Norcold refrigerator in 2016 View 24j

[obingv]

We were out last summer (2023) and were very. pleased that our Norcold refrigerator on "automatic) was switching to 12 volt as we disconnected shore power or propane. All was going well until about the last week of our 90 day trip, and then it stopped switching to 12 volt. We ran it on propane for the last week but really do not want to do that in the future. I have checked the breakers and the fuses and all seem to be OK. Any ideas on what is wrong? Any feedback or ideas appreciated.

[Morich]

Looking at info for that year and model, it appears there are three possible models of frig!
I would first start the search by checking the frig for an exact model number as well as brand. It may be found on a small metal plate, possibly just inside the door?

With the correct frig model number then one can often go online and do a search for info on the frig. A second way to get info may be to look in the info pack you should have got with the RV. Is there a booklet there for the frig and does it have enough troubleshooting info to get started ?

But in looking further, a quick double check may be worthwhile?
I find one frig has a 12Volt breaker shown to feed the frig! Possible this breaker is tripped and a quick reset would clear things?
That comes with a guess as to exact model, etc, but sometimes quick is good!!!
Click this snip for better view!


At the load center, third breaker from bottom on left side? Possibly trip and reset to make sure it is not fooling you?
Come back with model number if no joy and we can do a deeper look?

Good luck in the bug hunt!

[obingv]

Thanks for the reply and the info on where to find the breaker. I had already made a search for a tripped breaker or a blown fuse and could not find any problems. I have all the service records for this RV and I did find documentation of the very same problem with the refrigerator back in September of 2017. The problem was fixed by replacing the refrigerator control board at a cost of $507, plus labor and freight of $370, total $877. The board is still available at $551, but at that price I will once again recheck the breakers and fuses before taking the step of replacing the board.

[Morich]

Okay, always good to have any background we can get. My knowledge of the frig is very limited, of course but my first thought was to verify that the inputs like 12Volts and 110 were good as a first step.
Having the manuals would be a first step on looking how they have designed tot work. Lack of 12Volts might have been from the 12 volt input being out or they might have also run only 110 to the frig and then use electronics to get the 12volt to use for frig controls once they got into the board, etc.

Kind of like working on old TV's! One of the first things to check was that it was plugged in at the wall!
Wish you luck!!

[creativepart]

I’m confused. In general the only time you should want to run a 3-way RV fridge on 12v is while driving. Gas Absorption fridges use a heat source to boil refrigerant and when the gas cools back into a liquid it produces a cooling effect.

On shore power your fridge uses electrical resistance to create that heat. It’s very inefficient but when you’re on shore power it’s ok. When on Propane a gas flame creates the heat and that’s more efficient than AC resistance. When on 12v DC resistance is creating the necessary heat. This is a very inefficient use of battery power. It’s the reason everyone is replacing incandescent 12v light with LED lights.

When you are driving, your alternator is charging your 12v batteries. So it’s ok that your fridge is using so much 12v power to operate. But using batteries for this purpose when you are not on shore power or doing that instead of using your Propane is a recipe for dead batteries and in very short order.

Coincidentally, this is why 3-way RV fridges went away and were replaced with 2-way RV fridges - AC and Propane only.

[Coffie Drink]

You need to open the black box take a picture of the connections pull the board and you will see a black mark and a bad 12 Vdc fuse. Replace the fuse.

[Morich]

Originally Posted by Coffie Drink

You need to open the black box take a picture of the connections pull the board and you will see a black mark and a bad 12 Vdc fuse. Replace the fuse.

This sounds like good experience if the frig is the same model?

It seems to be very difficult to get folks to tell us the info we need to really do much good on helping sort the problem!

One of the first things I learned about RV was that they are not the same and change often, so I like to start with getting the correct info like model numbers to avoid all the confusion of giving info on the wrong model of frig, etc. !

Maybe they will get lucky and the info you give will be correct??

[Coffie Drink]

The Norcold 3104 was installed in 16 in View. Unlike many of the threads here I own a 15 G and have experience replacing the Fuses. I also bought a second board last year because of fuses going out.
There is a site Norcold guy where you can get info.

[obingv]

We powered the refrigerator on 12 volt only when the engine is running and when we were driving. If you have the refrigerator running on either propane or 110VAC if we shut that power source off while the engine was running, it would automatically switch over to 12 volt as we drove away. Then that quit working, couldn't even switch it over manually.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by obingv

it would automatically switch over to 12 volt as we drove away. Then that quit working, couldn't even switch it over manually.

Got it. Now I understand. Makes perfect sense.

I sure hope it's a fuse... fingers crossed!

[Morich]

If we go with the idea that you do have the 3104 model, it then becomes a chase of the 12Volt circuit which powers the 12volt heater in the frig.
you will have to locate the parts and connections to check but the circuit appears to be fairly simple with only a few parts involved.
A. place to start might be where the 12volt supply is connected and checking for continuity there. If no good, working your way to each part to see where the path is open should show up something, whether it is a blown fuse or the heater itself gone open!

Click this snip for better view of the path if this is the correct model.

[Coffie Drink]

The circuit board has a 120 fuse and a 12 v fuse. When the 12 v fuse blows there is black around the fuse. Remove the cover, take a picture of the connectors, take them out. Remove the board, get a fuse, replace.

[AlanO]

The problem is a design issue with this refrigerator circuit board.
I had this same problem and replaced the board again. But after running on propane I decided to forget using 12volts. The propane is the most efficient way to run this refrigerator and it uses very very little. The 120 volt AC does work but not as well as propane.
When the 12 volt DC was functioning, it never worked as well as the other two sources.
As a result, I use the two remaining options and don’t plan on removing the main circuit board again. The procedure to remove the board is a simple one but the cost of the board is simply not worth my effort.

[obingv]

Thanks for the response. Since the board is still available (at $557) I am considering just buying one to have on hand. It looks like currently available RV refrigerators are compressor type, running on 12 volt and 110 volt, making propane not an option. Since we boondock most of the time, having the LP option is important to our RV lifestyle.

[Morich]

Not to overwork the subject but it is often true that it is not the big items that fail but the smaller items that connect to the board as there are so many more of them.

Before making the jump to assuming it is the board, I would not spend that amount of money before checking some of the many other things that would leave the 12Volt not working.
Small simple things like loose wires are a frequent problem on RV as we bounce them around so much. Blown fuses? Maybe but it might also be as simple as the 12Volt heating element has burned out much like a toaster!
Maybe the switch that is used to tell the frig to use 12Volts has gone bad?

Finding the points on the board and a simple check for continuity from one point to the next might save several hundred dollars for less than an hours checking!

[Coffie Drink]

The 12 V fuse problem is common on the Norcold frig. Not hard to replace it. I did buy a replacement board but I have not needed it.

If you lookup this Norcold you will find a lot of threads on Google. As far as 12 v vs propane or 120 v. The 12 v is not as good.
Keep the unit level. If you can’t level it when parked for say 30 min, turn it off. I use the Auto. You should have a code when the 12 volt is selected and the fuse bad.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by obingv

Thanks for the response. Since the board is still available (at $557) I am considering just buying one to have on hand. It looks like currently available RV refrigerators are compressor type, running on 12 volt and 110 volt, making propane not an option. Since we boondock most of the time, having the LP option is important to our RV lifestyle.

Before buying a Norcold brand board, check out dinosaur aftermarket boards. They as said to be superior to the Norcold brand board.

[Coffie Drink]

For Norcold info go to arprv.com