Gas refrigerators are entirely different from their electric cousins. Where electric refrigerators use safe, non-flammable freon for the refrigerant, gas refrigerators use compressed hydrogen gas and an ammonia-water solution. Electric refrigerators use compressors, electric motors, and cooling fans; gas refrigerators have no moving parts.

Finally, where electric refrigerators use copper tubing, gas refrigerator cooling units are made entirely of steel because of the ammonia. Ammonia attacks copper, brass, and bronze in the presence of water.

Before operating the refrigerator when the motor home is parked, make sure it is level. If it is not level, the refrigerant will not circulate, cooling action will stop, and the refrigeration system may be damaged. The refrigerator when it works on propane, it should be kept always in a horizontal position. If necessary you must put some small planks under the tires of the vehicle. 

Cooling and freezing will not always satisfy your needs. Motorhome fridges do never have the power which your refrigerator at home has. Sometimes it may be totally impossible to get the drinks cooled. The low voltage, a different cooling system, thin isolation of the cooling unit, and the caravans' cabin might be the reason for it. Caravans for Hire can not be held liable for this incidence. 

The refrigerator uses the absorption principle of operation. If you plan to cool food or drinks in high outside temperatures, pre-cool the food, and park the motor home with the refrigerator vent door in the shade. Once the interior of the refrigerator is cool, the refrigeration system will usually maintain this temperature. If the inside of the refrigerator is hot, the food is not precooled, and the outside temperature is high, be prepared for longer cooling times.

Fridge and furnace problems usually not air or fuel problem -- but ignition problem.

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Absorption types can work on propane, AC or DC...though DC marginal at best. Used to be simple, but with automatic features they've become troublesome. Needs to be level, or coolant won't circulate back. Last five years they are more tolerant. Nine times out of ten, problem happens when people run the fridge the night before to cool down for a trip, and they're parked at home on a very uneven surface.

To make something cold, you must remove the heat to achieve a resulting lower temperature. Heat is applied to boiler ... by either a propane or electric source .... Ammonia mixes with water. Want to boil off ammonia, but leave the water. So heat must be "correct". Ammonia is vaporized, some water is vaporized along with it. The coil slows the vapor, and any water will condense out. Ammonia vapor continues on up, and water condenses & trickles on back. Ammonia goes through condenser, it cools, and leaves as a liquid.

Ammonia liquid goes through small orifice and joins nitrogen vapor. When checking your fridge's temperature, monitor food storage area, not freezer. Thirty eight to forty is ideal. Below that, lettuce freezes. Above that, food won't be preserved properly.

Venting is critical. If fins aren't clean and clear, fridge will stop working. Birds nest, mfgrs left too much insulation, something falls on top of fins, etc -- all can cause failure.

Refrigerators are different from what you have in your house. These usually operate on either 120 AC, or propane. And occasionally they will run on DC as well, though that's becoming less common because it causes a significant drain on your batteries. Recommends you not use propane while you're driving, because it's unsafe. Better, shut off propane at the tank whenever you're driving. The only thing you need to do is ensure your rig is reasonably level, so the refrigerator can operate as designed.

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Is it turned on? Thermostat properly set? DC power? Most of the new ones are automatic. Circuit board will typically run on DC power. If your battery gets low, your fridge will quit. Intermittant outage...check voltage to fridge. Sometimes the RV parks have inadequate voltage -- which can play havoc with appliances.

Any appliance with a board that fail to run: turn them off and back on again. That's like doing a "reset".

[Makes a BIG point throughout lecture: Fully explain symptoms to service tech.]

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First -- Is there heat to boil the vapor? If there is heat, check for venting. Birds next, something blocking venting. Could have failed cooling unit. Often freezer works, but not food compartment. Same whether on propane and electric. Usually cooling unit problem. Can be a thousand bucks to fix/replace, and few people qualified to do this sort of job.

When measuring levelness of fridge, measure at bottom of freezer floor.

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It is NOT advisable. Manufacters say six hours off should result in an increase of only two degrees. If you're constantly opening the fridge though, that can impact it. Most new fridges have gone away from DC power source b/c of big power consumption. Before traveling with the refrigerator off here are some tips for keeping things cold.

• Start the refrigerator the day before you plan to travel.
• Put cold soft drinks and beer etc. in the refrigerator the night before.
• Pack the refrigerator full. Use the cold drinks to fill space.
• Pack the freezer full.
• Make sure everything is cold before you turn the refrigerator off.
• Plan ahead... know what you want before you open the door and get everything you want at one time.

Door gasket, or self defrost mode. If tube with crimp on (looks like its closed off). Sometimes tube is "open", so air is getting into fridge compartment.

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While they want to be "level", the newer ones are quite forgiving. As a rule of thumb, if you are comfortable with the position, the refrigerator will be too. To check the seal on the refrigerator door, shut a dollar bill in it. If it falls out or is easily removed, your seal is faulty. Always prop the doors open when storing your RV.

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