RV Refrigerator Leaves RVer Light-Headed

Chances are your RV refrigerator is powered by propane, 12-volt and/or 120-volt electricity and a 12-volt battery. These refrigerators-really heat absorption units-have no moving parts and use electricity or propane as the main source of energy. They use hydrogen and ammonia as the coolant. Ammonia is a colorless gas with a very sharp odor. It can be fatal if inhaled in excess.

Recently, an Aon Recreation Insurance policyholder experienced an ammonia leak in his refrigerator. It was discovered when he opened the door to the refrigerator and almost collapsed. He was fortunate to get himself outside into the fresh air.

Many people still believe RV refrigerators use freon as a coolant rather than ammonia. Freon is a brand name of the chemical Chloro-Flouro-Carbon (CFC), once widely used as the main coolant for refrigerators. Since it was found to damage the environment when released into the air, modern refrigerators don't use CFC-most now use ammonia.

If you suspect an ammonia leak, leave your RV immediately and call 911. Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in the air can cause severe burns on your skin, eyes, throat and lungs. If you inhale ammonia or get the liquid ammonia solution on you, immediately get into fresh air and flush the affected area of your body with water. Sodium chromate, the yellowish-greenish powder in solution with the ammonium hydroxide, is a carcinogen. It can also appear on the outside of the cooling unit if there has been a leak. If you get sodium chromate on yourself, wash thoroughly with soap and water.

Norcold, a popular RV refrigerator manufacturer, has voluntarily recalled several gas/electric refrigerators built in 1999 because of a defect. The defect is a potential cooling unit leak caused during AC electric mode operation. If a leak occurs, the refrigerator's cooling performance will deteriorate and a yellow powder residue will be evident at the cooling unit's heating element. Because extended operation of a leaking cooling unit in the AC electric mode may result in a fire, immediate replacement of the cooling unit is required.

Norcold has also recalled three small gas absorption/electric refrigerators, primarily used in folding camping trailers, which could have a safety defect involving stress corrosion cracking in brass swivel nuts on the their pressure tap components. A significant crack could cause propane gas leakage during gas operation of these units.