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Topic: Absorption refrigerator fire - Another RV bites the dust (Read 1823 times) previous topic - next topic
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Absorption refrigerator fire - Another RV bites the dust

Yahoo Message Number: 75673
These fires are the result of bad technology--corrosive chemicals in metal pipes. They are not a coincidence as a prominent someone on this forum once suggested. The issue is very real, it just isn't in RV news.
Instead of replacing your absorption refrigerator with a residential one or ice chests, if you think you must have those new Michelins (not Goodyear), a screen door handle replacement, paint samples, a great engine without a PTO, a good radiator, four solar panels, new AGM batteries, a ladder, your roof sealed, a beautiful CC rear chrome flap, etc., there is a salvage yard somewhere in Oregon with same.
If you still have an absorption refrigerator in your motorhome, you are not seeing the elephant in the motorhome. Our fridge was working perfectly, keeping proper temperature, and was plugged into AC. Propane was turned off. All recalls had been serviced. The fire destroyed the inside before breaking out through the roof. The unit was parked in front of the garage. If it had been in the garage, maybe in a garage attached to a house, well, you can imagine. If we had been sleeping in it, even with our additional ion-type detectors and two large extinguishers placed at each end, we never would have gotten out before the chemicals destroyed our lungs. Our fire department was just a few minutes away. What if we had been in a remote area?
If you want to see what a fire like this can do, e-mail me. I've got pictures, and nothing else. If you are still looking for insurance, let me suggest USAA, assuming they will still insure you with one of these refrigerators installed--There have been at least three such fires one agent has handled in the west this year, and one of the initial inspector/salvage/tow persons said they had dealt with another fire in my area the same week and one the week before. An NWCCer member mentioned one in an RV park they were in. I saw another such fire at Seal Beach a few years ago.
There is history about this issue here on this forum. Search for absorption refrigerator fires, hazard, etc., in past messages and also on the internet.
If you want expensive artwork in your motorhome, buy enamels. Enamels have been fired to over 1400 degrees and they can be cleaned with paint thinner. Anything on canvas would have been destroyed. Just sayin...

Terry Apple

2004 Allure Newport, 40', tag, 31001, gone.

Re: Absorption refrigerator fire - Another RV bites the dust

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 75677
Dear Terry,

Thank you for the timely warning. I am so sorry for your loss and very happy that you and your family are fine.

Best regards,

Marta

07 Allure 31501

Residential Refrigerator

Re: Absorption refrigerator fire - Another RV bites the dust

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 75679
Terry,

Sorry for your loss, I had read a simular post to yours a year ago just after buying a 2004 country coach and I immediately got rid of our perfectly good running Norcold LRIM1200. It only took one youtube video showing what RV refrigerator fires look like to convince me of the same.
I hope others read this and think twice about what these absorbtion refers are about. Modern Residential refrigerators like the samsung 197's are far more efficient than norcolds, much bigger internally, nearly fit in the same space with siome modifications and they cost less than half the cost of rebuilding or replacing a Norcold.
If anyone has any doubts about converting to residential, there are alot of Country coach owners that have made that conversion in the past year on this site alone.

Sorry again for the loss.

Dallas 2004 Intrigue ovation 11688

Re: Absorption refrigerator fire - Another RV bites the dust

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 75689
Thanks for the info, Terry. Glad you and yours are safe. We have a side by side Dometic Elite in our 2002 Intrigue. Has anyone heard of fires in the Dometic? If or when we have to replace this one, we will go for residential.

Janie, 2002 Intrigue 13242

Re: Absorption refrigerator fire - Another RV bites the dust

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 75690
Hi folks,

Janie, I was just wondering the same thing. Mine has the Dometic also, but I've never seen a post that involved anything but Norcold.
Also, maybe someone knows, is there a risk of fire only when the absorption units are running on propane because of the flame or does the electricity option pose the same risks of fire?

Dave Trotter

01 Intrigue 11215

Thanks for the info, Terry. Glad you and yours are safe. We have a side by side Dometic Elite in our 2002 Intrigue. Has anyone heard of fires in the Dometic? If or when we have to replace this one, we will go for residential.

Janie, 2002 Intrigue 13242

Re: Absorption refrigerator fire - Another RV bites the dust

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 75701
The OP indicated his was on Electric when it caught fire.
"Our fridge was working perfectly, keeping proper temperature, and was plugged into AC. Propane was turned off."

Bob Wexler
SOB