the fridge recess. There'll be a pair of wires, probably attached with crimp terminals, and a hose from the water pump, secured with a jubilee clip. Remove those (clip the wires if you have to; you can re-attach them with crimp terminals when the time comes), remembering that there may well be some water in the hose. Then you should be able to grasp the nut on the back of the tap with a pair of pliers or grips to unscrew it, and the tap will then come away.
Re-assembly is, as they say, the reverse of this process.
If your tap has a lever switch, you'll probably find you can't get those any more. But the type with a twiddly knob switch/tap is a straightforward replacement. Twiddling the knob tends to twist the whole tap in the bulkhead, though, so using a dab of epoxy on the inside of the locker before you screw the nut up can help prevent this (but no guarantees!).
Having the fridge out is a good opportunity to clean up its fins and vents - they often get clogged with dust, cobwebs, and in my case, dog hair (it gets everywhere!). Fridges work better with good airflow around the bits at the back.
Re-fitting the fridge can be slightly tricky, as you have to fit the chimney back correctly, and it doesn't always go first time. The outside metal part must fit over the sloping top part of the chimney on the fridge, or it won't vent properly.
If the fridge won't just slide in and the chimney push home unassisted, remove all the outside parts. Push the fridge into its locker, and then shine a torch down through that outside metal part as you push it through the hole in the wall to help you guide it onto the sloping part of the chimney. When everything's where it should be, screw it all back together - the torch will come in handy again to help you get the screw into the top of the fridge into its hole, peering through the vent hole in the locker above.
I came on for the first time in a long while to find another old post; thought I'd reply to this one, although hopefully you've fixed the problem by now.
So, to get the tap out, you first need to remove the fridge. I've written the following assuming you have the regular Electrolux/Dometic RM123 fridge that Island Plastics regularly fitted.
Open the locker above the fridge. In the floor of that locker, you'll probably find a plastic plug in what looks like a vent hole. Pull that out and remove the screw beneath it - it screws into the roof of the fridge underneath. Use a magnetic screwdriver (or stick a magnet to the shaft of your screwdriver so that the screw sticks to the screwdriver), as otherwise you'll probably lose the screw.
With that removed, you may be able to shuffle the fridge forward out of its recess - the wiring and gas plumbing is long enough to allow it to come out, but maybe not long enough to allow it to rest on the floor once it's out, so have a box or an upside-down bucket or something handy, to stand it on while it's out. Try not to tip it over on one side - fridges don't like that. (If you have to tip it over, leave it standing upright again for a day or so before re-lighting it, to allow the refrigerant to settle).
If it just won't come out, you may have to go outside and remove the cover from the chimney vent on the outside wall behind the fridge. Then remove the metal plate and tube that extend through the Suntrekker's wall and slot over the fridge's chimney. Then the fridge should come out. If it doesn't, it's secured differently from mine, or someone's DIY'd it before you. Look around for more screws and fixings.
Once the fridge is out, you can see the back of the tap inside the fridge recess. There'll be a pair of wires, probably attached with crimp terminals, and a hose from the water pump, secured with a jubilee clip. Remove those (clip the wires if you have to; you can re-attach them with crimp terminals when the time comes), remembering that there may well be some water in the hose. Then you should be able to grasp the nut on the back of the tap with a pair of pliers or grips to unscrew it, and the tap will then come away.
Re-assembly is, as they say, the reverse of this process.
If your tap has a lever switch, you'll probably find you can't get those any more. But the type with a twiddly knob switch/tap is a straightforward replacement. Twiddling the knob tends to twist the whole tap in the bulkhead, though, so using a dab of epoxy on the inside of the locker before you screw the nut up can help prevent this (but no guarantees!).
Having the fridge out is a good opportunity to clean up its fins and vents - they often get clogged with dust, cobwebs, and in my case, dog hair (it gets everywhere!). Fridges work better with good airflow around the bits at the back.
Re-fitting the fridge can be slightly tricky, as you have to fit the chimney back correctly, and it doesn't always go first time. The outside metal part must fit over the sloping top part of the chimney on the fridge, or it won't vent properly.
If the fridge won't just slide in and the chimney push home unassisted, remove all the outside parts. Push the fridge into its locker, and then shine a torch down through that outside metal part as you push it through the hole in the wall to help you guide it onto the sloping part of the chimney. When everything's where it should be, screw it all back together - the torch will come in handy again to help you get the screw into the top of the fridge into its hole, peering through the vent hole in the locker above.
