Extra fan for Norcold 1200
I have the NORCXOLD 1200 series refrigerator (like so many). While camping the temperatures in the refrigerator started increasing (somewhere around 45 deg when I found it). Went outside and could not...
Forum Discussion
I agree with Daytonaman on taking the time to sort out what is wrong on the OEM side of things. That being said, I have had a few different combinations of extra fans on our 1200 over the last 3 years. I also changed over to the Amish Cooling Unit instead going with the last Mickey Mouse Norcold recall.
- 1st added the SS-30 Extinguisher and a Smoke Detector to the back cabinet
- 2nd I wired in a pancake fan at the bottom of the coils, pointing up and thru the existing coils. This was on a switch that I turned on when in real hot weather.
- 3rd I add solar panel vent powered fan, switched to go on when the fried was running. This fan was also installed at the bottom of the coil.
When we went to Amish Cooling unit, we:
- Removed the pancake fan from the bottom, and had it mounted at the top to draw the air up
- Removed the roof top solar panel vent, as the Camco unit had stopped working within a year. (This was after I had first ran caulk all around the small SP edges as I was concerned about longevity. At $100+, this unit should have ran more then a year.)
- We retained the Camco Fan down at the bottom of the coils, now switched controlled and hard wired into the 12V power supply
We've been very happy with the Amish Cooling Unit performance, and feel with the extra fans available and the SS-30 that we have a safe unit.
One recent development, was the discovery that the tech that had moved the pancake fan towards the top of the unit, had placed directly above the flue. The smell of plastic is what us into this area to find out what was up. The fan body had actually melted enough that the fan blades no longer turned. (This was at the RV Service shop I used to go to, and was from what had been that shops 'go to tech'. We found this after we stopped going to this shop for other quality, communication and lack of confidence after another serious safety related service mistake. Glad we found it before it caught fire:)!)
Our fridge was installed in a non slide.
If you have a fridge in a slide, any fridge but especially the 1200, take a very good look at the ventilation designed into the install. IMO, many manufactures did not provide adequate ventilation out the upper side of these slide installed fridge cabinets. The preemptive install of added fans maybe a good safety move to consider. And at such a small cost, the SS-30 was a no brainer decision for our coach.
Best to all, have fun, be safe,
Smitty
- 1st added the SS-30 Extinguisher and a Smoke Detector to the back cabinet
- 2nd I wired in a pancake fan at the bottom of the coils, pointing up and thru the existing coils. This was on a switch that I turned on when in real hot weather.
- 3rd I add solar panel vent powered fan, switched to go on when the fried was running. This fan was also installed at the bottom of the coil.
When we went to Amish Cooling unit, we:
- Removed the pancake fan from the bottom, and had it mounted at the top to draw the air up
- Removed the roof top solar panel vent, as the Camco unit had stopped working within a year. (This was after I had first ran caulk all around the small SP edges as I was concerned about longevity. At $100+, this unit should have ran more then a year.)
- We retained the Camco Fan down at the bottom of the coils, now switched controlled and hard wired into the 12V power supply
We've been very happy with the Amish Cooling Unit performance, and feel with the extra fans available and the SS-30 that we have a safe unit.
One recent development, was the discovery that the tech that had moved the pancake fan towards the top of the unit, had placed directly above the flue. The smell of plastic is what us into this area to find out what was up. The fan body had actually melted enough that the fan blades no longer turned. (This was at the RV Service shop I used to go to, and was from what had been that shops 'go to tech'. We found this after we stopped going to this shop for other quality, communication and lack of confidence after another serious safety related service mistake. Glad we found it before it caught fire:)!)
Our fridge was installed in a non slide.
If you have a fridge in a slide, any fridge but especially the 1200, take a very good look at the ventilation designed into the install. IMO, many manufactures did not provide adequate ventilation out the upper side of these slide installed fridge cabinets. The preemptive install of added fans maybe a good safety move to consider. And at such a small cost, the SS-30 was a no brainer decision for our coach.
Best to all, have fun, be safe,
Smitty
