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Old 07-14-2014, 08:10 PM   #1
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Question Countertop over Fridge is wicked hot in 184BH

So we've had 5 trips now with our first/new trailer. The Norcold 2-way fridge has worked on only 2 of these trips . I'm going to be taking it in to the dealer under warranty, I think the thermostatic gas valve is pooched. My questions is:

Is the counter over the fridge in your TT super hot when your running the fridge on Propane?

I think the venting is incomplete/poorly done and "leaks" into the cabinet. I've never dealt with these appliances before, so I'm not sure whats normal. In my line of work, gas venting is screwed together and the joints are sealed. When I look in the upper vent opening from the outside, I see too much of the back of the cabinet for my liking.
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Old 07-15-2014, 07:56 AM   #2
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My fridge in my 184 works like a champ. I did put a thermal switch that activates a fan behind the fridge to help it cool in the really really hot weather, but even before i put the fan in, i never noticed any heat on the counter top. The only problem ive ever had with my fridge was actually not the fridges fault. I had a block in the propane line between the tank and the regulator and there wasnt enough propane to keep it lit.

Id take it in. They work really well... better if you get the fan. There should be no heat. Although I do remember seeing some floorplan where the 184 had a larger fridge. If that is the case, disregard everything I wrote.

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Old 07-15-2014, 10:09 AM   #3
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Hi Socco1:

We've run our fridge on propane quite a bit and have never noticed heat on the counter above. Hopefully the dealer will get things squared away in short order.

--Mark
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Old 07-15-2014, 11:45 AM   #4
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I'd do what was recommended above.. Retrofit a "puller" fan setup that pulls that exhaust out of the area.
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Old 07-16-2014, 11:28 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xkuzme1 View Post
I did put a thermal switch that activates a fan behind the fridge to help it cool
Did you happen to have any info on the fan you put in, or some pics of it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by PugetSoundguy View Post
Hi Socco1:

We've run our fridge on propane quite a bit and have never noticed heat on the counter above. Hopefully the dealer will get things squared away in short order.

--Mark
Thanks for the confirmation Mark. Its going in on Friday. I hope it gets resolved quickly, we've got another trip planned for the week after!
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Old 07-17-2014, 05:49 AM   #6
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I don't think your countertop should be getting hot while the fridge is burning propane. Perhaps the burner is misaligned. I'd avoid at all cost using the fridge on propane until the dealer has a chance to look it over. Seems to me I remember a thread about propane refers causing fires if the trailer isn't properly leveled. A misaligned burner could do the same. I could be wrong, but better safe than sorry!
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Old 07-17-2014, 05:30 PM   #7
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my counter top gets very warm, not hot, when running on electricity...but has not been an issue.
it works very well and in fact has to be turned down after a few hrs of initial startup operation...
all is well behind it when looking in after vent removal.. no problems.
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Old 07-23-2014, 09:47 PM   #8
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Well, I got her back tonight! My suspicions were correct about the baffles. It seems as though at the factory someone installed the baffles then rammed the fridge in the hole. Instead of the upper baffle being over and on top of the condenser coil, it was in front of it. This basically trapped all of the heat in the friggin' cabinet (Hence why the counter was hot.) Before, when I looked inside the upper vent, all I could see was the two baffles touching each other. Here is what it is supposed to look like!
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Old 07-24-2014, 03:12 AM   #9
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Glad you and your dealer were able to get it corrected! Makes you wonder, though, about some of the folks who build these things, the training they get, and the Q.C. "inspections" these rigs are suppose to get.
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Old 07-24-2014, 04:23 AM   #10
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Glad you and your dealer were able to get it corrected! Makes you wonder, though, about some of the folks who build these things, the training they get, and the Q.C. "inspections" these rigs are suppose to get.
Trailer factories only hire the finest specimens from the human race. I grew up in Edwardsburg, MI where all the duds worked at Georgie Boy, Duo-Form, and all the other suppliers and assembly plants. They are a few notches below the rocket scientists that build your tow vehicles.
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Old 08-01-2014, 06:16 PM   #11
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Well, the saga continues... After my last post I left the fridge overnight on 120V to cool down prior to our trip the next morning. At 11 PM, it was only down to 59º. I switched it over to propane and hoped for the best. The next morning, it was still bang on 59º (Set to 5, measured with a Fluke meter and remote temperature probe) We're bringing the coolers now! On our way to our first destination I called up the Service Advisor. After delicately expressing my dissatisfaction. I politely suggested that he obtained a new fridge on the double and that I would drop the trailer back off the following Saturday. Oh, and you've got a less than a week to do it, because we're going away again the week after. Being on speaker phone with the kids in the car, I refrained from using all the juicy expletives that I'd shouted earlier in the day. My wife was impressed with my restraint. So, back to the stealership tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
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Old 09-18-2014, 12:19 PM   #12
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I am really interested to know what happened with the fridge, as we are having issues with ours as well. we are kind of being treated like we don't know what we are talking about from the service center. Very frustrating!
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Old 09-30-2014, 02:58 PM   #13
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Proper fix for fridge in 184BH

Sorry for the late posting; I just registered, and came across this looking for something else.
The root cause of poor fridge performance and a hot countertop in the 184BH is that Jayco did not follow Norcold's installation instructions. In my 2013, I noted the following:
- too much clearance on each side, on top, and at back (the cabinet is oversize)
- poor fitting baffle on top of fridge, with gaps on each side
With all this free space around the fridge, the unit is actually being blanketed by hot air on each side and on top (which is the cause of the hot counter AND a hot fridge). Also, the large space at the back reduces the "chimney effect" required to properly exhaust hot air from the heat rejection coils.

Solution: Get rid of the gaps. I did this by lining the cabinet with Styrofoam SM rigid insulation, then covering this with 1/8" birch plywood. Some carefully placed 3/4"x3/4" nailing strips around the edges helped with fastening the plywood. All joints were caulked with fire-stop caulking (this is important; Styrofoam is toxic if it burns). The finishing touch was a new, tight-fitting baffle at the top.
The needed reference dimensions are in the Installation Instructions supplied with the N302 fridge (or download from the Norcold website). The tighter the fit on the sides and top, the better.
You do need to remove the fridge to do this. Remember to shut off the propane, and disconnect the hose. It will take a while to purge the air out of the line after re-installation.

I have attached before and after pictures of the cabinet interior.

My countertop is no longer hot, and the fridge performance is better.
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:13 PM   #14
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Curmugeon,

Welcome to JOF

Appreciate your post and pics, very informative addition to the thread.

Bob
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Old 03-12-2015, 06:01 PM   #15
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Pardon my lack of etiquette, Ladies and Gentleman! As an update, we just returned from our first trip of the year and I'm happy to report that the fridge held temps without issue.

I highly recommend using a fridge fan of some sort. I used a Valterra one and was amazed at how much faster the fridge comes down to temp. I also picked up an Acu-Rite wireless fridge/freezer thermometer with alarm. I was able to keep tabs on the goings-on with the Min/Max display.

Thanks to Curmugeon for his detailed reply. I'll be checking my cabinet tolerances just to make sure thats' up to snuff as well.
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