Norcold 1210 gets a makeover with Amish cooling unit and ARP

[CJW8]

I got my Fridge Defend installed yesterday after speaking to Paul, the company owner who answered some technical questions. The day before yesterday I installed a new Amish cooling unit from JC refrigeration in my Norcold 1210. I wanted to run the new cooling unit for 24 hours before I installed the Fridge Defend. This was to check the functionality of the new cooling unit with stock controls and to see how it cooled before any modifications. The installation was pretty straight forward but not for someone that is not technically inclined. I have 40 years of Instrumentation and process controls experience in offshore oil so it was pretty easy for me.

My primary motivation for installing the Fridge Defend was safety. I had a refrigerator fire with a Dometic refrigerator in about 2008. It had already had one recall done which apparently was ineffective. Fortunately, I was right there and was able to extinguish the fire with no RV damage. From that point forward, I was always worried about absorption refrigeration technology. After understanding the process, I am amazed at the lack of safety controls on what is essentially a boiler and distillation tower. They would never get away with this in the Oil and Gas industry and yet we sleep in our RV’s on top of a ticking time bomb.

My other motivation is my Norcold was starting to show compromised cooling capacity and in some cases, no cooling. I am sure this was due to mountain driving and occasional off level parking. I exercised my extended warranty and was very pleased that my Mobile RV tech that did the install only uses aftermarket cooling units.

My fridge is installed in a slide out and I had already installed an extra cooling fan in the top vent to help exhaust the hot air that stagnates at the top vent. These vents are designed for up flow air. This makes them somewhat water proof to falling rain. This works good for the bottom vent but is bad news for the top vent where the rising hot air can’t get out because it has to go down to go out. The fan I installed at the top helped with the overall cooling of the fridge. I had also installed a bypass switch around the snap switch so that I could run the fans 24/7 if need be. This also helped with the overall cooling of the unit but by this time the damage had already been done to my factory cooling unit. When I found out I was getting a new cooling unit I got online and immediately ordered a Fridge Defend with fan control.

My initial impression is that the Fridge Defend and Amish cooling unit are working as they should. Certainly better then the Norcold cooling unit. On initial start-up, my fridge/freezer was at operating temperature in about 4 hours on setting “9”. I left it on “9” over night and the fridge was at 25*F in the morning and freezer was -1*F. I am now running the fridge setting at 5 and maintaining 35/5 temperatures. This gives me some overhead to increase the setting when we hit 100+ temperatures in June.

I know I will sleep better at night and not feel uneasy about leaving the cats in the RV when we are out playing. This is because I have Fridge Defend and a stronger built cooling unit. I should have installed the Fridge Defend when my 2015 RV was new but I was working and living in the RV and had some confidence that the fire danger was minimal on a new RV. As fridge performance started to decline I knew it was time for a new cooling unit and this time with Fridge Defend.

[Itinerant1]

My experience with a Norcold 821 (absorbtion) fridge and changing to an Amish cooling unit has been great. Before the change I would have to run the fridge at setting 6-8 out of 9 depending on the season. After the change it gets set at 1 or 2 and holds the fridge temp 35-39f with freezer items frozen, ice cream frozen not soft. I did add a 3 fan unit on the inside fins so maybe that helps also, the fin have not had ice on them now in 2 years of full time use.

[CJW8]

theoldwizard1, Just to be clear, my new Amish cooling unit is NOT the compressor conversion. It is still an absorption unit. When it gets to 115* F at Lake Roosevelt my Norcold would run about 50/35* F. I hope this one does better. I would have figured a way to make the compressor conversion work if I could afford it but this fix only cost me $100 deductable.

[theoldwizard1]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Absorption fridge process has been around for decades and works very well......safely.

Unfortunately RV MFGs disregard any/all installation methods as outlined by EACH Fridge Mfg which would have a positive affect on cooling and safe operation. Stupid RV MFGs are to blame for poor cooling and unsafe installations.

Probably true.

I would also suspect the manufacturers "cut corners" (or maybe just assumed that the ambient operating temperature was below "real world" ,especially SW US, temperatures).

Based on your comments, get an electric compressor refrigerator, either DC or run from an inverter.

[theoldwizard1]

CJW8 wrote:
My other motivation is my Norcold was starting to show compromised cooling capacity and in some cases, no cooling.
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My initial impression is that the Fridge Defend and Amish cooling unit are working as they should. Certainly better then the Norcold cooling unit. On initial start-up, my fridge/freezer was at operating temperature in about 4 hours on setting “9”. I left it on “9” over night and the fridge was at 25*F in the morning and freezer was -1*F.

WOW ! That is some serious cooling !!

I don't understand why evaporation refrigerators are installed in RVs any more, especially high end units. The DC powered compressor used in the Amish Cooling Unit has been for sale for SEVERAL years now. This is NOT "new technology".

Yes, for people who boondoogle a lot for days at a time, propane powered evaporation refrigerators are a probably a better option than an expensive upgrade in solar and batteries. In the long run, electric is still the BEST !

[pianotuna]

CJW8,

Keeping the wife happy is all that needs to be done! I'm glad it works for you.

I find it curious that the compressor retro fit takes an extra inch.

I'll go residential when the time comes.

[CJW8]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

I won't get into the whole 'Amish' thing.....greart marketing tool but nothing special about it.
!The ARP IS a good real time monitoring tool and will protect the coolng unit from unknown overheating situations.

Howdy neighbor!
You may be right but seeing the two side by side it is obvious that the new cooling unit is built far better than the Norcold. It has thicker pipe which could be a good thing and so far it cools down from a warm start faster than my Norcold did when it was new. I measured all of the baffles and clearances and it appears to have been installed properly. I know this isn't always the case.

[CJW8]

pianotuna wrote:
I would have chosen a compressor retro fit myself.

I explored the compressor mod but I was an inch short on making the compressor mod fit and I didn't want the fridge sticking out an extra inch into the living area. I have a residential model that would fit the hole but it was a 2 door and the wifey wanted to keep what we had (4 door). I also boondock 75% of the time and even though I have 500 watts solar, I am limited to 3-Grp 24 batteries. I know, stupid design for a toyhauler.

[Old-Biscuit]

Absorption fridge process has been around for decades and works very well......safely.

Unfortunately RV MFGs disregard any/all installation methods as outlined by EACH Fridge Mfg which would have a positive affect on cooling and safe operation.
Stupid RV MFGs are to blame for poor cooling and unsafe installations.

I won't get into the whole 'Amish' thing.....greart marketing tool but nothing special about it.
The ARP IS a good real time monitoring tool and will protect the coolng unit from unknown overheating situations.

[pianotuna]

I would have chosen a compressor retro fit myself.