2020 Minnie Winnie 22R Norcold Fridge Upgrade - N7XRT to N7XRF?

[Harvester-WO]

On my 2020 Minnie Winnie 22R, it came with the Norcold N7XRT. It's not been the best experience, but I've learned to work with it:

1. Don't overload the refrigerator - especially near the area of the fins.
2. Run a small fan to circulate the cool temps equally.
3. Turn on the refrigerator 2 days before getting ready for a trip.
4. Keep the inside AC running continuously during hot weather (we mostly camp in Texas....)

Even with the above practices, I've recently noticed that it's just not performing as it once did. It's 5 years old now, and seen a fair share of use. It's also had an issue since new of not switching automatically from gas to electric and vice-versa. Not a big deal, I just remember to do it manually every time we disconnect from the hookups. For what it's worth, I did replace the control board - per Winnebago support - unfortunately did not resolve the issue.

So I am thinking to put a new unit into the RV, and once again called Winnebago Support. They mentioned that new Minnie Winnies similar to mine, are now using the Norcold N7XRF (F = Fan). With all this said, just wanted to check the Winnebago community to see if anyone has done a replacement of their Norcold N7XRT to the N7XRF?

Thanks.

 

[be happy]

I know this does not answer your question, but some food for thought maybe. Have you thought about just replacing the cooling unit in the rear of the frig? It maybe worth looking into. JC Refrigeration is the place to go Home - JC Refrigeration
There products are very DIY friendly and a great company to work with. Again may be worth looking into. I know when I replaced my cooling unit alot of the decision came down to how is the new unit getting into the camper.

 

[Harvester-WO]

Actually, I've been having similar concerns about full removal of the factory installed unit. I looked at the JC Refrigeration site, and this is definitely something worth considering. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Morich]

Before going full replacement, there may be value in checking the airflow and how much debris may be stuck around the cooling parts that have to have good air exchange? If not checked, that space can get lots of stuff stuck in there. Possible for insulation to break loose and a sheet of it fall across the space to block venting.
Much like the house outside air unit? If it gets covered in brush or something to restrict airflow, it goes way down in how much it can do.
A good cleanout of that space may change things?

 

[Harvester-WO]

Just wanted to update the posting with a couple items.

First of all, thanks @be happy - I did call JC Refrigeration and they had several options for me to consider:
1. Replace the ammonia absorption unit, with what appears to be a much better engineered mechanism. This comes with external and internal fans, and would likely be a marked improvement over the standard Norcold design.
2. A drop-in compressor driven unit. This would be an improvement over absorption, but have to consider about a 3A per hour usage rate. We have two Group 27 AGM house batteries, which are spec'd to deliver about 100A usable fully charged, so under most circumstances we would probably be okay. Just have plug-in to 30A, drive, or run the generator periodically to ensure things keep topped off - especially when we're dry camping for several days at a time. We also have a 100W Zamp solar setup that Winnebago installed. During the brightest part of the day we can get 3-5 amps, so that would help a bit.
3. Completely replace the Norcold with a new Dutchaire compressor driven unit that fits in the Norcold cutout. This unit uses about 2A per hour - so a bit better on electrical consumption than the drop-in compressor option.

In order of cost, #1 is the least expensive and #3 is the most. JC recommends #2, which is just a bit more expensive than #1. In all cases, they can do the work in the course of a day. Item #1 would take about 3 hours. I don't feel comfortable doing this myself - I'm just not setup to do this easily - so would plan to visit them in Indiana. Interestingly, I was planning a trip up to the Great Lakes from Texas at some point in 2026, so would be easy to work in the job along the way.

All this said, I'm likely going just replace the ammonia absorption unit with JC. One thing they would need to do for the compressor drop-in is disable the Norcold front panel. They put their own control panel on the inside of the refrigerator. It clips onto the fins, and has an integrated fin fan. Definitely not a bad way to go. That said, I'm a bit conservative when it comes to modifications on the RV. Trying to keep it as "stock" as possible. It's also worth noting that for those who do want to go with the compressor driven units, they also do solar, and lithium battery upgrades. Everything can be done in one stop at their shop.

I also wanted to reply to @Morich - Richard on the cleanout suggestion. I did take a look behind the panel and it wasn't too bad, but probably wouldn't hurt to take a small brush to the area. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

[be happy]

Thanks for the update! While at Shipshewana, depending on the day you need to check out the Shipshewana flea market Flea Market