Dometic fridge ammonia leak

I have tried over and over to post pics of my chest burn and the top of the fridge. I changed my camera to the smallest setting took another pic and it still says too big.  At the top of the fridge in two places there are two holes about the size of a queater. Inside these holes there are tabs with a hole where you screw the fridge to the cabinet. Behind the panel that says on off autp  that can be removed there is an open space. These holes are directly above that space so that is where the ammonia came through. This may get posted twice because I tried to do it a minute ago and cannot find it. I will take some pics with my phone and see if they are small enough to post. You will be shocked at the size holes at the top of the fridge.

Hope this pic is small enough

Yea... finally..  I pulled a napkin through the hole so you can see how big it is. This is on the top of the fridge and there are two of them. That is where the ammonia leaked through and dometic has these photos. I understand them wanting to check things out but I sent them 22 pictures of the fridge the holes, my chest and the inside of the fridge hole of the camper and all they could say was they still couldn't tell how the leak happened.

The fridge has been outside in about 12 inches or more of rain so the yellow from the ammonia is almost gone but I think you can still see it in the insulation. Alsp took a pic of where the napkin I pulled through the hole hangs down inside the frigde where the control panel goes.

There are also holes on the side of the fridge frame. Please be aware these holes are on the fridge and if yours develops a leak the ammonia will get in.

I have not sent the medical records yet. I am waiting for the visit about my throat before I send the emergency room report in and I have told them about 4 times as soon as I have both I will send them. All they seem to care about is how the leak happened. Who the heck knows. But it happened and I nearly died from it and some one will one day if they do not do a recall and prevent this from ever happening again.

Thanks Scott. Yes I am happy most of the symptoms have improved. Being dizzy and the room spinning was not fun at all. That went on for about 3 weeks. I didn't even feel human for a while. I was trying to eat a Popsicle a few days ago... one of those long ones that are all different flavors and called freeze pops and my throat literally burned like fire. I started choking and couldn't get my breath. That is when I made an appt with the ear nose and throat doc. It was horrible.

I don't think any amount of photos are going to show them how the leak happened, which makes sense they'd want to know that since that is the part of the situation they can investigate and control.  Your unit would need to be mechanically inspected by either them or another authorized shop, to determine how/why it failed.  Have they offered to have that done or suggested that yet?

Yes they asked me if I knew where an RV place was and I told them of two that are about an hour away. That is something they could have found on their own online but apparently didn't bother. They said they had been looking but they couldn't find any rv places to get anyone so that tells me that they never really looked. I told them they could come look at it  or they can get the rv place to come over but as far as I know they haven't even contacted the rv place. It is setting in my yard and I have not refused any one looking at it. All they have to do is send someone over.
I'm sure age/normal wear and tear caused the leak like most. Where the leak is coming from is still intact none of the covers have been removed at all so I didn't poke a hole in it if that is what they are getting at. Yes I wanted to die from ammonia in my sleep. Pretty stupid. The fridge was still working perfectly when it was removed. It still had frozen ice in the freezer and the bottom was still working great. It never quit working and may still even work. I don't know. I know it is still leaking ammonia and still has the whole surrounding area so strong with ammonia you can't stand it.
That is why I was certain it was my ac because I told everyone that told me it was my fridge that my fridge was still working so it had to be my ac because they said my fridge would not be working if it was leaking but it was.  But my ac was working too. It took me a day or two to actually figure out that it really was the fridge. A friend that came over to check my ac and actually got on the roof and took my ac apart and cleaned it and checked for leaks came in the camper and I opened the fridge. I said see there is no smell inside the fridge and it is still working. They checked it out and told me to stick my nose up to where the control panel was. When I did it nearly knocked me out. There was no doubt then it was indeed the fridge. My camper still smells like ammonia. No amount of airing it out has helped it. It doesn't make you dizzy and nauseated to step in it but the ammonia smell is still there. I'm not sure it will ever go away.
And I love my camper. It is one of the prettiest campers I have ever seen. All the cabinets are white which is hard to find any where else and the fridge looked just like my cabinets. I am a very picky person and I take care of my stuff. When I bought the camper in 2014 it had only been used 3 months. The man that bought it new never even removed the plastic cover from the couch. It still smelled brand new. He bought it but got sick and was never able to use it. So it was a 2005 but brand new and almost unused. It was a rare find. I have a 1999 Mazda Millenia that looks just like it did when I bought it off the show room floor. The leather interior the carpet and the paint still looks brand new. Everyone thinks it's a brand new car. They  think I am lying when I tell them it is over 17 years old. I won't even allow my friends in my camper or my car because they smoke. I quit smoking over 10 years ago after 34 years but I never smoked in my home, my car or any thing else I own but my friends still smoke. They are allowed to visit but they cannot come inside. So I would never sabotage any thing I own. I only buy the best when I buy and it stays the best. I have a 2001 Rubicon Foreman 500 4 wheeler and had a friend come over to change the oil and stuff and he said this 4 wheeler is brand new. I said no it's 16 years old. He said I've seen them 6 months old that didn't still look this good. It is still in perfect condition. No tears in the seat no fading of the paint ... did have to buy new tires but those will dry rot no matter how well you take care of things. Tires are just going to rot even if they never touch the ground.

Learned something today.
Thanks

Just a quick question here, as my 6 year old Dometic unit just developed a leak as well. Luckily, I have extended warranty, and the dealer will be replacing the cooling unit with a NEW one, direct from Dometic (or so they tell me, anyway).

My question is this....

Normally, I fire the fridge up in the spring, and leave it running all summer, until I winterize my unit in the fall. Would I be better off only running the fridge when we actually need it, and leaving the condiments, frozen items, etc. in my spare fridge? Like, do these units have an x number of hour lifespan? Lets just use the number 1000 hours for arguments sake. If I only run the fridge when we're actually using the unit, my 1000 hours will last 12 years, vs. 1000 hours only lasting 6 years due to the fridge running 24/7 for 4 - 5 months, as we operate now.

I don't think there's a known answer to that question.  There may be a measurable lifespan, but with so many components involved it's hard to say exactly what that might be.  Climate exposure and hot-cold cycles year after year may be just as big of a factor as # of hours the unit is run.

Many of us keep our fridges plugged in / cooled constantly, even when not in use.  I generally only unplug mine during winterized months, if it needs to be defrosted, or if I know we won't be using it for more than a month or so.

Hi
Did the ammonia leak into your camper like it did mine. Dometic has denied the fact the ammonia can come into the camper. The fridge has two huge holes around the tabs where you screw it to the cabinet and also you can see daylight from outside showing under the bottom of the fridge. I sent them pictures and I plan to get a fog machine and put in the back access and film it coming in the camper. I plan to send that video to the attorney general in order to hopefully get a world wide recall on this problem. I am not the only one that could have died from this leak. A family on here also could have died had their dog not awakened them and got them out of the camper. It has been over two months and you can still smell ammonia in the camper. I had the fridge removed immediately and for a month and a half you could not get within 20 feet of it and that was in the open air. I just had it put back in the camper so I could prove to the company that there is a defect in the manufacture of their fridge and the ammonia can come int the camper and kill you. They said the fact the cabinet was sealed would prevent the ammonia from coming in. The cabinet is sealed in the corners from top to bottom and all around the top and bottom of the cabinet. But that is not where it comes in. It comes in from below the bottom of the fridge and through the mounting holes at the top of the fridge behind the panel that has the on off buttons and such. I am warning every one if you have a dometic fridge in your camper pull the bottom metal plate and the control panel up top and you will clearly see where outside air can and will enter the camper. I had my ac on which circulates the inside air. It sucked the ammonia right in the camper while I was sleeping. My fingernails, hair and throat are still suffering from the effects of the 99.98% pure ammonia. Household ammonia is 10% and breathing it can cause problems so imagine what this will do to you if this happens to you like it did me the other family and God only knows how many other people. Please help by contacting the attorney general in Indiana and make a complaint when you find these open places where the ammonia can come in because if it develops a leak count your blessings if you live through it.

No. The only time the inside of my RV smelled of ammonia is when I opened the fridge or freezer. And when I did do this, once closed, with my Fantastic Fan running, the smell was gone within less than an hour. Mine may also be a different model than yours.

Except for Defrost cycles my Dometic has been on constantly for about a decade now. 

Recently had an ammonia leak in my Dometic fridge. Has anyone else dealt with this recently? I've read some old threads on here where people have been burned pretty badly. I bought the trailer in 2017 and it was the 4th time ever using the fridge. We had a baby last year so haven't been using it much. We finally went on a family camping trip last weekend and discovered it. I was smelling something strange and not feeling well, I opened the freezer to get something and burnt the inside of my nostrils from the burst of ammonia that came out. I was able to rush my 10 month out of the trailer and air everything out, but I'm so happy it was during the day and also discovered before her nap. After we returned home we plugged the trailer in and the leak seemed to be gone but once we turned the gas back on the leak returned with a vengeance. Does anyone know why that would happen? AND I should mention this happened 24hrs after we got it back from a service at the dealership we bought it from. They would take no blame for it. So strange. The warranty was expired and we had to replace the fridge with the same model (no other fridges in stock). I'm pretty worried and annoyed to keep using the make. Anyone have suggestions for an ammonia free fridge? We have a Springdale trailer. I really hope this does not happen to anyone else!!

If you have an ammonia leak the cooling unit i toast.. You have two choices

ONE: replace the cooling unit (that's the "Guts" of the fridge) You use the same case and so on so it's the same fridge. just the works get replaced.  Many like to go with the Amish Built Cooling units.

Two. Replace the entire fridge with a new one or a residential one and an inverter and more batteries.

I prefer option one myself but that is MY choice feel free to go the other way.

A leak can occur in any ammonia (absorption) type fridge if physically damaged or if run off-level for a long period. Mostly the leak is outside, but once in awhile it occurs in the interior evaporator fins and the ammonia gets inside. Unusual for a corrosion leak to occur in a 2-year-old fridge, and even rarer for that to happen in the freezer area.  Makes me wonder if there wasn't some physical damage, like maybe somebody using a tool to remove ice/frost from the freezer.

An ARP Fridge Defend device is a highly recommended addition to any ammonia fridge. It monitors the boiler operation and shuts the fridge down if anything starts to go wrong.    https://www.arprv.com/

You didn't state any evidence that the RV dealer did something to cause it, so I'm not surprised they deny responsibility. Why do you think it was their fault? Did they work on the fridge?

There was no need to replace the entire fridge - a new cooling unit is a bolt-in repair.  RV dealers prefer to sell replacements, though. Easier for them and more profitable as well.  You probably paid 1.5x or 2x what it might have cost.

JC Refrigeration makes an all-electric conversion for some RV fridge models, so you might contact them to see if they have one for your Dometic model. You have to call them to ask.  https://jc-refrigeration.com/products/

The alternative is a residential-type compressor-driven fridge, just like at home. The possible drawback is that it only runs on 120v shore or genset power. Fine if you always camp with electric hook-ups or if you have an inverter and adequate batteries. Many Rvers use them these days. For small RVs, a dorm or apartment size fridge is entirely adequate and inexpensive. Requires re-working the cabinetry to fit, though.  Much has been written here on residential fridge use in an RV, so I suggest using SEARCH to find it if you want to learn more.

If/When I have an ammonia fridge failure I think I'll replace with a 12V dan-foss compressor style fridge.  Better energy use than the full home units, better cooling and no ammonia over the absorption types.  Might have to up my solar game a bit

Thank you so much for all your input!! I'll definitely be looking into all of these options. Much appreciated.