Dometic fridge ammonia leak

I went to sleep in my camper about 8pm. Woke up about 2am choking, nauseated dizzy and a horrible smell of ammonia. Turned out my fridge was leaking ammonia I suffered severe burn on my chest, was dizzy and nauseated for about 5 hours. Ended up in the emergency room and was told my blood pressure dropped 30 points from laying to standing position and low heart rate because the blood was not getting to my brain. Suggested I go to a cardiologist tomorrow. I  have found a lot on fires caused from this but not much about the physical damages caused by this. The burn on my chest is terrible and hurts really bad. I want to sleep all the time and I have like pulses of a headache. Not constant just sudden small jolts of pain. Does anyone know of any forums where this problem is discussed. I know ammonia is toxic and can cause permanent lung, heart and brain damage. I cannot believe Dometic would make such a dangerous refrigerator and that Keystone would use them in their campers. If I hadn't woke up and made it out of the camper I would have probably died. Thanks

I also have a very raw throat and my eyelids hurt and are swollen. Thanks

I really feel for you.  I would take a hard look as to how the fridge was sealed on the inside. There are suppose to be sealed to prevent cold air from entering the RV and I would think it is sealed to prevent this from happening. Hope you get well soon. How  old is the RV and what  make and model. I would document everything that's happened to you . Dates, times, doctors and hospitals. I can envision a law suit if it was a poor installation. 

Not poor installation. The fridge developed a leak and when I woke up the camper was filled with ammonia. I had the ac on and I guess the ammonia was venting outside but the ac drew it in. The whole camper is contaminated. I had just moved the camper behind my moms to stay in when I needed to take care of her. Even if I go in for 30 seconds to get something I walk out dizzy and the smell is over whelming. Thanks for your concern. It's a 2005 Keystone Outback. I had the fridge removed because it never stopped leaking. It is still leaking and someone told me since it only takes a drop of ammonia to cause the problem it would continue to leak for months.

My chest has a terrible burn. It's raw and whelped. Kept me up most of the night. If my chest is this bad I can only imagine what my insides suffered. Hope no permanent damage. Thanks I tried to post a pic of my chest but it says file too large.

Wow - you had close call!  First I've ever heard (in 20 years here) of anyone actually suffering ammonia burns from a leaky fridge.  Ammonia is extremely caustic, even in household cleaner form. The stuff in the fridge cooling unit is much more concentrated than that.

Your RV a/c unit does not draw any outside air into the RV, so that's not how the ammonia fumes got in. The a/c only recirculates inside air.

Except for where it contacts the cooling fins on the back wall of the fridge, the entire cooling unit is outside and (if properly installed) sealed off from the interior. It is rare but conceivable that you had a leak into the fridge interior, which could then have seeped into the RV itself. More likely, though, the fridge sides and top/bottom were not adequately sealed from the interior and the corrosive ammonia got in that way.

Thank you. I appreciate all the info. It was odd that you could not smell the ammonia inside the fridge but when you turn the ac on the camper was flooded throughout with ammonia. I thought it was my air conditioner at first because it would get strongest when it was on. So I guess that does go back to poor installation. I had my camper moved and when I opened the door the smell nearly knocked me out. First thing I thought was some cleaner I have called awesome that doesn't contain ammomia but smells like it does had tipped over and spilled during the move but it had not leaked and was still actually sealed and never opened. I set it outside any way. I opened all vents and windows and aired it out. It seemed to be okay so I turned the ac on and went to bed. It was a horrible experience and hope no one else goes through it. I could only describe it as Godzilla peed in my camper. And peed a lot. LOL I sure wish I could share my pics of my chest but the pic is too large and I'm on a chrome book and do not know how to decrease the size. But it is blood red with whelps and burns like fire.

Usually when these absorption fridges develop any kind of ammonia leak (usually with a visible "yellow powder" leak somewhere around the cooling unit), it's a sign that the unit has failed.  That's what happened in 2012 with the original fridge in my first 1994 motorhome, and I removed the fridge completely.  We used a dorm-style minifridge temporarily, and the next owner installed an larger electric-only residential replacement fridge. 

When my RV unit failed, the ammonia odor was pungent but nothing as bad as what you described.  Basically my fridge just stopped cooling.

You need to open up your trailer, run fans, vent & circulate air as much as possible for several days at least.  Make sure you keep an eye on those chemical burns, and get back to the doctor if they don't start healing on their own!

What is weird mine never stopped cooling. It kept a bottle of water froze till it was removed. I tried unplugging it and not using it but instantly the smell would get 100 times worse when it was off so left it running till I was able to get it out of the camper. Strange as heck to me. I've had all the windows and vents open since and even a few seconds to run in and grab something makes me dizzy and light headed. It's horrible. I'm scared it will never get that smell out. It has probably absorbed into the mattresses and cushions. And I'm with you on a 110 fridge. I would never have another ammonia fridge not after this. Even if I one day bought a brand new one I think I would have any ammonia fridge removed immediately. My burn isn't getting any better. The ER doc said to put hydro cortisone cream on it and I do it about every hour because I cant stop the burning pain. I am supposed to see the cardiologist tomorrow if they can work me in and maybe he can tell me something else to do. Thanks very much. 

I love how you mentioned the dog. Sept 9th last year I had to have my 16 year old Little girl put to sleep. It haunts me every waking moment and I'm not sure I will ever get over it. I begged God to take her if he must and not make me have to make that decision but he didn't. Enjoy every moment you have with you precious gift. I found her on the side of the road when she was about 3 months old scared and covered in fleas and I wouldn't have traded her for a million dollars. Poor thing the fleas were her only friends. 

June 20th was the Tuesday morning that my 85# Great Pyrenees female, "Baby" became a hero!  She was on top of me as I was asleep, pawing at me like she was digging a hole, and barking with a mad frenzy!  As I awoke, I found I couldn't breathe, my nose was swollen shut, my throat was nearly shut off too.  My lungs burned, and my eyes were quickly burning once I opened them. My grandson was also in the RV!  This was about 6:00 am and we had been sleeping.  Quickly I got everyone out of the RV, and left the door open.  I checked out my grandson and got him far away and I unplugged the AC power, cut off the LP tanks, and since I checked my battery cables a couple days prior I had the battery cover off.  I quickly got the 12v unhooked too.  I had my grandson calling 911, so they were on their way.  Yes the nasty chemical causing all this was ammonia from the Dometic Refrigerator!  If it wasn't for my dog Baby we would very likely be dead!! The EMT's and Fire Dept showed up, and they gave us a good going over.  My grandson's blood gasses were doing very well recovering once he was outside in the fresh air, but he was also the furthest away from the fridge when it failed and gassed off.  I was the closest, and I seem to be having lingering symptoms, such as being very sleepy, mental confusion, sore and dry nasal passages and sinuses.  Sore and dry eyes as well.  My lungs are also sore.  My RV is a 2011 Forest River Flagstaff, and is still covered under my extended warranty coverage.  The warranty company wants to just replace the cooling Unit.  Likely a rebuilt unit.  Nope not going to do that!!!  I don't care if I get money to pay for it or not.  NO WAY IS ANOTHER AMMONIA UNIT GOING IN ANY RV OWNED BY ME!!!  I found a 10.7 cu ft Whirlpool that fits in the spot with some minor cabinet modifications.  The higher end RVs are going with residential style fridges these days.  I truly shudder when I think about how close to death we all came that morning!  Any attorneys on here willing to help me out?  I have found that Dometic has known about these dangers for quite some time and have done nothing to fix them!  Criminal in my opinion!

I just wanted to add something for y'all to think about. I've read other forums full of people giving their opinions about this topic, such as:  I think you are being a nervous Nellie, there are millions of these units out there working just fine. Or: I've had these fridges in all my RVs for years and I'm still here.  Ok well we only get 1 life, and to use a hazardous chemical cocktail like anhydrous ammonia and hydrogen mix in a confined space is nothing short of criminal and negligent, because it all boils down to profits!  I used to leave my dog in the RV when going to see some sights that were not pet friendly.  I did this thinking my dog was safe and sound!  After having her save our lives by waking us, it proves this can happen with zero warning!  They can take their ammonia refrigerant units and stick em up you know where! 

I don't want to belittle the potential effects of nasty chemicals, but many common products contain chemicals that can pose a risk if something fails or if improperly used.  LP & natural gas appliances come readily to mind! Absorption-type (ammonia cycle) fridges have been in wide use since the early 1900's and their safety track record is a good one, though not perfect by any means.

I would agree, though, that Dometic and Norcold could be doing more to make sure ammonia leaks would be extremely rare, and also to insure that any leaks were detected. An extra $25 in manufacturing costs for additional safety measures would simply be passed on to the RV buyer and that's small change in the total price of even a small RV.

There is an helium cycle variant of the absorption fridge (Atwood offers one), but they don't cool quite as well as ammonia cycle and many people already think the ammonia fridges have poor cooling.

Compressor (residential) fridges area good choice for many RVers, but not all, and it's not just about cost.

Back when I was a teen and young adult, I worked with my dad doing appliance repair.  Working with window AC's and household fridges, among other things...  This was in the day before the strict freon recycling and recovery rules.  When we had an old dead unit that we were scrapping out we would just use a pair of wire cutters or pliers to cut the tubing and let it blow....
I remember once when my dad was scrapping out one of the older round top fridges....he cut into it like always, but it was an ammonia system.  really took his breath, but no long lasting ill affects like the OP has experienced.  We ran across a few of those ammonia systems over the years.  These were different though.... had compressors if I recall correctly.
At the time, I was doing a lot of drafting work too in school, and using blueprint machines that used ammonia as a developer.  I remember the students sneaking up and putting that bottle under our noses, so I was sympathetic.  That stuff will really make you light headed!

Side note....As I understand it, ammonia has maybe the highest capacity as a refrigerant of any of the commonly used refrigerants.

missoj said:

...... Does anyone know of any forums where this problem is discussed. ....

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I was just thinking offline about this thread and your issue
it came to me for more information a good place to start might be the poison control center.  No doubt the docs in the hospital went through all of what is known, but maybe.....

Haven't heard from the OP for a month so I was concerned and sent them a PM. Hopefully they're OK and will respond.

Thanks for your comments and concerns. My chest burn got better after about 2 and 1/2 weeks and it took almost 3 before the dizzy nausea and all the other symptoms to go away. It was like the room was spinning nearly all the time. I was really sick. My throat still seems raw and sometimes burns like fire. I have an appt tuesday with the ear nose and throat doc. Dometic hasn't really done anything. They kept wanting more pictures so I went to take more of the fridge and found at the very top where you screw the fridge in place there are huge holes that allowed the ammonia to be drawn in the camper. All dometic keeps saying is they can't tell how the leak happened and wants someone to look at the fridge. I told them it didn't matter how the leak happened and it didn't matter if God looked at it the problem is the ammonia came into the camper through those holes and it nearly killed me. I was advised by the BBB whom I contacted to contact the attorney general in Indiana and that is what I will do monday. I told dometic I am tired of answering the same questions over and over. I even pulled a napkin through the hole on top of the fridge showing how big it was and that is where the ammonia was allowed to come in. There is yellow residue at the bottom of the fridge where the ammonia was leaking. I had it pulled completely out of the camper and it is still causing the air within 15 to 20 foot of the fridge to smell like ammonia. I had a friend stop by yesterday and was going to show them the huge holes on top of the fridge and they wouldn't even walk over to it. They stopped and said omg that smell is horrible and it has been about a month or so now. This fridge was also under recall for starting fires from what is on dometics website. But it doesn't matter how the leak happened it matters that the 99.98% pure ammonia was allowed to be drawn into the camper and nearly kill me. Leaks happen but it should have never been allowed to come inside. It's been a horrible experience and I pray I do not have any permanent throat or lung damage. Someone could die from this. It is a very serious problem and Dometic doesn't really seem to care. I'm so happy the family that said their dog woke them up are ok. When you are sleeping and breathing something that dangerous it is scary and that whole family could have died just like me. I hope they fix the holes that allow the ac to draw it in the camper are fixed. There should be a major recall about this problem. Maybe the attorney general will get something done. I hope this never happens to anyone else.

It's rare for the hole to appear on the inside, but not impossible (as missoj can attest).

Gary RV_Wizard said:

It's rare for the hole to appear on the inside, but not impossible (as missoj can attest).

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I think the holes were in the wood cabinetry which allowed the ammonia to enter the living space.
I would also contact a private attorney.

I don't think it is that Dometic doesn't care, although I certainly understand why it seems that way given the extremely dangerous situation you faced!  Most big companies face so much potential fraud that they have to cover all their bases, and track down every possible cause of problems like this... was it manufacturing, fridge design, RV body design, a rare mistake, some kind of accident along the way?  Nailing that down would be the only way they can research / fix / prevent future problems like you had.  Just keep on keeping on & give them what they ask for, which seems like it would be the most factual way for them to put the puzzle together.

Depending on your goal in this whole thing, you may need an attorney to help you through the red tape.  In the meantime, it sounds like you have done everything you need to... photos, medical records, emails/memos to the company, etc.  Keep all that stuff handy.

So glad you came through it okay and your symptoms are improving!