Propane fridge repair?

[KarlH]

A retired friend of mine in AZ just had his propane fridge die and is looking for a repair person. Does anyone have a recommendation?

Thanks!

 

[eDJ_]

Here is a youtube of about 2:13 minutes that explains how the propane absorption refrigerators work.

Propane absorption fridge operation explained

I have heard of people removing the fridge from it's installed position and taking it outside (after it is emptied) and turning it upside down so that all of the chemicals can flow to the coil at the top. Then after awhile turning it right side up again so the chemicals can settle back to the bottom which resets the device.

But before I would do that I'd check to make sure the burner was working properly to provide heat to the boiler. Also that the vehicle was setting as level as possible when the burner was heating the boiler. This is very important as these types of refrigerator are sensitive t being out of level.

There are quite a few Youtube videos on doing this maintenance. So take some time learning about their operation first before doing anything. Most RV sales & service shops will have someone qualified to work on these or to refer you to.

 

[KarlH]

Thanks @eDJ_

We'll give that a try. There isn't a lot that should go wrong inside one of these.

 

[eDJ_]

The main thing is not to operate one of these unless you have it level or nearly level (no more than 2 or 3 degrees off level). Early ones of these had to be almost perfectly level.

You wouldn't want to be inside a rig if one of these begins to leak. (running one off level could cause damage to the boiler resulting in a crack and leak.

Some of these newer more efficient compressor refrigerators for RV's have now become popular.(since the advent of solar panel installations on RV's or rigs) Those absorption units were popular in past decades for RV's as campers may have choosen to be way off grid and could use 12 vdc (when boon docking) or 115 vac (like from a generator or shore power when in a camp ground) or propane (anywhere) to run those refrigerators. By and large, I think the absorption units have worked fairly well but requires more education and understanding from the operator for safe/dependable use.

 

[KarlH]

You wouldn't want to be inside a rig if one of these begins to leak. (running one off level could cause damage to the boiler resulting in a crack and leak.

The ones I've seen had the ammonia-containing parts in an external vented enclosure, but I wouldn't want to be close to a leaky one either.

 

[tx2sturgis]

A retired friend of mine in AZ just had his propane fridge die and is looking for a repair person. Does anyone have a recommendation?

Thanks!

You didnt tell us the approximate age of the unit. And we dont know what you mean by 'die'.

If its a simple burner or thermostat or gas valve problem, it might be economical to fix, but if the cooling unit is say, 25 years old and rusted out and leaking whitish/greenish crud, then it might be time for a new one.

 

[KarlH]

My friend is a retired engineer, so he already tested the burner and thermostat. It was 11 years old and stopped cooling under a normal flame. He ended up buying a new one because that particular model apparently has a reputation for failing early.

 

[KarlH]

By and large, I think the absorption units have worked fairly well but requires more education and understanding from the operator for safe/dependable use.

I've always liked how quiet they are, and it's nice that they don't drain your house batteries at night.

 

[tx2sturgis]

The main reason I like absorption fridges is because yeah, they pull so little energy from the house batteries and you can boondock (off grid) in shady areas.

Compared to always needing strong solar input if you are trying to keep your batteries healthy when running a compressor fridge.

Pros and cons to either.

 

[maki2]

Seems like in hot weather almost every owner of a motor home I meet is complaining about their propane fridge. It also happens on days of strong winds where the wind is blowing directly into the furnace’s outside vent.

The person I was camped with in March in Yuma was totally frustrated because both wind and hot sun caused him to have the unit go well above food safe temperatures a number of times in a week. Unfortunately his fridge was very large and in a slide out in his 5th wheel trailer. That setup means there is no rooftop venting. Terrible design setting for installing a propane fridge.

 

[speedgene]

I found they don't work well at high altitude. The mfg said plug into AC when above 5000 feet. Also high temp reduces cooling as well so I bought a small compressor refig to keep important stuff in in the summer.

 

[NctryBen]

So glad I pulled mine for a 12v compressor job. Added batteries and solar to match. Smaller fridge footprint holds as much content and more consistent cooling. Paid for by selling old fridge (15 yrs old)… haha!

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yep pros and cons to each.

First and foremost is to make sure the RV is level anytime the absorption fridge is running.

In the past when I had an under performing absorption fridge, I added a computer style muffin fan to the condenser fins which helped a lot, and if I was parked/camped where the sun tended to 'bake' the fridge side of the camper, I fabbed up a small white panel (to reflect the sunlight) just over, and providing shade for, the fridge vents. This also helped.

Another thing that will improve cooling is a small interior fan inside the unit, these can be either 12v or battery powered.

Some owners don't think about using an air nozzle on a compressor (or canned air) to blow out all the dust and debris in and around the cooling unit a few times a year, but this will also help the cooling performance.

 

[KarlH]

Seems like in hot weather almost every owner of a motor home I meet is complaining about their propane fridge.

They do put out a lot of heat at the condensor for a given amount of cooling. I can't find hard numbers for the type used in RVs, but for the industrial absorption air conditioners, it's between 2.6:1 and 1.8:1.

The RV fridges are unique in that they don't use a circulator pump, which supposedly makes them less efficient than the big commercial absorption coolers. So they might be dissipating 3-4 times as much heat at the condensor as they remove from the inside of the fridge. (But keep in mind that if you run a generator to power a compressor fridge, the ratio of waste heat to cooling is about 2:1. It's just that half of that waste heat goes out the exhaust pipe and doesn't put a burden on your condensor.)

 

[KarlH]

In the past when I had an under performing absorption fridge, I added a computer style muffin fan to the condenser fins which helped a lot.

I imagine that would help a huge amount. And you probably aren't putting much drain on your house battery either. Some of those case fans only draw 0.5 or 0.25 amps.