Using Exploded diagrams to repair caravan and motorhome appliances

When you own a caravan or motorhome you will also own numerous appliances that have the potential of breaking down. If this happens you will have the choice of replacing the appliance, sometimes at great expense, or discovering why the appliance is no longer working and eplacing the broken part. To find out which part you need you will probably have to ask a technical expert, or you could look at an exploded diagram and work out which spare part you require. Leisureshopdirect has more exploded diagrams on line than any other caravan parts supplier on the internet, and if you use the information correctly you should be able to repair your appliance for a fraction of the price it would cost to replace it.

An exploded diagram is basically a technical drawing of an appliance that shows the relationship or order of the assembly of various parts. They show the components of the appliance slightly separated by distance as if there has been a small explosion emanating from the centre of the object, causing the parts to be separated an equal distance away from their original location. Hence their name! They show details that are otherwise hidden or hard to see in a normal diagram. They are excellent for showing the component parts and how it is built.

Getting it right

To ensure the information that the exploded diagram is giving you is correct you need to be certain that it applies to the appliance you own. You need to determine the model and if possible the product number of your appliance. With for example, Dometic appliances you will need to know the product number because the spare parts are not consistent throughout the model range. Somewhere on your appliance there will be a product number or model name. On Thetford fridges you will find the model number behind the salad bin, on Dometic fridges you will find the data plate on the wall of the fridge. Quite often the data plate for a cooker is fixed t the back so you will need to remove the cooker to source the information. On Spinflo cookers the data plate is normally on the frame of the door.
If you have problems finding out which model appliance you have and cannot distinguish between two similar products, it may help by looking at the manufacturers website.

Reading an exploded diagram

When you first refer to an exploded diagram of your appliance you might be afraid that you can never work out which part you need! Just remember that an exploded diagram has effectively had a small eruption in the centre to separate out its components. Therefore you should always start in the centre of the diagram and so find the piece that everything else is attached to and begin at that point. First establish which exploded diagram you require, for example if you know you need a replacement thermocouple you will need to look in the Gas/Electric Zone, if you need a new door bin you will need to bring up Door Zone. Starting from the centre systematically work out to the part you need, often connector lines indicate where the pieces go and how the unit is assembled.

It is as simple as that!