Community Forums

LSC9901 · 06-20-2020, 07:30 AM

Yup .... another irritated consumer who is looking to go residential !!!!

We have a 2009 Fleetwood Bounder 35H with the Norcold 1210IM (IM being ice maker) The freezer works great but the fridge works to be at 40°. I have checked the thermistor, the heating elements, fans installed and working, no ammonia smell and no yellow dust. After far to much research I can only join those who want to or have moved to a residential unit.

My real question, and PLEASE keeps responses to my question, for those who had the Norcold 1210 and have replaced it with a residential .... what brand and model did you get ? I'm hoping in particular to hear from those whose fridge is located in a slide out. At most I have about a 2 inch leeway at the top and nothing at the bottom.

The current measurements are 63 1/4" high, 32 11/16" wide and 24" deep. Again .... PLEASE only if you have replaced the Norcold 1210 and preferably in a slide. Size restrictions are important.

**Spdracr39** · 06-20-2020, 07:34 AM

A Samsung RF18 and a GE gwe19ss are the same width and depth but are taller. I had some storage drawers under mine and remove them for a perfect fit. Mine was not located in the slide. When searching sizes limit your searches to "counter depth". It won't be the same as yours but the install is in my blog listed in my signature.

jacwjames · 06-20-2020, 07:50 AM

I had the same problem with mine and ultimately replaced with a Samsung RF18, which will not fit in your application due t height.
Mine ultimately failed with the yellow dust over the back but prior to this I fought a warm fridge for quite a while, resorting to putting remote temp sensors in to monitor and moving frozen blocks into it when it got warm.

When I remove the Norcold I had to take the cooling unit off the back and found a large air gap from the initial install, they used way too much adhesive to attach and as a result a loss of cooling capability. Not sure if it might not be worth checking.

As to your desire for a residential, with your limited height it may be a problem. Here is a link to AJ Madison showing counter depth refrigerators. If you put in your height limits there will a limited selection available.
https://www.ajmadison.com/refrigerat...-refrigerators

Others have done a conversion to a different cooling unit similar to a residential, this might be your best option.

Good luck

LSC9901 · 06-20-2020, 07:56 AM

Enjoyed reading the install. Part of my issue is I have no drawers beneath and only about 2 - 2 1/2" above to play with. There is some room available below but it'll require putting in a false floor for the wires. Like you currently have, I have a vent, just to move air, and I'd like to leave that intact for air movement to the new install.

When you took out the junk, was it attached to just the bottom or are there screws elsewhere holding it ?

jacwjames · 06-20-2020, 08:08 AM

If you have the option of removing a drawer it would be well worth the effort to go to a larger residential. The Samsung RF18 gains you about 50% more space, works on a MSW inverter, and is pretty power efficient. I got lucky and found one on clearance at Lowes for $855.

Here is a link to my install, not an easy task since I have the furnace under it which I wanted to keep.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/sam...ne-461001.html
You open up a lot more candidates by removing the drawer.

LSC9901 · 06-20-2020, 08:14 AM

I did look at your install but I'd like to know how many screws hold the Norcold in place.

I have no drawers so no room for expansion in that direction.

jacwjames · 06-20-2020, 08:18 AM

Most of the screws for mine were on the front trim pieces although there were some minor screws across the bottom of the back that mostly held electrical and condensate tray in place.

PABO05 · 06-20-2020, 08:35 AM

I used the JC refrigeration 120V cooling system to my Norcold 1200.
Keeping my original cabinet. It’s been installed for two years.
Freezer and ice maker works great. Box is 34/36 degrees.
My refrigerator is in the slide and I did not want to lose any cabinet space.
Or cut into my cabinets. I am very happy with the installation.
I did the installation myself and did not have to remove any windows.

LSC9901 · 06-20-2020, 09:22 AM

That's fine ....... I want a residential unit. You likely paid $1300 plus to keep a 12 Cu Ft fridge. I can spend half that and get a residential fridge with at least 17 (or more) Cu Ft, cools in a couple hours and no fire hazard. I've already looked at the JC Refrigeration units and the cost/value equation just doesn't work for me. I'm glad it has for you.

Really .... I'm looking for a residential unit that will fit where my Norcold 1210 currently is.

**Spdracr39** · 06-20-2020, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Enjoyed reading the install. Part of my issue is I have no drawers beneath and only about 2 - 2 1/2" above to play with. There is some room available below but it'll require putting in a false floor for the wires. Like you currently have, I have a vent, just to move air, and I'd like to leave that intact for air movement to the new install.

When you took out the junk, was it attached to just the bottom or are there screws elsewhere holding it ?

There were screws along the top of the front of the norcold and also the bottom of the rear.

Gary RVRoamer · 06-21-2020, 10:03 AM

Consider a wider variety of sizes. I replaced my Norcold 1201 LRIM with a 14.6 cu ft GE top freezer model. Not cabinet depth. An 18 cu ft models is nice, but 14.6 is still over 20% larger plus it's frost free, fan circulated cooling, and energy star rated.

You may or may not need a cabinet depth model, depending on your floor plan. I still had room for the doors to swing open even though mine was standard depth. In fact, if I had had another 0.5" of swing-space, I could have used the 16 cu ft model instead of 14.6.

Leaving the outside vents open is a poor plan for most residential models. They are designed to bring air in underneath and exhaust it up behind the back and over the top, back into the room. That also evaporates the condensation runoff from the defrost cycle. If you leave the wall vents open, critters and hot/cold air get in unless you totally seal around the fridge, which means redesigning the air flow and evaporation tray. Unless you get a model with cooling fins mounted on the back, that is difficult to do and also voids the warranty.

LSC9901 · 06-21-2020, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Consider a wider variety of sizes. I replaced my Norcold 1201 LRIM with a 14.6 cu ft GE top freezer model. Not cabinet depth. An 18 cu ft models is nice, but 14.6 is still over 20% larger plus it's frost free, fan circulated cooling, and energy star rated.

You may or may not need a cabinet depth model, depending on your floor plan. I still had room for the doors to swing open even though mine was standard depth. In fact, if I had had another 0.5" of swing-space, I could have used the 16 cu ft model instead of 14.6.

Leaving the outside vents open is a poor plan for most residential models. They are designed to bring air in underneath and exhaust it up behind the back and over the top, back into the room. That also evaporates the condensation runoff from the defrost cycle. If you leave the wall vents open, critters and hot/cold air get in unless you totally seal around the fridge, which means redesigning the air flow and evaporation tray. Unless you get a model with cooling fins mounted on the back, that is difficult to do and also voids the warranty.

At this point I believe we are settling on a GE 16.6 Cu Ft top freezer model. The down side is that the width opening is about 33.5". This model is only 28". The height is at the max for us. I do have space below the fridge but it is loaded with wiring and I'd really like to keep that accessible in the event there is ever the need to get at it. Currently there is a small vet to let air into that area. Anyway the max height I can do is 65" and this fridge tops out at 64.75". 65 is where the ceiling is. My unit is in a slide so max height is just that ...65". I guess we will have to decide if we want to even out some molding on each side or place the unit more to one side.

If nothing else I feel good about finally finding a unit we can use. Anything over the 16.6 Cu Ft involves a height problem and I'm just not ready to tear stuff apart that I'm not comfy with. When we do get after it, possibly next month, I will try to post pictures of how it goes.

bobmac · 06-21-2020, 01:28 PM

LSC9901

The answer to your question is short. If you DO NOT want a fridge to extend beyond the Norcold, you need an 33" wide, counter depth fridge. Your choices are a Samsung RF-18 or a similar size made by GE and mentioned in an earlier post.

Bounder 3 · 06-21-2020, 02:17 PM

[QUOTE=bobmac;5313621]LSC9901

The answer to your question is short. If you DO NOT want a fridge to extend beyond the Norcold, you need an 33" wide, counter depth fridge. Your choices are a Samsung RF-18 or a similar size made by GE and mentioned in an earlier