I LOVE my Norcold 2118 Fridge......Really!!

[triplethreat]

So we are going to go camping/bicycle riding next week and have been getting the camper ready. So I turn on the fridge to let it start cooling down, because my wife wants to start loading it later today or tomorrow morning. So I turned the power on and then walked outside and removed the lower cover to feel the two compressors and make sure that they were running. Oh, did I forget to mention that I had the JC Refrigeration Twin Compressor mod done to it in May 2022?....oops

Anyway, turn on time was right a 1:15 this afternoon and I'm getting ready to do some grass cutting, but thought I'd check it before I started. So at 1:43 (28 minutes later), the freezer section is showing 32.3°F. So in basically in 1/2 hour of time, it went from 83°F down to 32°F. I love that JC Refrigeration mod....and as much as I love it, maybe this info will help others who may be on the fence about having something like that done to their absorption fridge that just can't seem to keep even temperatures and low enough temperatures.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

IIRC, this was about $1400 to have them do it? Considering what a new residential fridge and necessary inverter, probably not a bad deal. Not sure what a new 12V compressor fridge would be, but you'd have to do a fair amount of research to find one that would fit. Ditto with the residential, but this negates both of those issues.

 

[triplethreat]

IIRC, this was about $1400 to have them do it? Considering what a new residential fridge and necessary inverter, probably not a bad deal. Not sure what a new 12V compressor fridge would be, but you'd have to do a fair amount of research to find one that would fit. Ditto with the residential, but this negates both of those issues.

When I had this done in 2022, the unit itself was $1395 and for them to install was another $400. I did all the preliminary work before going there though....running a new 12VDC circuit from the Battery Pos. and Neg buss bars, adding a manual breaker inline and feeding the wiring back and up and into the area behind the fridge....complete with a heavy duty Terminal Strip for them to hook onto for their part of the hookup.

Yea, the nice thing about doing it this way is the same cabinet that comes out of the hole, goes back in the hole.....nothing to redo with trim or worries about height, width, etc. I thought about residential type fridges, but the JC mod is made specifically for RVs......rubber mounted feet for the compressors, heavier gauge tubing for all the refrigeration lines, etc. A residential unit is made to sit in one spot and not built to be subjected to constant bouncing around all the time. Put that in an RV and it just sounds like a bad idea to me....so I finally decided to skip the residential thing and not have to buy and install an inverter and all of that. Pretty happy so far.

 

[Steven@147]

Thanks for this, we are getting the conversion done in July.

 

[triplethreat]

Thanks for this, we are getting the conversion done in July.

You're welcome Steve. I got up this morning and took a temperature check on the fridge (we use the Govee brand temperature/humidity sensors) and this is with it running overnight and the outside air temperature cooling off to the mid 50s. This morning, fresh food area was 30°F and the freezer section was at a -6.8°F. I'm going to lower the number (which raises the temperature on mine) for the fresh food section and probably just see where each section ends up after loading us the fridge today. Those numbers I just posted above are with an empty fridge....no food, no drinks, no nothing.....so of course it will stabilize a bit more after putting food/drinks/stuff in it.

 

[Steven@147]

You're welcome Steve. I got up this morning and took a temperature check on the fridge (we use the Govee brand temperature/humidity sensors) and this is with it running overnight and the outside air temperature cooling off to the mid 50s. This morning, fresh food area was 30°F and the freezer section was at a -6.8°F. I'm going to lower the number (which raises the temperature on mine) for the fresh food section and probably just see where each section ends up after loading us the fridge today. Those numbers I just posted above are with an empty fridge....no food, no drinks, no nothing.....so of course it will stabilize a bit more after putting food/drinks/stuff in it.

Temp here in South Central TX has been floating near/over 100* for the past several days. Our Dometic absor fridge set on electric and 5 (coldest sitting), we have to keep swapping battery powered fans inside the fridge to keep it 34-35*. without the fans it can climb over 40* in a hurry. And that is with the RV left refrigerator side in mostly shade.

We're really looking forward to getting the conversion.

 

[triplethreat]

Temp here in South Central TX has been floating near/over 100* for the past several days. Our Dometic absor fridge set on electric and 5 (coldest sitting), we have to keep swapping battery powered fans inside the fridge to keep it 34-35*. without the fans it can climb over 40* in a hurry. And that is with the RV left refrigerator side in mostly shade.

We're really looking forward to getting the conversion.

I think you are really going to love it. I've yet to hear anyone complain about the JC mod, other than a few minor issues. Prior to having the mod done to mine, I was like a LOT of folks trying to make the absorption fridge work better by adding fans to the top vent that is behind the fridge. The guys at JC told me that I likely would not need them anymore, but I left them in place and can turn them on from inside my camper if the outside ambient air temps get really hot.....and or if that side of the trailer is in direct sunlight on a warm afternoon. My thoughts are that it can't hurt, and might actually help a bit with removing the warm/hot air being generated behind that cubicle from the heat exchangers. I sincerely hope that it works out as well for you as it has for me and others that have had it done.

 

[geotex1]

The big Norcold 4-door absorption fridges definitely require a lot of interaction... Just had ours out to replace the fans and thermal switch. Thankfully, I run temperature sensors with alerts as we avoided food spoiling with a temporary stick fan. While it was out, noticed the cooling unit piping detached from the support bar (from the fins) due to failed braze. Fixed that with and EMT mounting clamp. One of our freezer doors warped and no longer passed the dollar bill test. Norcold wanted $400 for door because they're made with seals that cannot be replaced. Well, that was a "no" so I padded the seal bulb out a bit by tucking felt behind it. I then put magnetic catches on the top corners of both freezer doors to keep them tight for a total cost of materials of $12. Immediately after all this, the thermistor went! Lol! Also, my unit's defrost cycle is every 51 hours and 40 minutes. That is, the 2-hour shutdown timer Norcold has to de-ice the fins. While I still power cycle to reset the timer when camping in extreme heat, I have found an extra large cooler ice pack in each freezer side helps keep the warm-up in check.

I will eventually move over to a 12VDC unit. I have considered the JC conversion, and have experience installing one - easy, but time consuming, but the lousy door seals on the absorption fridge give me pause. The Norcold 12VDC drop-in seems to have shaken its early problems, but at nearly $5K now ($3K just a couple years ago) it's also a "no" right now...

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

I love my Norcold 2118 as well. I seem to have that unicorn that works as designed. Absorption is sooo much better for boondocking...when you are surrounded by tall trees.

Glad that JC conversion works well.

 

[triplethreat]

I love my Norcold 2118 as well. I seem to have that unicorn that works as designed. Absorption is sooo much better for boondocking...when you are surrounded by tall trees.

Glad that JC conversion works well.

Thanks.....I've "heard" about the unicorn Norcolds that work well, but mine certainly did NOT fit into that category. I had the door flapper issue with mine and resolved that right off the bat, and I've never had issues so far with door seals, but the cooling consistency.....or lack thereof, was enough to push me over the edge. Our one month trip out west in Sept. 2021 had me on pins and needles the whole time we were out there. I just NEVER felt confident that when returning to the camper after a day of sight-seeing, that it would be OK. It seems like I was constantly adjusting temperature settings, switching from electric to gas and back and forth......all in pursuit of keeping our huge supply of fresh and frozen stuff at the correct temperatures. Like I said, it pushed me over the edge and by the time we got back home in early Oct, I had already decided to build a large LiFePO battery bank and then do the JC mod the following spring. I've never regretted either project.

 

[RV2600RB]

All my RVs have had Dometic absorption fridges. No problems at all.
Seems like Norcold and now Furrion fridges are the problem childs.
YMMV
Rich

 

[BubbaChris]

I love my Norcold 2118 as well. I seem to have that unicorn that works as designed. Absorption is sooo much better for boondocking...when you are surrounded by tall trees.
.

Our 2118 is coming up on 5-years old and has been reliable for us too. Freezer was 12.5 degrees when I tested it last. Not great ice cream temps, but good for everything else. We've often packed it with multiple weeks worth of food.

My biggest complaint has been the power draw and noise, especially compared to the 8 cu-ft unit in the TT we started with. Even with two 6V batteries, I need to run a generator at least 2-hours a day when dry camping.

Kind regards,
Chris

 

[triplethreat]

Our 2118 is coming up on 5-years old and has been reliable for us too. Freezer was 12.5 degrees when I tested it last. Not great ice cream temps, but good for everything else. We've often packed it with multiple weeks worth of food.

My biggest complaint has been the power draw and noise, especially compared to the 8 cu-ft unit in the TT we started with. Even with two 6V batteries, I need to run a generator at least 2-hours a day when dry camping.

Kind regards,
Chris

We just got back from 3 days of camping in GA where the temps were mid 80s outside. The JC modded Norcold 2118 freezer section stayed between 1° to -5.6°F. Fresh food section was between 34 to38° except for an hour or so when we added a case of room temperature water in it.

 

[huntindog]

We just got back from 3 days of camping in GA where the temps were mid 80s outside. The JC modded Norcold 2118 freezer section stayed between 1° to -5.6°F. Fresh food section was between 34 to38° except for an hour or so when we added a case of room temperature water in it.

[COLOR="#000FF"]Let me know when you experience some hot temps.
I am in Phoenix. 80s is a cool spring day here. Our 2118 continures to impress us.
DW loves it. It is starting to warm up here. Hit 112 degrees last week. July usually has some 115+ days.
Four years into owning this RV, and the fridge still perfoms great.
I am happy about that as we always boondock and a propane powered fridge is the best option for us.[/COLOR]

 

[triplethreat]

[COLOR="#000FF"]Let me know when you experience some hot temps.
I am in Phoenix. 80s is a cool spring day here. Our 2118 continures to impress us.
DW loves it. It is starting to warm up here. Hit 112 degrees last week. July usually has some 115+ days.
Four years into owning this RV, and the fridge still perfoms great.
I am happy about that as we always boondock and a propane powered fridge is the best option for us.[/COLOR]

In those kind of temperatures, MY 2118 before the JC mod would have been almost as hot inside of the box as the outside temperatures.....it never worked correctly from DAY 1 when I bought the trailer. There are a few folks like you that have one that actually works as it should, but many of them are just like mine was. And the purpose of this "thread" was to help those people learn of the option of having a JC Refrigeration mod done to their fridge if they are as unhappy with it not working correctly as I was. BTW, there is a reason I don't live in a place that gets up over 100 degrees on a regular basis and I don't camp in those kind of temperatures, but to each their own if you enjoy doing that.

 

[Captcolour]

I used to like my Norcord 2118 until I didn't. Worked well for the first year or two, but I always had to stay on top of it adjusting settings from 5 to 9 depending on outside temp and day/night. Then I couldn't get the fridge below 48 no matter what I tried. Was able to get into JC last August and the 12V has been awesome. Fluctuated a degree or two regardless of the outside temp. We were in Disney last week with 100 degree heat. Best mod ever!

I have a single battery and no solar, so had them do the 12V to 12V DC charging system as well. Keeps everything running fine for 12 hour travel days.

I would also recommend the extended warranty on the compressors. Was relatively cheap compared to the total price of the installation.

 

[Scousers]

The Norcold was the standard on houseboats for decades. After 20 years of servicing houseboats at Lake Powell anecdotally I would say five years is the max for an absorption frid0ge. We made a lot of money converting dual Norcolds to a single residential. This was in the days before JC.

With this background we converted our Dometic in the 303RLS to JC after 5 years as a preventative measure. Working great!!!!

Len

 

[triplethreat]

I used to like my Norcord 2118 until I didn't. Worked well for the first year or two, but I always had to stay on top of it adjusting settings from 5 to 9 depending on outside temp and day/night. Then I couldn't get the fridge below 48 no matter what I tried. Was able to get into JC last August and the 12V has been awesome. Fluctuated a degree or two regardless of the outside temp. We were in Disney last week with 100 degree heat. Best mod ever!

I have a single battery and no solar, so had them do the 12V to 12V DC charging system as well. Keeps everything running fine for 12 hour travel days.

I would also recommend the extended warranty on the compressors. Was relatively cheap compared to the total price of the installation.

I too bought the extended warranty with mine.....well actually, after I got back home with it.

 

[huntindog]

In those kind of temperatures, MY 2118 before the JC mod would have been almost as hot inside of the box as the outside temperatures.....it never worked correctly from DAY 1 when I bought the trailer. There are a few folks like you that have one that actually works as it should, but many of them are just like mine was. And the purpose of this "thread" was to help those people learn of the option of having a JC Refrigeration mod done to their fridge if they are as unhappy with it not working correctly as I was. BTW, there is a reason I don't live in a place that gets up over 100 degrees on a regular basis and I don't camp in those kind of temperatures, but to each their own if you enjoy doing that.

Just about everyplace has some drawbacks. I do not enjoy camping in high temps, so I don't AZ has lots of high country to boondock in.
I do not have to shovel sunshine. What is that winterizing thing all about? Camping season is 365 days a year. My fridge does work exceptionally well at home in Phoenix for a few days while loading for a trip... And that is really saying something. I do not understand what all the fuss is about. It is a simple system, and not that hard to trouble shoot it. Yet it seems nobody can do it? If mine can do it, they all should be able to. Just need find out what the problem is and fix it.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

"If mine can do it, they all should be able to."

Ah, but the key word there is "SHOULD". Should and will are miles apart sometimes.