I noticed last night that my gas refrigerator wasn't cooling even though it had a good flame. In the daylight I just looked at it and there's yellow sulphurous looking powder all around the burner which looks to me like it rusted out and lost its charge... sooo... amazingly I'm in Blacksburg VA driving toward Lancaster PA. I've read on this forum that the Amish cooler upgrade is an upgrade in the true sense, that it's actually better than the original Dometic cooler. I presume I can find contact information on the internet somewhere and get this upgrade done by the manufacturer (?) If not maybe they'll suggest a local dealer who is good at installing these coolers. Any experience or helpful information would be appreciated. My refrigerator did NOT catch fire, so please don't turn this thread into that, nor am I ever gonna consider an electric residential refrigerator, so let's not discuss that either. I'm gonna put my frozen food into the ice machine and buy a bag of ice to put into my ice chest for my refrigerated food.
This place has some really strong words to say about how bad his competitor's RV refrigerators are, including the Amish Cooler... Anybody know about this place. He gives a lot of information, which is unusual in today's world.
Learn why so many cooling units fail today and what we are doing about it (http://www.rvrefrigerator.net/Why-cooling-units-fail.htm)
Scott what model does yours have?
I don't know of any fires caused by Amish cooling units. I have one now that they put in,
and I have put two of them in other coaches myself.
Scott,
Happily you and your coach did not burn up.
I bought a new cooling unit for my 1989 Refrigerator when the original failed, tore apart the refrigerator and decided due to age and condition of rest of unit to just buy a new refrigerator form CW and put it in myself. About $600 more than cooling unit and shipping at the time (10 years ago). So consider a new propane unit as an option. That frees you up to go to your next campground, have ppl or CW ship to the campground and you put it in. Then you have a nationwide manufacturer's warranty for however long they grant with a new purchase.
If possible, buy the unit and have the person who produced the unit put it into the refrigerator for you. Then stay local for a few days if possible to confirm that the refrigerator is cooling correctly with no issues.
Good luck on your journey! keep us informed. I remember when you were struggling with the coach's radiator, glad that is so far behind you now and you like the coach so much.
Thankful that you are safe.
I helped my brother install an Amish unit on his Norcold 3 weeks ago. We then did a 10 day trip to the Sierra's and he is very happy with his. He did a lot of research about the one in your link and the Amish unit. The customer support with the Amish unit sold him. The Amish unit is way better constructed and much heavier.
We had an Amish cooling unit replaced at their factory in Shipshewana Indiana http://rvcoolingunit.com/Default.aspx in May of 2013 and it has performed perfectly since then. I would recommend getting one from them and having them install it.
I have the Dometic RM2820 in my coach. The previous owner told me it's not the original refrigerator but I don't know how old it is. This refrigerator is two way but apparently the original was three way. I called RV Service of Virginia but they haven't returned my call yet. I'm just gonna stay here until I figure out which direction to drive towards. I'm satisfied with the refrigerator and I'd consider having a new cooling unit put in it... or replacing the whole refrigerator... My ice machine is working well as a freezer and I've got my ice chest with me for use as a refrigerator so it's not a big emergency or anything.
My 91 has a RM4804 The litrature says it is a 3 way but it is just a 2 way 120v and LP. It cools great on 120v but not so good on LPI cleaned the flue, cleaned the nozzle, set gas pressure etc Flame looks good,I wonder if maybe my gas solenoid valve on refrigerator might need to be taken off and cleaned. I have looked at this as a replacement when the time comes.
Dometic New Generation RM3962 2-Way Refrigerator, Double Door, 9.0 Cu. Ft. -... (http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dometic-new-generation-rm3962-2-way-refrigerator-double-door-9-0-cu-ft-/34425)
I believe they, Amish, have now started offering a helium replacement as well.
I called the gentleman in Memphis and also the one in Indiana. They both told me that nobody keeps the Amish Cooler kits in stock. All the RV places order them as needed. I can get one installed at the factory in Indiana on Tuesday at the soonest... or I can drive back to Memphis to have one installed now... I haven't been able to reach the place here in Virginia yet. I guess if they have a new refrigerator in stock and can install it quickly and the price isn't too out of line I may go that route.
I guess the price of a new refrigerator is twice as much as having an Amish cooler installed, so I'll probably go that route. I will live out of an ice chest for a few days in the meantime. :(
http://rvcoolingunit.com/RM2820-Dometic-Cooling-Unit-P10649.aspx
Dometic RM2820 Brand New Manufactured Cooling Units (http://www.arcticoldstore.com/dometic-rm2820-brand-new-manufactured-cooling-units/)
http://www.jc-refrigeration.com/brochure/JC-Refrigeration-A-New-Choice-Brochure.pdf
Hey thanks for that Stump. I wasn't aware of the Arcticold. Does anyone on this forum have experience with the Arcticold? Any helpful information would be greatly appreciated. I'll call them tomorrow, since I'm going to Maine and they have a warehouse there.
I believe Hans & Marijet had an Amish unit installed from JC Refridgeration a few years ago. They are very happy with it. That is the route I will go when my original unit dies.
I'm interested to hear what you find out about going the DIY route...sounds like you are considering buying the unit and installing it yourself?
The first one we did went smoothly until I sprayed the Great Stuff on the sides of the cavity before setting the cooling unit in place.
Once set and taped I realized that the drain tube wasn't exiting properly so we removed
the tape and the unit. It was then that we discovered that there wasn't enough foam
shot in, leaving voids. The foam they give you has a low expansion rate (like 10%) and the directions stress using very little. When we reassembled it I used a lot more foam by eyeballing and remembering what the first
'go-round' looked like.
The Amish units are good units, without
the Dometic recall "quick-fix" fire prevention
thermostat as proof.
Just trying to get a handle on cost ,
New cooling unit $650 plus delivery
New fridge $1500 plus delivery
Both are self remove / reinstall ??
It's probably more than $1500 which is a major reason to repair the refrigerator... plus one of those cooling units has a lifetime warranty! :)
We live near Dayton, Ohio and found it convenient to drive to Shipshewana, Indiana to have the unit installed at the factory. Their installation charge was only about $100 more than the shipping charge would have been. We parked overnight at their factory and then spent an enjoyable day shopping in town while they did the installation. We had the unit installed on Friday, and made the trip a very pleasant "weekend getaway." Yoder's hardware and department stores are excellent places to spend time (and money). There's also a variety of excellent places to eat in the general area. Even if one doesn't need a new cooling unit, that part of Indiana is a very interesting place to visit.
I think I would have to go with the Arcticcold if it was me. Lifetime Warranty,Labor Warranty. Price is in line with the others.
Dometic RM2820 Brand New Manufactured Cooling Units (http://www.arcticoldstore.com/dometic-rm2820-brand-new-manufactured-cooling-units/)
Every time we leave home I cross fingers hoping the fridge will keep going
I bought a new cooling unit from RVCOOLINGUNIT (Amish)for my Dometic RM7832 and installed it myself, it failed after 5 weeks. RVCOOLINGUNIT send a replacement unit at no charge, but it failed after only 5 days. After many phone calls, RVCOOLINGUNIT
was unable to provide advice to me that resulted in a working cooling unit. Here is the email that I sent to RVCOOLINGUNIT:
Fridge is working due to advice from a Canadian propane fridge expert, Steve at Hillside Propane in Enderby, BC, Canada. I phoned Steve because your advice was not resulting in a working cooling unit.
I relayed to Steve the boiler, tank, and coil temperatures experienced and his immediate question was "Is the horizontal freezer U pipe level?" I said "no" because I had noticed that it was not perpendicular to the back of the fridge and bent it up as far as it would stay but it was still 1.25 inches low on the right and .75 inches low on the left. Steve said "the cooling unit will not work if the horizontal freezer U pipe is not level". I used a 6 foot 2x2 and a crow bar to get enough force to level the horizontal freezer tube and attached aluminum angle iron to the side wall of the freezer to keep it level. I then cycled the cooling unit on and off twice before it started working. The fridge has now been working correctly since March 23rd. (AND IS STILL WORKING AFTER 2.5 YEARS).
The horizontal freezer tubes in both of the RVcoolingUNIT cooling units I received were not perpendicular to the back. The second one was farther off level than the first one, and I believe, that is why the first one lasted 5 weeks while second one lasted 5 days. In addition to this, there is no warning in your instructions to assure that the horizontal freezer tubes are level.
You RVcoolingUNIT folks were so wrong about "propane is not hot enough" and that was my intuition. I asked you "why did fridge work for 5 weeks and 5 days on propane? You could not answer that question, but your advice kept focussing on "propane not hot enouigh". Steve just asked me, "Can you hear the propane flame from outside the coach and did you make sure that the chimney diffuser was in place?" He told me that he did not believe that this cooling unit was not working because propane was not hot enough.
Your inability to determine the real problem with your cooling unit cost me at least 100 aggravating hours over a period of a month.
I am certain that the chemicals inside your cooling unit have been damaged by excess heat which will shorten the life of this cooling unit. You offer a ten year warrantee on this cooling unit for $250. Under the circumstances, I am asking you to provide the ten year warrantee to me at no charge. I fully expect that if this cooling unit had not been damaged by excess heat that it would have had a service life of 15 years. Now, I have no way of predicting what the service life will be.
I NEVER RECEIVED A REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.
If you will replace your cooling unit yourself, note that it is critical that the cooling unit is completely sealed against the rest of the refrigerator and that the door seal is not leaking. Absorption cooling units DO NOT have as much cooling ability as a residential compressor type refrigerator, such that even a very small hole from outside to inside the refer will cause inside temperature to be too high. The silver lined manila board on the cooling unit was 2 inches wider then the foam insulation, so I cut it off at the foam. I added another tube to the spray foam tube so it would reach farther toward the refer interior.
Installing a cooling unit successfully is not as easy as the instructions provided indicate.
I've not liked to take the time (and spelling effort) to send "hate mail", but in business and pleasure, if I feel wronged, someone's going to hear about it! I guess what gauls me, Is I end up knowing more about something than I ever wanted to learn! Well done, Wyatt. ^.^d
That's one of the reasons why I would highly recommend having the replacement unit installed at the factory. The difference in cost is very low (consider the cost of driving there just the cost of taking another enjoyable trip) and the factory personnel can be held responsible for the proper installation and performance.
Maybe the Artic Cold place has better customer service,both places claim their's are the best,I guess the Amish can build and
fix things that use electric but can't use them,I'll check with Vanilla Ice when I see him.
Actually, the Amish at JC Refrigeration use electricity in their business--they just aren't on the grid. They use a diesel generator to provide the electricity they need for their manufacturing and office operations. They also use electricity from generators to recharge their business cell phones. In fact, while we were in that area we saw a young Amish couple using a small Honda generator to power the electric tools they were using to repair their horse-drawn buggy.
I called Arcticold several times today and there was no answer. The recording said to leave a message but it never let me do that so I accomplished nothing. I'll try again Monday and maybe send an email just in case they're Amish too and don't use telephones? :)
Also, don't worry about your refrigerator quitting. Your ice machine is big enough to hold all the frozen food in your freezer. You can purchase an inexpensive ice chest locally for your fresh food. I've been carrying a 30 year old ice chest with me and actually used it several times for various reasons over the past few years. I've only lost a few food items, mostly due to not paying attention. It's not a disaster or anything. I stop once or twice a day to buy a bag of ice, and I have to run my genset a few hours after I stop driving to charge the coach battery. This basically gives me an excuse to run the ice machine that I never run, the inverter that I never run, and the genset that I usually avoid running except when absolutely necessary. I'm still getting 9-10 miles per gallon even with all the generator hours after I stop for the night.
Maybe I was wrong. Customer Service is everything! If they are not answering phones,Thats NOT Good.sorry
How can a company not answer the phone?
This drives me crazy
I left Virginia and drove all the way to Maine before the RV service place down there called me back... pretty normal these days.
Hmm
Googled Articold. Lots of complaints popped up.
Here is the better business bureau report - 14 complaints - 11 related to product.
Consumer complaints for Arcticold Refrigeration - The Atlantic Provinces BBB (http://www.bbb.org/atlantic-provinces/business-reviews/refrigeration-equipment-commercial-sales-and-service/arcticold-refrigeration-in-renauds-mills-nb-24116/complaints)
No horse in this race,
With the age of the electronics and refrigerator, I would buy a newer propane one if I wanted to stick with propane.
Scott
How is it going ? Any progress?
No, they won't open up again until tomorrow morning. I'll attempt to contact them then. Meanwhile the ice machine / ice chest solution to the problem is working pretty well.
I just got a phone call from the owner of Arcticold and he told me he'll be at their Calais Maine warehouse on Wednesday or Thursday this week and he will help me install the cooler if I drive my coach out to his warehouse. He lives in Canada and drives between their various warehouses. He told me it's an easy installation that should take two hours. He said they really do have a lifetime warranty. This is probably the route I will take to get my cooler replaced. I'll probably stay in Maine a few more days afterward running the refrigerator on gas and electric about equal time to be sure it's working properly both ways before I leave.
The owner's cell phone number is: (506) 961-6387
The new cooling unit seems to be working properly. It's been in about 24 hours as I type this and I've run it on both gas and electric. To be perfectly honest, I think I'd tell people to go to the Amish Cooler place in IN just because this was such a strange deal. The guy would only accept cash, which of course means I have no recourse except to get an attorney if the unit fails and he refuses to give me a refund... That hasn't happened but still... My grand total came out to $720, which is $80 less than if I had gone to IN. I was already in ME so all I had to do was drive out to Calais ME for the install. I have a lifetime guaranty, but experience has shown that guarantees guaranty nothing. That's not to say the place in IN would be any better. Basically this just means I've bought a lot of stuff over the years that didn't work and I had a terrible fight to get a refund, but I always prevailed eventually. Pay with a debit / credit card and you can do a charge back if the unit doesn't work. Be aware that the refrigerator just barely fits through the door on the older coaches like mine. The newer coaches have a wider door I'm told. Also be aware that there will probably be some damage to your coach, so make whatever emotional adjustments you need in advance. My coach probably took more damage from this job than from any other repair I've done since I owned it. It's all minor cosmetic stuff but there's a lot of it. I didn't take any photos because I was busy most of the time cleaning the mess and fixing the damage done. Be aware also that the cooling unit may not be an exact fit for the refrigerator, mainly because the thicker tubing on the new cooler can't be bent in such tight turns as the original tubing, so the cooler is slightly thicker overall. My refrigerator sticks out from the cabinet as a result, way less than an inch, but enough to bother some people I'm pretty sure. I learned a lot just from helping remove and reinstall the refrigerator. The part of the refrigerator that needs to be level is the shelf in the freezer. I'm told the rest of the refrigerator will work as long as it's reasonably level. This would explain what was written above about needing to straighten the freezer shelf to get the cooler to function. It takes about 45 minutes for the ammonia to boil and it's about a 45 minute cycle for it to flow through the tubes. These gas refrigerators hardly ever catch fire according to what both cooler manufacturers told me. There's one particular model that did catch fire sometimes, but it's not a Dometic model and it's definitely not the RM2820 that I have. My refrigerator blew out at the burner while the gas flame was lit and still didn't catch fire. I was told it's very unusual for an RM2820 to blow out near the burner. I was told the new helium refrigerators don't work any better than the current ammonia refrigerators. It was just a response to the bad publicity from the fires. I was told the older refrigerators are much more ruggedly built than today's units. Even my RM2820 is supposedly much more durable than today's models. Like everything else built today, the manufacturers tried to save money on costs by using thinner metal. If you have a 30 year old refrigerator it probably already has thicker tubing in the cooler, like the aftermarket cooler I just got installed. I was told there's no other difference really. The rest of the cooler and the refrigerant inside isn't really any better than what the manufacturers used, despite claims made to the contrary. I had a lot of wasp nests around my refrigerator so I think I'll put some screen inside the louvered door. the chimney already has screen inside it. The owner of Arcticold was real nice until the end when I offered to buy him lunch and we'd come back in an hour at which point I'd pay him cash if the cooler was obviously working. He insulted me several times but I didn't lose my temper or say anything I'm ashamed of, surprisingly. I did pay him cash after the unit had been on an hour and I could tell it was working properly. If not for the insults I would have written their first good review to counteract all the bad stuff on their BBB page. I didn't tell him I read all those complaints. This is a job that requires two people, and even at that you're probably gonna have some damage. If the unit doesn't work you're likely to have a battle on your hands trying to get a refund. I really can't believe I did this but maybe I got away with it? ...this time... The owner of Arcticold called me this morning to be sure the unit was still working, which was nice. These are things to think about. If you replace the refrigerator you still need to remove the old one and install the new one, which means you'll probably get the damage anyway. If either / both refrigerators won't fit through the door you'll have to take a window out. I'm not even gonna speculate what would happen in that case... I'm sure I'm forgetting something but maybe someone will remind me by asking questions?
When I helped my brother put the Amish unit in his we took off the doors and laid it face down on the floor and changed out the refrigeration unit re-installed. Was not a real hard job just tedious. He has never been happier with a gas refrigerator than he is now.
I suggested we should replace the cooler without taking the refrigerator out of the coach but he said it's a lot easier to take it outside. I think the Amish Cooler place puts a drop cloth on the floor and does the replacement inside the coach. At this point I'm just glad it's working again. I really can't believe I did that. If anything goes wrong I can't say I didn't know better. I am not suggesting anyone else should take the route I did, quite the contrary. I suggest you go to the Amish Cooler place, unless someone else knows of a reason not to? ...please feel free to comment if you have personal experience to share
From your description I guess it wasn't much easier on your coach.
Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit) (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=27002.msg219520#msg219520)
Home Depot will sell you a sample jar of custom mixed paint in any color for $3.79 or close to that.
The samples used to come in flat only, but now are available in flat, eggshell, satin and gloss. Basically you now can get touch up paint for almost everything for cheap. It's what I used to touch up the scratches on the reefer trim.
Most of the damage was to the carpet, which I was planning to replace anyway. I asked about it when I was at Foretravel the other day and they told me they don't install carpet on the new coaches, only vinyl or linoleum that looks like wood. I think I'm gonna stick with carpet everywhere except the bathroom, but it'll be dark brown to hide the mud that inevitably gets tracked in when you live in national parks. I like the insulation ability of carpet and I like my coach having all this stuff the new million dollar coaches don't have. :)
Try Infinity in NAC
They did my carpets
Scott, we have updated all interior fabrics from front to rear, and continue to prefer carpet for the floors.
Scott,
You don't need a coach builder to install carpet. I get all of my carpet and padding (for home and coach) in Dalton, Georgia for cheap. For you Dalton is about 160 miles from Nashville and worth the trip. After I put the new floor in the bedroom of the FT I had a local carpet installer put both pad and carpet in for $75.00. I have the PO's bill here from Tennessee RV for installation only of carpet and padding in the bedroom for $360.00.
We replaced the carpet in our coach locally (BR, and from the entrance door up through and including the cockpit). The guy did a great job and charged us $360.00 for labor.
Foretravel was mainly looking at the driver's seat, which is leather and starting to fall apart, and the couch, which is fabric and also starting to fall apart. I mentioned the carpet too. I was told by another customer that my quote was gonna be for $10,000 and we laughed, cuz I thought he was kidding... until they gave me the quote! hahaha ...I told them I hate the leather seats because it's hot and sweaty even with the dash air conditioning blowing right on me. The dye in the leather sweats through and has ruined several of my shirts that I foolishly wore while driving. I need to remember to put on an old shirt when I drive. I wanted the seats reupholstered in fabric but Foretravel said to use the fake vinyl "leather" they're installing in the new coaches because it's cheaper, more comfortable, and the dye doesn't sweat through your clothes. I haven't really decided what to do yet. It's not a top priority. I just happened to be there to get my windshields replaced but they couldn't do it so I figured I'd ask them about other stuff so the trip wouldn't be a total waste.
The Arcticold guy suggested that my refrigerator may have been slowly leaking ammonia for a long period of time before it suddenly blew its remaining charge. At first I dismissed that idea as unlikely. After running this new cooler for several days I remembered that previously my refrigerator wasn't as cold as usual and had frost developing on the evaporator even though it was in Aridzona. The new cooler is working much better and it apparently shuts off frequently enough to melt the frost from the evaporator even here in much more humid Maine... Something to think about if you notice a difference like this on your refrigerator.
The fake vinyl leather is known as Ultraleather and available through most upholstery shops.
ultraleather home page (http://www.gulffabrics.com/ultralht.htm)
Ten Grand seems like a lot of coach bucks for getting some carpet installed, and the couch and one seat getting re-upholstered, at least here in East Tennessee it is.