Dometic Nda 1402 Refrigerator

[Steve Albert]

getting no power  and a ammonia smell

[Frank Bergamo]

Steve,

Sounds like your cooling coil has failed. Look for any sign of leaking, usually a yellow residue in the area of leak. This is what causes fires with absorption style refrigerators. Do not attempt to run until you figure out what is the problem. Hope this helps.

[Bill Lampkin]

Time for a residential refrig. Dose your coach have double drawers under the fridge? If so, you can remove them to make room for the fridge. We replaced our Norcold with a french door, counter-depth fridge (Fisher Paykel). Had the appliance dealer crew come out and remove the Norcold thru the front door. Then they came back when I had the space prepped for the new fridge and it slipped right in. Wife didn't like loosing the pot drawers, but she loves the fridge now! And try the Fridge Fixer to hold the doors closed.

[Fred Brooks]

   Steve,
Some of the other plusses are the Ice harvester, 18 cubic feet on the "counter depth" models, LED lighting and bottom freezer which is really efficient. Another expense on the residential models will be the pure sine wave inverter required for today's electronics. Not sure which inverter/charger you have. The minimum you will have to change in the event you want to keep the RV refer is a new cooling unit plus labor, Fred

[Richard Davis]

Steve
I also have a 2006 Monterey (Ventura) that had a failed Dometic absorption refrigerator just like yours.  I replaced it with the very popular Samsung 18 cf counter depth model.  It is a nice fit side to side, but requires a couple more inches vertical clearance.  At first I removed the cabinet above the fridge space and installed the Samsung (it is nice to have the high ceilings).  We used it that way for a year.  My wife did not like it that way.  She is a bit vertically challenged and could not see the top shelf of the fridge (the Samsung RF18 is a bottom freezer model).  So, when I had the opportunity, I took out the original floor of the fridge space and built supports as low as I could.  One of the Hydro-Hot registers and the vacuum port are below the fridge space and I did not want to relocate them.  I then put the original cabinet doors back on for cosmetic purposes above the Samsung fridge.  We do a lot of boondocking and I did not like having to leave the large 2000 watt inverter on all the time since it is a power hog even at idle.  So, I eventually installed a small 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter and dedicated transfer switch just for the Samsung.  It has now been 5 years and we are very happy with this unit.  I was surprised at how little power it uses.  If I can provide you any assistance should you decide to go this route, just let me know.
Richard
p.s.  If your Dometic cabinet is in good condition (mine was not), I believe J.C.Refrigeration makes a 12 volt powered compressor version cooling unit to retrofit to that box.  Good luck with whatever you choose to do.   

[Richard Davis]

Found a picture of the Samsung after I lowered it.

[Tom Webber]

Richard, do you have any problem with your Samsung refrigerator automatically defrosting?  You have the same refrigerator that I have and I have to manually defrost every three weeks. The modifications to the drain has
been done and two technicians that Samsung recommended have not been able to solve the problem.

Tom Webber

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Tom,
Check the thermal fuse. It's behind the evaporator.
Steve

[Mike Shumack]

   Not sure which inverter/charger you have. The minimum you will have to change in the event you want to keep the RV refer...

I'm not saying this is not an important upgrade - but my 2005 PT Coach came with a modified-sine wave Inverter and a residential refrigerator (from the factory).

So, either the "older" fridges were more tolerant of modified-sine wave power, or the factory just didn't know any better in 2005. 

Also, in support of Fred's comments - my Coach is on its second refrigerator now. Maybe that's why.

[Richard Davis]

Tom
Yes!  I had defrost problems after the first couple of years.  I first replaced the defrost heater element assuming that was the problem.  No joy.  Eventually I determined the thermal fuse had failed.  It is encased in a bubble of plastic and heat sealed into the plastic (supposedly).  The seal on mine had failed and the plastic bubble was full of water.  Replacing the thermal fuse solved my issues.  Good luck with yours.
Richard

[Tom Webber]

Thanks for the update

[Fred Brooks]

   



So, either the "older" fridges were more tolerant of modified-sine wave power, or the factory just didn't know any better in 2005. 

Also, in support of Fred's comments - my Coach is on its second refrigerator now. Maybe that's why.
[/quote]
    Mike, I think you are right about the older generation of residential refrigerators. The Samsung's that I installed back in 2010 thru 2015 had no issues with modified sine wave inverters. I think Samsung may have changed the electronics or the defrost logic. I do know that pure sine wave inverter/converters seemed to eliminate the issues that newer Samsung refers were experiencing. Fred