maisiedog
South Lake Tahoe
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Joined: 04/21/2012
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I went out to our tt a few hours ago to put some stuff away and openend the fridge and noticed that it felt cold. I thought that odd since the LP gas and the negative battery disconnected, I also smelled something a little familar and funny. Just went back out and opened the fridge and took a pretty big whiff (this is before I read how dangerous that can be!) and the smell is most definataly ammonia. I even feel a little light headed, I'm sure I'll be ok, I think... but what about the fridge is it toast. This is a brand new 2013 tt that we just brought home. I hope we didn't do anything to "break" it, we are newbies, and our walk through was a joke, the guy was either hung over, still drunk, or strung out, probably all three. I really didn't get anything out of it, and can't help thinking we're to blame. Is the fridge dead or is this to be expected to a certain degree on a new fridge. I haven't a clue!
Thanks,
KOrie
"The Mountains are Calling and I must go" ~ John Muir
Jeff and Koren
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Maisie GSP, Yogi JRT, Kuma Cocoa Lab
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Fisherman
Angus, Ontario, Canada
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Joined: 09/28/2002
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If you're sure it's the unmistakeable smell of ammonia, then your fridge is toast. The cooling unit needs replacement. If you do some searching, look for the "Amish" unit replacements, they are better than new. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyCh7aXveow&hd=1
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fordsooperdooty
Southern California
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Joined: 08/13/2004
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A RV Refrigerator uses a closed system ammonia refrigerant...it appears to have has a catastrophic leak failure...so it is now officially "kaput"!
Make an appointment with your dealer for an "under warranty" replacement of the refrigerator...your's is brand new, but often the refrig warranty will be 2 years anyway. Very unusual for a new RV to have a refrigerator failure! Insist on a brand new replacement...not a re-built one!
My posts shouldn't be taken for factual data. They are purely fictional, for entertainment purposes and should not be constituted as actually related to scientific, technical, engineering, legal, spiritual or practical advice. Amen. 
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downtheroad
Pacific Northwest
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Joined: 02/18/2003
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Also remove the outside access panel and look for a yellowish powder on the cooling tubes...that and the ammonia smell and it's a gonner.
Happened to us, luckily still under warranty.
"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane."
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maisiedog
South Lake Tahoe
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Shoot we have a trip planned in a week and a half. This is a total bummer.
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maisiedog
South Lake Tahoe
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"Also remove the outside access panel and look for a yellowish powder on the cooling tubes...that and the ammonia smell and it's a gonner."
I removed the back panel and didn't see any yellow powder, no could I smell anything from there. So I still hope this could be a fluke, and possibly left over from, what I don't know.
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wolfe10
Texas
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Only takes a couple of hours to change out a refrigerator and/or cooling unit.
Yes, it should be under warranty.
Open up all the windows and turn on an exhaust fan to exhaust the ammonia.
Brett Wolfe
1997 Safari Sahara 3540
EX: 1993 Foretravel 36' U-240
FMCA Forum: www.community.fmca.com/index
Diesel RV Club:http://www.dieselrvclub.org/
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Oasisbob
Portland Oregon 97266
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Yeah big bummer. Man I hate stuff like that. The end result is always the same.. Hope it is a warranty thing. Worst case take a cooler or two just like I did for many years. Sorry.
Oasis Bob
Wonderful wife & 4 Really Fun kids
2008 KIA Sedona 3.8L 24 valve V-6
2001 Bantam Trail Lite B-19
HAPPY TRAILS
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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On the bright side it a covered issue and you found out the issue before your planned trip. We had to replace ours but it was 18 years old.
Short of using a saw or screw driver on the back or inside of the frig there is little one can do to cause a failure like this. At 350 PSI (?) a factory defect is going to surface quickly.
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Matt_Colie
Southeast Michigan
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Korie,
Call the dealer this morning.
Tell him you want the reefer replaced NOW.
There should be nothing that you can do wrong to create this situation. If there is, I would like to know about it because nobody I know has ever heard about a way to kill an absorption refrigerator that fast.
The dealer can call either the builder or Dometic and have one on a truck Monday morning. Even from Elkhart, it would be there Thursday. Dometic is a good company and they will make good on the warranty. If he is not willing to do that, tell him that he can take the reefer out of some other unit (with the same number) to replace yours while Dometic does the warranty.
DO NOT let him tell you that this is common (it is not) or that you should power it up and wait a day (that is dangerous).
If the dealer is not helpful and cooperative, offer to park the RV on his lot with a sign explaining that he won't do a basic warranty repair on your brand new unit. You don't have to tell him that you just might get it stuck while maneuvering your new unit into his drive such that it blocks it off completely on Saturday morning. (I can be nasty, but only when the situation requires it
Another word.
Over many years of dealing with boats and RVs, I have found the the dealer walk-through and/or PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) is pretty much worthless. Two things you can do that will help, read the manuals that come with the unit and find someone familiar enough with the general product to be a guide.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie
A sailor, his bride and their black dog going to see some dry places that have Geocaches in a coach made the year we married.
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