Ammonia Refrigeration | Ammonia RV Fridge | Ammonia Fire | RV Fridge Refrigerant

The Fridge Defend by ARP keeps Dometic and Norcold ammonia refrigeration safe. The ammonia RV fridge is the best, but ammonia fires are real, regardless you will see ammonia is the best refrigerant.

Ammonia Refrigeration

Ammonia is the refrigerant used in most RV refrigerators. Ammonia is inherently safe and very efficient; thus, it is here for the long run!

The Environment

If a leak in an ammonia refrigerator occurs, the ammonia is not harmful to the environment. The ammonia molecule (NH3) is one nitrogen and three hydrogen atoms. Ammonia breaks down into its components when released into the environment.

Harmless hydrogen and nitrogen, air is 80% nitrogen. Thus, ammonia has zero impact on the ozone which means that there is zero global warming potential by its release into the atmosphere. Ammonia is among the most abundant gases in the environment and is essential for many biological processes.

Human Impact

Ammonia Refrigeration has a safe record due in part to the odor. Slight traces of ammonia in the air are easily detectable by humans. The odor is so strong that humans will leave an area before any harm will result to them. In addition, ammonia is lighter than air so it does not pool in low pockets.

Thermodynamic Properties

Ammonia is very energy efficient as a refrigerant ( See How Dometic & Norcold Work ). This is why it is used in large industrial air conditioning, refrigeration, and freezer units. In other words, 130 ton cooling units are made using the absorption refrigeration process for building chillers. If an RV refrigerator is built properly, the size of the fridge is not an issue.

Ammonia Fire

Ammonia has a limited range of flammability. Ammonia will burn only in high concentrations such as in the immediate zone where it is released into the atmosphere. Because the RV fridge cycle can be driven by a heater in the proximity of the boiler, and the boiler assembly is what commonly fails, a torch effect is what will start an RV fire. Simply removing the assistant gas hydrogen and replacing it with helium does not prevent fires in RV fridges because ammonia does burn (See Ammonia Burn ).

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Ammonia has a very low burning velocity. The burning velocity of ammonia is not high enough to create an explosion in most circumstances. It is a failure at the boiler assembly of the cooling unit that usually results in an RV fridge fire ( See RV Fridge Fires ).

Enjoy Nature

The ammonia refrigeration process used in RVs is almost silent. No pumps making noise, thus the natural world can be pleasantly enjoyed! The absorption refrigerator is ideal for folks that enjoy boondocking! It is very difficult and expensive to power a refrigerator on electricity for extended periods of time, LP gas (propane) stores a tremendous amount of energy in a small container. In addition, most every RV has LP gas for cooking, space heater, and heating of water.