Hi all,
New to this forum. But have been a long time Good Sam member, so figured I'd join and pass along my most recent trip experience and its final outcome for my first post.
All to often, only bad experiences deserve the extra effort to spread the word. So, I figured I'd start off here with a good experience and let others know, so if/when they have a RV Refrigerator Cooling Unit failure, where to go for good product and information.
I recently had had my 7 year old Norcold N811 refrigerator fail during a 3 week long trip up thru Oregon from Arizona. As I was finishing out the trip home, but still 2 days left on the road, I had to quickly purchase a few Styrofoam coolers and Ice, which worked, but is not the optimal situation. THEY LEAKโฆโฆโฆ. But, really did not have much of an option.
Funny thing. There wasn't any putrid smell of ammonia or yellow residue up the back of the fridge that is discussed from the cooling unit failing. I did notice an overly ripe fruit smell for a while during the trip, but I just figured that was due to some very farm fresh groceries that we picked up at a local farmers market.
Once I got home, I started the research to determine what was wrong. When it was narrowed down to really being the cooling unit, and the warranty was well expired, the choice needed to be made. New refrigerator or repair my unit. $$$$ kept running thru my mind either way......
There are plenty of sites available to replace with a cooling unit JUST LIKE ORIGINALLY USED, Amish and non Amish.
Even though it appeared that the mounting screws had come out of the top of the cooling unit and it had been flexing around for who knows how long, and weakening/fracturing at the Boiler section, I was not really enthusiastic about replacing it with the same manufacturing/material quality of a unit. As I have had older RVs built in the 70โs, and the ammonia refrigerators were still running strong. Something (manufacturing wise) has shifted in the last 10 years, and not for the betterโฆ.
When I came across RVCOOL.com, who had the availability of an original Cooling Unit, or their โBullet-Proof Boiler" Design/technology.. (which carries a Lifetime Warranty) using a much heavier duty thick wall tubing as compared to the original design. And at a very comparable price as all the others out there. This was for me.
I also did some research and found 2 complaints. One thru the BBB and another within another forum. Each may have had their merits, but there are always 2 sides to every story.
But since there were only 2 over the many years RVCOOL has been in existence, it was worth pursuing.
The ordering process was very easy and the unit arrived within the 7 working days they committed to.
All the cooling unit removal/installation instructions and invoices were emailed to me, along with the complete instruction package for the ARPrv boiler control that I also decided to upgrade to. (another great product).
I have fairly good mechanical skills, so for me, the instructions were very easy to follow. Though, when it came to installing the 110v heating element, it would not fit.
So, the first follow-up technical call into RVCOOL was made.
The phone was answered right away, questions asked and a promise to go find answers were made. Within 15 minutes I received a return call with the results. Turns out they sent me exactly what I had asked for and ordered. Problem was, I asked for the wrong unit. I asked for the cooling unit with a 45deg 110v heating element, but mine was a 90deg element. Shame on me for thinking I know more than I really did........
Now Iโm thinking, Oh-Great. The entire cooling unit needs to be removed and returnedโฆ.. But No... There was a very simple fix. The cooling unit I received is a newer version made for my N811 fridge, and it uses a different heating element. RVCOOL helped me on what exactly was needed and where it can be found.
Now all is installed back into the RV and working perfect.
Over all, not accounting for the removal and install back into the RV, (and the wait for the new heating element) this whole cooling unit replacement process took just under 2 hours for me to complete. If I were to โget toโ (or have to) do this again, it could easily be performed in less time.
My experience with RVCOOL finished out with a Quality Product and very informative details provided thru phone calls, instruction manuals and email.
The CORE return was very easy as well. I just needed to package it up in the same shipping container, place it on my front porch and call RVCOOL. They coordinated with the shipper to come to my residence, place the shipping label on the container and take it away. Best part is, they covered the return shipping expenses.
I hope this can be useful to others out there in need due to a Cooling Unit Failure. The large variety of refrigerator cooling units available is quite extensive.
Gery
2008 '40' Dutchman Victory Lane 5th wheel Toybox
2006 Chevy Silverado 3500 Duramax Diesel 4x4 Dually
