RV Education
RV Resources and Tech Advice
Mike Wilson is a RVDA Certified Master RV
Tech. with over 25 years experience and now he's sharing his
knowledge with you.
Mike is the president of Wilson RV
and developer for The RV Help
Desk.
RV Refrigerator RV Refrigerator Repair
Is your RV Fridge in need of repair?
Do you smell ammonia?
RV Refrigerator Repair
There are several areas of an RV absorption type refrigerator that
can cause failures. Most common failures are cooling units and
electrical problems.
The cooling unit is the part of the RV refrigerator that contains
the chemical. If you smell ammonia in the vicinity of the
refrigerator, the cooling unit is leaking. That is considered a
major malfunction. The cooling unit can be replaced. If the
refrigerator is old or outdated, I recommend replacing the entire
refrigerator. The cooling unit is only one component. There are many
pieces and parts in an RV absorption type refrigerator. The price
difference between a new cooling unit and a complete refrigerator is
minimal.
The cooling unit can also fail due to a clog. There are several factors that cause a clog in the cooling unit. Using the refrigerator when not level is a common cause. The cooling unit may develop a restriction in chemical flow, resulting in poor cooling. You will notice poor or no cooling in the refrigerator first. There may still be cooling in the freezer, however when checked with a thermometer you may find it is not cooling properly either.
To diagnose a cooling unit you will
need to run the refrigerator for a complete day or overnight. Be
certain there is a power source (L.P. and battery or AC electricity)
Check at the outside access for heat at the cooling unit. The
cooling unit is the tubes that run back and forth the rear of the
refrigerator from bottom to top. (Be careful not to get burned) The
tubes should be very hot at the bottom and gradually cooler as you
go toward the top. If you get to a spot where the tubes get cold,
there may be a restriction. A cooling unit restriction cannot be
repaired. The unit or refrigerator will need to be replaced. I do
not and will not replace a cooling unit with a rebuilt unit. I have
had 0% success with rebuilt cooling units. I have never had a
rebuilt unit last more than a short time. Typically they don’t
perform as well as new right away.
Electrical controls are another common failure in refrigerators. 2
way refrigerators use either AC electricity or L.P. to operate. You
must have a good battery source to operate on L.P. The battery
supplies voltage to run the gas valve. It will stop operating if the
battery charge is low. AC electrical elements don’t fail very often.
When operating on AC you should feel heat around the chimney area.
The chimney is the round vertical duct on the right. Be careful not
to get burned. It may be very hot. It will be hotter when running in
the L.P. mode. If it is hot when on AC, the element is probably
working. There should be a small access cover where the L.P. flame
is on the far right below the chimney. There should be a blue flame
when in the L.P. mode if there is L.P. and a charged battery. If the
L.P. has been turned off by the shut off valve or leak detector, be
sure to try ignition several times. This can be done by turning the
refrigerator on, waiting until the “check” light comes on, then
cycling the switch off. Wait 10 seconds then on again. This
procedure will purge any air in the system. If the refrigerator will
not ignite after several attempts you may need to have a qualified
technician look at it. I do not recommend attempting to diagnose a
circuit board failure for a DIY’er. You must have the proper test
equipment and diagnostic procedures. Circuit boards are expensive
and are not returnable if not needed.