Norcold fridge in our 29MV - need advice

[hoppers4]

I wasn't thinking of the flame going out but of restricted airflow going over the boiler cooling fins in the back of the fridge. Now that I know you have a roof vent (they're shaped to draw air while driving) vs a sidewall vent, I seriously doubt this would be the loss of cooling. This would also be a tough one to troubleshoot without a portable anemometer with a remote readout so you could look at air flow while towing. However, you could put some kind of fan behind (12 Volt computer fan size) inside the lower vent and see if it made any difference.

My thoughts would be that the flame would be fine and therefore no error code. Once the error code has been generated, it won't clear without action on your part, i.e. turning the fridge off and back on.

This is a tricky one so I'll be interested in the solution.

Another thought just occurred to me. Is that top vent put on backwards? The sloping edge should be toward the front.

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

We have a roof vent, but honestly I have no idea what the air flow is doing while I'm driving. It could very well be a cause, so I'll pass it along to the dealer. I was under the impression that if the flame went out at any time, there would be a fault code on the readout on the refrigerator. But if the flame goes out, then fires back up, will the fault code still be there or will it go away?

Thank you!

The flame doesn’t necessarily go out...the draft just moves it around so it doesn’t heat properly. These refrigerators use a gas that when heated cools. Drafts when underway may not extinguish the flame but may cause it to not work properly.

You can try covering up some of the vent holes in the cover at the end where the burner is located. Just put some tape over a few at a time down low so to change the air flow some. Also, you can take a small piece of metal and bend it so it will cover in front of the burner just a few inches to keep air off but still allow enough air to operate.

I know it sounds crazy and difficult but it’s really not and I’ve seen it work on problems like yours.

[hoppers4]

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

The flame doesn’t necessarily go out...the draft just moves it around so it doesn’t heat properly.

X2 Sure sounds like a very plausible explanation of the problem.

[GeorgiaRV]

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

If the dealer responds that they couldn't find a problem or duplicate it, then your suggestion and a call to Norcold may be my next steps. Thanks again!

LTT2,

Any new updates on this?

Mine still heating up while driving but is doing fine while we boondock 3 or more days at a time. Even got the temp setting down to 5 (seeing Frig at 29 and Frezr at 0) recently during a 7 day boondocking.

[Love To Travel 2]

GRV,

What a coincidence! The dealer called about an hour ago to let us know that we can pick up the MH tomorrow afternoon. They said everything is repaired and working properly. I did not ask them to review the issues and report on the fixes while we were on the phone...that is what I plan to do tomorrow when we are there and they can show me exactly what was done.

The plan was that we were going to pick up the MH on Wednesday and head to New Jersey on Thursday for 6 nights, to do some geocaching and to see how the fridge was working. My wife was diagnosed on Monday with a pinched nerve, and she is in a lot of pain right now, so the trip to NJ is most likely going to have to wait. I know the fridge works correctly while sitting in the driveway at home, or at a campground, so the real test will be on our next trip when we're on the road.

I will definitely report back on the repairs to the Norcold and the other warranty items that we found and were corrected.

[GeorgiaRV]

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

GRV,

What a coincidence! The dealer called about an hour ago to let us know that we can pick up the MH tomorrow afternoon. They said everything is repaired and working properly. I did not ask them to review the issues and report on the fixes while we were on the phone...that is what I plan to do tomorrow when we are there and they can show me exactly what was done.

The plan was that we were going to pick up the MH on Wednesday and head to New Jersey on Thursday for 6 nights, to do some geocaching and to see how the fridge was working. My wife was diagnosed on Monday with a pinched nerve, and she is in a lot of pain right now, so the trip to NJ is most likely going to have to wait. I know the fridge works correctly while sitting in the driveway at home, or at a campground, so the real test will be on our next trip when we're on the road.

I will definitely report back on the repairs to the Norcold and the other warranty items that we found and were corrected.

Great! Looking forward to hearing what all they did to fix it and if in fact they did fix it.

[Love To Travel 2]

The 29MV is now at home sitting in the driveway hooked to shore power and the refrigerator is getting cold. Unfortunately when we picked it up, the fridge had only been running an hour or two, so I couldn't tell if the temperature increased or decreased on the 45 minute trip home.

The service manager indicated to me that they did a thorough check of the refrigerator and everything was operating properly. The only thing they saw that was out of place was that I had moved the condensate drain hose from the overflow pan to outside the MH. There was so much water draining from the fridge into the pan and the pan overflowing, that I put the end of the hose through one of the vent holes and let it drain to the outside of the MH. They felt that with the hose ending on the outside, it could be creating a vacuum and drawing warm outside air into the fridge causing the warming. I did mention to the service department that we were not the only ones with this same problem.

Honestly, I don't think they found the cause of the problem. We are going to take the MH out this weekend for a three night quickie, and see if the issue is resolved. If not, it's going to go back to the dealer and I'm going to call Customer Service at Norcold.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

The 29MV is now at home sitting in the driveway hooked to shore power and the refrigerator is getting cold. Unfortunately when we picked it up, the fridge had only been running an hour or two, so I couldn't tell if the temperature increased or decreased on the 45 minute trip home.

The service manager indicated to me that they did a thorough check of the refrigerator and everything was operating properly. The only thing they saw that was out of place was that I had moved the condensate drain hose from the overflow pan to outside the MH. There was so much water draining from the fridge into the pan and the pan overflowing, that I put the end of the hose through one of the vent holes and let it drain to the outside of the MH. They felt that with the hose ending on the outside, it could be creating a vacuum and drawing warm outside air into the fridge causing the warming. I did mention to the service department that we were not the only ones with this same problem.

Honestly, I don't think they found the cause of the problem. We are going to take the MH out this weekend for a three night quickie, and see if the issue is resolved. If not, it's going to go back to the dealer and I'm going to call Customer Service at Norcold.

I don't buy that explanation for a second. People have been routing that hose outside for YEARS without incident (myself included). Even if it WAS allowing some warm air into the system, the effect would be minimal at best and would certainly be overcome by a properly operating system. AND it would be temporary. Once the temperature inside the fridge stabilized, the only "vacuum" would occur when you open the door, and any slight air leak from that tiny hose would be completely irrelevant. Aside from that, if it was happening, I would think the air INSIDE the vent compartment would generally be warmer than the OUTSIDE air anyway.

Nope, I don't buy it. I'd bet you a dollar you have the same problem on your next trip.

[GeorgiaRV]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I don't buy that explanation for a second. People have been routing that hose outside for YEARS without incident (myself included). Even if it WAS allowing some warm air into the system, the effect would be minimal at best and would certainly be overcome by a properly operating system. AND it would be temporary. Once the temperature inside the fridge stabilized, the only "vacuum" would occur when you open the door, and any slight air leak from that tiny hose would be completely irrelevant. Aside from that, if it was happening, I would think the air INSIDE the vent compartment would generally be warmer than the OUTSIDE air anyway.

Nope, I don't buy it. I'd bet you a dollar you have the same problem on your next trip.

+1 I agree with CB

[Camper_bob]

If I remember or have time, perhaps I will take some detailed photos of my refer compartment from the outside. Perhaps you could compare them to what you're seeing and see if there's any difference?

I know I don't have problems with mine, but I've been running it mostly on the generator lately while on the road (super HOT, so we're running the roof AC units most of the time). We didn't run the generator for a 3-hour drive the other day (which means the refer ran on propane), and I asked DW if the fridge was still cold, she said yes. Far from scientific, but I have not observed any problems with our fridge...

My fridge has run for about the last two weeks in various conditions on the road, parked and on propane in transit, and I haven't had a problem that I know of.

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

The 29MV is now at home sitting in the driveway hooked to shore power and the refrigerator is getting cold. Unfortunately when we picked it up, the fridge had only been running an hour or two, so I couldn't tell if the temperature increased or decreased on the 45 minute trip home.

The service manager indicated to me that they did a thorough check of the refrigerator and everything was operating properly. The only thing they saw that was out of place was that I had moved the condensate drain hose from the overflow pan to outside the MH. There was so much water draining from the fridge into the pan and the pan overflowing, that I put the end of the hose through one of the vent holes and let it drain to the outside of the MH. They felt that with the hose ending on the outside, it could be creating a vacuum and drawing warm outside air into the fridge causing the warming. I did mention to the service department that we were not the only ones with this same problem.

Honestly, I don't think they found the cause of the problem. We are going to take the MH out this weekend for a three night quickie, and see if the issue is resolved. If not, it's going to go back to the dealer and I'm going to call Customer Service at Norcold.

We have the 4 door Norcold and it works great on propane traveling or sitting. Works great on electric also. It sometimes takes a couple of on offs to get the propane to light. Air in the lines. You can hear the burner after it lights.

I did notice in the back of ours that the drain hose terminates into a plasitc cup that's mounted to the back of the refrigerator. It fills with water and evaporates from the heat back there. The only time I notice it is about half full or more is when we have just emptied the refrigerator and turned it off.

[Love To Travel 2]

As a quick update, our Norcold refrigerator is the one that warms considerably when we are driving, but operates properly when in the driveway or at a campground. I emailed Norcold several times and the response was that the dealership MUST call Norcold while the MH is in the dealers shop. After two more short camping trips with the fridge acting the same, we got it back to the dealer and mentioned several times that they have to call Norcold to get this resolved. The dealer had the MH 3 or 4 days and called last week that it was fixed and ready to go. We picked it up on Monday. The fix was adding a deflector just below the roof vent. The service staff told me that when the technician called Norcold and described the problem, Norcold immediately knew what the problem was and sent them a diagram of a deflector and indicated that this would resolve the issue. So another known problem with a known fix that is a secret.

After my normal walkthrough prior to driving home from the dealers, I turned the Norcold on, using the AUTO setting and the temp at 9. The digital thermometer I'm using read 58 degrees. I drove home, which is 45 miles and took me just under an hour. The outside temp was somewhere between 55 and 60 degrees. The trip home is 90% on 4-lane Interstates, so I was doing about 60MPH for most of the drive. When I checked the thermometer at home, the Norcold was now at 38 degrees!!!!!! So in one hour of driving, the temp of the fridge DROPPED 20 degrees. The freezer was at -4 degrees. Around 3PM that day I dropped the setting from 9 to 6 and the fridge temp has stayed at 32 degrees.

We left the next day (Tuesday) for a 3-day, 300 mile round-trip to Maryland, specifically to check the operation of the refrigerator. We leave on November 1 for Hilton Head Island where we spend the winter, so I want to make sure everything, especially the Norcold, is working properly. The two closest Jayco dealers to HHI are CW in Savannah and CW in Jacksonville.

We returned today (Thursday) from our short adventure and I have to say that the refrigerator worked perfectly. In the 4 hour drive to the State Forest where we camped, the Norcold held the temperature at 35 degrees. During the two nights we were there, I dropped the temperature to 4, and the refrigerator maintained the temp at 37 degrees the entire time. Then on the drive home today at number 4 setting, the same thing. If anything, the refrigerator temperature dropped a degree or two, which was fine with me. During the entire three day trip, I never saw the temperature above 39 degrees, except when we were opening and closing the door to make meals.

I hope this post doesn't jinx me, but I wanted everyone to know what has transpired in the past several weeks. I have attached the Norcold diagram.

Ed

[Love To Travel 2]

Here is the attachment, I hope...

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

As a quick update, our Norcold refrigerator is the one that warms considerably when we are driving, but operates properly when in the driveway or at a campground. I emailed Norcold several times and the response was that the dealership MUST call Norcold while the MH is in the dealers shop. After two more short camping trips with the fridge acting the same, we got it back to the dealer and mentioned several times that they have to call Norcold to get this resolved. The dealer had the MH 3 or 4 days and called last week that it was fixed and ready to go. We picked it up on Monday. The fix was adding a deflector just below the roof vent. The service staff told me that when the technician called Norcold and described the problem, Norcold immediately knew what the problem was and sent them a diagram of a deflector and indicated that this would resolve the issue. So another known problem with a known fix that is a secret.

After my normal walkthrough prior to driving home from the dealers, I turned the Norcold on, using the AUTO setting and the temp at 9. The digital thermometer I'm using read 58 degrees. I drove home, which is 45 miles and took me just under an hour. The outside temp was somewhere between 55 and 60 degrees. The trip home is 90% on 4-lane Interstates, so I was doing about 60MPH for most of the drive. When I checked the thermometer at home, the Norcold was now at 38 degrees!!!!!! So in one hour of driving, the temp of the fridge DROPPED 20 degrees. The freezer was at -4 degrees. Around 3PM that day I dropped the setting from 9 to 6 and the fridge temp has stayed at 32 degrees.

We left the next day (Tuesday) for a 3-day, 300 mile round-trip to Maryland, specifically to check the operation of the refrigerator. We leave on November 1 for Hilton Head Island where we spend the winter, so I want to make sure everything, especially the Norcold, is working properly. The two closest Jayco dealers to HHI are CW in Savannah and CW in Jacksonville.

We returned today (Thursday) from our short adventure and I have to say that the refrigerator worked perfectly. In the 4 hour drive to the State Forest where we camped, the Norcold held the temperature at 35 degrees. During the two nights we were there, I dropped the temperature to 4, and the refrigerator maintained the temp at 37 degrees the entire time. Then on the drive home today at number 4 setting, the same thing. If anything, the refrigerator temperature dropped a degree or two, which was fine with me. During the entire three day trip, I never saw the temperature above 39 degrees, except when we were opening and closing the door to make meals.

I hope this post doesn't jinx me, but I wanted everyone to know what has transpired in the past several weeks. I have attached the Norcold diagram.

Ed

Ed, thanks for the update! Is your frig a 2 door or the larger 4 door? We haven’t had any issues with our 4 door sitting or driving. If we’re not careful it will freeze everything in the icebox.

[Love To Travel 2]

CM,

Ours is the two door, model 821RT.

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

CM,

Ours is the two door, model 821RT.

Thanks Ed. I guess the 4 doors don’t have this issue. At least we have never experienced problems with temperatures when driving.



Glad they got it fixed. Sure seems like they are hiding this issue by not mentioning it until dealers call. This is something that should be added to the vent when installed at the factory. That would take extra effort! Easier to make the customer suffer and only offer fix to those who continually complain.

Oh well... now on to the next find and fix. Aren’t these RV’s fun?

[Love To Travel 2]

We thoroughly enjoy the "camping" experience, but sometimes these homes on wheels can be real headaches. And what makes it worse is the poor workmanship and lack of quality control that the manufacturers are allowing to roll out their doors. Forty years ago, my wife and I built the home that we are still living in. I did all the framing, plumbing, electrical, most of the HVAC, shingled the roof, and just about everything that could be done, so I'm a little handy with tools. But when I look at the wiring and plumbing nightmares in these motorhomes, and the general way they were built, I just shake my head and wonder what will be left of our current units in 5 or 10 years. I guess I need to stock up on WD-40 and duct tape. OK, off my soap box!

[GeorgiaRV]

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

Thanks Ed. I guess the 4 doors don’t have this issue. At least we have never experienced problems with temperatures when driving.



Glad they got it fixed. Sure seems like they are hiding this issue by not mentioning it until dealers call. This is something that should be added to the vent when installed at the factory. That would take extra effort! Easier to make the customer suffer and only offer fix to those who continually complain.

Oh well... now on to the next find and fix. Aren’t these RV’s fun?

Mine is the four door model and it has the exact same symptoms as Ed's. I will try the deflector fix to see if that fixes.

[Jopopsy]

Originally Posted by Gord60

https://smartrvproducts.com/works/

Problem solved, run my fridge on 3 now vs. 5 prior to installation, not cheap but keeps fins clear and everything super cold. Highly reccommended

I had one of these before. Worked great, but it never stuck to the ceiling of my fridge. First the velcro fell from the ceiling (and I did the alcohol cleaning prior, 2x in fact). Then once I gorilla glued the velcro back on the ceiling the stickers fell off the actual fans.

Pissed me off actually - but the fans themselves are of very high quality and it did dramatically reduce the icing on my fins.

I'm torn as to whether or not to try this again.

[Camper_bob]

This is an interesting thing. If this is a physical problem with the installation, why is it an intermittent problem? I have the exact same MH as OP, with the same fridge, and mine works just fine sitting or on the road...

I'm definitely going to have to do some more research on this...