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Old 08-20-2018, 01:38 PM   #1
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Starting a hot Norcold fridge

I had shared this a year of so ago but had actually forgotten it myself!

Many of us turn our fridges off if it will not be used for a while. When not using the coach we set the A/C to 80 degrees in the summer and the heat to 50 degrees in the winter.

The problem occurs in the summer when the inside of the fridge is 80 degrees. When you turn it on the first time the control board is looking for the inside temp to drop a certain number of degrees within a 4-hour period. If it doesn't see that drop it assumes something is wrong and throws the "no co" code.

I called Dometic tech support and they told me how to fool the board. You just unplug the thermistor and set the "Temp" control to "9". The cooling unit will continue cooling to it's maximum capability. Once the temp inside the fridge is down to the setting you want, just plug the thermistor back in and set the "Temp" control to whatever you normally run it.

I did that and left it on overnight. The next morning the temp in the fridge was 28 degrees!

My fridge is the Norcold 1200 but that procedure will probably work with most Norcold units.
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Old 08-20-2018, 03:48 PM   #2
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OK, figured you would be
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:11 AM   #3
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Never had this before so certainly not sure. Wouldn't cycling the frig off and back on (basically resetting) begin the cooling countdown process again? If so, wouldn't the frig be cold enough at this point to maybe go on its own?

And curious, are Dometic and Norcold in cahoots? I always thought they were separate manufacturers.
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:19 AM   #4
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I freeze two gallon jugs of water in the home freezer the night before, and put those in the fridge in the cool morning when I close and start my empty fridge, and have not had any problems. Would it be better to put them in the freezer compartments? The thermistor is in the fridge and that's what I'm trying to influence. But I rarely shut my fridge off, so I rarely need to recool it.
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Old 08-21-2018, 10:12 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudfrog View Post
Never had this before so certainly not sure. Wouldn't cycling the frig off and back on (basically resetting) begin the cooling countdown process again? If so, wouldn't the frig be cold enough at this point to maybe go on its own?

And curious, are Dometic and Norcold in cahoots? I always thought they were separate manufacturers.

I tried resetting it several times after shutdown and it did the same thing!



Don't know about any connection between Dometic and Norcold.
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Old 08-21-2018, 10:15 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyMac View Post
I freeze two gallon jugs of water in the home freezer the night before, and put those in the fridge in the cool morning when I close and start my empty fridge, and have not had any problems. Would it be better to put them in the freezer compartments? The thermistor is in the fridge and that's what I'm trying to influence. But I rarely shut my fridge off, so I rarely need to recool it.
I don't think it would do any good to put them in the freezer compartment since it's using the theoristor to sense the change.

I'm sure your method would work but to me it's easier the unplug the thermistor.
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Old 08-21-2018, 10:18 AM   #7
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Just another thought...be sure to do the factory reset procedure before the overide procedure if it has thrown the "no co" code.


I can post a copy of the reset procedure if anyone needs it.
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Old 08-21-2018, 10:53 AM   #8
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I regularly start my fridge when its 95 inside the fridge. I use a wireless thermometer to watch the progress.

I don't run the air in the MH. The MH remains the 95* during the process.

I put an ice pack on the bottom of the freezer on the cooling plate. It works about the same putting it on the shelf above. My husband often puts it on the shelf because he still doesn't understand how the fridge works.

I usually don't bother with putting anything inside the fridge sometimes I will put in a couple gallons of house room temp water that we plan on using while camping.

I turn on the little blue circulating fan. Although if forgotten it really isn't a problem.

I will have to document how fast it comes down to temp. Its usually down to operating temp when set on 7 within a few hours.

I have a single door norcold. It was not part of the recalled models. It is not in a slide out and I usually start the cooling process the night before we plan on leaving although I have started it in the morning. We don't use any supplemental external fan.

I am very careful to make sure it is always level. It is shut off while negotiating our steep drive and the hills on the way out of the woods where our house is. If we are stopping for any amount of time it is shut off unless it is level. If we are having a challenge getting level at the campground we shut it off until its level.
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Old 08-21-2018, 11:50 AM   #9
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Quote:
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I tried resetting it several times after shutdown and it did the same thing!



Don't know about any connection between Dometic and Norcold.
Seems weird that it wouldn't just start over so it's good that you found an alternative method.

I asked about Dometic because you made the statement,

Quote:
I called Dometic tech support and they told me how to fool the board.
But I do know that both brands use the same technology and probably a lot of the same methods for making the things work. The advice given to you may work with either brand.
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Old 08-21-2018, 12:10 PM   #10
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Norcold N6XX thru N8XX do not monitor cooling .........don't have a 'NoCo' fault


Dometic models....no cooling monitoring/don't have 'NoCo' faults


Some models do have a 'Backup Operating System' where they will continue to cool if thermistor fails (not sensed cause it is unplugged OR is not in contact with a Cooling FIN)
Some models when in 'BOS' can be controlled by changing temp setting....controls cooling cycle based on 'Time'


Some models shut completely down when thermistor fails.




Point is.....not all models react the same so check out how YOURS does before trying something 'abnormal'.
Just goggle "Brand Model Service Manual" and check out how your model responds.
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:22 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudfrog View Post
Seems weird that it wouldn't just start over so it's good that you found an alternative method.

I asked about Dometic because you made the statement,



But I do know that both brands use the same technology and probably a lot of the same methods for making the things work. The advice given to you may work with either brand.

Boy, that was dumb! Didn't realize I said that. Can I claim a senior moment?
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:31 PM   #12
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As I mentioned before. Put something in the freezer to help it to cool down to temp easier. That way you don't have to try to fight with the circuitry.
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Old 08-27-2018, 09:58 AM   #13
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I posted this earlier today in another thread. I think it applies:


A quick word about fans...
I discovered years ago that if I placed our small battery powered fridge fan so it blew air across the fins- it kept less ice from forming, got the fridge down to operating temp. (34-37 degrees) much faster and kept the fridge box cooler over all when compared to placing it in the lowest door compartment as most of the advice instructs you to do. We live in Ca. and during a warm summer day where the outside temp is around 85-90, we've noticed the fridge is ready in roughly 4 to 5 hours. Before I found this "trick" and I was leaving the fan in the lower compartment, the fridge was taking about 6 to 8 hours to cool to a safe temp. This is obviously a non-scientific test but I think that for spending absolutely nothing- it's very effective.
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