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02-07-2018, 09:07 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Amish Cooling Unit Failure(s)?
I'm interesting in knowing if your Amish cooling unit failed. I know there are a lot of them working fine, but I'm trying to get an idea of failures.
I was talking to a reputable absorption fridge repair guy today.
He stated that he had a pile of them behind his shop and he refused to install them anymore on any absorption fridge.
Curious if yours failed.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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02-07-2018, 10:19 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 168
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Find another "reputable absorption fridge repair guy". He doesn't know what he is doing or talking about. Call RV Cooling Unit Warehouse (RVCoolingUnit.com) –and talk to David Force. He'll recommend installers in your area. We had ours professionally installed 4 years ago and it is night and day from the stock unit. Freezer at 0, fridge at 35 set at 4-5. Doesn't care what the outside temp is.
Nearly all the failures you read about on this and other forums were DIY installs. It is critical that they are properly sealed to the back of the fridge and that is where the failures come from. These units have two cooling loops, the tubing is thicker and powder coated and the fans are better. It is a vastly improved cooling unit. If you primarily boondock like we do you won't be disappointed in an Amish unit that is properly installed.
If and when we ever do decide to install a residential fridge, it will be the Fisher-Paykel 17 cu ft cabinet depth model. It is nearly identical in size to the Norcold 1200 and will fit in our coach with the layout we have. Good luck.
__________________
2000 HR Imperial 38 WDS
350 Cummins, Aero Muffler & AFE Filter
980 watt solar, 600 amp/hr LiFePo4, Victron
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02-08-2018, 09:01 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snowman1
Find another "reputable absorption fridge repair guy". He doesn't know what he is doing or talking about. Call RV Cooling Unit Warehouse (RVCoolingUnit.com) –and talk to David Force. He'll recommend installers in your area. We had ours professionally installed 4 years ago and it is night and day from the stock unit. Freezer at 0, fridge at 35 set at 4-5. Doesn't care what the outside temp is.
Nearly all the failures you read about on this and other forums were DIY installs. It is critical that they are properly sealed to the back of the fridge and that is where the failures come from. These units have two cooling loops, the tubing is thicker and powder coated and the fans are better. It is a vastly improved cooling unit. If you primarily boondock like we do you won't be disappointed in an Amish unit that is properly installed.
If and when we ever do decide to install a residential fridge, it will be the Fisher-Paykel 17 cu ft cabinet depth model. It is nearly identical in size to the Norcold 1200 and will fit in our coach with the layout we have. Good luck.
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__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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02-08-2018, 12:53 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2
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Amish cooling unit
Hello,
I replaced my old cooling unit with the helium charged unit. Added two new fans, baffle, and installed the unit myself. I quadruple checked all wires and sealed the unit just like they say to. Quadruple ckecked that also. Installed the fridge back in it's place and it lasted just a a few weeks past the 3 year warranty. 3 days ago it died. Same exact thing. It burst with the yellow residue AND the ammonia smell. I thought I would never smell that again with the helium model. Anyways, I now am in the process of finding a residential fridge and be done with it.
Very frustrated. Those cooling units are not cheap and it takes some time to replace.
My new dilemma is finding a residential fridge that fits.
Thanks,
Tim
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02-08-2018, 09:47 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Talljeeper
Hello,
I replaced my old cooling unit with the helium charged unit. Added two new fans, baffle, and installed the unit myself. I quadruple checked all wires and sealed the unit just like they say to. Quadruple ckecked that also. Installed the fridge back in it's place and it lasted just a a few weeks past the 3 year warranty. 3 days ago it died. Same exact thing. It burst with the yellow residue AND the ammonia smell. I thought I would never smell that again with the helium model. Anyways, I now am in the process of finding a residential fridge and be done with it.
Very frustrated. Those cooling units are not cheap and it takes some time to replace.
My new dilemma is finding a residential fridge that fits.
Thanks,
Tim
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dang ...
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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02-08-2018, 09:55 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: MotherLoad foothills approx.60 m.s east of Sacramento
Posts: 1,281
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Mine is still working great after 3 yrs full time. Freezes ice cream in 100 deg weather. Failures 1 out of three, so far....
__________________
Full time since Nov 2012 RVM#41 Gary and Marian Hill 2001 Monaco Dynasty Jack 38' 370 hp ....If it ain't broke I can still fix it.
Like putting shoes on an octopuss, so are the days of our lives....
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02-08-2018, 10:12 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adamfolger
Mine is still working great after 3 yrs full time. Freezes ice cream in 100 deg weather. Failures 1 out of three, so far....
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Define?
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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02-09-2018, 06:46 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Unionville, pa and Ocala, Fl
Posts: 651
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I have done some preliminary research in case our fridge takes a dirt nap. I have spoken with a few of the manufacturers and came up with this.
Replacement Cooling Units for RV Refrigerators
I spoke with this company and they use the heaviest metal thickness in the industry. He also said he had a pile of amish units in his junk pile that he replaced. In the website they reference the thickest metal boiler in the industry and their own design on boiler. I know there are several manufacturers out there and I would do some research before buying any including to verify what I am saying. I also have an arp safety that I am installing on our fridge. Again I spoke with the owner of above company and he had a lot of information, less marketing. See what you come up with....
__________________
2000 Country Coach Allure #30476
2007 Subaru Outback
Winters in Ocala, summers in Pa and North East US.
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02-09-2018, 08:59 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funjnt
I have done some preliminary research in case our fridge takes a dirt nap. I have spoken with a few of the manufacturers and came up with this.
Replacement Cooling Units for RV Refrigerators
I spoke with this company and they use the heaviest metal thickness in the industry. He also said he had a pile of amish units in his junk pile that he replaced. In the website they reference the thickest metal boiler in the industry and their own design on boiler. I know there are several manufacturers out there and I would do some research before buying any including to verify what I am saying. I also have an arp safety that I am installing on our fridge. Again I spoke with the owner of above company and he had a lot of information, less marketing. See what you come up with....
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Interesting, thanks for this! I hadn't heard of this company until now.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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02-09-2018, 12:10 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 168
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plasma800
Interesting, thanks for this! I hadn't heard of this company until now.
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I've never heard of these folks and I researched this to no end. Very low budget , vague website. Looks like they use the exact same design as the NoCold unit. Why would he have a pile of Amish units in his junk yard? Is he an installer or just a salesman? Ask him what the industry uses for thickness, what the Amish is and what their unit thickness is. I'd be interested in knowing.
Read my post again and then read plasma 800. Another DIY install. Why people think then can do anything is beyond me. As the great Dirty Harry said.."A man has to know his limitations" and I know mine. Get the Amish unit installed professionally or get a residential and a lot of solar and batteries if you dry camp.
I just brought my coach out of hibernation and the Norcold with Amish is purring like a kitten. Think I'll go get a cold one out of there.
__________________
2000 HR Imperial 38 WDS
350 Cummins, Aero Muffler & AFE Filter
980 watt solar, 600 amp/hr LiFePo4, Victron
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02-09-2018, 01:30 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Sunrise In Central Nebraska
Posts: 772
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I purchased a cooling unit from these people back August 2007 for a 5th. wheel I had at the time. In April 2012 I sold the camper and the frig was still working perfect, my camper had even sat unused for 3-4 years before I sold it. They even paid to have my old core picked up and sent back to them. I think that is still their policy. Definitely a learning experience but nothing that I would not attempt again. you definitely save some $$$ when going this rate.
__________________
Ken in Nebraska
98 Fleetwood Pace Arrow, 35U
97 Ford F53 chassis
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02-10-2018, 09:29 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Unionville, pa and Ocala, Fl
Posts: 651
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I agree that the website is lacking. That's why I called and spoke with the owner and he did some explaining. A lot of business such as mine actually focus on the quality of the product and may not put forward the best representation. I have to have my website updated LOL.
The guy builds the cooling units and also installs them, that's why he has blown units at his shop.
I also like the great rvcoooling site but it is a guy marketing "amish" cooling units. These units can be sourced from anywhere. The other site that isn't so sparkly is the direct manufacturer. So...
Do your research as I said earlier. There is also a place called dutch aire. They are also an amish manufacturer not a marketing site.
I spent many days when I though our fridge was on it's way out so this is my opinion anyway. I feel strongly that what ever unit you buy needs to be of good quality for obvious reasons.
__________________
2000 Country Coach Allure #30476
2007 Subaru Outback
Winters in Ocala, summers in Pa and North East US.
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02-10-2018, 10:52 AM
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#13
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Senior Member/RVM #90
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Columbus, MS
Posts: 54,626
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funjnt
I have done some preliminary research in case our fridge takes a dirt nap. I have spoken with a few of the manufacturers and came up with this.
Replacement Cooling Units for RV Refrigerators
I spoke with this company and they use the heaviest metal thickness in the industry. He also said he had a pile of amish units in his junk pile that he replaced. In the website they reference the thickest metal boiler in the industry and their own design on boiler. I know there are several manufacturers out there and I would do some research before buying any including to verify what I am saying. I also have an arp safety that I am installing on our fridge. Again I spoke with the owner of above company and he had a lot of information, less marketing. See what you come up with....
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I think there is a ton of bad reviews on this company!
__________________
Joe & Annette
Sometimes I sits and thinks, sometimes I just sits.....
2002 Monaco Windsor 40PBT, 2013 Honda CRV AWD
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02-10-2018, 02:15 PM
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#14
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2
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Not to argue here, but if we all had the mindset of hiring a professional to do things we know we can do ourselves we would never learn anything. I am a very handy person. Before buying the amish cooling unit I did my homework as we all seem to do.
I read all the posts how it is not a very hard job to do. I asked many many questions with the company. (David) He answered all of my questions and made me feel confident enough to do the project myself.
Even in the midst of the project he answered my wiring questions.
I always make a habit of checking things numerous times to see if the step was done correctly before going to the next step.
Don't know why it is hard to believe anyone would tackle this job and not pay a professional to do it.
I take my time where some professionals rush through things.
I feel as if I have to defend myself for doing the job myself.
Anyways, have a great day.
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