Jeff, I don't know about the newer refrigerant working ok inside but not outside. First I've heard about it. Although not outside, we have 3 little 4.3 cu. ft. refrigerators in the house. They all work great. The first one (a Black and Decker, I believe) was purchased in Texas at Walmart in 2007, then an Igloo in 2010, and about 3 months another Black and Decker (I believe I'm right on the brand). The one I have in my bedroom is the Igloo. It has room for 2 full sized ice trays and will freeze one in just a few hours. The one from 2007 is still working great. I believe they all use ammonia for refrigerant. Though only 4.3 cu. ft., I keep a 1.75 liter bottle of whiskey, two 2 liter bottles of soda, a 2 quart bottle of black cherry flavored cranberry juice, some jars of jelly, salsa, meats, cheeses, etc. in it. Everything stays nice and cold.
Question: How old is the 'fridge you're having trouble with? Is it an older one? I don't even know when they started using 'other' refrigerants. I have a 1998 Dometic (?) 'frige with top freezer in an old motor that I have. It's made, I believe, in Sweden. Although I haven't used it for the last couple of years, it always kept things hard-frozen. The freezer was about 9" x 24". I could keep quite a bit of meats and frozen foods in it. It also used ammonia for refrigerant, and operated on 24 volt DC, 120 ac, or propane. It was in use some during the cold and hot weather without any heating or cooling inside the motor home.
