Catastrophic Loss of Refrigerant from 3-Way Fridge

MarkBC

MarkBC

The Weatherman
Joined
May 24, 2010
Posts
6,641
Location
Bend, Oregon
If you've read my recent Trip Report you heard what happened to me/my camper in northern Arizona: a sudden loss/leak/venting of the refrigerant -- ammonia -- from my Norcold 3-way refrigerator. This happened while driving on some bumpy roads...not sure if that was the cause -- these roads weren't all that rough.
This Norcold 3-way is in my 2005 FWC Hawk.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? Has anyone had this happen to them?

Anyone have any knowledge/experience with this? Is total replacement of the refrigerator, i.e., buy a new one, the only practical "fix", or might it be possible to get this repaired for a price less than total replacement?
I can buy a replacement with the same/equivalent new Norcold for ~ $750 (cost for the unit, not including installation cost, if any).

I'm not interested in replacing this with a different type of refrigerator. I love my 3-way, and it worked great (well, until it died :rolleyes:): the freezer compartment stayed at 0° while the fridge section was at 35° -- as good as the fridge in my house.

Thanks.
smile.gif
 
If you've read my recent Trip Report you heard what happened to me/my camper in northern Arizona: a sudden loss/leak/venting of the refrigerant -- ammonia -- from my Norcold 3-way refrigerator. This happened while driving on some bumpy roads...not sure if that was the cause -- these roads weren't all that rough.
This Norcold 3-way is in my 2005 FWC Hawk.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? Has anyone had this happen to them?

Anyone have any knowledge/experience with this? Is total replacement of the refrigerator, i.e., buy a new one, the only practical "fix", or might it be possible to get this repaired for a price less than total replacement?
I can buy a replacement with the same/equivalent new Norcold for ~ $750 (cost for the unit, not including installation cost, if any).

I'm not interested in replacing this with a different type of refrigerator. I love my 3-way, and it worked great (well, until it died
rolleyes.gif
): the freezer compartment stayed at 0° while the fridge section was at 35° -- as good as the fridge in my house.

Thanks.
smile.gif




One of the reasons i only use 1 way fridges...

PM me, i might have a unit that would fit in your camper.
 
Dometic may be cheaper. Here is a chart with sizes.
http://www.dometic.com/c17faeab-a5a2-436b-a032-b28317a7cff0.fodoc

Do you know it leaked? I don't know if they can be fixed...call the factory or a dealer.

Jeff
 
Do you know it leaked?
I opened the camper door and there was a strong -- overpowering, dangerous -- smell of ammonia. The propane alarm was blaring (so apparently it detects other gases besides propane). After a few hours with the windows open the smell was gone and I could inhabit the camper again.

And I'll check out Dometic as an option.
 
If you've read my recent Trip Report you heard what happened to me/my camper in northern Arizona: a sudden loss/leak/venting of the refrigerant -- ammonia -- from my Norcold 3-way refrigerator. This happened while driving on some bumpy roads...not sure if that was the cause -- these roads weren't all that rough.
This Norcold 3-way is in my 2005 FWC Hawk.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? Has anyone had this happen to them?

Anyone have any knowledge/experience with this? Is total replacement of the refrigerator, i.e., buy a new one, the only practical "fix", or might it be possible to get this repaired for a price less than total replacement?
I can buy a replacement with the same/equivalent new Norcold for ~ $750 (cost for the unit, not including installation cost, if any).

I'm not interested in replacing this with a different type of refrigerator. I love my 3-way, and it worked great (well, until it died
rolleyes.gif
): the freezer compartment stayed at 0° while the fridge section was at 35° -- as good as the fridge in my house.

Thanks.
smile.gif




Mark,
I have 2 brand new in the boxes Engel MT45's at the moment. If you're interested I can give you a great price on one of them. I do this for WTW members and would be happy to extend the offer to you.
Here's a link to the fridge; http://www.engel-usa.com/mt45_u1.html
Suggested advertised price on these units is $910 and I can save you quite a bit on that price.
Let me know.
 
Regarding the non-propane, electric-compressor fridge options:
I guess I'm not ruling out that going that way...It just seems like a downside to use a chest-type/top-access replacement that would either take up floor space (what floor space??) or would be installed in what's currently storage space. ??
I don't mean to be argumentative -- My mind is open to consider all options before I spend $$$ or $$$$+.
smile.gif

Along those lines, I know this must have been covered plenty elsewhere on this forum...but maybe somebody could just tell me: where do people set/place/install their Engel's (or similar top-access fridges)?

If I went with an electric-compressor fridge, sure seems like a front-access design would be my first choice -- especially if it could fit in the space (more-or-less) currently occupied by my Norcold.
 
Do you know it leaked?

I was supposed to say-"do you know where it leaked"...

There was a thread a few months ago by Randygirl. I believe he put a side door Engel in place of the built-in 3 way reefer. That's the way I would go.

BTW, sorry we didn't get hooked up in Utah, but (as you know) the weather turned bad and we did not have cell phone access. We turned south when the rain started....
 
I was supposed to say-"do you know where it leaked"...

BTW, sorry we didn't get hooked up in Utah, but (as you know) the weather turned bad and we did not have cell phone access. We turned south when the rain started....

Ahh...No, I don't know where it leaked. I'd probably have to pull out the fridge to find out, if then, and then I wouldn't know what to do about it.
blink.gif
I'd really have to leave that to pros.

The whole thing is kinda weird, which is why I wondered if anyone else had known someone who this had happened to before. I mean, a 3-way fridge may have its inherent drawbacks, but it is the overwhelming/standard type of fridge in campers/trailers and has been forever.
When/if I do decide on complete replacement (which is most-likely) -- whether with another 3-way or a compressor-type -- I'll probably go ahead and remove the fridge myself and see what I can see -- just out of scientific curiosity.
smile.gif


RE Meet-Up in Utah -- NOT: Yeah, with spotty cell-reception and spotty weather in my last trip-week, I could see that we probably wouldn't cross paths. Another time...
I'll definitely be down the east side of the Sierras this year -- more than once, I hope. Umm....well, once I have a working fridge, anyway.
rolleyes.gif

On the other hand, maybe I won't need a fridge this year: It's snowing here in Bend right now -- end of May, midday, and it's snowing.
ohmy.gif
 
where do people set/place/install their Engel's (or similar top-access fridges)?
If I went with an electric-compressor fridge, sure seems like a front-access design would be my first choice -- especially if it could fit in the space (more-or-less) currently occupied by my Norcold.

New ATC Pix_0027.jpg
Remember front opening fridges, as do all things, obey the laws of physics. Good luck.
 
I did some calculations: I think I'll stick with a front-opening fridge, since the cold air that falls out when you open the door doesn't have a big effect on the work the fridge has to do.

Air has very low specific heat capacity (heat required to raise-or-lower a mass of air a number of degrees) compared to most solids/water. The heat capacity by volume of most things in a fridge is a couple thousand times that of air. And my camper fridge is usually full of food/drinks -- not a lot of air-space. So the amount of heat introduced to the fridge -- and the amount of work the fridge has to do to remove it -- when I open the door and room air replaces the cold air that falls out is small compared to the the cold-mass of the food that fills the fridge.

Approximately:
Water: 60 BTU/°F/ft3
Hard/dry cheese: 30 BTU/°F/ft3
Air: 0.02 BTU/°F/ft3

But physics aside...I'm still curious: do people generally put their chest fridges on the floor or on a bench set/couch or in the space usually occupied by the 3-way fridge? Just wondering...Thanks. :)
 
If you were in the San Diego area, I would make you a good deal on my Norcold 323 3-way fridge. I am pulling it out and putting in a Nova Kool R2600 compressor fridge. Used the Norcold last weekend and it worked great on DC and propane but my decision to replace it was justified when I tried to get it to work while parked on my sloped driveway. I wasn't able to pre-cool the fridge before the trip and had to get up 2 hours early and park it on the street to get it cooling.

Let me know if you'll be down this way and are interested.
 
If you were in the San Diego area, I would make you a good deal on my Norcold 323 3-way fridge. I am pulling it out and putting in a Nova Kool R2600 compressor fridge.
Let me know if you'll be down this way and are interested.

Mike, I sent you a PM.
 
Sent you a reply this morning. Did you get it?

Yep, and I just-now posted a reply.
Thanks, Mike.
 
My dad always had a little saying about fridges in RV's:

"If it has an ammonia smell,
You have rung the death knell."

We personally have had two fridges with ammonia smells. Neither could be fixed, both had to be replaced. The one in the 5W cost $1100 back in June 2006. Ouch. Of course, it was a 2-way 8 cu ft Dometic.


Donna
 
My dad always had a little saying about fridges in RV's:
"If it has an ammonia smell,
You have rung the death knell."


:eek: Death for the fridge or for the smeller??? Could be both! :eek:
If I had spent more time in the camper wondering, "gee, that doesn't smell like propane -- why is the propane alarm going off?" I mighta been a gonner...
unsure.gif


Thanks for the confirmation that I'm not the first person who this has ever happened too...I don't feel quite as cursed. ;)
 
If your fridge is in pretty good shape otherwise, you could opt to replace just the cooling unit, but they are usually more than half the cost of new. Pretty common to have the ammonia (refrigerant) and water solution rust thru the steel containment after a few years use. But when that does happen, its usually time to consider a new replacement. Good luck
 
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