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RV-Product – RV-Refrigerator Troubleshooting

The average rv-refrigerator such as those from Dometic and Norcold have a cooling unit that consists of a set of metal coils that are mounted at the rear of the refrigerator.

There is not a lot that can go wrong with an rv-refrigerator however the 3 most common signs that something is going wrong are as follows

1. You can smell a strong ammonia inside the refrigerator box. This is indicative of an evaporator leak. If the leak has been there for a long time then the ammonia smell will not be there however you will hear a strange and rather abnormal sound coming from the rear of the refrigerator within just a few minutes after switching it on.

2. If the frig controls appear to be functional and the cooling unit at the rear is heating up, however there is no cooling, then it is probable there is a blockage within the boiler.

3. If no ammonia smell is present and you sight some yellow powder like substance close to and around the burner, this indicates a possible leak within the boiler. You rarely smell such leaks as they are outside and the ammonia disperses to the atmosphere. These leaks are relatively common in the newer Norcold and Dometic cooling units. These are the most popular rv-product refrigerators

About Diagnosing Cooling Unit Problems

The cooling unit coils of the ammonia absorption type of RV-refrigerator performs the cooling function. There are three basic and fundamental requirements now matter how sophisticated the controls appear to be:

1. The frig must be level to function properly

2. The frig must have good ventilation

3. The heating must be absolutely correct

If all these 3 items are good the frig should function efficiently. If any one is not correct you can damage the frig. If it doesn’t work then the cooling unit is faulty. Poor cooling can be caused by loads of other things such bad door seals or overloaded frig etc. Look after your rv-product refrigerators

A common problem is that the frig doesn’t appear to work in warm weather. This is probably due to poor ventilation

How to Test The Cooling Unit

1. Does the cooling unit work on one heat source okay but not another, for example it works well on gas but not electric or vice versa. The problem therefore is one of the heat sources

2. We talked about ammonia smells internally or you observe that yellowish powdery material, called sodium chromate, externally at the rear, then there is a hole in the cooling unit

3. If the RV-refrigerator makes rather loud gurgling sounds when in operation, that is when heating is taking place, then the cooling unit is probably faulty

Always test the refrigerator using all heat sources to ensure that is not the problem. Always double check that the frig is level, and always make sure there is loads of ventilation so you can exclude these main problem causes.

Check that the electric heating element is working, touch the insulation pack, which is a rectangular or round sheet metal container that is filled with insulation. This is located directly above the propane burner. It should get warm within 30 minutes of operation

If everything appears to be correct leave the frig on and allow at last 2 hours and it will take 6 to 8 hours to bring a frig down to temperature.

The ammonia absorption type of refrigeration is a lot slower than a compressor type in pulling down to temperature. Many rv-product refrigerators are now switching to compressor types where god AC is available in van parks or can be powered off AC inverters when traveling or use the generator when in remote locations

Do you need to choose an Rv-product? Choose an rv-refrigerator