Norcold 2118 troubleshooting experts?

[DECelt]

LOL...YEP....except I used some styrofoam from a "to go" box from a local restaurant. I had turned the fridge off when we got home from camping and then had the door open for about 15 or 20 minutes to take the thermistor off and then test it. Right around 31 ohms when the thermistor was in a cup of ice water. Then I held it in my hand for a minute or so (about 80 degrees) and the thermistor read about 8.2 or 8.3 ohms.....just exactly like it was supposed to do. That verifies to me that there is no issue with my thermistor. So then I taped a piece of styrofoam onto the thermistor and put it back in on the second fin from the right, and about 1/2" down from the top....plugged it back in and shut the fridge doors and turned it on.

Results from letting it run for 24 hrs.
Fresh food compartment started out at about 70 degrees (door had been open and I was working on the thermistor thing). Freezer was at 22 degrees. Running on 120VAC and my temperature was set on #3 ....and I left it at number 3 for the entire 24 hours...Oh, and nothing in the fridge...no food or drinks or anything. The test started at 10AM and by 4PM, the fridge was at 39 degrees, and the freezer had come down to 16 or so. I check it several more times over the 24 hour period and left everything the way it was....control set on #3 , 120VAC operation, and NO door openings. It ended up being 38 in the fridge, and got down as low as 12 in the freezer....then drifted back up a few degrees...maybe 14/15 degrees. The afternoon temperatures outside the trailer were 91 degrees and I had direct sun light on that side of the trailer (where the fridge was) for almost 5 hours that afternoon.

So if it will keep the fridge at those temperatures at a #3 setting AND with no food or drink in it, I feel pretty confident that with food in it AND a setting of #4 or #5 , it should be good. Time will tell I guess.

Those are pretty darn good temps in that heat and sun. I just might have to that...bit I need a break from fussing with the fridge for a while.

Thanks again!

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[xrated]

Those are pretty darn good temps in that heat and sun. I just might have to that...bit I need a break from fussing with the fridge for a while.

Thanks again!

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

You're certainly welcome....and glad I could help.

[DECelt]

You're certainly welcome....and glad I could help.

Interesting side note and I'm not sure why, but last night...after the whole project (elimination of water leakage inside, replacement of drain hose bypassing the little water trap, door adjustment and plugging in the flapper...fridge temps dropped overnight to a steady 28 degrees set on 8. Humidity at 54%. Outdoor temps have been steady 80's during the day and 60's at night.
Freezer temp was not measured overnight, but it is now down to 2.0 and the temp sensor hasn't stopped dropping since I put it in the freezer an hour ago.

I didn't think that there was a humidity sensor, but I'm thinking that the excess moisture may have been kicking in excessive defrost cycles. Before this the fins were constantly wet...now they remain frozen. I didn't think that the door adjustment had any major impact, but maybe.



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[xrated]

Interesting side note and I'm not sure why, but last night...after the whole project (elimination of water leakage inside, replacement of drain hose bypassing the little water trap, door adjustment and plugging in the flapper...fridge temps dropped overnight to a steady 28 degrees set on 8. Humidity at 54%. Outdoor temps have been steady 80's during the day and 60's at night.
Freezer temp was not measured overnight, but it is now down to 2.0 and the temp sensor hasn't stopped dropping since I put it in the freezer an hour ago.

I didn't think that there was a humidity sensor, but I'm thinking that the excess moisture may have been kicking in excessive defrost cycles. Before this the fins were constantly wet...now they remain frozen. I didn't think that the door adjustment had any major impact, but maybe.



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The 2118 doesn't have a "normal" defroster cycle per se', where it senses frost build up like a traditional refrigerator. The Norcold "defrost" is on a timer type circuit that automatically "defrosts" on a timed schedule....approx. every 48 hours of run time......whether it actually needs it or not. Some folks, in order to bypass it from doing that, will just turn the fridge off with the power button for a minute or so, which causes the timer to effectively reset back to the start of the cycle...so another 48 hours before it tries to do it again. I even read on another forum where a guy installed an electric timer to shut power off to the fridge automatically, in case he forgets to manually do it. The problem of course with that, it that if you forget to turn the fridge back on, even after the timer restores power to the plug in, your fridge is going to be off anyway.

Your temperatures that you are seeing now are certainly good.....or at least good enough for me. Good job on getting some things figured out for yourself and hopefully the temps. will be consistent and reliable.

[msutoad]

I have a similar issue but not identical. My 2118 Norcold cools properly, and seals well. I do not have excess condensation in the frig and the condensation drain hose is. It closed and is working properly.
My issue is this.. I am getting water coming from behind the frig somewhere from something and come out the bottom of the wood trim. There is no water in the frig…. Where else can the water be coming from? I do not have an ice maker on this unit…
We have the AC on and so the temp in the camper is 73 degrees and again the frig is cooling well. Any thoughts aside from me pulling it to the dealer 180 miles away?
Thanks in advance

[DECelt]

I have a similar issue but not identical. My 2118 Norcold cools properly, and seals well. I do not have excess condensation in the frig and the condensation drain hose is. It closed and is working properly.
My issue is this.. I am getting water coming from behind the frig somewhere from something and come out the bottom of the wood trim. There is no water in the frig…. Where else can the water be coming from? I do not have an ice maker on this unit…
We have the AC on and so the temp in the camper is 73 degrees and again the frig is cooling well. Any thoughts aside from me pulling it to the dealer 180 miles away?
Thanks in advance

I suspect that it is coming from the drain pan in the back. Open the bottom exterior fridge vent. You'll see the drain hose ends in a small black cup. The 2118 defrost cycle can overfill this drain cup, or of you start moving it will slop around...and end up draining under your fridge. That is why I extended my line outside the vent door. I kept a low spot in the line as a thermal break.

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[DECelt]

I suspect that it is coming from the drain pan in the back. Open the bottom exterior fridge vent. You'll see the drain hose ends in a small black cup. The 2118 defrost cycle can overfill this drain cup, or of you start moving it will slop around...and end up draining under your fridge. That is why I extended my line outside the vent door. I kept a low spot in the line as a thermal break.

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You can either replace the hose if it is too short, add a section of hose to the exterior or empty the drain cup by hand.

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[msutoad]

Thanks for your info. I thought the same thing. My cup is almost empty
I have since early this morning extended my drain tube out the back also .
Because the frog is so mamouth and screwed down I can not just pull it out.
I see no water dripping from either the doors or door flap.
There is some minor frost in the freezer but nothing major.
I wondered if my frig/camper came with a pre-plumbed ice maker line and that might be leaking, but I have no clue…

[aikenjt]

Thanks for your info. I thought the same thing. My cup is almost empty
I have since early this morning extended my drain tube out the back also .
Because the frog is so mamouth and screwed down I can not just pull it out.
I see no water dripping from either the doors or door flap.
There is some minor frost in the freezer but nothing major.
I wondered if my frig/camper came with a pre-plumbed ice maker line and that might be leaking, but I have no clue…

@msutoad, I have your EXACT issue but with a Norcold 1210 4-door. Water isn’t coming from inside the fridge but instead between the bottom mounting lip and the wood frame underneath. It also is not leaking from the drain hose. Long story but after speaking with a mobile tech he says he sees this often with the bigger fridges in high humidity. Especially if running for long term stints like me. I’ve been long terming for a little over a month in south Louisiana in high temps and high humidity. He said Thea boxes sweat in the higher humidity. The only fix is to pack more insulation between the fridge and wood “encasing” all around the fridge. Haven’t done that but yet but seems to be the only reasonable explanation for my issue. He said I probably would ha e never noticed it if I were only in the camper on short stays as the accumulation of condensation would have been much less. I only noticed it because the wood frame at bottom left has begun to swell. He also mentioned if I could pull the fridge out I would most likely see mildew all around the shell. And I was able to confirm some mildew on the inside of the bottom wood piece using an endoscope cam. I’m not happy at all with this. ��

[msutoad]

@msutoad, I have your EXACT issue but with a Norcold 1210 4-door. Water isn’t coming from inside the fridge but instead between the bottom mounting lip and the wood frame underneath. It also is not leaking from the drain hose. Long story but after speaking with a mobile tech he says he sees this often with the bigger fridges in high humidity. Especially if running for long term stints like me. I’ve been long terming for a little over a month in south Louisiana in high temps and high humidity. He said Thea boxes sweat in the higher humidity. The only fix is to pack more insulation between the fridge and wood “encasing” all around the fridge. Haven’t done that but yet but seems to be the only reasonable explanation for my issue. He said I probably would ha e never noticed it if I were only in the camper on short stays as the accumulation of condensation would have been much less. I only noticed it because the wood frame at bottom left has begun to swell. He also mentioned if I could pull the fridge out I would most likely see mildew all around the shell. And I was able to confirm some mildew on the inside of the bottom wood piece using an endoscope cam. I’m not happy at all with this. ��

Good morning- thank you for your detailed reply!!! You know that is. Spot on to my issue. I was in central Florida (Orlando) for 2 weeks and it started on about day 5. Some days were worse than others, and it must have been because of what you just stated. We had the AC cranked in the camper but that would not matter for the frig cause it is in the slide, sitting cold with all the humidity around it . I have to take my rig back for some other warranty stuff, and they will end up pulling the frig to find mildew I’m sure, and the trim board is ruined and swollen.
I don’t even have a way to put a minin dehumidifier inside the frig pocket which could also solve the issue.
Packing the inside with more insulation I doubt is going to stop the sweating. I live in NC where we have decent humidity also but it’s not leaking like it was in FL. If I were to pack more insulation it would just get wet and stay wet longer I fear. I’m no expert, but I plan to address this with grand design directly and see what they say! Since I’m still under warranty on my 2021 momentum, I want to get a solid fix in place while they are covering the damage being created.
I’ll keep this thread in the loop . Please let me know if you find out any more info, or have other ideas. I also plan to reach out to norcold and see what they say too. Thx again