HI!! Warm fridge

[jpjack]

WE have a 2018 344GK that we L O V E!!!! Norcold Fridge is giving me a bit of grief. Was running really warm and I discovered the thermistor clip was positioned all the way to top of right most fin. Pushed it all the way down that fin and it seemed to be really cooling well. Now we are back to warm fridge. I have moved the clip 4 fins to left and left at bottom most. We will see if that does the trick! It is miserably hot here in VT, 90* for 4 days, so maybe that could be hampering the cooling effort? Thinking of replacing the thermistor. Would anyone know the part # to reorder one? Was all set to get the "snip" one but then read not so great reviews, so thinking of sticking with original equipment. It is really wet in there also, but I am assuming that is from being warm?

[AndyBaum]

I have found that circulating the air in the refrigerator has helped cool ours faster and keeps it in the safe zone (we added two thermometers). Here is what I did after some research:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M8F2Q47 and https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Fridge-.../dp/B01E5SNB5I

I wouldn't expect the thermistor to fail, unless you broke off one of the leads while moving it. Most control boards that monitor a thermistor would detect/handle a short or an open in the circuit. If you're just not reaching the temps because of hot days, this might be a cheap solution. Adding fans above the Norcold is another solution.

Andy

[Second Chance]

Have you taken temp readings in the frig and freezer compartments? Also, how much of the time are the fans on the back running?

Rob

[jpjack]

I do have a thermometer and it is running in 50's!! Was kind of hoping it was the thermistor as it is about the only thing I felt I could handle!!! I would love it to be the hot weather but again I am afraid it is wishful thinking and I am going to have to bite the bullet and have RV Medic come, at $100 to start. Will check out the outside-ness of the fridge first for anything really obvious.

[jpjack]

Temps run in 50's. Now this fan you mention, the one on the outside-ness of fridge? I am not sure about that, will check it out today. What would I expect? I am going to "turkey baster" empty the water/drip tray in fridge now as it is apparently filling faster than it can drip out. I will be checking to be sure no plugs in the way. Another thing I CAN do!!

[Second Chance]

I do have a thermometer and it is running in 50's!! Was kind of hoping it was the thermistor as it is about the only thing I felt I could handle!!! I would love it to be the hot weather but again I am afraid it is wishful thinking and I am going to have to bite the bullet and have RV Medic come, at $100 to start. Will check out the outside-ness of the fridge first for anything really obvious.

I originally posted this a couple of years back after problems with our Norcold 1210. A very good tech taught be about the absorption refrigerator "reboot." Perhaps there's something in here of use:

Our absorption fridge quit cooling last winter (had been in one site without moving for a couple of months). I called our trusted RV tech for advice... I posted the following after that experience:

RV techs call it a "refrigerator reboot."

When your absorption fridge quits cooling (cooling unit less than two years old) and an experienced RV technician tells you to do a "fridge reboot," listen to him/her. Late last week and over the weekend our Norcold 1210 fridge started not maintaining proper temperatures. I tracked it with a fridge/freezer thermometer and my infrared thermometer and got an ever-tightening knot in my gut. First thing Monday morning I contacted our favorite technician here in Las Cruces, NM, Richard's RV Service, fearing the worst. He asked the following questions:

• Is it the same on AC and propane? Answer: Yes.
• Did the problem come on suddenly - like flipping a switch? Answer: No.
• Did you smell ammonia? Answer: No.
• Do you see any yellow residue around the boiler, coils, or any of the other tubing on the cooling unit? Answer: No.
• Do you hear the cooling fans in the back cycling on and off? Answer: I haven't noticed them like I usually do - but the weather has been cooler.

Richard's instructions: Turn the fridge off for at least five hours and let everything get down to ambient temperature in the back. Using a rubber mallet, periodically tap on all the pipes, tubes, and other refrigerant conduits I can reach, both while it's cooling down and after it's completely cooled. This process took until about 2:00 Monday afternoon. I then turned the fridge back on and continued to do the "rubber mallet frappage" periodically while the fridge was warming up/cooling down. I turned the fridge back on mid-afternoon and by the time we went to bed Monday evening, both the fridge and the freezer were getting back down in normal ranges and the infrared readings on the fridge fins and the back walls of the freezer compartments were very good.

I kept a log and updated Richard a couple of times on Tuesday and he dropped by yesterday (Wednesday) to check. His diagnosis... an air bubble or chemical membrane in the refrigerant system. He said, "Congratulations!" and pronounced the fridge healthy. We both think the issue occurred because our RV hasn't been moved since we pulled onto this site on 10 November and the jostling an absorption refrigerator gets bouncing down the road helps keep the refrigerant stirred up and moving.

Rob

[JCR GD]

WE have a 2018 344GK that we L O V E!!!! Norcold Fridge is giving me a bit of grief. Was running really warm and I discovered the thermistor clip was positioned all the way to top of right most fin. Pushed it all the way down that fin and it seemed to be really cooling well. Now we are back to warm fridge. I have moved the clip 4 fins to left and left at bottom most. We will see if that does the trick! It is miserably hot here in VT, 90* for 4 days, so maybe that could be hampering the cooling effort? Thinking of replacing the thermistor. Would anyone know the part # to reorder one? Was all set to get the "snip" one but then read not so great reviews, so thinking of sticking with original equipment. It is really wet in there also, but I am assuming that is from being warm?

FYI the Norcolds aren't like Dometics in that you do not move the thermistor on the fins for changes. Norcolds are "computer" controlled (at least the bigger ones.) Put thermistor back where it started (hopefully that position was correct) and try the reset as Rob suggests.

EDIT: the 2118 should be second fin from the right and position it 1 to 1-1/2 inch from the top edge of the fin. (Per service manual)

[jpjack]

WOW!!! Will def try this tomorrow as it doesn't seem I can electrocute myself doing the reboot! That and tomorrow there appears to be a break in this awful heat (not a heat lover!) Thank you so much! I'll keep you informed and if it works and you are ever in Arlington, Vt, I owe you a beer!!

[jpjack]

Thanks for thermistor info, will rectify right now! Not knowing that was a blow to my know it all-ness!!!! LOL Will try reboot also! Thanks guys! Same for you, if you are ever in Arlington, Vt beer's on me!!!

[xrated]

You never did state what model Norcold you have....unless I missed it somewhere. As JCR GD said, the 2118 model (4 door fridge that is 18 cu. ft) the thermistor is supposed to be on the second fin from the right (as you are looking into the fridge) an about 1/2" to maybe an inch down from the top. That may not apply to other Norcold refrigerators.....I simply do not know, as I have the 2118 model myself.

If there has been a change in the way it operates (had been working OK before), the cooling fans in the rear or the fridge may be the culprit. There is one pretty small fan towards the bottom of the fridge in the back, and then there are two more fans that are just under the heat exchanger up by the top. Those fans are a known problem for two reasons.....maybe three. 1. They are cheaply made and usually don't last too long. 2 They don't move enough air over the heat exchanger for it to do it's job when the weather/temperatures get hot. 3 They are on a circuit that has a 5 amp fuse, and that fuse is simply not large enough for both of the fans running, especially if the fans are getting to be problematic......dirty, bearing issues in the fan themselves, etc. Norcold now says that it is perfectly OK to replace that 5 amp fuse with a 7.5 amp fuse if you are having issues with the 5 amp blowing. If you do replace the 5 with a 7.5 amp fuse, and that one blows, you definitely have an issue with one or both of the upper rear fans. Many folks, including myself have added extra fans back there in that area behind the fridge. I put two 120mm fans back there and mounted them to the inside of the upper vent (the black plastic vent). They are on a separate power source and they have their own thermostat that controls them. And speaking of thermostats....the OEM thermal disk that controls the fans doesn't let them come on until it is sensing 130 degrees back there. In my opinion, that is way to late for the fans to come on. The new fans that I put in, with their own thermostat, will turn the fans on when the temperature in that area reaches about 70 degrees. Since they are 6 speeds, if the thermostat controller is set to "auto", the fans will come on, and if the heat keeps going up, the fans will automatically increase in speed. If the temperature is still rising, they will increase in speed again.....and this will keep happening until..1. The fans are keeping up with whatever speed they are at....or...2. They have reached the fastest speed that they can run at. Hope this helps.