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Old 04-20-2019, 06:23 PM   #1
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Norcold refrigerator failure

Hey All,
My first post on the forum -- we have a 2011 Thor Tuscany 42RQ and woke up to an overwhelming smell of ammonia permeating the coach. I'm being told the refrigerator can only be replaced by removing the windshield -- is there are full service repair anywhere near Palm Springs CA do you know?
Thanks!

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Old 04-20-2019, 06:33 PM   #2
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I'm sorry that your first post has to have been made under these circumstances...

How many cubic feet is your 'fridge?
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Old 04-20-2019, 06:43 PM   #3
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I’d sure try to get it repaired and/or measure it every way you can before going that route! Including taking the door off the fridge. If it’s a residential fridge you might be in a bind. Check the emergency escape window if the door is too small. Other possibility is to remove a slide. It’s not as difficult as you’d think for a properly equipped and experienced shop. Good luck.
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Old 04-20-2019, 07:51 PM   #4
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Sorry about your situation, but welcome to the forum. What you might do first is find out if there are any mobile rv repair businesses in that area. If so they might be able to repair it without removing it.
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Old 04-20-2019, 09:00 PM   #5
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Smell of ammonia equals not residential fridge.

Your cooling unit has a leak. You can replace the cooling unit without removing the fridge from the coach. Might want to look into that route.
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Old 04-20-2019, 10:39 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by 16ACE27 View Post
Smell of ammonia equals not residential fridge.



Your cooling unit has a leak. You can replace the cooling unit without removing the fridge from the coach. Might want to look into that route.


You’re right! Also it’s a Norcold. Try “rvcoolingunit.com”
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Old 04-20-2019, 11:29 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 16ACE27 View Post
Smell of ammonia equals not residential fridge.

Your cooling unit has a leak. You can replace the cooling unit without removing the fridge from the coach. Might want to look into that route.
Contact These Guys...
| JC Refrigeration
(They can tell you who in your area does the physical installations)
Roughly $1,000 to $1,300 all in.



You can either replace the cooling unit with another gas/electric that is considerably upgraded..
OR.....OR....... OR....
They can convert Your existing fridge to a compressor type (120v or 12v residential type) unit keeping the same fridge without having to remove from coach....Or having to do any carpentry to existing cabinetry ...
Have been told by several "Upper Echelon" & Custom/Private Coach owners that the residential guts installed in their normal RV fridge is the way to go....
A side benefit is that they no longer have to be concerned with always getting perfectly level ...OR having a fridge fire.
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Old 04-20-2019, 11:33 PM   #8
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thanks for all the help

What a great forum... been offline for awhile as we had to get a VBRO to stay in. The ammonia smell is really overwhelming and can't be healthy. I'll look into those repair sites.
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Old 04-21-2019, 12:16 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by davemcq View Post
what a great forum... Been offline for awhile as we had to get a vbro to stay in. The ammonia smell is really overwhelming and can't be healthy. I'll look into those repair sites.
warning!!!! MASSIVE FIRE DANGER!!!! Shut the fridge down and do not use until it is replaced or repaired!!!!!
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Old 04-21-2019, 09:01 PM   #10
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Norcold Refrigerator failure

Thanks for the fire danger warning... we immediately turned it off and unplugged it -- even brought the fire extinguishers outside with us suspecting as much. Thankfully it's calmed down, but the smell will be with the coach for awhile we suspect, even after its replaced
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Old 04-21-2019, 09:27 PM   #11
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Has anyone heard about the Amish built cooling units/ or experienced for Norcold as opposed to the factory replacement?
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Old 04-22-2019, 02:06 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Davemcq View Post
Has anyone heard about the Amish built cooling units/ or experienced for Norcold as opposed to the factory replacement?
See My Post #-7.. They do gas/electric replacements for No-Cold and Damnetic's... as well as the Residential conversions of the RV gas/electric's ..
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Old 05-21-2020, 03:02 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Davemcq View Post
Thanks for the fire danger warning... we immediately turned it off and unplugged it -- even brought the fire extinguishers outside with us suspecting as much. Thankfully it's calmed down, but the smell will be with the coach for awhile we suspect, even after its replaced
I worked with ammonia refrigeration in industry and was exposed to leaks on occasions. Most were minor but some pretty bad. I’m referring to systems with 1,000s of gallons of liquid ammonia. You don’t want to be around it if at all possible because it reacts with water, including moisture on your skin which gives you a burning sensation, particularly in areas of body that stay moist.

My biggest concern was to not breath it in higher concentration because it can react with moisture in the lungs. It can also make eyes watery which can make it hard to see in order to get away from leak. Fortunately you can smell it in very low concentrations before it becomes dangerous.

I’m not sure of longer-term effect on RV because of different materials (more porous), but in an industrial setting the good news is that once the leak is contained (fixed or you run out of ammonia) the smell goes away fairly fast — often within minutes.
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