I really need some help. Way over my paygrade here, I know absolutely nothing about refrigeration. Everything was just dandy until last week with the refrigerator. Problem is that it is not cooling. First, I thought it was an issue of the MH being parked, not perfectly level and in the on position, but after driving it while on propane it still does not cool. I have tried both AC and gas, neither mode cools. The large tube on the back (looks like a 6" muffler) get very hot and I can smell ammonia when the freezer is opened. The freezer shelf is cold but not frozen and the lower section (refrigerator) does not seem to cool much at all.

My thought is that the unit needs to be re-filled with refrigerant, however I have no idea if that is correct or if I could even do that myself? If not who fixes 34 year old RV refrigerators?

Any suggestions for a complete dummy would be really appreicated.

kim

The ammonia smell is a sure sign the reefer core is shot. It SHOULD not be operated after a leak is discovered.

Rebuilt refrigeration units can be bought, but results are spotty. Best to replace the reefer with a new one or a newer used one.

I have had great luck in replacing cooling units. It is an easy job. Not much knowledge required and the instuctions provided on the internet are very good. You can down load the instuctions ahead of time and get a feel of the job. Then make you decision.

I went through this early on in my Barth ownership. I considered a rebuild, but after seeing the inside,[behind the exterior panel] and considering the age,[almost 25 years], I decided not to risk about 400 bucks and have no warrenty and a 25 year old fridge. The new Classic was about a grand, and I was having a bunch of other work done at the time so the tech installed it cheap, I think 50 bucks. I still ask knowledgable people about rebuilds and get as many answers as the people I ask. Anywhere from "complete waste of time and money" to "works fine and saves a bunch of money", so the decision is yours, and if you're comfortable doing the install and can get a rebuilt cheap enough, give it a try.

I priced a few units myself and decided to go all electric with a household unit. I spent about $180.00 on my fridge.



I just tried to look for this same model on the internet but wasn't able to find it. Note to Nick... Ignore the missing beer as I was unloading it when I took this picture.



I run this on 120 plugged in, or 12v through an inverter. works well. For more info, read this post.

Bill, how does that hold up on a 3 dayer at Pocono? The main reason I stayed with LP was for Dega, Friday to Monday and 2 road days.

quote:

Originally posted by Danny Z:
Bill, how does that hold up on a 3 dayer at Pocono?

I shut off my coach around noon on Friday after I pull in, I don't fire off my generator until Sunday morning and then only run it for about 2 hours at a 75 amp charge. DC voltage around this time is about 12.3+'ish which is about 62% state of charge. I am very-very happy with the house fridge and using an inverter.

I have 2 of these batteries for my house side.

Thanks to everyone for great advice. Found a couple of replacement cooling units with 2 year warranty in the $450-$500 range and replacement units for about $1k or bit over. Can't seem to make up our minds yet which way to go. Our unit 'looks' in new (at least very nice) condition but we both know it was installed in 1976 or thereabout.

Thanks again for a great site and all the knowledgeable and helpful members.

Bill: FYI:
The majority of car batteries are created by 3 manufacturers - JCI, East Penn, Exide and Johnson Controls Industries (they bought out Delphi). Delphi makes some EverStart models sold in Walmart and ACDelco. Johnson Control Industries makes Duralast seen in Autozone stores, Diehard - sold in Sears, Kirkland - the Costco brand, Motorcraft - which Ford sells, some of the EverStarts, and Interstate. Exide makes Exide batteries, Champion, Napa and even a % of the EverStart batteries. A car battery is one of the few things that you will most likely have to replace if you own a car more than about 3 years. Most other parts and accessories will last longer, but the battery in a car needs replacing every 3 years or so. If you need to get a new battery installed, go to Goodyear, Sears, Firestone or Pep Boys. All these car stores carry large inventories and can install your battery on-site. Other retailers like Target, Kmart, and Walmart might offer cheaper prices for their batteries, but rarely do they install them.

If you buy at commercial Goodyear stores they will install them saving heart attacks, hernias and such, at least in diesel Barth's.
Tom K

Kim and Dianne, one thing often overlooked when comparing the hot ammonia fridges versus compressor fridges, is the capacity to cool. I guarantee if you have warm beer, want cold beer, have no ice, you will be happier sooner with the household unit.

I'm not understanding the comparison. I usually run my LP fridge at 4 of 5 and it's almost freezing, in fact some liquids will get slushy if too near the top of the fridge. The freezer keeps things totally frozen, ice cream hard, and cubes solid. So why would a household unit get my Nattys colder faster than the Dometic? I know I've never noticed a difference.

I've rented RVs and I have to agree with the general feeling. None of the rented RVs ever kept my stuff really cold. They ran on 120 with the generator or if it was plugged in, it switched over to propane and then the final backup was 12v dc.

All of our rentals involved 4 days so it should have cooled down by then.

The other negative feeling I get is one of size. It seemed that the same size fridge was always smaller on the inside when compared to a household unit.

Price is another factor for most people. Again, the house units favored better here too.

Finally my last comment has to do with the construction. I believe that the house units looked beefier, felt more solid, closed with a familiar and reassuring feel and would tend to last longer than a dedicated RV one.

Some of these are general feelings and in the real world might be wrong. I have no hard proof to back up some of these statements, but I believe them to be pretty close to reality.

Right/Wrong? Doesn't matter really as I'm already committed to a 120v household unit and am very happy with its performance!

My comparison was based on starting with a warm refrigerator. I too have had a Dometic that did a nice job of being and keeping cold but from a standing start, it is kinda similar to no replacement for displacement in btu removal.

OK Cap, I have to give you that one, as the Dometic takes about 4-6 hours to get really cold. The Cruise America units we used to take to Dega took 24 hours, so we had to let the guy know when we wanted it so he could start the fridge. Those older ones also lost cool a lot when you opened the door, especially on gas. My newer unit is better on all counts, and completely automatic. On is on. The controls are front and center and it tells you what you're running on from the outside. Like Bill says, it doesn't matter if I'm right or wrong, because it's already in there.

How do you secure the household fridge so it doesn't become a 100lb missile in an accident?