Community Forums

RV Dan · 07-11-2016, 06:05 PM

My Norcold 1210IM is on the fritz. The freezer is cold but the fridge is warm.I do not want a regular fridge. As I see it my choices are;

Rv Cool unit $695 5 year warranty
Amish unit $1175 3 year warranty
Arcticold unit $1100 Lifetime warranty
Norcold factory unit $1200 1 year warranty

I plan on doing this with the help of a friend. Can you give me any feedback on the above choices? Also if you have swapped out a cooling unit was it hard? Any tips or pointers to make it easier?

Thanks in advance,

Dan

LookAtUSNow · 07-11-2016, 08:32 PM

I opted to install a residential, so no opinion to offer advice on a model.
Removing the old one wasn't to difficult, especially if you plan on trashing it anyway. I am not sure about the different models you selected in size or shape. I would caution you to make sure the replacement is similar so you can seal up the back of the new one. Measure your door to see if it fits and in my case it fit through the door so I removed the passenger seat to clear a path. I could squeezed it through but I knew I would tear up a few things. Not knowing the other models dimensions, I would personally go with the Amish replacement, you know the old unit will fit the space it was designed for. Good luck, the fact you are discussing do this leads me to think you won't have a problem doing the changeout, pretty straight forward.

**Lt Dan** · 07-12-2016, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Dan

My Norcold 1210IM is on the fritz. The freezer is cold but the fridge is warm.I do not want a regular fridge. As I see it my choices are;
Rv Cool unit $695 5 year warranty
Amish unit $1175 3 year warranty
Arcticold unit $1100 Lifetime warranty
Norcold factory unit $1200 1 year warranty
I plan on doing this with the help of a friend. Can you give me any feedback on the above choices? Also if you have swapped out a cooling unit was it hard? Any tips or pointers to make it easier?
Thanks in advance, Dan

Dan, I can't speak about the other three, but I installed an Amish unit in the Norcold in my Itasca. I would definitely opt for it over the Norcold replacement due to the heavier wall construction. The quality of the unit was excellent and the fit was perfect.

It was not a difficult job. I did it by myself in about six hours with the help of a rope to hold the new unit in place. However, if you have an assistant it will be much easier. It will also be much easier to fit the new unit in place if you can lay the fridge face down on a couple of sawhorses where you can let gravity hold it in place and reach the bolts inside from underneath. The main thing is make sure you get plenty of the foam sealant in place when you put the new cooling unit in place. That's the biggest cause of poor cooling with a new unit.

I've posted a couple of photos below so you can know what to expect when you take it apart. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to PM me.

swampdog2 · 07-12-2016, 03:35 PM

I installed mine !bought it from Articold works fine but if you order one! It will take forever and a day for them to ship like 30 days or longer.If I had it to do over I would go with rv cool they have a great video on how to do it and I wish I had known about them before , watch their video and do it just like they tell you and you want have any problems ,They have both new and rebuilt

buckeyemike · 07-16-2016, 01:02 PM

In February I installed an Amish built one and it has worked great I noticed that it had twice as many Cooling coils as the norcold OEM

MSHappyCampers · 07-16-2016, 04:17 PM

I would buy the Amish unit from David Force at RV Cooling Unit Warehouse. I would seriously consider paying the extra and getting the helium-filled unit!

I would also replace the cooling fans. I would re-wire the fans as well. I would run separate wires from the fans and the thermal switch down to the bottom and make the connections there. That way, if the thermal switch ever fails, you could control the fans without pulling the fridge out!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!