Norcold not cold while traveling

steved28 · 04-12-2021, 01:43 PM

Wondering if anyone else has the issue of rising refrigerator temps ONLY while underway (Norcold double door model)
My theory is either some type of reverse air flow in the stack, or the drain is letting in hot air. But I have been chasing this for 2 years. It seems fine when parked/camping and will recover from a trip, but on some longer trips I have measured temps up to 58 degrees. The freezer does better, but still rises some.

**creativepart** · 04-12-2021, 01:54 PM

What do you set the fridge's power source to while you drive? Auto, A/C or Gas? Or do you turn it off when you travel?

Does this only occur on the first day of a trip or does it happen every time you travel - every travel day?

At the start of a trip do you pre-cool the fridge down before loading and then travel with cold fridge and wait for the fridge to recover from adding food?

We need lots of details about what you do, what you've done, etc to begin to make suggestions.

steved28 · 04-12-2021, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

What do you set the fridge's power source to while you drive? Auto, A/C or Gas? Or do you turn it off when you travel?

Does this only occur on the first day of a trip or does it happen every time you travel - every travel day?

At the start of a trip do you pre-cool the fridge down before loading and then travel with cold fridge and wait for the fridge to recover from adding food?

We need lots of details about what you do, what you've done, etc to begin to make suggestions.

The fridge and freezer are stocked always to some extent, but cooled down well before we leave. I have shore power at home when I park it. I have tried both AC and gas when this happens, and it does not seem to matter. The freezer is as low as -2 and fridge as low as 34 before we depart, and it happens every time we travel. It doesn't seem to matter what the setting is, it never stops to cycle, it is always on, trying to cool. (I can tell by the AC draw or hearing the gas) I have tried turning it off while travelling too. It still gets warm, making me wonder if I am introducing hot air from the drain?

**creativepart** · 04-12-2021, 06:49 PM

When you travel if you don't have the Fridge on Auto or LP (Gas) and only if you have propane and the LP valve is on, it will not cool. So I still haven't heard the magic words... "I travel with the fridge on LP and the RV has propane in the tank and the valve is on."

So, I can't tell if you have a problem or you just aren't running the fridge on propane while you travel.

dkoldman · 04-12-2021, 08:21 PM

I like creativepart's questions as I think I know where he is going?

I have Norcold; but not double door. I don't see what you state. I can have my freezer and fridge fully refrigerated and make a 5 hour trip and still have ice in the freezer.

On a side note I am working on mod now whereby I will no longer use propane or genset when traveling; and still be able to run my inside fridge.

Based on what info you have provided I would do the following.

1) Plug off the drain to to prove or disprove your drain theory.
2) Call Norcold Phone: 1-800-543-1219 If it has ever happened to anyone they should know.

My wild guess would be that may it has something to do with a faulty sensor such that when you travel it moves or loses contact and send false temp readings. That may explain why the energy source is irrelevant to your problem

Good luck

steved28 · 04-12-2021, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

When you travel if you don't have the Fridge on Auto or LP (Gas) and only if you have propane and the LP valve is on, it will not cool. So I still haven't heard the magic words... "I travel with the fridge on LP and the RV has propane in the tank and the valve is on."

So, I can't tell if you have a problem or you just aren't running the fridge on propane while you travel.

First of all, I'm not stupid and this is not my first rodeo. I can run the fridge underway on the inverter OR on LP. As I stated, I have tried it both ways. And of course if I try it on LP the gas is ON. Jeez.

steved28 · 04-12-2021, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkoldman

I like creativepart's questions as I think I know where he is going?

I have Norcold; but not double door. I don't see what you state. I can have my freezer and fridge fully refrigerated and make a 5 hour trip and still have ice in the freezer.

On a side note I am working on mod now whereby I will no longer use propane or genset when traveling; and still be able to run my inside fridge.

Based on what info you have provided I would do the following.

1) Plug off the drain to to prove or disprove your drain theory.
2) Call Norcold Phone: 1-800-543-1219 If it has ever happened to anyone they should know.

My wild guess would be that may it has something to do with a faulty sensor such that when you travel it moves or loses contact and send false temp readings. That may explain why the energy source is irrelevant to your problem

Good luck

Thanks, I searched this issue and apparently it is more common than I realized. But I have not seen anyone actually come up with a solution. Or for that matter, actually diagnose what the issue might be. BTW, my freezer maintains ice, it seems to do better than the fridge on the trips. It makes me think the fridge has some issue with introducing hot air somewhere.

imnprsd · 04-12-2021, 08:56 PM

Nope: If the switch is set to gas and it don't cool. ...And your tech comes up with a work around to keep the gas on all the time, which is dangerous, but for $350 they will tell you if you need a new cooling unit or not.

If you need a new cooling unit, you should know you may be throwing more good money after bad; and just because you pay someone $1,500+ to install one of these Amish Cooling Kits, there's still no guarantee it will work as it once did.

If was my rig, I wouldn't spend a dime on fixing a NeverCold; and I would put the money into a residential refrigerator and/or add either LiFeO4 batteries or 400W of solar and a KeyLine VSR.

be happy · 04-13-2021, 04:28 AM

When you stop lets say for fuel what happens to the frig?
When you arrive at camp site will the frig recover without plugging in?
Do you travel with (if you have) the generator on and if so does the frig work off 120v?

Have you check the door gaskets for leaks?
I believe someone else talked about the settings. I would make sure you are selecting one method of cooling instead of letting the frig decide. The frig maybe trying to find the correct way to cool but just keeps cycling between the different methods.

steved28 · 04-13-2021, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by be happy

When you stop lets say for fuel what happens to the frig?
When you arrive at camp site will the frig recover without plugging in?
Do you travel with (if you have) the generator on and if so does the frig work off 120v?

Have you check the door gaskets for leaks?
I believe someone else talked about the settings. I would make sure you are selecting one method of cooling instead of letting the frig decide. The frig maybe trying to find the correct way to cool but just keeps cycling between the different methods.

When the motorhome is stopped, it will begin to recover, but it is a slow process. It will begin to recover before going to shore power. Keep in mind, I have a whole house 2Kw inverter, so when I unplug, the fridge never is deprived of AC power, the inverter takes over automatically. I never travel with the genny on (unless I need to run the A/C) I have 800aH of batteries which are charged when the engine is running. So it is not an issue running the fridge on AC all the time. When the fridge cycles on, I can see a 35 amp draw on the inverter (DC) I see this draw while underway, so I know the fridge is trying to cool. Although I HAVE tried running on LP while underway just to see if it made any difference, it did not.

dkoldman · 04-13-2021, 06:18 AM

LIKED

Quote:

Originally Posted by steved28

I have 800aH of batteries which are charged when the engine is running.

I am sticking with my theory that the only thing that can cause what you described for the Norcold to act differently with movement / vibration. There is loose wire or sensor somewhere. I am sticking with my story until proven otherwise

steved28 · 04-13-2021, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by be happy

Have you check the door gaskets for leaks?

I think you are closer to the root of the issue than most with this statement. Although I do not think I have a door gasket issue, since it cools fine while parked, I do think there is some compromise in the system. It could be as simple as a check valve in the drain, or a lack of sealant around that opening. Since the fridge seems to lose cold air, even if the fridge is shut down while traveling, I have to conclude the box is somehow introducing warm air. Also, it is much more of an issue in the fridge than the freezer.

be happy · 04-13-2021, 07:59 AM

To check the door gaskets, the easiest way is to take a tissue and put it between the door and the gasket, shut the door. If there is resistance the gasket is ok. This will have to be done all over the door.

As each freezer is separate do you find each box to be equal in temp.

This is a real stab in the dark. When I changed my Norcold cooling unit from the original to totally AC i learned how the back is attached. By this I mean when you travel air my be getting between the cooling plates and the frig. This would cause no cooling transfer from plates to frig back. Try tightening the screws on the inside of the frig back wall. There will be a set in each freezer compartment and the ones on the fins. Again this is just a "wag"

PapaRed · 04-13-2021, 09:12 AM

Steve28, I had a similar issue. We normally depart from the desert, and in summer it would normally take 48 hours for the reefer (Norcold 2-door) to cool down. Traveling with the propane on (auto setting) the temps would creep up. Solution:
Added two muffin fans at the top of the condenser coil (Just under the roof screen) with a temp sensor on the coil. When the coil gets hot, the fans turn on. Reefer will run at 29-34 degrees in even the hottest weather. Don't know about freezer temp, as long as the ice cream stays hard.

ldfeat · 04-18-2021, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steved28

Wondering if anyone else has the issue of rising refrigerator temps ONLY while underway (Norcold double door model)
My theory is either some type of reverse air flow in the stack, or the drain is letting in hot air. But I have been chasing this for 2 years. It seems fine when parked/camping and will recover from a trip, but on some longer trips I have measured temps up to 58 degrees. The freezer does better, but still rises some.

My Dometic did that once, right after I had the cooling unit replaced on my previous coach. Ended up being the cooling unit was not sealed to the back of the refrigerator properly and was allowing hot summer air into the inside of the fridge while moving. Had to pull the fridge and reseal the cooling unit with some elastomeric sealer. It worked great after that. Larry 2014 Peyo p

09 harley · 04-18-2021, 05:14 PM

I also put two 120 mm computer fans under the roof vent. Along with an ARP controller with the fan option my Norcold reaches operating temp in 4-5 hours. If you have a sidewall vent rather than a roof vent the cooling performance is even worse. Go on the ARP website and look at their options. We already know of the issues with these units and they have the solutions. Good luck. It shouldn’t be too difficult to figure this out.

09 harley · 04-18-2021, 05:37 PM

Just wanted to add that ARP has interior fans that are necessary for optimum ammonia fridge operation. Their products should be installed by the manufacturer. They don’t because it will cost too much. Everybody seems to want cheap. Norcold tried to infringe on the ARP patent and were swatted out of court. They seem to know that this is the answer.

Journey39n · 04-18-2021, 07:56 PM

I have seen my share of issues with the Norcold, over 9 years of travelling full time, finally solved the issue with a JC Refrigeration compressor cooling unit replacing the Norcold cooling unit.

But in my opinion, since it is just happening when you travel, I think, just another opinion here, that you are getting lots of air forced into the space around the refer unit somehow. Why else would you lose cool, heat must be introduced from somewhere.

I know we could travel most of a day, and not loose much cooling even when the propane blew out, and we travelled with it turned off.