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Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

I have installed two Amish cooling units in the last few years.  When recently in need of another one I opted to go up to
Indiana and have them install it for me, as I no longer have anyone to help me with the task.

I sat in the driver's seat and watched them as they worked.  Two of them (the owner and his son) padded the entire front half of the coach and then got the box ready for removal.  At that point a third person was summoned and together they pulled the box out of
it's cabinet and laid it on the floor.  Then it was "screw-gun city" for the next few minutes, with removal of the old cooling unit followed by installation of the new one.  I had them put in two new cooling fans in case one goes out, and that way I won't have to pull the unit to replace a bad fan if we're on the road.  After the new cooling unit was installed the owner spent some time with his measuring tape measuring the depth of the cabinetry as well as the reefer depth, checking and re-checking a couple of times. 

Once they got the reefer back in it's spot I took a short walk and when I came back and entered the coach the first thing that caught my attention was a 1/2" gap between the plastic reefer trim and the cabinetry.  When I called it to the owner's attention he said that his cooling unit was a bit bigger than the OEM one, the fans didn't allow it to "seat" all the way and they usually just use caulk to fill the void.  With that I gently placed my hand on his shoulder and reminded him that I had driven 500 miles to get "quality Amish work" done,  the 1/2" gap was totally unacceptable and that he needed to figure something out.  His immediate response was "No problem, we'll replace those two fans with two that are a bit smaller."...................................which they did without completely removing the reefer from it's cabinetry.  And it looks fine now.

Today I spent about three hours at the back of the reefer, behind the outside vent/service cover straightening things out.  There were a few screws missing, and a couple of things kind of floating around, one black box electrical component was not reattached with double-sided tape, and a few wires needed to be zip-tied to keep them away from sharp metal edges.  I also noticed that the LP gas supply line had the beginnings of a crimp near the flare fitting and the vertical metal panel in front of the burner wasn't attached at the top. 

They also slightly bent and scratched the paint off the inside trim at the bottom left of the reefer.  All in all it was not what I expected, but not horrible.

If you go there for a retrofit cooling unit..............................keep an eye on them. 


 

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #1 –
Gotta ask,
What the heck is an "Amish cooling unit"?
My mom lives close to an Amish community and as far as I can figure an "Amish" cooling unit would either not run on electricity, or be horse drawn.
Please fill me in.
Len
Len and Deb Speiser
1999 U270 36'
2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
You're either on the bus, or you're off the bus!--Ken Kesey
If you're lucky enough to live in a bus, you're lucky enough!

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #2 –
Believe me the factory that produces them is drawing some AC amperage, with pneumatic machinery and mig welding
plus lighting, computer, Keurig coffee maker,  etc. 

amish cooling unit - Bing

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Traveling Man –
If you go there..............................keep an eye on them.
Sad to say, these days, that is true no matter where you go for service.  Even in the best shops, with the most diligent workers, you will encounter "problems".  The key (as you point out) is to watch as carefully as possible, immediately bring any concern to the attention of the worker and his supervisor, and let them do the best they can to rectify the situation.  Not every screw-up can be fixed - sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and live with it.  Or, as you did, try to "straighten it out" when you get to home base.
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Traveling Man –
Believe me the factory that produces them is drawing some AC amperage, with pneumatic machinery and mig welding
plus lighting, computer, Keurig coffee maker,  etc. 

amish cooling unit - Bing
OK, I'm probably as bright as an Amish light bulb, but I still don't know what the heck it is.
The Amish furniture factory close to my mom's fills a large propane "pig" with compressed air in the morning from a twin screw diesel compressor, and everything in the shop from the radial arm saw to the ceiling fans are run off of pneumatics. Kind of a definition of what is is way around not using electric.
But I still don't know why one would want an Amish cooler.
sorry, but could you explain?
Thanks
Len
Len and Deb Speiser
1999 U270 36'
2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
You're either on the bus, or you're off the bus!--Ken Kesey
If you're lucky enough to live in a bus, you're lucky enough!

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #5 –
Quote from: lenspeiser –
Gotta ask,
What the heck is an "Amish cooling unit"?
My mom lives close to an Amish community and as far as I can figure an "Amish" cooling unit would either not run on electricity, or be horse drawn.
Please fill me in.
Len
[/quote

+1
  Belly laughing
Robert and Susan
 1995 36' 280 WTBI 8.3 3060r
 1200 watts on the roof, 720 Ah of lithium's
 Build # 4637. Motorcade # 17599
        FMCA  # 451505
        18  Wrangler JLUR

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #6 –
Quote from: lenspeiser –
OK, I'm probably as bright as an Amish light bulb, but I still don't know what the heck it is.
The Amish furniture factory close to my mom's fills a large propane "pig" with compressed air in the morning from a twin screw diesel compressor, and everything in the shop from the radial arm saw to the ceiling fans are run off of pneumatics. Kind of a definition of what is is way around not using electric.
But I still don't know why one would want an Amish cooler.
sorry, but could you explain?

The ammonia cooling system in our Dometic refrigerator failed. Dometic no longer produces a new refrigerator in that size. Therefore we went to Shipshewana, Indiana and had a new cooling system ("Amish Cooling Unit") manufactured and installed by the Amish. Their factory uses a reasonable amount of electricity, but is "off the grid" in that they use a diesel generator to supply their electricity.
David and Carolyn Osborn
1995 U320C SE 40' Build 4726 Feb 1995
FMCA 147762
Motorcade 17186

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #7 –
Thanks, David.
Does the replacement still use ammonia as a coolant? Is the replacement an improvement over the original, or is it simply a replacement?

Thanks again,
Len
Len and Deb Speiser
1999 U270 36'
2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
You're either on the bus, or you're off the bus!--Ken Kesey
If you're lucky enough to live in a bus, you're lucky enough!

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #8 –
These amish cooling units claim to use thicker tubing and still do use ammonia. They are simply aftermarket gut replacements for our old obsolete fridges.
Matt
95 U300, 78k miles
Cat 3176 Jake Brake, HD4060.

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #9 –
I installed one of the "Amish" cooling units from RV Cooling Unit Warehouse about three years ago. I've been pleased with the results. I did the work myself. It will really help to have two sturdy people to do the job.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #10 –
Quote from: lenspeiser –
Does the replacement still use ammonia as a coolant? Is the replacement an improvement over the original, or is it simply a replacement?

The Amish units use ammonia and are supposed to be an improvement over the original. I'm not sure in exactly which ways they are improved, but since new refrigerators in that same size are no longer manufactured and I had heard various good reports on the Amish units it seemed to be a good choice. It seemed to make sense that the Amish would be experts at producing cooling units that would work well. We have been very pleased with the performance of the Amish unit.

I considered going with a residential unit, but I didn't want to get involved in rebuilding the cabinets and I liked maintaining the capability of extended boon docking with the LP refrigerator.
David and Carolyn Osborn
1995 U320C SE 40' Build 4726 Feb 1995
FMCA 147762
Motorcade 17186

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #11 –
Speaking as someone who grew up as close to the amish as any sane person would want to get.  They cheat a litttle ;)

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #12 –
Here is a picture of a true Amish cooling unit! :dance:
Caption for the picture: "Is this the true meaning of Horse-Power? These treadmills were designed and built by Amish as a means of energy to run washing machines, grain mills, hydraulic motors, pump water, split firewood, compress air, recharge batteries and even turn a refrigeration compressor to make ice."
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #13 –
It looks like it makes an orderly pile of HP by-product at the end of the treadmill too.  Nice!
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #14 –
Looks more like the management at a previous job. Make running motions, never make forward progress, and leave a mess for someone else to clean up. Except, of course this actually accomplishes something!
Len and Deb Speiser
1999 U270 36'
2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
You're either on the bus, or you're off the bus!--Ken Kesey
If you're lucky enough to live in a bus, you're lucky enough!

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #15 –
I've worked like that, Len!  ;-)
The selected media item is not currently available.Richard & Susan Peck
____________________
1999 40' U320 "Bob Patrick"
(2000 4010 U320 WTFE Floor Plan, Single Slide)
Build #5567  |  MC #17522

Re: Keeping An Eye On The Amish (cooling unit)

Reply #16 –
Well, since I have been self employed almost all of my life going nowhere while flailing around and making a mess at the same time is something I don't get to blame on anyone else.  But then I usually don't get much credit for moving forward either.  I have a double jointed shoulder for self pats on the back.  Good enough for me. Susan makes up for everything else!
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN