Seneca Norcold questions

[MD3]

Yes, another bunch of questions about the Norcold 1210 fridge.
Fridge has been working on setting 7 fine for years.... last weekend in 120 degree temps it only got down to 40 degrees on setting 9.

We do not do a bunch of hot weather camping so I’m going to just do what I can to improve what I have and not replacing the guts of the fridge right now.

First question, am I missing part of the cover for the baffle here that should go up to the bottom of the condenser fins as the manual appears to show ?
Looks like they installed the baffle wrong and too low...

Second question, looks like the red wire feeds power to the factory thermostatic switch which then controls the factory fans...
Can I splice into the red wire prior to the thermostatic switch to power additional fans on a different switch ? Any issues ?
I thinking add two small fans on the top vent cover and have them controlled by a lower temp switch but I’d like to tap into power that is only on when the fridge is on.

[JimD]

I am in the process of adding an additional fan on my 1210. I will be installing it down low blowing upward and have it come on at a lower temperature than the top two fans.

I ordered some thermostat switches and will pick one that makes the fan come on when I want it to. I will be clamping the switch around one of the coils once I determine the temp range they operate at. I will just run an inline fuse from the 12 volt fridge feed to the fan through the thermal switch.

I did this to a previous fridge many years ago and it worked quite well. My goal is to have this lower fan come on long before the upper fans which in theory might help the fridge operate more efficiently.

The thermal switch for the upper fans is way up top and requires fridge removal to get at I think. Too much work in my mind.

[Rustynuts]

Personally I feel it’s much better to install fans right behind the top vent to force the hot air out of the fridge cabinet. Unless you take the time to block off or insulate to seal all the voids between the fridge and cabinet all you are going to do is push the hot air up and into these voids and build up heat around the fridge before it goes out the vent. The key to these fridges working is air flow. For power what I did was to remove the 12v wire going to the control board and make up a 2 wire pigtail that plugged back onto the board and then one wire connected to the existing 12v wire and the other supplied my fans.

[MD3]

Update on the fridge...

95-100 degrees outside and on AC power :
It used to run at setting 8-9 and it would be between 40-42 degrees at the bottom. We ran an interior blue colored D-cell fan inside. The frdige top metal fins would gather ice/frost.

Same outside temps and on AC power :
It is now at setting 5 and it is 32 at the top and 34-36 at the bottom.
Now no ice/frost on the fridge fins.

I added a panel like was missing in the first pic (outlined in reed) of the original post to make the install closer to how the Norcold factory instructions say it should be. I made mine out of thin wood but I later found a metal piece for sale that appears might be for this :
https://www.rvcoolingunit.com/Norcol...-P2420539.aspx

I added the Frost Guard fans :
https://www.rvcoolingunit.com/Norcol...-P5819508.aspx
The Frost Gaurd fans are wired into a constant power behind the fridge so I power them on/off by the switch on the fan housing.


I added a better battery-powered interior fan on the bottom shelf :
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'd like to do a 12v fan inside towards the bottom but I'm not going to tackle that project right now.

I added two fans behind the fridge against the exterior top vent grill to blow the hot air out :
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These two fans are wired into the wire that feeds 12v power to the factory fans. When the fridge is off the fans are not powered. I then added a switch on the fans that is on/off/on (to a separate ambient temp switch). I am still playing with the location of this secondary temp switch. Currently, it is at the top of the back of the fridge and due to the heat there it is always on.
Ambient air temp switch :
https://www.rvcoolingunit.com/Fan-sw...-P4850272.aspx

I am happy with the results so far but we will see how it holds up long term...
I am surprised at the heat held in at the top of the back of the fridge and lack of air circulation inside the fridge. I feel these might be the two areas that cause the fridge to struggle.


_