rv frige ?

[DBentley]

Got a question about my dometic frig,I went to open the frige and got a faint wiff of amonia. Just a very faint smell. Its still cold and freezer is froze but i'm nervous about using the rig because of a bad experiance with my last slid on camper frige loosing all the amonia and i made the mistake of opening the door not knowing :--) and almost passed out from the gasses in my face. I replaced the cooling unit with a rebuilt and it worked out ok but the $ was to close to a new frige and i should of went new. Am i fooling myself thinking it may last the season?Should i call and get a new one on the way?

 

[JMetzger]

I would say that if you smell ammonia you are running out of luck. You can probably buy a new refrigerator for a little more than a new cooling unit & you will have a new refrigerator warranty.

 

[DBentley]

yep thats what I thought. I'll call camping world and get out the credit card . Just hate to part with 800-900 $ . Just priced cooling unit rebuilts and there about 500. 00 for the dometic rm 2410 we have.

 

[mlandis2]

I think your out of luck too. I had Dometic in my Sunline a few years back that took a dump about a month after the first wiff of amonia.



If you got through the rest of the season I would call yourself pretty lucky but you know it will die about a day into your week-long vacation.

 

[Bob Cochran]

I had leaks and replaced cooling unit 3 different times was getting expensive but I had extended insurance on the RV. Never buy extended warranty insurance but I did on this one recommended I do by freinds; turns out to be a cheap investment. I made a deal with the last leaking cooling unit with the extended warranty people. They pay the cost of the cooling unit they would have to pay anyway and I make up the difference and purchase a new refrigerator. Now the one with all the leaks was a Dometic. I was told a few years ago Dometic and Norcold came out with new models. Prior to the new model change Dometic had a low failure rate and Norcold a high failure rate. After the model change it reversed with Norcold having the lower failure rate. I went with Norcold and so far so good but have not traveled yet. Well be leaving next Tuesday for a 3200 mile trip for 6 weeks. We will see how it holds up. If it make any difference to you Norcold is made in the USA I think the only one. Good luck.

 

[litespeed]

Was your cooling unit corroded?



I would get a new one and get rid of the old one. Not really cost effective to replace the cooling unit unless you do it your self (PITA).



We get a lot of corrosion down hear and we put a good coat of paint on the cooling unit and all the tubing before installing the fridge. Makes a big difference.



Our last camper had a Dometic. This one has a Norcold. I like them both but I like the features on the NorCold a little better.



Just be sure you get the right model. Research it. Some models have higer failure rates than others. NorCold had some really bad ones a few years back (to the point of being re-called).



AJ

 

[DBentley]

I Have it in and working. What a pain. camping world took my order and a day later i checked on the status of the order and they said they were back ordered till september. That was my first clue to cancel the order. Ended up getting a norcold 400 series at a rv dealer 3 miles from my house . They even stopped by the house to measure it for me. Same $ and great service. Had to remove the exterior door and frame to get it in. Best part is it is the old style with no electronic pc board to fail.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[jelag]

The cooling unit is going bad..... they start to wear out when they are built... . the gases and chemicals in the cooling unit start the process and they have limited life... .



I've done 2 or 3 over the years... ...



I think I paid just under 400 for the unit and installed it myself... if your not handy with understanding the process, or dealing with foam... . than buy a new fridge... .



I can't find the web sight of the vendor I used... but ran a search of amonia based fridges for rv's and found them... . they were in IA I think..... they wanted me to call their local dist first... . tried that and it turned out to be a large trailer dealer who doesn't stock them... . so the vendor sent the kit direct to my shop and I put it in..... about a month later I had to do the one on my sons trailer as well... .



I'm now 3 years down the road and all's fine... ... Hope this helps... . BTW - I couldn't find a replacement for mine at the time for under 1100 at camping world... . or other outlets... .