Norcold Frig not staying cold

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

All of these absorption fridges are problematic. I’m wondering if residential is a better option?!

I’ve found this device doing research https://www.arprv.com/purchase.php
I wonder if it helps? Anyone ever use this?

My Norcold has an issue when you start out on shore power, disconnect, the fridge doesn’t switch automatically to propane unless you turn power off and on again. BUT if you start out on propane then switch to shore power, then unplug, propane automatically lights up! Any experience this? And yes I keep it in auto mode.

Do you turn off the main breaker on the pole before connecting and disconnecting?

[Johnynorthland]

No, usually I step down to 110 power off the house electric, run fridge for 24 hours before filling it, then just unplug from wall outlet. It turns red on fridge panel and never lights to propane. I then turn off power on fridge from the control panel, then turn on again and it lights?

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

No, usually I step down to 110 power off the house electric, run fridge for 24 hours before filling it, then just unplug from wall outlet. It turns red on fridge panel and never lights to propane. I then turn off power on fridge from the control panel, then turn on again and it lights?

Unplugging like that may be causing a power surge that makes the panel glitch. Turning off the breaker makes a clean disconnect and reconnect.

[Johnynorthland]

So i guess if I loose power,(same as pulling plug), and didn’t start the fridge off on propane I’ll have my food go bad. My other 2 RV’s were operated the same way and never had this issue.

I guess I just have to remember to always start off on propane then plug in.

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

So i guess if I loose power,(same as pulling plug), and didn’t start the fridge off on propane I’ll have my food go bad. My other 2 RV’s were operated the same way and never had this issue.

I guess I just have to remember to always start off on propane then plug in.

No, losing power is the same as turning off the breaker unless it surges when it goes out. Pulling the plug can cause sparking which causes power surges and can damage electrical devices. It's worse on ac units than the fridge. Even though you get away with it for a time doesn't mean it is the safest thing to do. It's just too easy to click off a switch and be sure.

[Johnynorthland]

I do use my coach disconnect switch is that the same as finding the fridge breaker in the main panel?

Plus if I do the reverse, and pull the plug it lights. But the converter may be fast in turning over power.

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

I do use my coach disconnect switch is that the same as finding the fridge breaker in the main panel?

Plus if I do the reverse, and pull the plug it lights. But the converter may be fast in turning over power.

I doubt know how your switch works but if it kills shore power to the RV it should be fine. The breaker I was speaking of is the one on the pole where you plug in. That one is easy to turn off just before you pull the plug. After all, you are already there, just flip the switch.

[Johnynorthland]

I guess you misunderstood me I’m talking about when I am at my home before I leave for a trip I plug it into my house electric to run the refrigeration. Not at a park. I always flip the breaker before I disconnect at a park.

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

I guess you misunderstood me I’m talking about when I am at my home before I leave for a trip I plug it into my house electric to run the refrigeration. Not at a park. I always flip the breaker before I disconnect at a park.

Same would be at your house only probably not as drastic. When the prongs slide out of the plug they rub together on the way out so there could be an on/off/on connection. I've done that many times with Domestic fridges with no issue but I havent tried it with my Norcold. It really should not be an issue but it's worth considering until you find the answer to your problem.

[Rustynuts]

First I recommend downloading the installation manual for your fridge and make sure the installation meets the manufactures specs....on our 2018.5 Seneca I found 2 issues where the installation was wrong. First they installed the upper baffle upside down so instead of deflecting the warm air out towards the vents (side upper vent) it was deflecting the heat into the top of the fridge cabinet. 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, the cooling was better but still not to my liking so I installed 3 fans at the top vent to blow the hot air out the top vent and cooling got much better, we went from running on 8-9 to running on 5-7 even on hot days. Recently on the last 2 trips, the fridge was running warmer than usual and check the upper fans and 2 had quit running and one was running about 1/2 speed so I order some better quality fans.

[thecsfour]

Originally Posted by Marmot

You need increased ventilation. Amazon has fan assemblies you can attach inside the vent and easily wire into your 12 volt system. It will dramatically increase air flow and lower your fridge temp. Mine came with attachment clips, but I used zip ties instead. Very easy.

Thats a good idea... do you have a link to the fan assembly that you used? And how you wired them up? Do they run all the time while the frig is on?

[ripples2ya]

Have a 2016 Seneca and the refrigerator stays very cold. Have to turn it down in the refrigerator portion because it will freeze drinks. Just remember if you just are turning on refrigerator it needs to run for a good 12 hours to get cold.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by Rustynuts

First I recommend downloading the installation manual for your fridge and make sure the installation meets the manufactures specs....on our 2018.5 Seneca I found 2 issues where the installation was wrong. First they installed the upper baffle upside down so instead of deflecting the warm air out towards the vents (side upper vent) it was deflecting the heat into the top of the fridge cabinet. 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, the cooling was better but still not to my liking so I installed 3 fans at the top vent to blow the hot air out the top vent and cooling got much better, we went from running on 8-9 to running on 5-7 even on hot days. Recently on the last 2 trips, the fridge was running warmer than usual and check the upper fans and 2 had quit running and one was running about 1/2 speed so I order some better quality fans.

You are so right!
These fridges are very sensitive to air flow and baffle placement.

Norcold provides a very detailed installation document that Jayco just fails to follow.

Ours is a roof vent, not a sidewall that Rusty has... but the fridge will not work correctly unless it is installed with the air baffles forcing the rising air thru the condenser fins.

If you have a roof vented fridge (most of us do, except a few models where they put the fridge in the slide) you have to get up on the roof and dis-assemble the fridge vent and inspect the baffles... I would be willing to bet you that they did it wrong... but once you fix it - YOU will be a Happy Camper.

Our Norcold has been running all summer long - outdoor temperatures over 100F and the sun beating on the wall of the fridge. It is still rocking my cold Silver Bullets. just sayin -

[Ssabc]

I have noticed two things.

1. When switching from ac to propane, or propane to ac, shut it off for 30 seconds and turn it back on. Also, auto mode does not always worm well, so switch it manually right after you turn it on.

2. Don’t run on 9. We run around 7. Trying to cool it all the way down fast can cause too much freezing on the condenser which can actually heat it up.

[thecsfour]

Ok.... So after doing a little more looking into my problem I have come across a few things....



First off, I have the 2018 Seneca 37K. The frig is NOT in a slide. So, based on that, from what I was told a my local Jayco dealer and reading the installation manual, the frig should have been vented out of the roof. Mine is vented on the side. Also, with that, after I removed the upper vent cover, the plywood baffle covered about 90% of the vent. There was roughly 3" of vent only near the top that would let air out.



Secondly, from reading a number of post within this forum, I have come across a couple different ways that people are adding fans to the frig. One way is to add fans on the fins inside the frig. The other is to add fans on the upper vent to exhaust the hot air and to get more air flow.



So, my question now is, do I add fans on the inside of the frig or on the upper vent on the outside?????? OR, both??

[Rustynuts]

Originally Posted by thecsfour

Ok.... So after doing a little more looking into my problem I have come across a few things....



First off, I have the 2018 Seneca 37K. The frig is NOT in a slide. So, based on that, from what I was told a my local Jayco dealer and reading the installation manual, the frig should have been vented out of the roof. Mine is vented on the side. Also, with that, after I removed the upper vent cover, the plywood baffle covered about 90% of the vent. There was roughly 3" of vent only near the top that would let air out.



Secondly, from reading a number of post within this forum, I have come across a couple different ways that people are adding fans to the frig. One way is to add fans on the fins inside the frig. The other is to add fans on the upper vent to exhaust the hot air and to get more air flow.



So, my question now is, do I add fans on the inside of the frig or on the upper vent on the outside?????? OR, both??

The key is air flow and heat removal, heat rises and IMO it is more effective to have the fans at the top to remove the heat that build up in the top of the cabinet. In our bad installation, there is about 3" of space between the fridge body and the cabinet and about 5" above the fridge body and ceiling and as heat rises it gets trapped up there and the fastest method is to draw it out with fans at the top. I added the fans at the top and all of a sudden our fridge started running warmer and when I checked 2 our of 3 fans had failed so I am replacing them today with 4 across the top. I am also closing the gap between the baffle and the condenser fins suggested by SloPoke, I have about an inch there and it should be under 1/4". I also plan on blocking off the gaps around the fridge so the hot air cant get around to the fridge body sides and top so the heat can only go up and blown out by the fans.

[thecsfour]

Originally Posted by Rustynuts

The key is air flow and heat removal, heat rises and IMO it is more effective to have the fans at the top to remove the heat that build up in the top of the cabinet. In our bad installation, there is about 3" of space between the fridge body and the cabinet and about 5" above the fridge body and ceiling and as heat rises it gets trapped up there and the fastest method is to draw it out with fans at the top. I added the fans at the top and all of a sudden our fridge started running warmer and when I checked 2 our of 3 fans had failed so I am replacing them today with 4 across the top. I am also closing the gap between the baffle and the condenser fins suggested by SloPoke, I have about an inch there and it should be under 1/4". I also plan on blocking off the gaps around the fridge so the hot air cant get around to the fridge body sides and top so the heat can only go up and blown out by the fans.

Yes, I agree that the heat needs to be removed..



I found the Norcold installation manual for my frig. Oh My God!! Jayco needs to educate their installers. They didn't install the upper baffle correctly at all. So all the heat is just going up and around the frig.



Its really pathetic that you spend all this money on a so called "Quality" RV and then have all these problems with the frig install.



I just ordered these fans for the upper vent.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by thecsfour

Yes, I agree that the heat needs to be removed..



I found the Norcold installation manual for my frig. Oh My God!! Jayco needs to educate their installers. They didn't install the upper baffle correctly at all. So all the heat is just going up and around the frig.



Its really pathetic that you spend all this money on a so called "Quality" RV and then have all these problems with the frig install.



I just ordered these fans for the upper vent.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've been reading this thread for a while, and earlier I was going to mention the incorrect installation. It's been discussed several times throughout the forum. But I looked at your floorplan, saw that your fridge is NOT in a slide and assumed it was roof-vented. Most of the roof-vented units don't have the baffle installation problem.

If I'm understanding what you're saying, you should just need to correct the baffle installation and you should be good to go. Adding fans would certainly help, but I'm thinking you gotta get the installation correct first.

[Rustynuts]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I've been reading this thread for a while, and earlier I was going to mention the incorrect installation. It's been discussed several times throughout the forum. But I looked at your floorplan, saw that your fridge is NOT in a slide and assumed it was roof-vented. Most of the roof-vented units don't have the baffle installation problem.

If I'm understanding what you're saying, you should just need to correct the baffle installation and you should be good to go. Adding fans would certainly help, but I'm thinking you gotta get the installation correct first.

Our fridge in our 2018.5 Seneca 37RB is NOT in a slide and it is Side wall vented. I dont understand why it isnt roof vented.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by thecsfour

Ok.... So after doing a little more looking into my problem I have come across a few things....



First off, I have the 2018 Seneca 37K. The frig is NOT in a slide. So, based on that, from what I was told a my local Jayco dealer and reading the installation manual, the frig should have been vented out of the roof. Mine is vented on the side. Also, with that, after I removed the upper vent cover, the plywood baffle covered about 90% of the vent. There was roughly 3" of vent only near the top that would let air out.



Secondly, from reading a number of post within this forum, I have come across a couple different ways that people are adding fans to the frig. One way is to add fans on the fins inside the frig. The other is to add fans on the upper vent to exhaust the hot air and to get more air flow.



So, my question now is, do I add fans on the inside of the frig or on the upper vent on the outside?????? OR, both??

We have a 4 door Norcold that stopped cooling adequately. It’s mounted in a slide so it has 2 side vents. The install manual shows two fans in the back forcing air thru the fins. Mine had both failed and the fridge couldn’t cool when the ambient temp was high.

For a temp solution I put a small room fan in the lower vent pointing up.

The 3 fan mod above the top baffle would probably work. I opted to replace the existing fans which I sourced on Amazon, while I was at it I also replaced the thermostat that controls the fans. Getting the fridge out and back in was a 2 person job but not too difficult. I couldn’t see the fans but was able to take pics from the top vent with my cell to verify the fans weren’t working.

Once the fridge was working I could hear the fans. Had I known in advance what to listen for I’d have figured it out faster.

Fans on the fins inside the fridge helps by moving the cool air around better. I added 2 inside.