HELP! Fridge Died

DearMissMermaid said:

Working behind fridge I took a deep breath and my nose curled up from the ammonia smell. 

I guess that makes mine DOA.  :-[

I am confused as to why the 12 volt died too?

The light is probably coincidental. I think dirt was blocking the light switch cause I could wiggle it and ight would come back on.

Fridge has been steady at below 40F... until now. 

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Darn, it sounds like it's time for a new cooling unit or a new fridge.  The recall safety switch killed all of the 12 volt power to shut down the fridge and prevent a fire when the boiler overheated after the refrigerant leaked out.  The 12 door light problem is just coincidental.

Since you're sitting in one spot, I'd toss that fridge and replace it with an apartment size 120 volt refrigerator. You can get these for much less than a replacement cooling unit or a new RV fridge, and they use much less electricity than running an RV fridge in electric mode.  And unlike an RV refrigerator, their freezer will stay cold enough to let you have hard ice cream even in the hottest weather.

There are several models available at Home Depot, etc. that are about 10 cu. ft. in size and are reasonably close to your existing refrigerator's dimensions so they'll fit in the same place with a little cabinet modification.

Look for one with the cooling fins on the back, in the same place as your old fridge.  Some have the cooling fins in the side walls, they'll specify a necessary side clearance which you won't have.

Well, I am going to learn to live without a fridge until Santa comes. 

Looks like there is only one fridge on the market that will fit. 

I am going to remove the old one first so I can double check the measurements and see if there is any wiggle room.  :

If I could have a few more inches in height I could get the fridge I really want. :-*

But looks like capping the propane is priority before ripping out old fridge.  :'(

This might take longer than I thought. 

See if you can unscrew the old inlet fitting on the refrigerator, then you can take it to a hardware store and get a brass cap to fit the pipe thread end.  Be sure to use the yellow gas rated teflon tape to seal the threads on the cap.  Or take a picture and see if the store has a matching compression fitting and pipe cap.

What do you have underneath or above your present fridge?  In my Arctic Fox trailer it was just storage space underneath the fridge so I just removed it and let the new fridge sit on the main floor.

Later when I got my Intruder motorhome, it's fridge died so I replaced it with another residential fridge.  In this case the furnace was located underneath the fridge so I had to remove the storage space above the fridge to gain the necessary height.

Cynthia - The refer in my last class A died and I replaced it with two small apartment refers. They cost less than $500 for the two of them and they had just as much space. My electricity bill dropped considerably.

I am so looking forward to a lower electric bill. I am super frugal yet I still had power bills of $90-120 and I figure it must be the absorption fridge. It has worked flawlessly with 38F in the fridge and -0- in the freezer.

The fridge that will probably fit without hassle is

21.5 x 21.4 x 56.3 inches
Danby DPF073C1BDB 7.3 cu. ft. Two Door Refrigerator, Black
https://www.amazon.com/Danby-DPF073C1BDB-Door-Refrigerator-Black/dp/B079M2354P/

The one I seriously want is about 3 inches taller with a bottom mount freezer and 9.2 cubic feet:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O2N4ONA/

To confuse matters I want black or stainless. I believe a white one will just look too goofy for my tastes given the existing decor. 

Currently my propane furnace is beneath the fridge. I can't move that because I use it for quick heating, then I turn it off and use the fireplace to maintain heat. I am happy with that scene so it can't be changed.

The cabinet above houses the 12 volt wiring. Once the old fridge is out of the way, I want to see if that wiring has 3 inches of wiggle room to move it up higher, take out the shelf and put in the bottom freezer/fridge that is 9.2 cubic feet but I believe it needs almost 3 more inches in height.  I could remove the cabinet door.

I think it's best to get the old fridge out and then decide what will work.

I think you could easily shorten the cabinet above to provide the extra height you need. Check below first as it might be easier. Look at the back of the fridge and see if there isn't a gas valve that is easily removed with the gas line. Do check the depth of the cabinet before buying. The fridges you are looking at may well be cabinet depth (28-inches) and a lot of rv fridges are around 24 inches. Usually residential will have the door extending into the aisle so the measurement you are concerned with is the depth of the body plus any required clearance.
Don't forget clearances.

Good Luck,

Ernie

I would also try to find a fridge with the coils on the back. That way you can insulate the top, sides and bottom with insulation which will keep bugs out, cool in when the AC is running and it will keep heat out. If the coil is on the bottom, you have to leave the entire bottom open for air circulation. Then you'd have to seal the outside access doors somehow. Just something to think about.

Ours is a Kenmore  Model 106.76399412.  24 1/2" wide X 5' tall. Not sure of the depth. I believe there is another brand identical to mine.

https://www.sears.com/kenmore-10.7-cu-ft-top-freezer-refrigerator-w/p-04676399000P?unitNo=

Depth won't matter on fridge since I have a rectangle kitchen.

It can stick out.

In case you missed that I added to my post, this is the one we have and love it. Check the link for actual dimensions:

https://www.sears.com/kenmore-10.7-cu-ft-top-freezer-refrigerator-w/p-04676399000P?unitNo=

Shortening the cabinet above existing fridge means moving the 12 volt wiring upwards 3 inches.

If they left any wiggle room, then that would be awesome.

I could have the bottom freezer fridge I want that is larger.

Kenmore isn't making that Model 106.76399412 anymore.

Good news is I might have a borrowed fridge for a week or so. The campground here is having a massive yard sale to raise money for their recreation activities. Someone donated a fridge. I asked the committee chair person if I could buy it now to use a few weeks until I finally get something sorted out for a permanent fridge. I can then donate it back to the park.

She said yes and 3 awesome volunteers moved it pronto to my lot and parked it outside my shed next to an outlet. But then another lady came racing over and told me this was all WRONG and that there would be trouble because NOTHING was supposed to be sold before the yard sale. She wasted a good half hour of my time pitching a fit insisting I move it back again. So I did not put my food in it. This park I live in is for singles and they brag about helping each other out.

This is help?

So I was ordered by the other lady to move the fridge back to the storage area. Well, the volunteers scattered because they didn't agree with this round trip moving. It wasn't easy moving it here and I don't blame them. I was embarrassed and humiliated. Living in this park has not been easy. They see me as a different outsider that doesn't blend in. Oh well!

So meanwhile a flurry of meetings and hassles and today another lady turns up at my site and says I can use the yard sale fridge and return it when I am done whether it's a week or a month or whatever. It's filthy so I have my hands full cleaning it up for use anyhow. And I still have to pay rent on it by buying it and then donating it back. I said well I would just as soon return it and be done with the hassles. I don't like being chronically on their poop list.

Word spreads far and wide and a lady who doesn't even live in the park had a small dorm fridge sitting unused on her porch, so she sent it over when she heard from her brother who lives here about the ridiculousness I went through when he helped move the other fridge over here and then I was told I couldn't use it and needed to return it.

So now I have this tiny dorm fridge in my RV and that is awesome!

Not sure if I am going to clean up the yard sale fridge and use it, or just send it back and be done with the foolishness. This park can come up with some weird hassles that I don't understand.

Rene T said:

In case you missed that I added to my post, this is the one we have and love it. Check the link for actual dimensions:

https://www.sears.com/kenmore-10.7-cu-ft-top-freezer-refrigerator-w/p-04676399000P?unitNo=

Click to expand...

I checked that out, it's too tall for existing space. Still hoping I can move the 12 volt wiring to make room for taller fridge.  ;D

When my refer died I replaced it with two refers:

https://www.amazon.com/Haier-HNSE045-Refrigerator-Freezer-Cubic/dp/B004VFGNQU

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Haier-1-7-cu-ft-Freestanding-Mini-Fridge-Freezer-Compartment-White-ENERGY-STAR/1000162803?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA_ONLY-_-Kitchens-_-SosBeverageCenter-_-1000162803:Haier&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000162803&CAGPSPN=pla&k_clickID=go_625866666_34615090750_111134851870_pla-289242143444_c_1015150&gclid=CjwKCAiAiarfBRASEiwAw1tYvz6xQpp4RC4ZrTKJaAJSf5do4RSumJDZOy7NihvUmQxgK-Uz6ICkQhoC7C4QAvD_BwE

The big one was 4.5 cubic feet and the small one was 1.7 for a total of 6.2 which made it a bit smaller than the 8 cf one it was replacing. However I did not use the freezer on the 8 cf model so it was wasted space. The two I replaced it with had very small freezers so the refer part was the same size. I used the small one for keeping sodas and water and the big one for food. This meant that I did not open the 8 cf one many times a day just a small one which I think helped keep the electricity bill down. All totaled I think I was saving about $20 a month on electricity. The old one had very bad seals so it was not efficient at all. I was actually glad when it died.

DearMissMermaid said:

Not sure if I am going to clean up the yard sale fridge and use it, or just send it back and be done with the foolishness. This park can come up with some weird hassles that I don't understand.

Click to expand...

Send it back and don't clean it. The snooty lady will be at fault and all the volunteers will know it.

I cooked a pile of food and fed some folks. Now everything fits in the dorm fridge.  8)

The snooty lady can have the yard sale fridge back. I asked her to send someone over to get it.