newer absorption fridge

dezolen wrote:
Jeez, do people run out and shut their fridge off every time they climb a hill while driving? Not? Some 5th wheels have AC mounted on highly sloped roofs from the factory and seem to work fine. No diff than fridge. Ran my fridge in 5th wheel on steep driveway when in storage for 5 years with no issues.

"The refrigerator is equipped with a heater tape wrapped around the water valve and outlet water tube.During cold weather operation below 32°/0°C the automatic temperature switch will turn the heater tape on automatically."

DSDP Don wrote:
This is not new information. As a matter of fact, in hot weather, I turned my Norcold off every morning to eliminate the defrost cycle. The defrost cycle would heat the interior of the refer to defrost the rear fins. The problem, was the darn Norcold would not recover. I only had frost issues once and found it more productive to heat the fins quickly with a blow dryer and then close the door.

charlessfolly wrote:
From the owners manual printed in 2011 for a Domestic RM1320 4-door 12cu ft refrigerator:
1)"To ensure proper leveling,the vehicle needs to be comfortable to live in(no noticeable sloping of floor or walls)."
2)"When the vehicle is moving ,the leveling is not critical,as the rolling and pitching movement of the vehicle will pass to either side of level,keeping the liquid ammonia from accumulating in the evaporator tubing."
3)"The first automatic defrost reduction cooling unit cycle begins 60 hours after turning on the refrigerator,and will last approximately 120 minutes.(repeats every 48hours)"
4)"When the refrigerator's temporary gas lockout is connected,the LP gas operation will automatically be locked out for a period of 15 minutes when the engine is switched off.This will prevent LP gas operation e.g. when stopping at a refueling station."
5)"The automatic Low Ambient Control(LAC) ensures trouble-free operation in low ambient temperatures (e.g.below 50°F)."
6)"The refrigerator is equipped with a heater tape wrapped around the water valve and outlet water tube.During cold weather operation below 32°/0°C the automatic temperature switch will turn the heater tape on automatically.
Interesting info on leveling and traveling with fridge running.Automatic defrost-who knew?The last two points imply below freezing operation-good news for fulltimers.
I'd like to know if this is new to the industry or am I really that far out of date on recent rv technology?

DSDP Don wrote:
When the Norcolds are just barely hanging on, especially when it's hot out, the defrost cycle is enough to push them over the edge. If it occurs during the heat of the day, it never catches up. I never mentioned defrosting the freezer. The freezer's do okay, it's the refer that struggles. Keeping my Norcold cold in hot weather was a constant job and very aggravating.

Doug.....I respect your posts and you always have good information, but I find you defend Norcold like you own stock in them. If it was just an occasional unit going bad, than the bad rap wouldn't be justified. The 1200's are just a terrible design as evidenced by all the issues and the settling of the Class Action Lawsuit.