I have an ammonia leak in my 1992 Dometic refrigerator. There is a company in Washington state that will send me a rebuilt coil for $500 or I can get a new refrigerator from Camping World for $1034.

The rebuild comes with some generic instructions to replace the coil. Has anyone attempted this fix? Am I better off replacing the refrigerator?

Bill G

Bill G.:I had a ref. rebuild by a company in Sweetwater,Tn.And it was better than a new one.The cost was about 400.00.I don't think I would try to install a new coil myself.

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Jay&Shelby 95 Regency 34ft. 300 hp.

Jay & Shelby,
Do you still have the name or number of the guy / company in Sweetwater who rebuilt your Dometic. I also am wafting in the odors or ammonia and would appreciate the reference.
Many thanks,
Hank Wadley
92 30' Breakaway

Hank: I will get everything Monday about this Company,Patterson R.V. sent our there. I took the Ref. out and they sent it to this company:They was good on our!

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Jay&Shelby 95 Regency 34ft. 300 hp.

Thanks, Jay & Shelby. I'm looking at either replacing the guts or replacing the whole thing with a Tundra T80 or Norcold DE61 to get away from of the ammonia problem. I worked for several weeks at converting the Dometic to electric and had it working pretty good for a about a week, but it was inclined to freeze up too much, so I'll save that project for later. But, with the rally coming up soon I've got do to something quickly. Thanks again!
Hank

O.K. Hank: :Half way Back:R.V. Repair 1234b Highway 68 Sweetwater,Tn. Phone #423-351-9666 423-351-9678

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Jay&Shelby 95 Regency 34ft. 300 hp.

quote:

Half way Back:R.V. Repair

resurrecting this old, old thread.
When I went out to exercise my generator (both roof AC, twenty minutes) I noticed the unfortunate odor of ammonia inside

It is NOT in my budget to buy a new Dometic, or equivalent.
looks as though the place in Sweetwater, which must be near Jim and Tere, might still be in business. However, I would rather find a 'frig repair shop much closer. What makes more sense than fixing the twenty year old appliance is to get a 110V unit designed for built in applications. I NEVER use propane in my FT. My destinations are typically up to three days from home. Then I normally have 50A service.

anybody on the forum having put in a 110V only 'frig/freezer?

We ran a 110 volt fridge for four years and loved it. Ran it on the inverter or generator while mobile. Since we didn't boondock it wasn't a problem. Next time we plan to go with a 12 volt compressor marine unit. The marine unit is a bit pricey , but it uses very little power and is built for the movement.

https://www.backwoodssolar.com...erator-model-rfu9000

This is the one we installed . Ours was stainless .

https://www.wanderlodgeownersg...owthread.php?t=23124

Thanks, Harold. Is yours 24"?
My Dometic NDR 1282 is essentially 3' X 5'. It is 15" off the floor, over a storage space.
There are many counter-depth res units 33" - 36" wide.
Samsung is the most affordable, but gets many BAD reviews.
going today or tomorrow to look at a used Fisher Paykel E522BRWFD5N.
There are some write ups, on ForeForums, of conversions. In some cases they had to take out a side window and lift the new frig with a fork lift
Fortunately, my front entry door is 2" wider than the previous year UniHome.

Ours was 24" wide . There are several Wanderlodge owners running a Samsung and love it .

https://www.wanderlodgeownersg...owthread.php?t=22198

https://www.wanderlodgeownersg...owthread.php?t=30612

Our Bluebird is total electric. At first was sceptical, but the heat/endless hot water is diesel fired, the fridge 110V (GE). But we also have 2 alternators, 2 inverters and a heck of a battery bank. Loving it, no problems dry camping, just have to run generator or motor to charge back up once in a
while.
The toyhauler has a 12V/110V small fridge.

Replaced the coil in my '92 Dometic. It's worked great for three years. Cost was about $500. Took me over twelve hours labor.

The advantage was no carpentry work and did not have to remove the unit from the coach - simply laid it face down on the floor. But I am sure the new units are better engineered and more efficient. I can get you the seller of my coil should you wish.

Yesterday, I went to TONY'S RV https://www.ynotcamperrestoration.com
in Jackson MI and talked with him about doing a conversion.
He has done it and did not hesitate to say he would do it for me. He strongly advised against replacing the cooling unit of the existing Dometic. The whole Dometic has to come out to do it.
could not see the four year old Fisher & Paykel this weekend.
After church, might see what the local big box stores in the way of counter depth 'frig.

quote:

Originally posted by Mogan David:
Yesterday, I went to TONY'S RV in Jackson MI and talked with him about doing a conversion.
He has done it and did not hesitate to say he would do it for me. He strongly advised against replacing the cooling unit of the existing Dometic. The whole Dometic has to come out to do it.

There seems to be a growing anti LP refrigerator movement among RV dealerships. (This is reinforced by insurance companies I'm sure.)

While it is true that refrigerator fires are a major cause of RV losses, I do not believe they are inherently any more dangerous than any other open flame LP burner. The refrigerants used in the Servel type (absorption) refrigerators consist of ammonia and hydrogen, which are both flammable. If the unit corrodes and leaks the refrigerants can possibly ignite and contribute to a fire. OTOH, if the frig is in the electric mode (or shut off) there is no source of ignition. Most frig users will be either shut off sitting or plugged in to 110 while parked, so LP use is minimal.

Insurance companies are eager to cut losses and make money so they are pushing hard to get rid of LP appliances. Much like the case with wood burning stoves used to heat homes, the insurance people have fits about the fire risk. They have raised their rates for RV dealers who have them on their lots...

I find it hard to blame the devices rather than their operators. I believe all chimney fires and most RV frig fires are linked to poor maintainance and use. (When was the last time you opened your frig panel, inspected and cleaned everything?) I do mine twice a year. You'd be surprised how much junk gets in there.

High quality LP refrigerators can last for decades. I see many old units at deer camps, etc. Some are 50 yrs old, most over 20. Mobile units get more vibration, but still can last a long time. It does appear that some of the newer models are not as well made however.

With the giant batteries on the Bluebird and the like, 110 frig is not a bad option. If you plan extended boondocking, you will need to watch your battery charge level carefully.

If I were going the electric only route, I would also choose the modern 12v compressor marine units, as Harold suggests. They are very efficient and popular with sailboats, etc.

There are some shops that will replace the LP cooling units for a reasonable price. Tom Johns took his Foretravel to a location in Indiana recently. They removed and the entire cooling unit and installed a high quality replacement in one half day and sent him on his way.

Bottom line: choose the type of refrigerator based on your needs. 110 is hard to beat for price if you don"t spend much time actually on the road. OTOH the flexibility of the LP option is appealing to me.