Norcold RV Refrigerator cooling problems
Sonoma County, California.
A recent call to help a customer with his Norcold refrigerator revealed some problems created at the factory.
This beautifully presented Class A diesel pusher has the Norcold N1210 icemaker four door refrigerator. The customer reported that he was never able to make ice or keep anything frozen in his RV fridge.
A quick inspection of the cooling ducts showed significant obstructions to the upper vent at the rear of the refrigerator.
Shown in the image below, the added baffle, made of plywood, completely covered the top cooling fins. Norcold requires this baffle to be at or below the bottom of the upper cooling fins of the refrigerator. This allows maximum air circulation. Absorption refrigerators rely entirely on proper air circulation across the cooling fins at the rear of the fridge. Any obstruction prevents the system from doing it’s job: removing heat from within the refrigerator.
The thin plywood was easily trimmed with a sharp knife, the separated pieces were then repositioned exactly per Norcold’s recommendations and within one quarter of an inch below the cooling fins.
Voila! This happy camper can now keep ice cream and other frozen foods.
2 Comments on “Norcold RV Refrigerator cooling problems”
Monte Shaul
My NorCold N811 RV fridge works great for a week or two and then the unit quits working. The freezer warms up to the lower fridge temp. For the first week or two the freezer is down to zero. I’ve replaced the power control board, the fridge control panel, and put in two different thermisters. The power supply is good( both 12v and 110v), unit is level. The outside fins are all clean.
Any suggestions??? Thank You
Alan ONeill
Thanks for your question Monte. This is an unusual case. I can only offer some extra insights. Proper diagnosis is complex in order to find the fault and your hard work has already eliminated many possibilities.
There are lots of risks when handling these fridges. Ammonia and hydrogen is present in the mix of chemicals in absorption refrigerators, which are risky substances when a leak is present. Norcold prefer to test operations using the electric heating element to avoid the risk of hydrogen ignition, should there be a leak.
Have you checked to see if there is any yellow residue at the base of the boiler tube? If there is anything yellowish, the cooling unit has leaked and failed.
If there is no yellow residue, it is necessary to assess this fault at the time you first notice the temperature increasing in the freezer. When the freezer is reaching above 32 degrees F, go to the outside and remove the refrigerator panel and check to see if the boiler tube, usually at the lower right area, is heating. Check using the electrical heating element or fridge set to AC. Be careful not to burn yourself. The location of the boiler tube can be over 140 degrees F. If the boiler tube area is cool, then there is a fault in the electrical heating components.
If the boiler tube area is hot, then there are other items to check to see if you have a blockage in the cooling unit. Norcold have a standard procedure for testing blockages. The testing begins with ensuring all ventilation is clear at the back of the fridge to keep the necessary amount of airflow over the cooling unit. There are minimum requirements for dimensions in the baffling behind the refrigerator. After the venting is confirmed free and flowing, leveling is checked and you mentioned your fridge is perfectly level.
The final check is by taking readings on the collection tank at the lower back of the fridge. A steel tank about 6 inches wide and about 3 inches tall. The chemicals collect in the lower half of this tank on their way back to the boiler tube.
With an infrared thermometer, take a reading at the lower half of this tank. Take another reading on one of the sloping coils just above this tank. If there is a blockage, the reading from the lower half of the collection tank will be hotter than the coils above. Normal operations of a cooling unit should show the lower half of the collection tank about 10 degrees F below the temperature of the coils just above it. I do hope this information is helpful to you. The Norcold Guy’s website (no affiliations) offers a diagnostic service for only $50 at this webpage: https://thenorcoldguy.com/norcold-refrigerator-wont-get-cold-enough/
Diagnosis of absorption fridge cooling is open to many foregone conclusions, and only after checking each and every step, a proper observation can be made.