Refrigerator ammonia

[Cajun2Stepp]

Originally Posted by Moco

All: after much work we have removed the dometic NDA 1402 refrigerator. We had to take the cooling unit off and all other exterior parts to get it through the doorway. We have a Frigidaire residential unit ordered that will be delivered on Wed. I have to do some more dismantling around the entrance door - door gasket etc because I need a full 25 " plus to get the box of the new frig in. Thanks for everybody's advice visa safety and extraction. If any body has removed gasket and trim around the door on a 2007 Fleetwood discovery - expedition, excursion or providence I would appreciate any tips or guidance.

I replaced the Norcold unit in my '03 with a Samsung after my '02 almost burned my house down as seen in my earlier post.
I removed the passenger seat, the screen door, the inner trim around the screen door, the door striker, the outer door limiter link, and the trim on the front of the television.
It was a tight fit but was able to get it in OK without tearing anything up.

[ronboatplane]

These absorption fridges separate ammonia from water with heat and let it recombine to occupy and form a vacuum after releasing heat up the chimney. If you smell any ammonia at all the sealed system is compromised and is dangerous. These sealed systems usually contain hydrogen which is highly flammable and are a source of fire for many RVs. I would call the Amish supplier for a replacement unit as they are innovators in use of non flammable Helium as the gas required instead of Hydrogen . I went to the factory at shipswanna Indiana and had my unit changed. The smell of ammonia is a tell tell sign your system is in serious condition and could result in Fire.

[RM Art]

Originally Posted by Spk64

The unit has to be removed and the entire cooling pack will come off. Lots of threads on replacing the cooling pack with another absorption unit or with a standard compressor cooling unit from JC Refrigeration. Another popular option is replacing with a residential refrigerator.

Some videos here to get an idea of what it takes.
https://jc-refrigeration.com/videos/

Man - I watched 15 mins of first 30 min video. Glad our box is still working well. Way too many instances for mistake during replace/rebuild. If need be... it's a new fridge for me!

[JimPeoria]

I had a Norclod 1400 series 4 door fridge in our Winnebago Vectra the cooling unit failed and we had it replaced under warranty less than 3 months later it failed again and they told us the unit was still under warranty but the labor would not be covered which would close to $1000. I measured the hole the fridge sat in and went to every store that carried refrigerators and measured until I found one that would fit. Had to take 1.5" moulding off the top and an 1/8" strip off one side but new fridge slid right in. It stuck out about 6 inches further into the room but no clearance problems. We more than doubled the capacity and eliminated the headaches of the Norcold which by the way had blackened the ceiling of the hole it set in and could easily have caused a fire. We would run the generator if we were on the road for more than 2 hours for 15 minutes or so just to make sure the fridge stayed cold. We never boondocked so didn't worry about that. Had ice and water through the door besides. Food stayed cold and ice cream stayed frozen. Most of the newer better coaches being built today are coming with residential fridges installed. I would never have another coach with an ammonia cooling unit in it again.

[jamesham]

Any trace of yellow slime and ammonia smell mean a replacement. Many new RVs come with residential frig because it eliminates the leveling issue and works better. But it needs a big battery bank, inverter, and some method of recharging batteries like solar panels, generator, or electric hookup. The sky is the limit in residental frig depending on what features you want (water in door, ice maker, 3 doors, etc.) with prices from $50 bucks for a dorm size frig to 2K for a huge stainless steel 4 door model.

If you decide to stay with LP gas, a replacement sealed coil pack runs $400 to $700 for the part. It is an easy DIY project if you have a lot of time and tools, because most of the work is getting the old unit out of the RV.

A new frig would run about $1,200 to $1,700 depending on size and brand. Again you can save the shop labor cost if you do it yourself.

Amazon sells both replacement parts and new frigs.

Originally Posted by Moco

This is a question about my refrigerator. We have ammonia smell in the refrigerator side. None of the ammonia smell on the freezer side. What's the fix? Thanks.

[Cruzer01]

1st and foremost, turn it off, cut all power, and gas. Do not attempt to turn it back on for safety. Our fridge recently quit completely. We went with JC refrigeration and their HVAC upgrade. 1 week in, and the fridge draws less than 1 amp, and stays colder than ever. At this point, I would highly recommend them. They are very proficient and professional. Best of luck to you.

[Florida Panhandler]

We had a Norcold 1200 4-door 3-way fridge in our coach. We were never happy with its performance and could never depend on it to cool or freeze consistently. We dry camped long term each year and I was concerned about the issue of fires. Following the third time the recall fail-safe failed, that was the final nail in its coffin.


We have an HR Endeavor with a furnace under the refrigerator. So I had a limited space to work with. After pricing a replacement fridge or just the cooling unit, and after I picked my self off the floor, I started shopping for a residential. My requirements were: had to fit in the same space, had to fit thru the front door without removing the door or any windows, no ice maker, and had to be handled by our 4 coach batteries. I did my primary research for likely candidates on AJMadison. Then shopped sales in local stores after deciding what we wanted.


We settled on a GE GTE16DTHBB top freezer. Went thru Home Depot. Listed for $599. On sale, plus military disc = $448 + tx. Satisfied all the requirements I listed, smaller footprint and overall size, 150 lbs vs 237 lbs, gained 4 cu ft, consistently cold or frozen. Works on inverter while on the road or dry camping without issues. When dry camping, I start the generator twice a day to top off batteries (usually about 2 hours each time). Have had it now for nearly 4 years and not looked back. Plus Norcold so far has paid us $842, with one more payment still to come, to settle the Norcold Settlement suit. What's not to like?

[Monaco mac]

Time for a new fridge

[NeilV]

Just be mindful that some of the new residential refrigerators also pose a fire and explosion hazard due to the new refrigerants they use. This has become a global problem and has impacted units from Whirlpool and LG which encompasses most of the major brands out there some of which will contain warnings on the minimum room sizes required to dissipate any flammable gasses they give off. Some even advise service personnel of the increased chance of injury when servicing these new residential units so one does well to look before they leap.

The new Whirlpool Residential unit that blew up in Palm Beach last year was a potentially lethal event destroying its contents, blowing out windows, crushing walls and cabinets along with starting a fire. The force was so great that the doors blew off and were folded in half over the cabinets opposite it.

Don't presume that just because its a residential unit that there will be an quantum leap in safety especially inside the confines of an RV.

[kssme2]

Yes, Turn it off and if you're not a serious mechanic, bring it to a repair shop. My husband and I looked up numerous sites to fix it and after whining about it for 4 days, we brought it in and had someone else do it.

[shootist]

Originally Posted by NeilV

Just be mindful that some of the new residential refrigerators also pose a fire and explosion hazard due to the new refrigerants they use. This has become a global problem and has impacted units from Whirlpool and LG which encompasses most of the major brands out there some of which will contain warnings on the minimum room sizes required to dissipate any flammable gasses they give off. Some even advise service personnel of the increased chance of injury when servicing these new residential units so one does well to look before they leap.

The new Whirlpool Residential unit that blew up in Palm Beach last year was a potentially lethal event destroying its contents, blowing out windows, crushing walls and cabinets along with starting a fire. The force was so great that the doors blew off and were folded in half over the cabinets opposite it.

Don't presume that just because its a residential unit that there will be an quantum leap in safety especially inside the confines of an RV.

I've read it is illegal to put a r290 or r600 charged refer in a coach because the propane or butane is not in a dot approved container. Don't know if it's true? The fire one caused in england killed 74 people.

[Moco]

Just wanted to again thank everybody for their tips and advice. We went with a residential refrigerator to replace the dometic NDA 1402.

[CountryFit]

You made a right move... Happy trails!

[RogerSmalley]

Originally Posted by Moco

This is a question about my refrigerator. We have ammonia smell in the refrigerator side. None of the ammonia smell on the freezer side. What's the fix? Thanks.

I don't know about Dometic RV 'fridges, but I'd guess that the size of your refrigerator is about 12 cu ft. Our coach had a factory installed Norcold RV regfrigerator. This was the unit that was the subject of a recall because of numerous RV fires caused by overheating cooling units.



If you replace it with a residential unit, you will increase your useable volume to about 18 cu ft. We chose a Samsung 18RF that fit in the space with only minor modifications. Many RV service shops can do the installation for you.



Roger

2006 HR Endeavor