Norcold Frig not staying cold - Page 5

Johnynorthland · 08-18-2019, 07:02 PM

This is why I connected everything straight to the solenoid side of my power and not off the fridge wiring. Doing it this way will not cause any issues, even if it’s something simple as a blown fuse. I’d rater go the extra mile and run my own circuit.

thecsfour · 08-18-2019, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustynuts

I only pulled 12 volts fro the Red/with White stripe wire to power he fans, the ground for the fans I just wired with the other grounds on the back of the fridge body. Did you put a thermal switch in the positive wire to the fans? I have a 130 degree one wire tied to the coils so the fans only run when the coils get up to 130 degrees. Doing this, the fans usually don’t run at night.

There is a thermal wire attached to my controller for the fans. I still need to put that on the coils. Right now I have the fans on manually so I can turn them on or off manually. Just trying to see if I can get the temp down in the frig to an acceptable temperature during the day when its 80 outside. Then if that happens, then I will set up the thermal part so it turns on and off when needed.

bearkeller · 08-19-2019, 06:08 AM

I also have had issues with the doors not closing completely. The clapped on my 4 door Norcold was sticking and one freezer door wasn’t latching closed. A friend had a 4 door Domestic doing the same thing. It’s difficult to see the flap but there must be a “click” when any door closes to engage the pin that keeps the door closed when traveling

Oma/opa · 08-19-2019, 09:19 AM

[QUOTE=Rustynuts;782982] The second item was the plywood baffle that is installed on the outer wall behind the upper vent was installed 2.5" to high and was blocking half of the vent. Once these were corrected,

Rustynuts...how did you change the size of the wood baffle since it appears to have been installed prior to installing the fridge?? use a dremel tool???. also when closing the gap between the baffle and condenser did you glue a strip of wood on the inside of the baffle?

Rustynuts · 08-19-2019, 11:13 AM

[QUOTE=Oma/opa;785184]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustynuts

The second item was the plywood baffle that is installed on the outer wall behind the upper vent was installed 2.5" to high and was blocking half of the vent. Once these were corrected,

Rustynuts...how did you change the size of the wood baffle since it appears to have been installed prior to installing the fridge?? use a dremel tool???. also when closing the gap between the baffle and condenser did you glue a strip of wood on the inside of the baffle?

I used a Milwaukee Multi-tool, made quick work of it. I have actually used this tool many times on the RV, great little tool.

I was going to close the gap but the 4 new fans pretty much covered that area with the bottom of the fan housings. If I would have done it, I probably would have used a piece of aluminum tubing and screwed through the baffle into the tubing with self tappers.

Been running the fridge and monitoring the temps and it is doing much better. It gets about 80-85° in the shop during the day and on a setting of "5" I am seeing 32-34° in the fridge and 11-14° in the freezer....temos I would only see on 7-8. Yesterday I bumped it up to "7" and the temps got to 24-26° in the fridge and 2-5° in the freezer....temps I have never seen before even on "9". Now this is in the shop with no food so real world testing will show the real results.

Oma/opa · 08-19-2019, 11:28 AM

Rustynuts
since that was so easy, how did you remove the upper metal baffle or did you just fab a new one and install it

Rustynuts · 08-19-2019, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oma/opa

Rustynuts
since that was so easy, how did you remove the upper metal baffle or did you just fab a new one and install it

I left the existing baffle in place so I would have something to attach the new baffle to. I screwed some 3/4" blocking to the existing sheet metal and then had a new piece cut and bent to angle down toward fridge and made sure the baffle fit tight on each end so now the air is directed toward the vent. In order to get the new upper baffle in place in the 39" wide cabinet I made it in 2 overlapping pieces so I could butt tight on each end and sealed the seam with silicone. It wasnt easy to do and by time I was done I was cut up and bleeding in several places but that seems to happen with every project.

I dont have any pics of the new baffle but here is the factory one. I suspect it was installed upside down because if it had been flipped over, it would have been fine.

Oma/opa · 08-19-2019, 01:36 PM

Looks like I will have to do something similar but not for the full 39" length. Mine is in the correct orientation but the right 12-16" is bent upward and cannot be bent down. The remaining left end portion fits as it should.
Thanks for all the info. I'll be sure to stock up on bandages before I start.

Oma/opa · 08-19-2019, 02:38 PM

Why can't the area above the fridge be stuffed with insulation rather than messing with the metal upper baffle or Does I need to remain open to dissipate heat coming off the top of the fridge?

tellanfun · 08-19-2019, 03:09 PM

We have the same problem with our four door fridge. First trip out it didn't seem to ever get cold enough. Had it looked at by a service center and they told me there is nothing they can find wrong! Started to put frozen water bottles in the fridge and freezer and run it for a full 12 hours before putting anything in it. Seems to be much better. Plan to add the fans but sure wish this was something Jayco would own up to and send out a warranty repair so we don't have to do all this work on our own! You spend your life savings on a rig that you expect the fridge to work regardless of the situation!!!
I'd be curious how many others have the same issue? I think Jayco has moved to residential refrigerators in the 2019 and onward?

Rustynuts · 08-19-2019, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oma/opa

Why can't the area above the fridge be stuffed with insulation rather than messing with the metal upper baffle or Does I need to remain open to dissipate heat coming off the top of the fridge?

I thought about that and decided that even hot air would still build up in that area and the insulation would then hold heat. Blocking it from entering that area I believe is better and provides an air gap around fridge body.

thecsfour · 08-19-2019, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tellanfun

We have the same problem with our four door fridge. First trip out it didn't seem to ever get cold enough. Had it looked at by a service center and they told me there is nothing they can find wrong! Started to put frozen water bottles in the fridge and freezer and run it for a full 12 hours before putting anything in it. Seems to be much better. Plan to add the fans but sure wish this was something Jayco would own up to and send out a warranty repair so we don't have to do all this work on our own! You spend your life savings on a rig that you expect the fridge to work regardless of the situation!!!
I'd be curious how many others have the same issue? I think Jayco has moved to residential refrigerators in the 2019 and onward?

The service center told me that exact same thing..... Really ticked me off cause I knew there was a problem. So, I did send a somewhat nasty letter to Jayco explaining that we spend all this money on a "quality" coach and something like this happens.. They responded that they would work with the local dealer to get the problem fixed. So I would not hesitate to send them a note. The more people that send in letters to Jayco, the better. Maybe they will then think a little more about their "Quality".

Florida Ranger · 04-30-2021, 11:26 PM

2018 Greyhawk,,,finally fixed my Norcold refer not getting cold problem today. I removed it from motorhome, kicked it outside into the yard , and installed a residential refrigerator. And boy howdy does it get COLD quick. Problem solved, I normally run my generator when we travel anywhere so we can run roof A/C . It stays HOT in Florida 10 months a year . Also considering pouring Gas on the Norcold and setting it on fire, while sitting in lawn chair with cold drink and watching it suffer like we did when it would quit working while we were on our last trip....

Rustynuts · 04-30-2021, 11:46 PM

I finally ended up putting the JC Refrigeration HVAC compressor conversion and couldn’t be happier. Basically turns the Norcold into a residential fridge without having to alter the cabinets. Always stays cold and the ice cream hard

Johnynorthland · 05-01-2021, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Florida Ranger

2018 Greyhawk,,,finally fixed my Norcold refer not getting cold problem today. I removed it from motorhome, kicked it outside into the yard , and installed a residential refrigerator. And boy howdy does it get COLD quick. Problem solved, I normally run my generator when we travel anywhere so we can run roof A/C . It stays HOT in Florida 10 months a year . Also considering pouring Gas on the Norcold and setting it on fire, while sitting in lawn chair with cold drink and watching it suffer like we did when it would quit working while we were on our last trip....

Hey ranger, What brand and model did you install? How difficult was it? Did you install a locking latch to keep doors from opening during travel? Did you consider a 12V compressor fridge? Photos?

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