Dometic frig smells

[Lnjfarmsranch]

I have a dometic Americana frig in our 2002 camper...the frig and freezer work fantastic..it had been plugged in to electricity since july 4th and last time i opened it was around the 10th...it didnt smell then...but today i opened it and it smells like ammonia...now i know that the smell of ammonia means there is some sort of leak... But I have open the back panel and it looked all over and there is no sign of any leak whatsoever... Any other ideas of what would cause this smell?

 

[mel s]

I have a dometic Americana frig in our 2002 camper...the frig and freezer work fantastic..it had been plugged in to electricity since july 4th and last time i opened it was around the 10th...it didnt smell then...but today i opened it and it smells like ammonia...now i know that the smell of ammonia means there is some sort of leak... But I have open the back panel and it looked all over and there is no sign of any leak whatsoever... Any other ideas of what would cause this smell?

Lnjfarmsranch
A lot of different foodstuff can go bad in a working fridge in 11 days.

 

[scottydl]

Ammonia smell in an RV absorption fridge almost always means coils are leaking somewhere. Yellow powder residue somewhere inside the service panel is what to look for to confirm this. Oftentimes, the only remedy is to replace the cooling unit or the entire fridge. Sorry to be the bearer of that bad news!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You can't see a gas leak. Once in awhile you will see residue from the anti-corrosion agent mixed in with it, but the ammonia and hydrogen come off as a gas, not liquid ammonia.

 

[grashley]

If you see no yellow residue and the fridge continues to cool properly, it is not a leak.  More likely, some food spoiled and the odor was a result.  If the fridge is not cooling properly, then Scott is correct.

 

[delavan]

Ammonia is pretty nasty stuff. I would err on the side of caution and have the system checked.