Atwood He refrigerator bubbling, minimal cooling

[CampNBrew2]

Happy end of 2020 all,
I turned on the fridge in prep for our New Years camping trip 2 days ago (on electric). I found yesterday refrigerator was not cooling at all, but the freezer plate was cold (not sub-freezing as normal). I switched over to gas to check operation. Everything is clean and seems to run with a nice tiny blue flame. It does not seem to be a control issue since the burner is running and trying to cool the unit. No error lights are flashing and the controls seem to work normally.

The coils and tank are warm/hot to the touch and I can hear a small bubble per second or so in there that I know is not normal. I stuck my camera up inside looking for the dreaded yellow crust but could find none. I'll need to remove the roof vent cap to inspect further. I also smelled no ammonia.

Last we used it it was working great. We have had trouble free operation from this fridge for 3 years (It's a 2013 model). I do maintain it- clean the chimney, coils, and gas port, tighten connections, etc.

I am reading that this condition could be caused from running the refrigerator out of level or from a leak. I am careful to always level the trailer, however I DO run it while towing- which includes many steep grades, sharp turns, and rough roads. It's parked level at my house the rest of the time.

Not sure why this issue showed up now after all this time. (Well Yes I do, because its an RV and something is always broken. They are after all a rolling earthquake built by monkeys with hatchets )

After this trip I will pull the refrigerator out and further inspect the cooling unit for leaks. If none are found, I'll try the upside-down-for-2-days trick before replacing the cooling unit.

Please advise if you've successfully done this and if you know any tricks. I've read it can be successful to restore cooling by getting all the liquids back to where they should be.

Let me know if you think I am missing anything.
As always, thanks for any info!
Chris

[bobbecky]

From what I’ve read, they haven’t been made for a long time now and even parts are not available. Most likely, if the cooling unit has failed, you will be looking for a new fridge.

[JRTJH]

Dometic bought Atwood several years ago. One of the first "corporate decisions" was to discontinue the He2 refrigerator line. They also elected to no longer support the after warranty parts industry for that line.

So, with the exception of a very few aftermarket parts, the only parts available are "leftover OEM parts on dusty shelves"... They become harder to find every year.

Troubleshooting your refrigerator is fairly easy. There is a great "factory sponsored troubleshooting guide" in the owner's manual and available online. The Atwood He2 service manual is available here: https://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/atwoodreefer.pdf

In the event you narrow the problem down to the cooling unit, there is one company that markets an "Amish made He2 replacement unit" You can get more information about it here: https://rvcoolingunit.com/Atwood-Coo...-P5692108.aspx

The Atwood refrigerator has been "at least as reliable as the best Dometic refrigerators, so hopefully it's nothing expensive. Good luck with troubleshooting and keep us posted on your progress.

[CampNBrew2]

Thanks for your responses.
Back from the New Years trip to Washington, CA. Washed the rig and started in on the refer.

I disconnected the propane and electric and a neighbor helped me pull it out. I immediately spotted a crusty white spot on the service tube of the unit. I think this crust is the kiss of death but flipped it upside down anyway while I search for replacement cooling units. I suspected if a leak that it would be sulphur yellow but this is white and slightly rusty underneath.

I am going to contact some of the cooling unit companies to see if they have anything that will fit. (John, your link was for an 8cu ft and mine is a 6 which they don't list unfortunately)

I am having no luck with online number searching. I could care less if its helium or hydrogen, as long as the unit lines up correctly on the back of the fridge.

If no luck, then I guess I'll start shopping for a new fridge

[JRTJH]

RV cooling units.com did have 6 and 8 cuft replacement cooling units. You might give them a call and see what they suggest ... I don't know of any other company that's remanufacturing He2 cooling units and nobody else that's building new ones either..... If I can find a lead to one, I'll let you know

[CampNBrew2]

Thanks John,
I did not realize there were so many different models. I will update with what I find.

[CampNBrew2]

Well I have exhausted all my options. bobbecky called it. Had to replace the whole thing. Very frustrating experience all in all.

I spoke to many companies all across the country that offer rebuilt or new replacement cooling units and nobody has anything that will work. They were all very nice and tried to help, even referred me to each other to see if they could help.

I assumed that some other brand models of cooling units will fit this model but they all say there is no other model that fits. Nobody wants to measure the actual dimensions and give them to me so I can modify to fit mine. (I do understand their liability concerns)

Then I asked if I sent it to them could they rebuild it. "Nope", all around.

I searched my area for any companies that actually repair cooling units. Local RV techs say they have nobody to repair/recharge these anymore.

So, disgusted, I went shopping. I contemplated the new 12VDC compressor-based Norcold and Dometic units. I already have 200W solar and dual batteries, but would have to at least double or triple that to be comfortable with it's draw since we mostly dry camp.

The price tag and labor involved kept escalating. Finally binned that idea and bought a Norcold NA7LX. Fingers crossed that it's a good one. My Norcold worked flawlessly in my TH for years. We'll see.

[bobbecky]

With going to a new fridge, you might want to consider installing an ARP device to protect that investment. We've had one on our fridge since 2015 when we had the second cooling unit replacement done, and it's been working great ever since. https://www.arprv.com/

[CampNBrew2]

Thanks,
I have looked into those units. They work by shutting down the heat source when the boiler gets too hot. I wonder why the factories don't just attach a snap-disc temp switch to the boiler for a few bucks to do the same thing? Or why I couldn't do the same?
It does look like a nice control unit and I like the fan control also.