Norcold 1200 lr weight

[SNAIL1]

I'll likely be replacing the cooling unit on our Norcold 1200 lr. Does anyone know the weight of the individual doors on the unit. The Norcold catalog says the total weight of unit is 244 lbs. I need to know the weight of doors so I know the weight I will have to handle while replacing the cooling unit.

[MSHappyCampers]

When I replaced the cooling unit on the 1200 I built a ramp so the unit could be slid right out of the hole onto the ramp. I built another ramp that starts out the same height and slopes down to the floor.

We slid the fridge out, down the ramp, and onto the doors on the floor. We used furniture pads under it.

The hard part is getting it back up that ramp when you're finished! I don't know what the weight is, but it's HEAVY! A friend and I did the job!

I would highly recommend the DutchAire cooling unit from David Force at RV Cooling unit warehouse!

https://rvcoolingunit.com/1200LR-Nor...sh-P13259.aspx

[BigBillSD]

I have yet to do it, but a new friend of mine had his done by the Amish factory in Shipshewana, IN. He said they had four guys to get it out and back in. He has a coach similar to mine and I have no idea how 4 guys could even get near my Norcold at the same time. If you're doing it alone, build jigs like the prior poster mentioned. He also mentioned it was around $300 for them to install it. Just a bit more than just the shipping.. although you need to pay for fuel to get there.. If you are having it shipped you might want to pay extra to try to get them to crate it as apparently they are easily bent in shipping with their normal boxing.

-Bill

[SNAIL1]

Thanks for the input. The 1200 lr refrig with doors weigh is 244 lbs. I was planning to remove the doors and other items that I could strip to reduce weight. I like the idea of having the Amish factory do it for $300. I'll check. I changed the cooling unit on our 10 cu ft frig so $300 for install is a great price.

Thanks for idea of a ramp. I had planned to build a stand and use the couch cushions to support the frig .

[Jake21]

I did mine solo. I took the doors off. Probably about 75ish total pounds I am guessing. I built a deck out of 2x4 and 2x6 the same height at the cabinet bottom. Slid the fridge onto it and then used ratchet straps to secure the fridge to it. It was an all day job.

After about a year or so the fridge wasn’t performing well and we happen to be in the area of Shipshewanna. I made an appt with JR at the factory to get it looked at. He and his two sons had the fridge with the doors still on out of the cabinet in about 10 minutes and the cooling unit replace and the fridge working in less than 3 hours. Well worth it. And what a great community.

I would recommend making the trip to let them do it.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I've had the doors off my 1200LRIM but never weighed them. They aren't real heavy, maybe 20# each.

My recollection is that 244# is the shipping weight and that the fridge itself is about 206#, but my memory could be faulty.

[Dutch Star Don]

There is no need to remove anything. Just buy a Harbor Freight furniture dolly and add wood bracing to get it to the height of the Norcold. Slide the Norcold out onto the dolly and work on it while it's on the dolly. You can easily rotate it and move it as necessary.

With all that said, you won't be happy with replacing the cooling unit. It will still be an inadequate poor cooling refer. Many have the new cooling units fail a few years later. If you're handy and can change the cooling unit, you're handy enough to put a residential unit in it.

[Jake21]

My Amish cooling unit was replaced. I am happy with it. It is not inadequate nor is it a poor cooling refer.

[BigBillSD]

Originally Posted by Jake21

My Amish cooling unit was replaced. I am happy with it. It is not inadequate nor is it a poor cooling refer.

Jake, how long have you had the new cooling unit? I am happily using my Norcold and would replace the cooling unit instead of going the residential fridge road. I will be putting in an ARC to hopefully add to the current units longevity. -Bill

[Jake21]

Initially replaced the original unit about three years ago. Worked great for about 2 years, then it started struggling when outside temps were hot. Had it looked at last year by the factory in Shipshewanna. When they pulled it out, we noticed moisture between the cooling unit and the fridge cabinet. Bad seal by the original installer (me). Installed new unit and it is running great.

[SNAIL1]

I think we are going to have it replaced at coil factory. For $300 I don't think I want to tackle it. I replaced our 1062 coil and that was about 5 or 6 years ago. Not too bad but i'm 5 years older and this unit weighs about twice the old one.

The factory has a 120 v electric residential type coil replacement. They say it runs on 120 volts and pulls 1 amp running and about 8 amps starting current, will fit our 1200 LR so we are considering converting to ac current and compressor. The invertor will run it and maybe that will be the excuse I use to add solar system.

Thanks for you help and comments.

[vito.a]

The Norcold doors are fairly light, but if you build a dolly like Don described it’s easier to just leave the doors on.

On our Windsor we replaced the Norcold cooling unit once, and then the entire refrigerator and it still went out again 3 years later. It took 10 years but I finally had enough and installed a residential refrigerator. The Frigidaire we installed only used .8 amps at 110V.

The Norcold in our Signature quit 30 miles from the dealership. The red light on the recall box was on. I reset it and it quit again. The first thing I did when we got home was remove the Norcold and installed a Samsung RF18. The Samsung is less than half the price of a Norcold and infinitely better. It has LED lights, makes tons of ice, has a great bottom freezer my wife loves, and will run on 1.8 amps of 110v AC. It only takes 2 hours for the Samsung to cool down vs 2-3 days for the Norcold. I used to get upset at the Grandkids for opening the Norcold doors constantly. With the Samsung I don't even think about it anymore.

I also found the AC drain line passing behind the Norcold was badly burned. It looked like a fire just waiting to happen.

[Mac99]

Post #6 is accurate as to the weight 20-25 is all.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Could someone post a link to this compressor or "residential type" replacement cooling unit for a Norcold 12xx? Or at leasy identify the factory source? I've seen a couple references to it being available but can't find it anywhere, e.g. not at RVcoolingunit.com or rvcool.com.