Community Forums

cinbol · 05-26-2014, 08:06 PM

We have a 2005 Sightseer bought used and have owned it for 4 years - we have a new issue this spring - when we plugged in the shore line and turned on the fridge, we blew the GFI - as soon as the fridge tries to pull a load... after several failed attempts, we decided to run the fridge on propane and it works just fine - ran all weekend and stayed cold and kept all our food just fine. Everything else electrical in the rig seems to function just fine and we had no electrical issues over the weekend as long as we keep the fridge on propane....

What should we be looking for?

BFlinn181 · 05-26-2014, 08:39 PM

The only thing the refrigerator uses 120 v for is the heating element that takes the place of the LP flame. If the heating element is burned out and causing a short, that could be your issue. Check online for the manual for your particular Norcold model and you'll see a drawing and part number you'll need to buy and install.

Akcontender · 05-26-2014, 09:17 PM

I just had the same problem with my Norcold 1200 model. I finally figured out that it was a ground wire that wasn't making a good contact. I took the cover off of the printed circuit board on the back of the fridge and trouble shot everything. There was a module installed on the fridge that I assume was the retrofit for the recall on so many of them. That had a ground wire which wasn't tightened under the grounding screw. I was very happy to figure that one out and not have to buy a new fridge.

cinbol · 05-27-2014, 05:48 PM

Thanks for the tips - we did some investigating - took the cover off the board and the fuses were good, no burn marks and all connections were tight (including the ground wire!) On another tip from somewhere else, we disconnected the heating element and plugged the fridge back in and connected the shoreline - voila - no trip to the GFIC! The AC heater resistance was in the correct range when unplugged and tested, but it appears that the element may be shorting somewhere inside the canister so we will order a new element and hope that fixes the problem - hoping we can get the old one out - it seems almost cemented in there -but we were advised to soak with some penetrating oil and it should loosen up... will post here once we have a solution for the next person who may come across this problem.

jesilvas · 05-27-2014, 08:27 PM

Testing the resistance on the element is one thing, but ALSO check each lead to the casing of the element. There should be INFINITE resistance. Any tiny bit of continuity means it is bad and needs to be replaced.

cinbol · 06-07-2014, 09:26 AM

Thanks to all for the tips and suggestions. We have finally replaced the heating element and the fridge has been running on electricity for almost 20 hours with no problems. I am posting as advice for anyone else who may find this problem.

Getting to the element and getting it out was the hardest part. Once unplugged, we had to open the flue canister that houses the metal tubes that hold the element rod. The element was "frozen" in and would not move. After soaking several times with good old WD-40 we were able to free it up and get it moving, but when trying to pull upwards to get it out of the tube we were "bumping" into something above that was preventing us from pulling it up - with some hard maneuvering in a tight space, finally we were able to get the element out of the tube.

We ordered the new part on line and recieved it yesterday - put it back in the tube, and plugged it into the board, and then finally shore power and we are back in the cooling business without tripping the GFI.

Thanks again for the assistance - I love this forum!
Cindi