Mythbusters Burp the Fridge

[Alumaholic]

This week a Certified Master RV Tech (who will remain unnamed) and I decided to bust the myth about burping ammonia evaporation RV refrigerators to "fix" malfunctioning units.

I had a new one on order, so what the heck?

Under ther supervision of "Ken J", the CMRVT and I removed the malfunctioning Dometic 2620 and did the following:

1. Put it on its side for 3 minutes
2. Put it on its top for 3 minutes
3. Put it on its other side for 3 minutes
4. Put it on its top for 3 minutes
5. Put it on side one for 3 minutes
6. Put it upright
7. tilted it forward at a 45 degree angle for 3 minutes
8. Tilted it backward at a 45 degree angle for 3 minutes

The chart tells the story.
What should I do, reinstall the old unit and sell the new one, or install the new one and sell the old one?

[silver 67]

We turned ours upside down for 24 hours and it started right up and got cold almost immediately. If I understand your chart correctly, it's not very consistent with it's temps. Maybe I should check our temps before hubby reinstalls it.

[ArtStream]

What does it all mean

Michael

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Artstream

What does it all mean

Michael

It is a method that can be used to attempt to revive an old fridge that has stopped cooling properly. From my understanding...the ammonia fridges will get an air bubble in the system from sitting and not being used. By turning the fridge up side down you get the bubble to break up or move and the fridge will start working again. It doesn't always work but does work often enough to make it worth a try.

Aaron

[GreatPumpkin]

Originally Posted by klevan

...
The chart tells the story.
What should I do, reinstall the old unit and sell the new one, or install the new one and sell the old one?

Send the working? one to me for further long term testing.

[Alumaholic]

The Dometic 2620 has push button controls that allow you to select cooling levels 1-5. On 6-6-07, I began recording Level, Ambient Temperature (Inside Airstream Haven), the temperature inside the Fridge, and the temperature insdie the Freezer. On 06-17-07, I installed a fan in the compartment behind the fridge. On 06-23-07, we removed the fridge and burped it.

WHereas before burping the unit could not handle ambient temperatures above 80 F, it now handles temperatures above 90 F quite well.

[ArtStream]

Thanks Aaron, and Kelvan for posting the test.

Hey, isn't Kelvan a measure of heat or sumpthin?

Michael

[safari57]

Good info to have. Thank you for posting this and taking the time to track it all. In the past I've used the burping technique (but a full 24 hours) to revive what would have been considered a dead refer. So far the results have always been a better functioning refer, and money saved. We've done this more than once to the same refer and it has continued to improve. The fan in back to move air through was also a great addition.

Barry

[lewster]

This 'technique' seems to work....but only for an air pocket that forms from a fridge that has been sitting unused for an extended period.

If you have a blockage (even a slight one) that is caused by solidification or crystalization of the sodium chromate that is a component of the refrigerant, then all you are doing is postponing the inevitable, as crystalline blockages will not dissipate and will get worse and render the unit useless eventually.

[Ken J]

Part of this process involves three six packs - we were lucky because we didn't have the three six packs and it still worked - I would suggest you don't try this at home as it takes a highly trained professional to supervise this operation - part of it wrist action and partly getting the speed and angles of the turn correct.

We sure had some fun with this

Ken J.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by lewster

This 'technique' seems to work....but only for an air pocket that forms from a fridge that has been sitting unused for an extended period.

If you have a blockage (even a slight one) that is caused by solidification or crystalization of the sodium chromate that is a component of the refrigerant, then all you are doing is postponing the inevitable, as crystalline blockages will not dissipate and will get worse and render the unit useless eventually.

100 percent "on."

And when will that "burped" reefer quit?


When your on that trip, of course.

Now you have two problems.

1. The reefer quit.

2. Mama is not happy, and we all know that when Mama is unhappy, "no bodies happy."

In my 41 years with the Airstream product, I have never heard of any "burped" reefer lasting more than a couple of months.

Andy

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

100 percent "on."

And when will that "burped" reefer quit?

In my 41 years with the Airstream product, I have never heard of any "burped" reefer lasting more than a couple of months.

Andy

"Ken J" claims that a burpee on another Airstream on which he was the burper, or at least a beer slugging observer participant, is still evaporating, condensing, and cooling these four years later.

I do not intend to take the risk. I will install the new one, and keep the old plugged into 110 volts AC and 12 volts DC, collecting data all the while.

[Excella CM]

I did my big Servel at home years ago and it has gone on in burpetuity.

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by Ken J

Part of this process involves three six packs - we were lucky because we didn't have the three six packs and it still worked - I would suggest you don't try this at home as it takes a highly trained professional to supervise this operation - part of it wrist action and partly getting the speed and angles of the turn correct.

We sure had some fun with this

Ken J.

If you had the six packs you might have tried to burp it without removal from the trailer.

[Silvertwinkie]

Wow! Learn somethin' new every day. Today's lesson was this...

I never knew about the burp fridge thingie until now....thanks for posting this!

[herrgirdner]

Long ago, (probably 20 years) I lived in Germany and had a VW camper with an Electrolux fridge. It quit working, and I was advised by a German RV tech to take it out, and "burp" it. Did so, and the fridge worked well until we sold the camper in '96. Mind you, this was not a Dometic, nor was it in an Airstream.....
regards

[safari57]

My latest one has been in use since I burped it in December 2004. The fridge works fine, stays cold, and gets used quite a bit during the summer. I do keep it plugged in and working through the fall and spring when it's in the shop as it's a great place to keep pops and waters while I'm out there "working". I know we have had a couple where this has not worked, but there are several (6) we've done over the years in other trailers we've had and sold and several of those folks continue to use their trailers with the old fridge. I can't speak about the others as they went to people we did not know and don't see the trailers.

Barry

[Ken J]

Andy

Well I can tell you of one that I burped four-five years ago - still going strong - would I have believed it, no, but its still working great.

Course on that one we did the 3 six pack thing.....

Richard - now why didn't we think of that - KenL - now why did we take the frig out do do this procedure?

Ken J.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Ken J

Andy

Well I can tell you of one that I burped four-five years ago - still going strong - would I have believed it, no, but its still working great.

Course on that one we did the 3 six pack thing.....

Richard - now why didn't we think of that - KenL - now why did we take the frig out do do this procedure?

Ken J.

Well know we know that if you burp the reefer, you must flush things out with 3 six packs.

Wow, that would even remove the rust on the Titanic.

Andy

[dwightdi]

My 63 refrig was not when I revived it in 98 by burping. It is still working eight years later. It does not work for all refrig problems but is a cheap fix worth trying.