Alternatives to Norcold refrigerator

[ichudov]

Hello, I have a Monaco Windsor motorhome with a Norcold refrigerator. Unfortunately, it seems to take a liking at shutting off at random times with a NO CO error, or when driving through a hilly area.

A reset is an relatively arduous procedure.

I would like to know if I can just replace it with a similar propane/electrical unit that is better designed for 1) safe operation 2) maintainability and 3) proper diagnostics by the end user.

I do realize that I have to pay for quality and would like to find a better quality replacement designed wit the end user in mind.

Thanks

[MrWizard]

i like this one, but its too small for us

need more fridge space



window fridge heat pump combo

[MrWizard]

learn something New..Everyday

http://www.dometic.com/USA/New-Products/New-RV-Products/super-hybrid-refrigerator/



Camping World has them $2800

[DSDP_Don]

"ichudov"......Give Dometic a call. I understand that they just came out with a new hybrid refer that is 110 volt/compressor and propane combo. I looked for info, but haven't found any. It's a slide out lower freezer with a reefer on top. I don't know what size it comes in. I always thought that having two 8 cubic foot or 9 cubic foot models installed side by side would be handy. They do it in house boats. You get a good product that cools well and you only turn on both on longer trips and always have a spare.

[MrWizard]

Yep
We installed a residential fridge in August 2010
Works great

[crasster]

Best thing we ever did in an RV was replace with home fridge. Even good dorm fridges work well. Nice to have real ice cream.

[MrWizard]

They used too
Serval and Vestxxxxx
Have been stated as having better quality and lasting forever
Bigger heavier more sturdy

Even the most careful of us, have parked off level in a parking lot, or pull out, curb etc...
Which eventfully adds up the damage
Marine industry loves gas fridge,
But
Boats don't park off level and don't climb long grades

[prstlk]

We are on our 2nd cooling unit in just a little over a year. The second involved a prolonged fight with tethford norcold and 2 300 mile round trips to get it evaluated and then repaired. We now have another fail and are waiting on a new thermistor. We never get error codes, it just starts warming up. The service contract has paid for all so we are only out 300. But we are done. Being full time no fridge is more than an inconvenience. We will go residential route next. As to boondocking we usually run the gennie twice a day anyway so I will likely start without extra power and see how it goes.
I talked to a guy a while back who said his local home Depot delivered his fridge in the parking lot with their fork lift through the window and pulled the norcold out as well.
It's still a mystery to me that with all the available technology someone has not solved these problems and produce a reliable 2 way fridge.

[retiredtraveler]

I have had a similar situation just a few days ago. Out of nowhere the no-co came on. I checked and we were perfectly level. Luckily we were on the last day on a 5 month trip so we did not loose any food. I just checked the vents and everything seemed fine. Does anyone have any idea of how to reset?

[Scottiemom]

ichudov wrote:
Scottiemom, thanks a lot for your reply. I am just curious, if he fixes this norcold, will it still be just as susceptible to shutdowns and problems due to out of level, like the last time when it tripped on hilly terrain?

Fair question. We have been fulltiming for 11 years. WE had our Norcold 1200 replaced once, and fixed twice under warranty in the first 7 years. Just out of warranty, the boiler ruptured and the cooling unit was toast. WE went to Leon and he replaced our cooling unit with his own design, and warranteed it for 3 years. Four years later, it is still running strong with no bleeps on the radar at all.

Do you know of Mac the Fire Guy? He presents at RV rallies on fire safety. When we had our refrigerator cooling unit replaced by Leon at National Refrigeration, he mentioned he was going to do an install for Mac.

I talked to Mac about it and he said he went to Leon and asked him why these Norcold's kept burning up. So Leon and Mac had a long talk. He replaced Mac's cooling unit which had failed. I asked Mac if I had to worry about my Norcold catching fire since ours had been replaced. He said emphatically NO. Apparently he feels comfortable enough with what Leon told him the problem was and how he fixed that to tell me we're safe. Remember, the Amish have been building and use propane appliances longer than Norcold's been building RV refrigerators.

Whatever your Norcold needs, Leon can evaluate and fix it. You may not need a cooling unit, but I guarantee Leon can fix you up. He will not cheat you, he will do what's necessary or what you want and that's it. And you get a chance to browse through the flea market and shops in Shipshewana, the heart of Indiana's Amish Country.

Dale

[dougrainer]

You are looking at it from the wrong perspective. REPLACING the cooling unit will NOT fix your problem. You have a ventilation/operational problem. RV refers are designed to not have a problem in Transit even on hilly terrain. As long as the refer/RV is moving and off level, it will not have a problem. You also state you have intermittent NO CO trips. Well, FIND AND FIX that problem. NO CO----You have 2 attempts BEFORE it locks out and you have to do a reset. After the FIRST NO CO, if you do NOT find and fix the cause it will trip the 2nd NO CO and then lock out. This is a COOLING UNIT protection feature. After the FIRST NO CO, if you find and fix the problem and you restart, IF the refer makes a normal cool down cycle, then the FIRST NO CO is erased from the system. Doug

[Ivylog]

I forgot to turn my 1200 off when parked on a incline overnight leading to it's even poorer operation. Went the Shipshewana route five years ago with fair results as we boondock often and could not find a home refer that did not require 6 more inches of height taking out the drawer below that the DW wanted. Several years ago it started warming up when traveling on gas and electric so I threw some more money at it... new control board, ARP control, more fans, better insulation....... no change.

Between finding a unit that only required 1/2" more height and just tired of fooling with it almost every day I finally went residential last year. By putting in a separate battery bank(500 AH) with it's own PSW inverter/100A charger/transfer switch powering a EnergyStar refer (21 cuft uses less energy than a 100W bulb). It will run for 48 hours before getting to 50 percent and by then the 800AH of house batteries need charging anyway. Here is my DIY install and all I can say is I should have done it years ago before putting good money into a sorry situation.

If done with enough additional batteries there is not any reason to not go residential, even if you boondock often. Granted most cannot do it for the $1200 it cost me... the same as a Amish cooling unit but at some point you need to stop trying to make a 1200 not spoil your food.

[ichudov]

Scottiemom, thanks a lot for your reply. I am just curious, if he fixes this norcold, will it still be just as susceptible to shutdowns and problems due to out of level, like the last time when it tripped on hilly terrain?

[Scottiemom]

Why not take a little side trip over to Shipshewana, Indiana, and visit Leon Hershberger at National Refrigeration. He will tune up your Norcold, fix whatever is wrong and you will be happy with it when he is done. We prefer the gas/propane refrigerator and after 11 years of fulltiming have no desire for a residential unit. Leon fixed ours with his own cooling unit design when our boiler ruptured.

The Amish have been using gas refrigerators and freezers for decades and much longer than the RV refrigerators have been available.

You can contact him through his website, http://www.fixyourfridge.com

He is Amish and he has a cell phone and no staff, so you will most likely have to leave a message, but he will call you back.

Dale