Community Forums

**CountryFit** · 03-21-2015, 11:06 AM

in preparing the rig for hitting the road again, i went to the parking yard and found the fridge (dometic rm1292) was dead - on either shore power or lpg, the fridge lights on front panel were on but no sound/not cold at all. last year it was perfectly fine before i parked it for the winter. in warm san diego area, the only lower temp was in new year's day with 3 inches snow, but it was melted in a day or two. now everything else looks ok but this fridge acts up.

i looked around, i did notice that there are quite a bit drops of dark brown fluid on the inside storage compartment door right beneath the fridge back access. the fluid is dried up now. it must have had happened during this winter, as i had never seen it before and the splash reflected by the door bar inward to the side of a box which was placed before the parking. So what could the fluid be? are the two incidents related? Thanks for your inputs.

IdahoSRT10 · 03-21-2015, 11:14 AM

The compressor oil and refrigerant are mixed together in the system. Common for some oil to escape with a refrigerant leak.

tkcas01 · 03-21-2015, 11:15 AM

Sounds like the cooling system ruptured and the ammonia leaked out. It is initially yellow but may have turned brown over time.

palehorse89 · 03-21-2015, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdahoSRT10

The compressor oil and refrigerant are mixed together in the system. Common for some oil to escape with a refrigerant leak.

I don't believe the OP has a compressor.......his is a absorption fridge........
Guessing ammonia residue from a leak????

**CountryFit** · 03-21-2015, 12:00 PM

thanks for the fast responses. palehorse89 is correct - my fridge is an absorption one. it runs on either electric or lpg. if it's indeed ammonia leaked out, phew, it could have been worse...

keep coming...

**Lt Dan** · 03-21-2015, 12:24 PM

Could it have been something spilled from inside the fridge that splashed into that area?

I couldn't tell from your description exactly where the brown spots are located. If it is a ammonia refrigerant leak, then there should be signs of it inside the access panel behind the fridge around the evaporator/condenser/boiler tube area.

You might try moving the insulation around the boiler tube to see if it looks like there might be a leak. After the liquid evaporates, the residue is normally a yellow powder, but could have turned like previous post said. If it requires a new cooling unit, the Amish units are excellent. They make units to fit the Dometic and Norcold fridges. Check them out at RVCoolingUnit.com

I am not associated with them in any way, just satisfied with their product and technical assistance.

tkcas01 · 03-21-2015, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryFit

thanks for the fast responses. palehorse89 is correct - my fridge is an absorption one. it runs on either electric or lpg. if it's indeed ammonia leaked out, phew, it could have been worse...

keep coming...

Actually, it doesn't get much worse than that. If it has leaked, either the entire fridge will need to be replaced, or some folks opt for some "Amish" replacement absorption system to replace the old one.

**CountryFit** · 03-21-2015, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lt Dan

Could it have been something spilled from inside the fridge that splashed into that area?

I couldn't tell from your description exactly where the brown spots are located. If it is a ammonia refrigerant leak, then there should be signs of it inside the access panel behind the fridge around the evaporator/condenser/boiler tube area.

You might try moving the insulation around the boiler tube to see if it looks like there might be a leak. After the liquid evaporates, the residue is normally a yellow powder, but could have turned like previous post said. If it requires a new cooling unit, the Amish units are excellent. They make units to fit the Dometic and Norcold fridges. Check them out at RVCoolingUnit.com

I am not associated with them in any way, just satisfied with their product and technical assistance.

thanks dan. i looked at the back of fridge yesterday, i couldn't see anything abnormal in the area of evaporator/condenser/boiler tube... the fluid was on the door back lining of the compartment underneath the fridge, seeping through the fiberglass shell and the floor plywood touching it. the fluid may not be associated with the fridge malfunction, just curious what it is. because the fridge is not working now, i would need to have an rv shop take a look... has anyone pulled a fridge out by himself? wondering how hard it is... mine is just 7 years old, not too bad if it can be fixed without loosing an arm and a leg.

**CountryFit** · 03-21-2015, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkcas01

Actually, it doesn't get much worse than that. If it has leaked, either the entire fridge will need to be replaced, or some folks opt for some "Amish" replacement absorption system to replace the old one.

i read somewhere that the leaking ammonia could start a fire. doesn't it?
if it's the case, i would probably look into a residential fridge, such as samsung 197...

tkcas01 · 03-21-2015, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryFit

i read somewhere that the leaking ammonia could start a fire. doesn't it?
if it's the case, i would probably look into a residential fridge, such as samsung 197...

Possibly. I know when I called Norcold last year to ask about a similar issue on my fridge, he was pretty adamant that I unplug it.

BVThunder · 03-21-2015, 06:17 PM

Sounds like it is time for a residential refrigerator if you can fit one in the hole. My Dometic developed a personality disorder this winter while snowbirding in Yuma. Out went the Dometic and in cam the Samsung. Now that I'm home, I'm finishing up the details. Just couldn't swallow paying $90 per hour to do what the wife and I can do for materials only.

t55watson · 03-21-2015, 06:28 PM

Hate to say it, but, prepare to lose the arm and leg.

**Lt Dan** · 03-21-2015, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryFit

thanks dan. i looked at the back of fridge yesterday, i couldn't see anything abnormal in the area of evaporator/condenser/boiler tube... the fluid was on the door back lining of the compartment underneath the fridge, seeping through the fiberglass shell and the floor plywood touching it. the fluid may not be associated with the fridge malfunction, just curious what it is. because the fridge is not working now, i would need to have an rv shop take a look... has anyone pulled a fridge out by himself? wondering how hard it is... mine is just 7 years old, not too bad if it can be fixed without loosing an arm and a leg.

I have pulled my Norcold 1201 four door out twice by myself. I built a wheeled platform the same height as the bottom of the fridge and slid it out. I put wheels on it where I could move it around to change the cooling unit. Not a simple job but doable by one person and I'm not that strong. It was definitely easier the second time, which had to be done because I forgot to change the air baffle to fit the Amish cooling unit.

**Lt Dan** · 03-21-2015, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryFit

i read somewhere that the leaking ammonia could start a fire. doesn't it?
if it's the case, i would probably look into a residential fridge, such as samsung 197...

From what I understand it's not the ammonia that is highly flammable, it's the hydrogen gas that is part of the mixture in the cooling system. Ammonia is somewhat flammable, just not as much as hydrogen. The ammonia odor is just the indication of a leak.