# RV Refrigerator Repair in Chino > OCRV Center diagnoses and repairs absorption and 12V compressor RV refrigerators in our Yorba Linda shop, from a no-cool ammonia cooling unit to a failed circuit board or door seal. All refrigerator work is in shop only. Most RV refrigerators are absorption units with no compressor, so they cool with heat from propane or a 120V or 12V element and a sealed ammonia coil that has no moving parts to wear out. When one stops cooling, the cause is usually the heat source, the controls, or a cooling unit that has crystallized or leaked. We test all three before we quote, so you pay to fix the actual fault and not to swap a working part. ## How we diagnose a refrigerator that will not cool An absorption fridge that runs warm on every power source almost always points to the cooling unit, while one that cools on propane but not on shore power points to the heating element, the eyebrow board, or the AC connection. We separate those by testing the gas pressure, the 120V and 12V elements, the thermistor, and the control board in order, so the diagnosis names one cause. A yellow stain or an ammonia smell at the back of the unit means the sealed coil has leaked and the cooling unit itself is done. In that case the boiler section, not a circuit board, is the repair, and we tell you that up front so you are not paying to chase parts around a coil that can no longer make cold. - Cooling unit diagnosis on absorption units (Dometic, Norcold) - Eyebrow and power control board replacement - 120V and 12V heating element and thermistor testing - Propane burner, jet, and flue cleaning for weak cooling - Door seal, hinge, and gasket replacement to stop frost loss ## Cooling units, boards, and recall-era units When the sealed cooling unit has failed, we install a new or remanufactured cooling unit matched to your model rather than scrapping a cabinet that is otherwise sound, which is usually the better value on a built-in residential-depth unit. On compressor and 12V fridges we test the compressor, the inverter board, and the door switch instead, since those units fail differently than absorption models. Some older Norcold and Dometic absorption units were part of recall and high-temperature shutoff programs tied to boiler overheating and fire risk. We check the model and serial against those campaigns and, where a unit is suspect, recommend the correct cooling unit or a safe replacement instead of patching around an overheating boiler. - New and remanufactured cooling unit installation - 12V compressor and inverter-board fridge repair - Door switch, fan, and interior light faults - Built-in and residential-style unit fitment and trim - Leveling and ventilation checks that affect cooling ## Frequently asked questions ### My RV refrigerator runs but will not get cold, what is wrong? On an absorption fridge that is warm on every power source, the sealed cooling unit has usually crystallized or leaked, which we confirm before quoting. If it only fails on one power source, the heating element, board, or propane burner is the more likely cause, and that is a smaller repair. ### Is it worth fixing the cooling unit or should I replace the whole fridge? It depends on the cabinet and the model. On a sound built-in unit a new or remanufactured cooling unit is often the better value, while a damaged cabinet or an obsolete unit may be cheaper to replace. We price both and let you choose. ### My fridge cools on propane but not on electric, is that the cooling unit? No, that pattern points to the 120V or 12V heating element, the control board, or the AC connection, not the cooling unit. The cooling coil is shared by both modes, so a unit that still cools on gas proves the coil is good. --- Source: https://oc-rv.com/services/rv-refrigerator-repair/ OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. Phone (949) 799-3387. In shop only; insurance billed direct.