Norcold Refrigerator issue - Page 2

John_Canfield · 08-05-2008, 01:18 PM

Bingo - your upper vent was obstructed like mine was

.

The metal deflector plate is there to channel the hot air to the outside via the vent opening.

My thought is to secure the plate at an angle so that hot air will hit the plate and move outside. Secure it with screws into something convenient.

Paul T · 08-11-2008, 04:09 PM

I've been frustrated with poor refrigerator temps and good freezer temps recently. We just had 6 days of dry camping and I put wireless temperature transmitters in each compartment. I found it interesting that there was a steady differential of approximately 40 degrees between the freezer and refrigerator compartments. I used the manual propane only mode for the 6 days and had temps ranging from "38 over -2" to "49 over +1" with the 49 degrees on a setting of 6 and the 38 with a temp setting of 9. In reading the Norcold documentation for the 10th time, I noticed for the first time the statement that, "when operating the unit over 5500 ft msl it is recommended that only the AC mode be used". In that I was at 10,600 ft msl and had ice for my G & T each evening one could say I shouldn't complain but here is the interesting part, - when my coach is in motion I get much better cooling than when parked. With a temp setting of 5 the unit came down to 34 over a -6 on the three hour drive back down to 5,000 ft. I still haven't examined the top vent area but suspect something must have moved around a bit up there obstucting air flow base on what the rest of you folks have said. It's just frustrating that I can always get ice cubes on top and less than a satisfactory temperature down in the refrigerator area. Does anyone here think I have a thermister problem versus a air flow problem??

RV Wizard · 08-12-2008, 12:49 AM

If you get better performance in travel than when still, it is an air flow issue and needs to be addressed. Let us know what you find.

John_Canfield · 08-12-2008, 04:36 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul T:
I've been frustrated with poor refrigerator temps and good freezer temps recently. --snip--Does anyone here think I have a thermister problem versus a air flow problem?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Go to Bryant RV and download your service manual. Go through the cooling system diagnostic flow chart. Also verify your fridge installation and venting meets Norcold's specs.

Randy Chesnutt · 08-12-2008, 06:52 AM

IN your last posting you said that when you are in motion it works. That because you are getting more air. Have you pulled the outside vent off and see how it opperate. I had the same problem with mine. Had it check and all was fine. They told me to take the vent cover off while camping and it would work fine. It did. So what I did was I came up with a vent I call the cool air vent. It,s a vent I put on when i set up. It shades the vent opening and let's in lot of air. When I was at GNR one year I had problem with my ice box ,that when they checked out. I got home and I came up with the plans on building the vent. The nexts year when I went to the ralley I was parked in the same spot ,I put my vent on and I had no problem. I have used it for over three years now and my ice boxs work great. I,m trying to patent it. The ice box needs air. I tried to get picture posted , but I don't know how.

Paul T · 08-12-2008, 04:02 PM

Randy, - Is your fridge mounted in the slide out? It sounds like you have a solution many of might want to copy. My top exhaust is mounted so high I need a pretty tall ladder to access to the top side vent so I'd like to come up with a solution that is not quite as labor intensive at each stop as you are doing, -- but if it will cure the problem, I'll sure give it a try.

And John, - I've perused the material available via Bryant RV and have a copy of the maintenance manual now on my hard drive. Last week when evaluating different potential problems I didn't have internet access when crimped my knowledge base a bit. Thanks for the help!

TXiceman · 08-13-2008, 03:21 AM

You can easily add one of the pancake or muffin fans to cool the unit. The ones sold by Radio Shack work fine and you can easily pick up 12 volts in the area behind the frig.

I mounted mine in the lower section on a homemade aluminum bracket and it does great. Wired a lighted switch inside the trailer to operate it manually.

Ken

Randy Chesnutt · 08-13-2008, 05:16 AM

Paul, Mine is not in a slide, but i suffer with the same problem they all do and that's airflow. It's like a carberater on a engine, it needs air to run correctly. The way the vents are maded restricks airflow.When the outside air is still it is hard to get air to flow thur your vents. That's why they put a fan in them. That tells you that air flow is very importane to the operaration of the icebox. Some time the fans need to be a little bigger. I wish I kne what the top vent looked liked with the vent off. I will private message you with my e-mail addres that way you can e-mail your address and I can send you pictures of my invention to see if this gives you a ideal what you mite do.