Re: [VAC] Ammonia cycle refrigerators.

[Gary Quamen <gquamen@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi folks:

All the talk about this topic reminded me of something that I discovered 
about my Dometic M52 ('67).

Once, on a little trip about a year ago to a park that didn't have 
electrical hookups, I ran the fridge on gas and for the first time it 
didn't get as cold as it should.  I worried that the end was near for the 
old thing.  We got by with a Coleman cooler and ice.  The fridge just 
barely was cool enough although the burner seemed to be working OK.

Later, when I had the trailer back in the storage place, I got to 
thinking about the fact that it seemed to run OK on electricity, which 
led me to believe that the ammonia system was intact and functioning.

When I began checking around, I found that, due to the extreme bouncing 
that my trailer does, the cap had popped off the top of the flue.  The 
cap is connected to a wire that supports and locates the screw shaped 
flue baffle, which is critical to the proper operation of the 
burner/heater.  On my trailer, the cap is under a wooden plug in a 
cabinet adjacent to the refrigerator vent.  I placed the flue top back on 
the flue and the fridge worked like gangbusters and has ever since.

So now each time I get to where I'm goin' I check that the cap is where 
it should be.  I wonder how many units were scrapped because of the flue 
baffle?

Later,

GQ '67 Safari (Just back from a great trip to Humbolt County, CA and the 
Redwood Empire...gas $1.99 9/10 gal...at least it wasn't $2.00!)

PS: Fridge worked great for 16 days on electric.  Pre-cooled for 24 hours 
on gas before starting out.