Ammonia Fridge.

Hi,

I'm trying to get an old ammonia fridge to run.
Anyone know the right way to go about it ?
The heater works Ok, and the pipework all looks intact.

Ive tried it upside down, on its back, on its front, on its side,
on its other side, and of course - right way up.

All to no avail. Is there a special way to get them to start running ?

John

Try emergency repair procedure #1, kick it!
Seriously, sometimes a sharp tap with a hammer will get stuck things moving.
Use discretion.

From memory, you have to rotate it a few times in a certain direction so that the fluid ends up in the chamber that feeds the percolator/heater. Maybe looking at the pipework will enable you to work out which way.

Mike.

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.
I found this picture, which is very close to the arrangement of this
fridge. Close enough for me to comprehend the pipework layout on the
fridge.
*****
Unable to get picture to display due to mental block.
*****
The picture plus brief explanation can be found here:
**broken link removed**

There are no "Narrow Orifices" to give pressure change like a pumped
fridge, which relies on pressure change to give temperature drop.
There are no (mechanical) moving parts, only circulating fluids and
gasses.

It has been idle for a while, but i have had a few of this type and
they have always operated even after years of inaction, sometimes
needing to be turned upside down for a while to get them working.

I am wondering if the hydrogen has leaked away ... i know that it will
gradually seep through most metals, but i have known this type of
fridge to remain in working order for many years.

I will try as Pommie has suggested, moving it around with a view to
getting the ammonia solution to settle by the heater.
It seems logical to me, that once the circulation is established, it
will gradually sort itself out, and the appropriate gasses and liquids
would (i hope) settle into their places in the system.
We shall see.

Regards, John