Norcold drain

[Clifftall]

My norcold 1210 IM drain cup and tube are dry. It used to have some water in it and then evaporate. There is no frost on the fins and the unit is operating fine. Is this normal? Wonder if the recall fix had something to do with this. Any thoughts?
Thanks

[paz]

The recall is a high temperature cutoff switch to prevent fire in case your cooling unit overheats and should have nothing to do with the frost on the fins or the drain.

The plug at the end of the drain has a small orifice in it that prevents warm air and bugs from getting up into the fridge. The small orifice will plug up over time and prevent the hose from draining. Stick your finger into the pan inside the fridge under the fins. If there is standing water in there, then the oriface in your drain is plugged and needs to be cleaned out before the pan inside the fridge overflows. Trust me, it makes a mess and can ruin the finish on the woodwork under the fridge.

The cooling unit warms up periodically to go into a defrost cycle, not for the freezer, but to remove frost from the fins (every 49 hours on our Norcold 1200, according to Norcold). The pan under the fins collects the melted frost, and the hose drains it to the outside.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz The recall is a high temperature cutoff switch to prevent fire in case your cooling unit overheats and should have nothing to do with the frost on the fins or the drain. The plug at the end of the drain has a small orifice in it that prevents warm air and bugs from getting up into the fridge. The small orifice will plug up over time and prevent the hose from draining. Stick your finger into the pan inside the fridge under the fins. If there is standing water in there, then the oriface in your drain is plugged and needs to be cleaned out before the pan inside the fridge overflows. Trust me, it makes a mess and can ruin the finish on the woodwork under the fridge. The cooling unit warms up periodically to go into a defrost cycle, not for the freezer, but to remove frost from the fins (every 49 hours on our Norcold 1200, according to Norcold). The pan under the fins collects the melted frost, and the hose drains it to the outside.

I knew the recall had nothing to do with this. Don't ask me why I included it with my post. Anyway, my drain tube and end cap are clear. I check them frequently and the pan under the fins is dry. I usually see water in the rear drain cup and haven't seen any lately.

["007"]

paz, has it correct if you do not build up enough frost on fins most times it will be dry.

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by clifftall I knew the recall had nothing to do with this. Don't ask me why I included it with my post. Anyway, my drain tube and end cap are clear. I check them frequently and the pan under the fins is dry. I usually see water in the rear drain cup and haven't seen any lately.

You are in good to go. If the humidity is low or the temperature outside isn't that high so the cooling unit doesn't have to work too hard, you won't have that much frost to melt and drain as 007 said.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz You are in good to go. If the humidity is low or the temperature outside isn't that high so the cooling unit doesn't have to work too hard, you won't have that much frost to melt and drain as 007 said.

Bingo. I'm in Daytona and the humidity is low. Thanks

[scenic route]

I read somewhere (I think it was official Norcold literature)that if your external drain pan is dry, add some water to submerge the end orifice of the drain line...this will help keep frost, or slow it down, from collecting on the cooling fins on the inside of the fridge. Sorry, I just can't remember where I read that...we used our fridge 24/7 for 5 months last summer without needing to defrost. Not very scientific but... Bob