Community Forums

harleyjt · 07-27-2016, 10:53 AM

My 11 yr old Norcold 1200 series seems to do reasonably well on 110v power as long as its set to level 8 or 9 in our high temp high humidity area, usually running 15 to 17 deg freezer and 35 to 37 or so frig. However, when it switches to propane, it just doesn't cool. The burner does light and the flame looks good to my untrained eye - a nice blue flame, an occasional yellow shot, but generally a nice flame. It has no trouble lighting up. There is no evidence of leakage from the cooling unit. It just won't cool on gas - the interior temps just keep climbing. I am currently cleaning the burner orifice with alcohol as suggested in other posts and will reinstall after a little more soaking and blowing out. Any other suggestions from those of you that may have experienced a similar problem? Yeah - I know a residential will cure the problem, but that's not the answer I'm looking for. TIA!
jt

MSHappyCampers · 07-27-2016, 10:57 AM

I had exactly the same problem and David Force with RV Cooling Unit Warehouse gave me the solution!

Remove the orifice from the end of the LPG line, soak it in 91% alcohol for several hours, then blow it out with high-pressure air. You will be amazed at the crud that comes out!

harleyjt · 07-27-2016, 07:07 PM

I picked up a new burner as the old one didn't look good. I'll see if the new burner makes a difference and then I'll inspect the condenser fans to see if they are operating.

jt
2005 Newmar Kountry Star gas 3742, Workhorse 8.1L w/Allison 5 speed.

Sent from my iPhone using iRV2 - RV Forum

PJtraveler · 07-27-2016, 07:36 PM

Had a similar problem on LP. Sounds like you're on the right track. I went through everything on LP side of things to find out it was just a dirty burner. I cleaned it up really well and improved the cooling but it wasn't on par with the AC side. Replacing it solved my issue. Here's the store I got mine:
Norcold Burners and Orifices for Sale | The Norcold Guy

harleyjt · 07-28-2016, 08:16 PM

Ok, for anyone thats interested, I found part of the problem. After replacing the burner, cooling improved approximately to the level of AC cooling.

But, its still not performing properly as it needs to run on setting 8 or 9.

This morning, I got to thinking about something I noticed after installing the new burner, and realized it may help in diagnosing a bad burner in the future. When I first installed the new burner, I noticed what appeared to be a piece of trash glowing red on top of the burner. My initial thought was that a chunk of insulation or other debris had dropped down on top of my new burner and was glowing. I backed off the gas with the manual valve and realized that what I was seeing glowing was the igniter tip. Whats interesting is that I did not see the igniter tip glowing with the old burner. So it indicates to me the old burner was not capable of producing the required heat even though the flame looked ok. You really can't tell by just looking at the flame. The glowing igniter may be a good indicator to observe when trying to decide if you have a burner issue.

My next project is to verify whether or not the condenser fans are working. I suspect they are not. So I'll get into that soon. That may finish the job and get it cooling to its full potential where it can be set to mid scale.
jt

MSHappyCampers · 07-29-2016, 10:48 AM

Glad you're making progress!

iRent2u · 07-30-2016, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harleyjt

My 11 yr old Norcold 1200 series seems to do reasonably well on 110v power as long as its set to level 8 or 9 in our high temp high humidity area, usually running 15 to 17 deg freezer and 35 to 37 or so frig. However, when it switches to propane, it just doesn't cool. The burner does light and the flame looks good to my untrained eye - a nice blue flame, an occasional yellow shot, but generally a nice flame. It has no trouble lighting up. There is no evidence of leakage from the cooling unit. It just won't cool on gas - the interior temps just keep climbing. I am currently cleaning the burner orifice with alcohol as suggested in other posts and will reinstall after a little more soaking and blowing out. Any other suggestions from those of you that may have experienced a similar problem? Yeah - I know a residential will cure the problem, but that's not the answer I'm looking for. TIA!
jt

I believe there is recall on the 1200. You may want to check it out.

harleyjt · 07-30-2016, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Addisons

I believe there is recall on the 1200. You may want to check it out.

Thanks. Yes it's been done.

jt
2005 Newmar Kountry Star gas 3742, Workhorse 8.1L w/Allison 5 speed.

Sent from my iPhone using iRV2 - RV Forum

OLYLEN · 07-30-2016, 09:19 AM

Get the rust out. The chimney maybe clogged with rust not allowing good hot air flow. Sometimes just banging on the chimney and vacuuming out what falls is enough.

LEN

harleyjt · 07-30-2016, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLYLEN

Get the rust out. The chimney maybe clogged with rust not allowing good hot air flow. Sometimes just banging on the chimney and vacuuming out what falls is enough.

LEN

Good idea. I saw one video where the guy cleaned it out with a 12ga shotgun brush. I know there was some rust flakes in the old burner. I can also check for the existance of the baffle and cap at the same time. Thanks!

jt
2005 Newmar Kountry Star gas 3742, Workhorse 8.1L w/Allison 5 speed.

Sent from my iPhone using iRV2 - RV Forum