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When your absorption frig quits cooling (cooling unit less than two years old) and an experienced RV technician tells you to do a "frig reboot," listen to him/her. Late last week and over the weekend our Norcold 1210 frig started not maintaining proper temperatures. I tracked it with a frig/freezer thermometer and my infrared thermometer and got an ever-tightening knot in my gut. First thing Monday morning I contacted our favorite technician here in Las Cruces, NM, Richard's RV Service, fearing the worst. He asked the following questions:
Richard's instructions: Turn the frig off for at least five hours and let everything get down to ambient temperature in the back. Using a rubber mallet, periodically tap on all the pipes, tubes, and other refrigerant conduits I can reach, both while it's cooling down and after it's completely cooled. This process took until about 2:00 Monday afternoon. I then turned the frig back on and continued to do the "rubber mallet frappage" periodically while the frig was warming up/cooling down. I turned the frig back on mid-afternoon and by the time we went to bed Monday evening, both the frig and the freezer were getting back down in normal ranges and the infrared readings on the frig fins and the back walls of the freezer compartments were very good.
I kept a log and updated Richard a couple of times on Tuesday and he dropped by yesterday (Wednesday) to check. His diagnosis... an air bubble or chemical membrane in the refrigerant system. He said, "Congratulations!" and pronounced the frig healthy. We both think the issue occurred because our RV hasn't been moved since we pulled onto this site on 10 November and the jostling an absorption refrigerator gets bouncing down the road helps keep the refrigerant stirred up and moving.
I hope this experience can be of use to someone else - and save you a service call fee.
Rob
- Is it the same on AC and propane? Answer: Yes.
- Did the problem come on suddenly - like flipping a switch? Answer: No.
- Did you smell ammonia? Answer: No.
- Do you see any yellow residue around the boiler, coils, or any of the other tubing on the cooling unit? Answer: No.
- Do you hear the cooling fans in the back cycling on and off? Answer: I haven't noticed them like I usually do - but the weather has been cooler.
Richard's instructions: Turn the frig off for at least five hours and let everything get down to ambient temperature in the back. Using a rubber mallet, periodically tap on all the pipes, tubes, and other refrigerant conduits I can reach, both while it's cooling down and after it's completely cooled. This process took until about 2:00 Monday afternoon. I then turned the frig back on and continued to do the "rubber mallet frappage" periodically while the frig was warming up/cooling down. I turned the frig back on mid-afternoon and by the time we went to bed Monday evening, both the frig and the freezer were getting back down in normal ranges and the infrared readings on the frig fins and the back walls of the freezer compartments were very good.
I kept a log and updated Richard a couple of times on Tuesday and he dropped by yesterday (Wednesday) to check. His diagnosis... an air bubble or chemical membrane in the refrigerant system. He said, "Congratulations!" and pronounced the frig healthy. We both think the issue occurred because our RV hasn't been moved since we pulled onto this site on 10 November and the jostling an absorption refrigerator gets bouncing down the road helps keep the refrigerant stirred up and moving.
I hope this experience can be of use to someone else - and save you a service call fee.
Rob
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