Norcold Door Seals Fix?

[UFO Pilot]

I believe my Norcold 1210 door seals are leaking as I suddenly have condensation issues. I understand the seals can't be replaced and the only fix is to replace the doors, about $1600 or so from what I read.

I am considering adding a layer if 1" wide by 1/8" thick foam weatherstrip over the existing gaskets to see if that will fix the problem.

I wonder if anyone has tried this with any success or if there is a problem with trying it? I bought a 33' roll for less than $10 so it won't cost much to try.

I am not interested in replacing the Norcold with a residential so please don't suggest that.

[Oregonpharme]

The door seals are adjusted at the hinge points on the doors. Get your hands on the Norcold ACM 1210 installation manual, and it has a section on door adjustment to tighten the seals. It also has a notice this should only be done by authorized dealers, but it is not that difficult.
Additional foam will complicate the process and create more trouble than it is worth.

[RKins]

My new Dometic fridge had freezer door seal problems from the beginning and they had me stuff cotton balls under the inside of the seal all around and then close the door for a couple days. It seemed to help but I still get frost in the freezer.

[steve52]

According to this post there was/is a recall. Norcold can supposedly supply shims to fix the issue.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/norco...all-60450.html

[UFO Pilot]

Thanx for the replies. My Norcold is actually a 1211IM if that makes any difference. I was told it is a 1210 but my build sheet shows 1211IM.

[AnotherMike]

Originally Posted by RKins

My new Dometic fridge had freezer door seal problems from the beginning and they had me stuff cotton balls under the inside of the seal all around and then close the door for a couple days. It seemed to help but I still get frost in the freezer.

Regarding the trick of shimming the seals with cotton balls... I copied the below from another comment thread... don't remember from where... but it's a stopgap as the seals dry out and lose their flexibility after a certain number of years... the plasticizer evaporates... you will have to replace the seals eventually, the cotton-ball-shimming process is simply delaying the inevitable...
= = = = =
How to reset the seals:

Do one door at a time... the fridge door in one process, the freezer door in another... Place a small cotton ball under the seal in each corner and shim wherever else the seal is not making contact... I had a leaky area on the bottom of the door... used two layers of credit cards there... Warm the entire seal using a heat gun or a hair dryer... two people and two hair dryers makes it a lot easier... just going around and around and over the seals being very careful to 'warm' the seals, you are NOT trying to to heat the seals up, just to get them warm and soft...
When fully warmed... when the plastic of the seals is softened... close the door on the shimmed seal and leave it alone for an hour or so... (until completely cooled down).

Then remove the cotton balls and check the fit. It may be better, it may be no change...
= = = = =
And I saved this from another thread on this web site...

From <http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/norcold-1200-door-seals-451036.html> http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/norc...ls-451036.html
"I had new gaskets made by Refrigerator & Freezer Door Gaskets & Seals | Cooler-Gaskets. <http://cooler-gaskets.com>
Refrigerator & Freezer Door Gaskets & Seals | Cooler-Gaskets

The seals on my Norcold had to be cut off the door and sent in to the above company. They made new gaskets to fit and I used yellow weatherstrip adhesive to mount them. Worked good. This is a mom & pop company that make many different gaskets for the industry and others. Really good folks in my experience."
= = = = =

Mike

[hamm2018]

A friend of mine put Vaseline on the gasket for a short time to make the gasket flexible. He does claim it helped, for a time until he needs to replace the gaskets.

[UFO Pilot]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

A friend of mine put Vaseline on the gasket for a short time to make the gasket flexible. He does claim it helped, for a time until he needs to replace the gaskets.

I will give that a try. Nothing permanent to remove if it doesn't work.

[RKins]

Try the cotton ball approach, it might cost you 10 cents and 10 minutes time. I think the idea is to stretch the gasket. You open the door, go to the inside of the seal and lift it and then stuff continuous cotton balls all the way around. Easy Peasy. Close the door and leave close for a couple days. Nothing to lose trying.

[Ray,IN]

I washed the seals including folds, and contact areas on my 1200LRIM with warm soapy water to remove any residue, then gently pulled the seal folds apart while drying them with an old hair dryer set on low.
That was 5 years ago, still seals properly. I do have to defrost the freezers once every 3/4 months though.
You might try this, all it costs is a few drops of Dawn and electricity to run the dryer. If it doesn't work, all you lost is time.

[DariusB]

My top seal on the freezer was not making full contact. I stuffed some round toothpicks in the grooves on the seal in the area where the frost was and that fixed it pretty good. You have to watch out for the toothpicks as they will fall out if you open the door quickly.

[UFO Pilot]

I coated the seals with Vaseline and it worked! Just got back from a 3 week trip and never had the condensation problem.

Thanx to all for the suggestions.