Ammonia smell in RV

[Akustaka]

Hey so I am living in an RV full time now and randomly lost power to half of my RV but no breakers were tripped. Going outside and turning off the master then turning it back on returned power but now I am getting a horrible ammonia smell ONLY when the AC is running. I primarily starts in the kitchen area then proceeds to spread throughout the RV. I have turned off the fridge and opened the windows and it goes away, even with the AC running. If I run the AC on ONLY fan mode it does not distribute the smell, only when the air conditioner is running the compressor and the windows are closed do I smell it. Any ideas? I've pretty much resigned to believing the fridge is done, it's a unit from 2017 so it's lived its life and I'll just replace it with an apartment 120v unit if consensus is the same from the rest of you, thanks!

Is it actually my fridge? Running ONLY the fan on the climate control does not make it smell.

The RV is a 2016 Cherokee 274RK
The fridge is a dometic dm2652

 

[Mike134]

If your frig runs on propane then YES it's leaking. Absorption refrigerators use ammonia.

 

[bikendan]

Dometic 2652 is a 2-way fridge so it's probably bad. Look for yellow stains from the outside fridge vent compartment. My 2016 2652 fridge died after 5 years.

 

[GolfingDave]

Is it actually my fridge? Running ONLY the fan on the climate control does not make it smell.

Does the fridge cool? If so my bet the smell is not the fridge.

I really do not pay attention to two way fridge posts but it sure seems like to me they are long lasting by posts here.

 

[dalford]

The only appliance that uses ammonia is you 2-way fridge. The ac does not use ammonia. Seems you absorption fridge is leaking ammonia gas.

 

[TitanMike]

The only appliance that uses ammonia is you 2-way fridge. The ac does not use ammonia. Seems you absorption fridge is leaking ammonia gas.

It's very possible for A/C refrigerant to have a "chemical smell' when leaking and ammonia is one of the smells often reported.

Ones brain interprets what it thinks the smell is and it might not be exactly what the smell is but rather what it thinks it is

Since the smell only shows up when A=C compressor is running it sure is a strong clue.

 

[RobbieH]

I'm pretty positive it's your fridge. How? Been there, done that. We got rid of it and put in a 12v.

 

[5picker]

I never saw this answered... is the refrigerator cold?
The OP says it ONLY happens when running the air conditioning and only when the compressor is running. (it doesn't do it just on fan)
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[Akustaka]

Apologies, it does it when the fridge is on too, the fridge gets cold still. The Ammonia smell is MUCH worse when the fridge is turned on while off it is only a slight odor that is just annoying to deal with.

I'm going to go up on the roof once I have access to a ladder and make sure the coils are clear, this odor is CLEARLY ammonia, like hard core smells like windex. It's not a 'chemical smell' as in generic chemical odor but clearly an ammonia odor.

We got a 120v dorm room style fridge to replace it, I'm going to rip the old fridge out today, thanks to everyone for helping with their thoughts, what pushes me away from thinking the AC is causing the odor is because this smell is clearly ammonia.


UPDATE 3 HOURS LATER.. Ripped out the fridge and HECK YEAH that thing was leaking. As soon as I got it out, it was literally blasting me in the face with ammonia from the back, I couldn't get that thing out of the camper fast enough, holy crap!

No more ammonia smell!

 

[Akustaka]

I never saw this answered... is the refrigerator cold?
The OP says it ONLY happens when running the air conditioning and only when the compressor is running. (it doesn't do it just on fan)
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

So what I think was happening was it was leaking Ammonia into the upper space of the camper but only when the AC was running would it actually cause a difference in pressure that was enough to cause the ammonia to enter the ductwork and flood the rest of the RV.

 

[NJKris]

Glad you figured it out, but I'm hoping this is not normal life expectancy. My unit is only a year older than yours. Into our 8th season with it (30 nights per year), finally got all the bugs worked out of it, and just finished adding my 3rd fan system to it to improve cold distribution in the fridge box. I assume by your choice of replacement that you do not intend to travel with it.

 

[Akustaka]

Glad you figured it out, but I'm hoping this is not normal life expectancy. My unit is only a year older than yours. Into our 8th season with it (30 nights per year), finally got all the bugs worked out of it, and just finished adding my 3rd fan system to it to improve cold distribution in the fridge box. I assume by your choice of replacement that you do not intend to travel with it.

I don't intend to, but I still can. All I need to do is cut a small .5 of an inch section of the wood framing out from around where the old fridge was and I can slot the new one right in. Then you just get a bracket to bolt it down to by the feet, plenty of people travel using 120v residential fridges.

Honestly dude, I would HIGHLY recommend replacing the fridge before this crap that happened to me happens to you. The insulation that was around the fridge in the cubby still smells like ammonia and I know it's going to take a while for it to completely air out. I can still smell it in the general air of the RV if I try REALLY hard to pinpoint it, but it is no where near as bad as it was.

This was a nightmare, imagine being poisoned in your full time house and worried if it two of you arguably most important things, the AC, or the Fridge. The new fridge I got is from Sams Club and has a LOT more space, plus it still has a separate topside freezer. Your fridge will have a 120v plug behind it so you can just plug right in, I'll share the link with you.

Frigidaire Gallery 7.5 Cu. Ft. Top Mount Fridge - Sam's Club

Buy Frigidaire Gallery 7.5 Cu. Ft. Top Mount Fridge : Compact Refrigerators at SamsClub.com

www.samsclub.com

 

[dalford]

I don't intend to, but I still can. All I need to do is cut a small .5 of an inch section of the wood framing out from around where the old fridge was and I can slot the new one right in. Then you just get a bracket to bolt it down to by the feet, plenty of people travel using 120v residential fridges.

Honestly dude, I would HIGHLY recommend replacing the fridge before this crap that happened to me happens to you. The insulation that was around the fridge in the cubby still smells like ammonia and I know it's going to take a while for it to completely air out. I can still smell it in the general air of the RV if I try REALLY hard to pinpoint it, but it is no where near as bad as it was.

This was a nightmare, imagine being poisoned in your full time house and worried if it two of you arguably most important things, the AC, or the Fridge. The new fridge I got is from Sams Club and has a LOT more space, plus it still has a separate topside freezer. Your fridge will have a 120v plug behind it so you can just plug right in, I'll share the link with you.

Frigidaire Gallery 7.5 Cu. Ft. Top Mount Fridge - Sam's Club

Buy Frigidaire Gallery 7.5 Cu. Ft. Top Mount Fridge : Compact Refrigerators at SamsClub.com

www.samsclub.com

I think what Kris meant by traveling with it is you will need an inverter hookup to power it while on the road? You can still do that but it will involve adding an inverter and rewiring the 120 volts thru the inverter.

 

[NMWildcat]

... Honestly dude, I would HIGHLY recommend replacing the fridge before this crap that happened to me happens to you. ...

2 way RV refrigerators (absorption) have been around forever and are pretty bullet proof. I'm sorry you had a problem with yours, but your problem is definitely the exception and not the rule.

I realize in your situation (full time and not travelling) a residential type fridge will probably fit your needs better, but it would have been interesting to have a qualified tech diagnose your leak. Many coolant leaks can be fixed easily depending on what, where, and why the leak occured. At least that is what my friend who has his own RV repair business tells me. And then, of course, some require complete replacements.

I have never had an absorption fridge fail due to a leak, nor have never personally known anyone who had that problem.

I would never advise anyone to preemptively replace an expensive appliance for what is a rare failure like yours. If it's not broke, don't fix it.

 

[5picker]

In 50+ years if camping, I've had one small absorption refrigerator in a truck camper that leaked ammonia. Lots of others that worked perfectly fine. I've said this before but it's still true and working... I've got an absorption refrigerator in my garage, plugged in 24/7 that's been on almost 25 years. Granted, it's using the 120v heating element to boil the ammonia but it's working perfectly.

I would not preemptively rush out and change to another type refrigerator just because I had an absorption type nor advise anyone to do so.

The irony... we had a smaller dorm type compressor refrigerator in our sun porch and it crapped out in 4 years! Go figure!

 

[NJKris]

Good to hear the positive stories. Always waiting for the next thing to break, and hopefully won't be my lovely propane fridge (I usually have sites with shore power, so it mostly only uses propane on the road), at least for now. One more year and wife retires and we may be using propane side a lot more. BTW 5Picker, I just started using my old cube fridge I had in college on long trips to shore. I couldn't believe 30 years later it still works! My Outer Banks NC site has power, and I used to buy big bags of ice, in one trip I'd go through 80 dollars of ice! Packing the little cube fridge is a great idea, plug it in on a little table outside with a tarp over it in case it rains but allowing backside to breath.

 

[Larry-NC]

I don't intend to, but I still can. All I need to do is cut a small .5 of an inch section of the wood framing out from around where the old fridge was and I can slot the new one right in. Then you just get a bracket to bolt it down to by the feet, plenty of people travel using 120v residential fridges.

Can you set a guide and use your router?

 

[NCWanderers]

Does the fridge cool? If so my bet the smell is not the fridge.

I really do not pay attention to two way fridge posts but it sure seems like to me they are long lasting by posts here.

My first truck camper I got 16 years out of it and it was still going strong when I sold it. Got 7 yrs out of my second truck camper fridge and it was going strong when I sold it..... Got 8 years so far on my current 2 way fridge.... Knock on wood.....

 

[NCWanderers]

In 50+ years if camping, I've had one small absorption refrigerator in a truck camper that leaked ammonia. Lots of others that worked perfectly fine. I've said this before but it's still true and working... I've got an absorption refrigerator in my garage, plugged in 24/7 that's been on almost 25 years. Granted, it's using the 120v heating element to boil the ammonia but it's working perfectly.

I would not preemptively rush out and change to another type refrigerator just because I had an absorption type nor advise anyone to do so.

The irony... we had a smaller dorm type compressor refrigerator in our sun porch and it crapped out in 4 years! Go figure!

We have a two way propane fridge at our camp in GA. Sits outside (under cover), plugged in 8 months of the year and works great. I just recently hooked up the propane side just in case of a power outage. Hoping to get many, many years out of it

 

[NJKris]

OLD = BETTER when it comes to things that chill. I camped alongside a lady with a real old tiny camper, probably a SCOUT. Had original propane fridge from 1960 or earlier! There's no moving parts in these things. Yeah, eventually burners and things will go bad, but as long as plumbing is good, no reason for these things to break.