1st Trip Problems!

[CWinLV]

Well, our maiden voyage was met with a couple of problems
1) Fridge (Norcold 1200) doesn't seem to be cooling below 50 degrees but freezer working nicely. Temp is set to coldest setting. Outside temp mid 60's. The unit was replaced 2 years ago. It worked fine on pre-inspection.
2). Main slide appears to leak during rain near kitchen area. We did not have awning out. The rubber seems to be sticking in spots so we are hoping it's merely seated incorrectly. We've pulled in the slide and no more water.

Based on the above, where do we start? I have the food in the basement fridge which appears to be working fine. Hubby says he does NOT hear the fans in the fridge. Problem? As for the slide, what things should we look at?

The unit was kept in a climate controlled garage and had been stored for just over a year before we bought it. No evidence of prior leaks.

Help!!!

[Damon Diva]

What is the refrigerator model?

[CWinLV]

Originally Posted by Damon Diva

What is the refrigerator model?

Norcold 1200

[countrypair]

Sorry to hear about your problems. We had a similar problem when we bought our 2006 used. Our Norcold 1200 worked fine at the dealership, but as soon as we started using it full time it failed! We had to have the whole cooling unit replaced however, even after that we had a failure. We were on the road & had to have a tech look at it. He discovered the fins had not been torqued properly. He tightened the fins & it's been fine ever since. One thing I changed was the water drain going into the cup in the back. I added an extension & have the water drain to the outside. This way I know it's working properly.

I noticed some of my seals were starting to show signs of tearing, so I used Aero #303 & wiped all the seal down to prevent sticking when parked for extended period of time. I have found that sometimes the seals do not fold out evenly across the top of the kitchen slide, so by lubing the rubber & roof the seals roll out properly. Good luck!

[KIX]

On the right end of the fins in the refer you will see a little clip on thermister........it will have two wires. Slide that unit up on the fin it's attached to.......about 1/4". If that doesn't fix the cooling issue then replace the thermister.
Use corn starch on the rubber seals to prevent sticking.

[Sky_Boss]

Originally Posted by CWinLV

Norcold 1200

I won't try to be too insistent but you are in a great situation to go residential if you can't get that problem sorted out. We have not liked the Norcold 1200 in either our previous coach or this one. Samsung discontinued the 197R but you might find one still around. I heard they have a replacement of the same basic dimensions but haven't seen anything specific on that.

If you full time and aren't worried about the advantages of an RV refer for boon docking then it is something to consider. We made that swap and LOVE it. BTW...I don't think it is necessary to have any additional batteries to make it work. It would be nice but with the battery bay set up it doesn't seem possible to put more or larger batteries in it. At least, not with the Lifeline AGMs we currently have.

["007"]

Its recommended by Newmar to use 303 on the rubber seals, when slide is out make sure there in no folds in the rubber seal against the side wall of slide if you have a fold run your awning rod hook to reseat seal to lie flat against the side wall. 303 wipped on seal both sides will eliminate this problem.
A fold will allow water to get behind the seal and enter on back side of seal.
If your fridge fans are not running you need to check the thermal switch, they do fail over time and temporary run a fan 110 or 12v at the bottom on the vent floor opening inside vent area and the temp will drop in the lower box portion of fridge.
In my signature below are links to many items that relate to your Newmar.
Here is a link from one of them related to your fridge.
If you need a Brochure or Owners Guide let me know can get them for you.

[CWinLV]

Originally Posted by KIX

On the right end of the fins in the refer you will see a little clip on thermister........it will have two wires. Slide that unit up on the fin it's attached to.......about 1/4". If that doesn't fix the cooling issue then replace the thermister.
Use corn starch on the rubber seals to prevent sticking.

Thanks, Hubby has already tried that. Moved the clip to an entirely different fun to no avail. The clip is completely rusted though...could that be the problem?

["007"]

I would get a new clip should be no rust and you may fix your problem.
Clip should be about 1 1/2" down the fin.
I think mine is on 2nd fin on right.

[CWinLV]

Thanks for your input,everyone. We sure appreciate all the help we get here!

I guess we had a brain fart on the slide. The other slides have awnings over them that extend when the slide comes out, but the main slide doesn't! We didn't want to chance putting it out with the storm (we were worried about wind coming up), so we had no protection whatsoever over the top of the slide. Combined with the sticky seals, we were destined to leak! Awning is out now and all appears to be ok. We will lube the seals when the rain stops. Lesson learned!

After reading much about the residential fridge, we may just decide to go that route if this becomes more than an easy fix. Has anyone here with a 4320 made the switch? Will there be cabinet mods required to switch? What are we looking at in price? We just replaced all the tires, so our funds are a bit depleted right now.

Thanks again! You ARE appreciated!!!

["007"]

There are many conversions down in RV APPLIANCES FORUM do a search in that forum for threads most work will be finding one to fit in same hole as Norcold so not much cabinet work has to be done, some have even installed one deeper than the Norcold.

[Sky_Boss]

Originally Posted by CWinLV

...
I guess we had a brain fart on the slide. The other slides have awnings over them that extend when the slide comes out, but the main slide doesn't! ...

After reading much about the residential fridge, we may just decide to go that route if this becomes more than an easy fix. Has anyone here with a 4320 made the switch? ...

Newmar standard set up is NO slide topper for the patio slide. That being said, there is no reason the slide should leak if the seals are in proper shape.

Yes...we did the refer conversion. Not a single regret.

Yes, we have a DSDP 4320 and full time in it.

[JFXG]

Christy.... Our kitchen slide is also under the awning location and has no integral topper. We've been full timing two years, never have the awning out in rain, and have never had any leakage. Once you treat the slide seals you should be fine in the rain even without the awning.