Hi, Sorry to give you the bad news. The ammonia smell is the the refrigerant leaking out. Dometic uses ammonia that is heated and then condensed to cool. It will all leak out and quit cooling. The fridge is wrecked. There are shops that rebuild the units. Beings as ammonia is corrosive one must assume there may be other leaks ready to appear. There are RV salvage yards that sell good used units. Again Sorry for your loss.
It sounds like your cooling unit is going out. Here's a couple of things to check. Do you smell any ammonia when you open either one of the doors? When you look at the rear of the fridge, do you see anything that looks like rusty water that has run down any of the metal tubes and dried up? If the answer to either one of these is "yes", then youll need to start looking for a new fridge or replace the cooling unit on the one that you have.
I would start there before replacing any parts. The circuit boards require 12volts to operate the refrigerator. If you have a good 12 volts and the LP tanks are full and the flame lights but the unit does not cool then you probably have a bad cooling unit. But start with the obvious issues first.
Verify that you have at least 11.5vdc, you will typically have around 13.6 but sometimes power loss will cause the unit to not function properly. If you do have good voltage and the refrigerator is going into defrost mode but not defrosting the culprit more than likely will be a bad defrost heater.
I am sorry that you have been so vague, but I will try to help you. The first part I would check would be the fuses. When checking them, see what the fuse looks like - black on the glass means that there was a short that caused the fuse to blow - if the element is just melted, then there was just too much draw on the circuit. If it is a fuse that is not black, just replace the fuse being sure of what amperage (AMP) the fuse is. You could have a 3-amp, 5-amp, or a 35-amp fuse.
If the fuses are not blown, then you have a more serious problem and you should take your vehicle to the dealer.
On the back side of the unit there will be a small thermostat switch mounted on the heat column. It will be round with two wires attached to it. In the center is a reset button. If this button does not restore power then the next step is to replace the wire coming from 12v supply to the thremostat switch. The wire will be red and will have a black sleeve on it. Under the sleeve is a safety diode (to prevent overheating and fire), it will be held in place with three bendable metal fingers. If the diode is bad it will not allow 12v power to pass through to the circuit board. Even though the refrigerator is running on 110v power the circuit board still requires 12v power to operate. The diode is a part of a FREE recall kit offered by Dometic so your local RV repair center should be able to help you out.
Hi Karen,
my name is Roger and i'd be glad to help you, all refrigerators are similar when it comes to defrost systems, some are computerized while others work with a timer. In order to diagnose this issue yourself, you will need to let the unit defrost by turning it off or if you have a hair dryer you can expedite the process.
Also you need a voltage meter to measure continuity and resistance on the components. If you don't have one, you are better off calling a tech.
hope this helps. I’m happy to help further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/roger_e8672cfe67bf61a1
If you can hear it running and it sounds like it is gurgling or boiling then it is you cooling unit that has leaked. Your cooling unit is charged with hydrogen and ammonia. When the hydrogen leaks it causes the ammonia to boil more rapidly, hence what you hear. You will require a new cooling unit for your refrigerator. This is something that can be done by anyone in just a few hours with no specialized tools needed. You can give Arcticold a call toll free (1-888-782-6665) or check out our online Store I have also attached a how to video for the installation of a Arcticold New Lifetime Warranty cooling unit.
You may want to ensure the vents are clear. One is located on the rear if the fridge and the other is on the roof of the RV. This would be the first thing to check. If you would like to give Arcticold a call, we would be glad to help. Toll Free 1-888-782-6665 Web site - ArctiCold Refrigeration We keep it cold
If the RV is level and the rear coils of the cooling unit are warm, then you will require a replacement cooling unit. Changing the cooling unit is something that can be done by the end user such as yourself. Check out Arcticold Cooling Units.here ArctiCold Refrigeration We keep it cold or give them a call toll free 1-888-782-6665
By replacing the cooling unit with an aftermarket one, it will save you you money (vs buying a new fridge) and increase the performance and durability of your fridge. Arcticold cooling units can be purchased on ebay Dometic RM2611 Brand New Manufactured Cooling Units LIFETIME WARRANTY... The RM 2611 cooling unit is the same as the RM2620
Since your light comes on, it shows that your refrigerator DOES have power coming in. As for why it's not working let's try the simplest thing first. Since you did defrost it, I am going to hope that you also cleaned it our by wiping it down on the inside to get rid of any water that may have come from defrosting it. When you did this, it is possible that you changed the temperature settings. Check to see where those settings are and I will bet that they are set to the "warmest" they can be.
May just need new heating element. Need to check for 120VAC, coming from connectors on circuit board to element, if yes, change element. Make sure it's on AC operation, and calling for heat, you may have to leave door open on fridge, just to make sure it's calling for heat, or try on gas, if it lights, then you know it's calling for heat, then switch to AC operation and check for the proper voltage to element. If you need more instructions, let me know.
If you have coils I would seriously reconsider not purchasing the machine. You do know that the coils, and I'm assuming your talking about the condensor coils, not the one inside the machine, not only have freon running through them, its also the high pressure side of the freon loop. Rust would severely degrade the integrity of the coils, raising the chance of a freon leak, and even possibly injury greatly. If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/jason_4570d45317834dd3
