Norcold refrigerator

ColbyJames · 09-19-2020, 07:26 AM

I'm hoping you guys can help me. We just bought a 2007 Adventurer 38j that had been in storage for some time. When we got it home we discovered everything was unhooked, the water heater, water pump, ac, etc.
One of the problems we are having is the refrigerator sweats all of the time. It seems to working ok, it keeps stuff cold. It even keeps ice cream frozen, everything inside gets wet and the drawers fill up with water. We checked the seal with a dollar bill and it seems tight. Once in awhile I notice a weird smell on the outside.
Do I need a new fridge or can this one be fixed?
thanks

MinntoMich · 09-19-2020, 10:37 AM

Okay... I just recently spent eighteen hundred on a new 3-way Norcold because I opened the door on my old one and got a face full of ammonia. I thought I was going to die, no kidding. I took me three or so minutes to start breathing something like regular again. Be careful about that strange odor your detecting. I'd be pulling off the outside inspection cover and checking for any odd looking accumulating stuff on the burner/pilot area and the coils. Norcolds can have a defect where the absorption type refrigerant escapes thru a small crack in the coils. The refrigerant is flammable.

That being said, it makes the most sense to me that you have a problem with the condensate return/drain. It could just be plugged up. Do you have a manual? I'm betting it has a trouble shooting guide that can lead you in the right direction.

be happy · 09-20-2020, 04:02 AM

I can not help with the water, other than the drain tube located under the fins could be clogged.

My 07 Norcold just up and stopped working, techs. saw no chance of repair so it was replacement time.

DW and I just finished replacing the cooling unit with a JC Refrigeration unit. HVAC 120 its a totally 120 v. as we do not boondock and the gen. runs while traveling this model made sense to us. Unit cost was $975 shipping $250 it was really a great DIY project. Before looking a total replacement check out JC Refrigeration https://jc-refrigeration.com/

odaddyo · 09-21-2020, 07:30 PM

As the above post has already mentioned, check the drain tube below the fins in the frig. The plastic pan right below the fins should not have water sitting in it. If it does, the drain is probably plugged, likely by insects or spider. Excessive moisture in the frig usually is the result of a bad door seal, but you said you did the dollar bill test and everything seemed good. Another source of air penetration is from the rear of the frig were the cooling system is. If the seals have separated, air could be getting in from the rear of the unit. There is a good video on replacing the cooling unit that mentions this. Sorry, but I can't remember where I saw it. If the problem is the drain tube, you can access it from the outside service panel. The tube drains into a little pan by the burner, any moisture that drains is meant to evaporate from the pan.

eayo · 10-04-2020, 08:31 PM

Found that the pan right below the fins had ice it stopping it from draining.

Journey39n · 10-04-2020, 11:10 PM

Glad you found the problem of ice keeping the water from the drip pan from exiting.

As another thing to check occasionally, I noticed my drain tube would clog at the end in the little pan by the propane burner. Every year or so I needed to just clear the gunk from the end of the tube and water would shoot out.

ColbyJames · 10-06-2020, 07:02 PM

I think we have the problem fixed. You guys were a big help.
I found the pan in the back, it was full of water and had a layer of ice on it. I checked the hose and down near the pan it was stopped up. I could blow through it but with a lot of pressure. I used a #12 braided electrical wire and pushed it through a dozen times until it came out clean. We put it all back together and its been 24 hours and no water in the bottom of the fridge.
Thanks to all of you for yelp, I will be back