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Old 09-11-2019, 07:36 AM   #1
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Norcold Refrigerators

I couldn't help notice there are several people experiencing major failures of their Norcold Refrigerators. Seems that the 1210 models are leading the pack.

Add me to the growing list of people looking for a solution. I'd like to replace the metal and plastic storage box (sometimes referred to as a Norcold refrigerator) with something that actually cools the contents that I place inside. So I spent a little Google time this AM and it appears that Norcold is making a pretty bad name for itself selling expensive boxes that don't work for very long.

I need a refrigerator and I'm not interested in replacing one piece of junk with another just like it. But I like the idea of having a unit that will run on DC, AC and/or Gas.

Anyone have advice in this area or that would like to recommend an alternate brand?

TIA

Jim
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Old 09-11-2019, 08:52 AM   #2
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I have no complaints with the Dometic we have. Keeps ice cream hard and milk cold enough to feel on your teeth.
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Old 09-11-2019, 08:56 AM   #3
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I have no complaints with the Dometic we have. Keeps ice cream hard and milk cold enough to feel on your teeth.
Thanks for responding!

Can you tell me a little about it? How old, does it work on DC/AC/Propane? Size?
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Old 09-11-2019, 08:59 AM   #4
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Check out JC Refrigeration.

They make 12 and 120 volt conversions.
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Old 09-11-2019, 09:00 AM   #5
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You will find via a search of the forum that the recommendations boil down to two:
1. Replace cooling unit with a new Amish cooling unit from JC Refrig, Shipshewana, IN. Cost will be about $1,500 installed. Go for the helium filled unit and the extra fan up top.
2. Replace entire Nocold with a residential refer. There is a favored brand, Samsung, I believe. But don't trust my memory, do a search.


Also recommended if you go the Amish cooling unit route is to get the ARP thermal limit switch which shuts off the boiler at a much lower temp than the Dometic (successor to Norcold), thereby avoiding a potential fire.
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Old 09-11-2019, 09:07 AM   #6
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my Norcold fridge started on fire and burned my 2005 Phaeton in 2010.
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Old 09-11-2019, 09:15 AM   #7
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This is mild.
Compared to many, most do burn to the ground.
Sad, but this unit was Totaled.

How many Hundreds a year are destroyed by
These 2 or 3 way fridge es. ???

I am wondering?Click image for larger version

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Old 09-11-2019, 09:30 AM   #8
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I have a Dometic in my 5th wheel and it performs flawlessly even in hot weather. As soon as the Norcold in the Beaver started acting up I dumped it for a residential. I have never seen anyone talk about how much they love their Norcold.
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Old 09-11-2019, 09:57 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry141 View Post
my Norcold fridge started on fire and burned my 2005 Phaeton in 2010.
Well, that's not good. I'll pull it out in a bit. It's not working anyway, no sense in taking a chance on it.

Quote:
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This is mild.
Compared to many, most do burn to the ground.
Sad, but this unit was Totaled. How many Hundreds a year are destroyed by
These 2 or 3 way fridge es. ??? Attachment 259955
I like the idea of gas so I can be the quiet one when boondocking, but not at the expense of burning down the neighborhood. Is the gas danger unique to Norcold's poor technology/build or is the fire danger something that is common when using any gas refrigerator?
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Old 09-11-2019, 12:02 PM   #10
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Its dying of smoke inhalation in your sleep, or before you get out of the coach.

That overcomes the advantages of quiet
Boondocking .

Yes

I have a 19 year old 4 door Norcold that did cool and freeze excellently [emoji106] that I replaced two weeks ago because the recal tripped repeatedly and we smelled Ammonia. [emoji848][emoji2955]

Fortunately it was during the day.
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Old 09-11-2019, 12:24 PM   #11
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We had JC put in one of his cooling units even though ours was working fine. It get much colder now on much lower settings. We got the helium and extra fans previously mentioned as we’ll as an interior circulating fan and a automatic halon fire extinguisher in the outside compartment.

It now works wonderfully and we love it. It now keeps 0=5 freezer and 35-40 refrig temps on #2-4 and used to have higher temps 20~ freezer 40’s refrig at higher settings.
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Old 09-11-2019, 12:45 PM   #12
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Very Smart

Enjoy
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Old 09-11-2019, 12:54 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Squerly View Post
Thanks for responding!

Can you tell me a little about it? How old, does it work on DC/AC/Propane? Size?
Run down the road and in hot summers on propane. Freezer temp is around 0. Don't have a thermometer in there. The fridge part usually is 30 to 32 degrees. Starting in the cooler summer morning takes about 4 hours to get to 32 degrees in the lower section. Cooler out side and it cools faster. Same when on electric running, same temps. We don't have a painted dark RV. Just white which I think helps. Also when the awning is out, that area is under it which helps when camping. I think its the 6/7 cubic foot model.
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Old 09-11-2019, 03:03 PM   #14
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My Norcold failed last year. The black box shut it down, I reset it a couple times and it would run a short while. I then smelled the ammonia and pulled the plug on it.

Finally got a chance to install a Samsung RF 18. Somewhat of a challenge since I have a furnace under the fridge. It was down to -2F in the freezer and 38 in the fridge within 3 hours.

I contemplated this for a long time since we do boon dock quite a bit, but considering the advantages of a residential, larger size, and cost I decided to dump the Norcold. I can pay for a lot of diesel with the cost savings with the Samsung.
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