Suncruiser 2006 ish 38T owners with Norcold 1201s

[Paul T]

This question is for other 38T owners who have peaked in the top refrigerator exterior vent opening.

With all the chatter about the Norcold recall, and a nagging feeling that my Norcold 1201 does not do a great job of keeping things cool, I started poking around. I had downloaded the Norcold Service Manual previously and had read most of their trouble shooting tips there-in. First on their list for most issues is ventilation. I know that makes a difference because a couple years ago I had to replace both cooling fans to get things working to what I considered normal, (which in reality was pretty poor performance in that it usually took a few days of operation to get normal temperatures on a setting of “9”).

Norcold specs require that the clearance between the condenser and associated baffle at the bottom edge of the condenser be 0 to ¼ inch.
My installation isn’t even close to that and is more like 3 to 4 inches. There is a baffle there but it looks like an additional 5 inch wide 33 inch long piece that could be installed with the holes previously drilled in the baffle is missing. I have no idea if it was never installed or possibly removed by Camping World staff who replaced a sensor and modified the flue cap in 2006, (all done under warrantee and at the direction of Norcold as they were apparently having a problem with installation of their units in slide outs)

Yea, I know, -- it’s stupid to wait 4 years before opening the top vent access. But, recovering from a couple broken feet and a dislike of ladders led to my procrastination. Now, with my new 8 foot ladder and lots of time to play I’ve built a sheet metal extension to attach to the existing baffle bringing the clearance within Norcold specs. After running the thing this long without proper ventilation at the condenser though I’m wondering if my cooling unit hasn’t been fried.

If one of you actually peaks in your top vent would you please let me know what your flue cap looks like also.
First JPG shows how wide the opening is between the baffle and condenser in my 38T
The second JPG is my flue cap which was modified at Norcold’s direction back in 2006. (strange looking animal but I've never had a no flame)