Norcold Door Seals

[Hartman2112]

So, I ordered a new refrigerator and freezer door for my Norcold 982RIM. We were having condensation issues and ordering the whole door is the only way to get new seals. The new doors seem less substantial and the seals are actually thinner than the old door. I went ahead and put it on but I'm not feeling hopeful. Has anyone else ran into this issue?

[marjoa]

Based on your assessment of the new door, you're guessing it won't work as well. Let's just wait and see. It may be fine. If not then repost the problem.

My 2 cents

[Hartman2112]

Update. The refrigerator did not get below 44 degrees with the new door on. And I could slide a dollar bill under the seal freely. So hopefully the company I bought them from will refund my money, because they are not cheap and completely useless to me.

[marjoa]

Oh bummer.

It sounds like maybe the face of the fridge itself is a little out out of whack then. Maybe not square, or bent or bowed slightly, who knows.

I have a couple of other ideas that may help.
1) Just like a toilet flapper in a S&B homes, sometimes they don't completely seal at the tank either and leak water. And if you put Vaseline on that flapper it will seal. Even though I hate vaseline this technique is a temporary fix and lasts for quite awhile.

So in your case,
If you've already returned your new door, put the old door back on and buy some Silicone Paste. It comes in a small can and on the top lid it has a application brush. Brush some all around the door seal and then smooth out a little with your finger. This stuff not only softens and conditions the seal but when you close the door, many times will "stick" somewhat and make a vacuum seal.

2) I had a friend of mine that had this problem with his fridge. He went to HD and bought some self-adhesive 1/4" or 3/8" wide (can't remember the exact width) THIN weather stripping that comes in a roll. He thoroughly cleaned the fridge seal with alcohol and then applied this weather stripping all around—on top—of the existing fridge seal. It provided—just enough additional thickness—to cause the door to seal properly.

Either choice is cheap to try and easy to do.

Would like to know the outcome if you try either of these methods.

PS...Since you were having condensation issues a leaky seal surely is the first place to look, But, IMHO, if a new door didn't work, and either of these options don't work, I'd be looking at some other cause why your fridge won't get down below 44 degrees or why condensation is occurring.

[okmunky]

My RV fridge is a Dometic, but the title of this thread caught my attention.

It is my understanding that when the control is set to "AUTO" a heater comes on around the door perimeter to prevent condensation. With it set on "GAS" there is no heating. When boondocking I set the control on "GAS" to reduce power useage.

I replaced the lower door a year ago due to a torn seal along the bottom. Last month I discovered it was torn again and it wasn't cooling well. As a temporary fix I bought some peel and stick window weather stripping. After trimming off the entire lower edge seal, I placed a strip on the door side and the fridge side. No sliding dollar bill!

Another thing I've read is that the drain hose on some models needs to have a loop in it that acts as a P-trap -- water collecting in the trap prevents warm air from entering thru the drain.

With the new $8 weather strip and a looped, water filled drain hose my fridge is staying at 34-35* when powered by gas. On "AUTO" it stays above 40*.