wdk450
Well-known member
Gang:
I am having some problems with decreased cooling with my 11 year old Dometic NDR-1292 refrig. This exact model is no longer made, and the substitution from Dometic would need cabinet modifications. Also, it would cost about $3000. I next looked at new cooling units from RVCoolingUnit Warehouse. Their Amish replacement would cost about $1050 and probably $250 shipping. 3rd option was replace the whole unit with a residential refrig, maybe under $500 for the refrig, but one guy posted online that it cost him over $1000 to get the old ammonia unit removed, and cabinet modified, and nothing I found came close to the Dometic's 34 inch width - More cabinet modifications.
Just surfing You Tube today I came up with an RVers video of replacing the ammonia cooling unit with a replacement cooling unit that uses a freon compressor system MADE AS AN EXACT SWAP OF THE OEM AMMONIA COOLING UNITS. These freon compressor replacements even come in either DC (12 or 24 volt) or AC powered types. You keep the old refig control board, but remove the entire old cooling unit, and swap in the new freon compressor one.
These are available from JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, Indiana : https://jc-refrigeration.com/products/ The website has no listing of prices and shipping charges, so I filled out their contact form, and I will let you know how it comes out. But this solution would let us keep the original RV refrigerator "box" with its custom fit in the cabinetry, while modernizing it to a reliable, compressor freon cooling system.
Here is the You Tube Video I watched today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yte1V3CkDrw
I am having some problems with decreased cooling with my 11 year old Dometic NDR-1292 refrig. This exact model is no longer made, and the substitution from Dometic would need cabinet modifications. Also, it would cost about $3000. I next looked at new cooling units from RVCoolingUnit Warehouse. Their Amish replacement would cost about $1050 and probably $250 shipping. 3rd option was replace the whole unit with a residential refrig, maybe under $500 for the refrig, but one guy posted online that it cost him over $1000 to get the old ammonia unit removed, and cabinet modified, and nothing I found came close to the Dometic's 34 inch width - More cabinet modifications.
Just surfing You Tube today I came up with an RVers video of replacing the ammonia cooling unit with a replacement cooling unit that uses a freon compressor system MADE AS AN EXACT SWAP OF THE OEM AMMONIA COOLING UNITS. These freon compressor replacements even come in either DC (12 or 24 volt) or AC powered types. You keep the old refig control board, but remove the entire old cooling unit, and swap in the new freon compressor one.
These are available from JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, Indiana : https://jc-refrigeration.com/products/ The website has no listing of prices and shipping charges, so I filled out their contact form, and I will let you know how it comes out. But this solution would let us keep the original RV refrigerator "box" with its custom fit in the cabinetry, while modernizing it to a reliable, compressor freon cooling system.
Here is the You Tube Video I watched today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yte1V3CkDrw