Dometic Compressor Fridge Issue
I’m hoping to tap into the membership’s vast knowledge. I own a 2 year old Northstar TC650. It was optioned with the compressor fridge based on all the good reviews and pluses over the absorption mode...
Forum Discussion
I have a 2004 Northstar Iglo that came with a compressor refrigerator. Hopefully Northstar learned since then. I had two issues which soon resulted in a burned out compressor. First the wiring was insufficient. From what I could tell the wiring run was fairly long but the wiring was only 12 gauge. Next the ventilation was way, way under specs. There was an inch or so of space under the refrigerator for incoming air. That was minimal. For exhaust they had a single 3" diameter hole and that was at the side of the cabinet midway up the wall. The refrigerator was also a 7 cu ft monster with the large Danfoss compressor. When it did run it would pull about 80 AH/day even at moderate temps.
I ran 6 gauge wiring. 8 gauge might have been OK but at that point the few extra dollars made no difference and helped with minimal voltage drop. Second I put in some serious ventilation. At the bottom I had about a 4 x 20" opening. I put in even more above the unit toward the ceiling. I replaced the dying 7 footer with a 3.8 cu ft Nova Kool. I would definitely recommend Nova Kool. They have been in business for years making reliable units with quality parts.
Trying to fix or find someone to fix your old unit is not likely to work out well. I would just start with a Nova Kool after you make sure the wiring and ventilation are up to specs.
I ran 6 gauge wiring. 8 gauge might have been OK but at that point the few extra dollars made no difference and helped with minimal voltage drop. Second I put in some serious ventilation. At the bottom I had about a 4 x 20" opening. I put in even more above the unit toward the ceiling. I replaced the dying 7 footer with a 3.8 cu ft Nova Kool. I would definitely recommend Nova Kool. They have been in business for years making reliable units with quality parts.
Trying to fix or find someone to fix your old unit is not likely to work out well. I would just start with a Nova Kool after you make sure the wiring and ventilation are up to specs.
