Life is never boring in an RV October 13, 2010, 10:40:43 am Yahoo Message Number: 117505Sitting here in Shawnee, Kansas, in my Aunt's driveway...thank goodness!!!.... w/ a dead frig. Two days ago, seemed like things weren't as cold...not really bad, and I had been doing a lot of driving w/ hot sun on that side so figured that was the reason.Nope. Things were definitely thawing in the freezer, and the lower portion was almost warm. Got here last night [Tues.] and got out the repair book, checked all my notes, and went thru what I could...first--it won't run at all on elec...on propane, the burner lights up, the flu gets HOT...but the insides are obviously NOT getting cooler. Took out all the defrosted meat, etc., and will use an ice chest til I can get this figured out. Called the TWO repair shops around here..they are booked for the nest two weeks.....and as the lady said, do i want to go to the ones who ARE "open"? So here i sit, hoping one of them can help me...any suggestions, group? And remember...I am NOT a DIY type past the basics...elec. is not my friend...grin! It could have been worse--it could have happened in the Wyoming/S.D. "big empty"! Gini Free and Junah, canine xtrodinaire "Kooch" our little red home on wheels "Growing old is mandatory. Growing wise is optional."
Re: Life is never boring in an RV Reply #1 – October 13, 2010, 11:22:41 am Yahoo Message Number: 117508Gini,First, sorry to hear about your troubles.Have you looked at the back of the fridge from the outside? Any yellowish powder about? That would be sodium chromate which would have come out in a leak along with the ammonia refrigerant. You may or not be still able to smell the ammonia depending on whether or not it's gone and dissipated while you were moving. If not a leak, than you would have a blockage in the closed loop that is your cooling unit. The cooling unit cannot be repaired by an RV repair place only a factory. The liquid ammonia is compressed to something like 300 PSI. Cooling units can be replaced, but at least in my single experience, it costs almost as much as a new fridge. They are simpler to install because the fridge installation may require a window to be taken out to get the old fridge out of the rig and the new one in. The fridge cooling unit needs a source of heat in a particular area to make it work. The source of heat is immaterial. If the cooling unit doesn't work with gas, it won't work with electricity either. However, your electrical heater should be working. If it's not, you'd have to have more than a single failure. That's a possible, but unlikely, event. When you say that the fridge doesn't run on electricity, do you mean that the electric heater element does not get hot?Alex Rutchka, SE #4 '05 MB
Re: Life is never boring in an RV Reply #2 – October 13, 2010, 02:58:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 117514On Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:26:00 -0400, Alex Rutchka wrote:QuoteCooling units can be replaced, but at least in my single experience, it costs almost as much as a new fridge. They are simpler to install because the fridge installation may require a window to be taken out to get the old fridge out of the rig and the new one in. We had our just out of warranty cooling unit replaced for half the price of a new refer. I would be leery of having the window taken out by a tech who has not done it before. Plus that would add to the labor cost.Cheers, Don
Re: Life is never boring in an RV Reply #3 – October 13, 2010, 08:44:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 117526Gini, Take a look at http://rvmobile.com/Tech/Trouble/CoolingD.htm A couple of us who had problems with our refers were able to learn a lot more about them and trouble shoot problems ourselves using that web site. Your problem may just be a ventilation problem. Even if you don't want to try any of the troubleshooting methods described, you will be much better informed when you deal with whomever you decide to handle the problem.Good luck, you sure have had your share of challenges.Rich - 2000 MB - Birch Bay, WA
frig replacement Reply #4 – October 13, 2010, 08:46:40 pm Yahoo Message Number: 117527If you are getting a new frig, measure the window openings in your rig. In my case, a new frig fit thru the opened window along side the dining table. My 3 yr old frig corroded out and then leaked. With a rebuilt unit, how do you know whether the unit being rebuilt isnt also suffering from internal corrosion? The labor cost to uninstall and reinstall a new cooling unit was pretty high. The shop I was working with intended to remove the frig from the LD whether I had a new cooling unit or a new frig. Since I intended to keep my LD for another 7 years, I opted for a new frig.Good luck!Michael
Re: Life is never boring in an RV Reply #5 – October 14, 2010, 09:42:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 117530Hi Gini,I agree, life isn't boring with an RV. Great attitude. In my 1995 22' FL I had to have my fridge replaced last year. The techs thought they'd have to remove a window but found they could remove the front passenger seat and remove and replace that way. I imagine the techs who do your work would think of that, but just in case...Chuck - Bellevue, WA
Re: Life is never boring in an RV Reply #6 – October 14, 2010, 10:04:06 am Yahoo Message Number: 117532When I replaced the fridge in our 1983 Chevy based rear bath I just opened the window next to the fridge. My helper and I were then able slid the old one out and the new one in. Use padding to protect the window frame, keep the coils up and you should be OK. Good luck. Gene.__[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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