Norcold fridge help

[SeaJay]

When I’m plugged into house power(20a), prepping for a trip, my norcold freezer gets cold, but not the fridge. I have to run it on gas until I get to a campsite then it will cool fine on 30a or 50a service. Is this normal or is my fridge messed up?

[atlantaM3]

How long are you letting it run? it takes mine, the 18 CFt model, half a day to get 'cool', pretty much 12 hours to get to normal temps.

Do you have a fan in the fridge? That really helps move air around the evaporator.

[RedHorse1]

Yeah, it does take some time to cool these things down. The fan in the fridge helps loads.
If your fridge has 2 electric heating elements one may have failed or if it has one it may not be working at full efficiency. In general tho, gas works better than electric.
You can find several diagnostic vids on YouTube that may help. Amazon for an interior fan.

IMHO there’s not much rocket science in these RV fridges and unless the refrigerant leaks out or the unit is seriously damaged they’re repairable.

[SeaJay]

One thing I didn’t mention is that it’s brand new. Overnight will freeze bottles of water in the freezer but still not cool in the fridge.

[RedHorse1]

The thermistor may be bad. It’s pretty easy to check. Search YouTube for some how-to vids.

[SeaJay]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

The thermistor may be bad. It’s pretty easy to check. Search YouTube for some how-to vids.

I’ll look at that. Thanks.

[PAL70]

I had the same problem and Norcold had to replace the cooling unit. My unit was 1 month old.

[SeaJay]

Originally Posted by PAL70

I had the same problem and Norcold had to replace the cooling unit. My unit was 1 month old.

Saw another thread yesterday by someone else having the same problem.

[SeaJay]

Between this, the faulty ac and a mysterious leak my unit will be going in for a service visit that will likely be longer than I’ve owned it so far. Not how I envisioned getting into the world of RV camping...

[atlantaM3]

I had to get the cooling unit on mine replaced - took a number of visits, etc. to get it warrantied.

Also, the units installed in a slide are almost universally installed incorrectly according to the product manual from Norcold. Dealing with those issues really improved the performance of our unit.