Norcold 2118 fixed, maybe!

[tyates007]

I have been fighting my Norcold 2118 to cool like I needed/wanted it to since 2018 when we purchased our Solitude 377. I thought I had pretty much tried everything to include tear it out and reinstall per the manual specs with clearance, insulation, baffles ect. Two years ago I added the Beech Lane dual thermostatic fans into the upper vent and it worked pretty well until last fall. While boondocking in Moab I could not get it to cool below 40 degrees on gas or electric no matter what I did. Fast forward to last week as I was getting it ready to head to Arizona for Spring break with my girls.

I added some fans to the fins inside the fridge. This is the Beech Lane kit that I hard wired into the fridge 12v. I have also had issues with the thermostatic switch with the three fans on the back of the fridge. I decided to bypass that and add a programmable thermostat for the fans. I used a simple 12v off Amazon

Click For Full-Size Image.
I added pigtails so I could hook it directly into the factory fan wiring harness. I set it to come on at 95 degrees and off at 80 degrees. Temp probe is same place as factory temp probe on fridge.

Click For Full-Size Image.
I have never had the fridge work so well. Granted it was only 85 degrees where we were at but I only ran the fridge on setting 4. These are my temps inside the fridge and freezer as well as history for the week with highs and lows.

Click For Full-Size Image.

 

[Second Chance]

Out of curiosity, do you use it more on LP or electric? The reason I ask is that J.C. Refrigeration makes compressor cooling setups (120VAC and 12VDC) for the Norcold fridges that cool properly and are very reliable. Everyone who has done the conversion can't say enough nice things about them. If we had stayed in our previous rig with the Norcold fridge, I would have done it in a heartbeat (we had nothing but problems with the Norcold and even had to have the cooling unit completely replaced once due to a leak).

https://jc-refrigeration.com/

Rob

 

[tyates007]

Out of curiosity, do you use it more on LP or electric? The reason I ask is that J.C. Refrigeration makes compressor cooling setups (120VAC and 12VDC) for the Norcold fridges that cool properly and are very reliable. Everyone who has done the conversion can't say enough nice things about them. If we had stayed in our previous rig with the Norcold fridge, I would have done it in a heartbeat (we had nothing but problems with the Norcold and even had to have the cooling unit completely replaced once due to a leak).

https://jc-refrigeration.com/

Rob

It is a mixture. We boondock a lot so use propane there because the Norcold is a power hog even with my decent sized battery bank and solar. If we are in park it is on ac. This was really the last straw before I rip it out and put the JC conversion in. I thought about converting to residential but honestly the conversion is a little better price and it keeps the factory finish which my wife kind of likes so we will see.

 

[Second Chance]

It is a mixture. We boondock a lot so use propane there because the Norcold is a power hog even with my decent sized battery bank and solar. If we are in park it is on ac. This was really the last straw before I rip it out and put the JC conversion in. I thought about converting to residential but honestly the conversion is a little better price and it keeps the factory finish which my wife kind of likes so we will see.

The 120VAC heating element in the stock Norcold is a power hog - as all resistive heating is. The 12VDC JC conversion would be more efficient than the 120VAC because you wouldn't have the efficiency loss of the inverter to factor in.

Rob

 

[Scousers]

Amen on JC, what a difference...solid ice cream! Wish I still drank beer, it would be cold!

Len

 

[tyates007]

The 120VAC heating element in the stock Norcold is a power hog - as all resistive heating is. The 12VDC JC conversion would be more efficient than the 120VAC because you wouldn't have the efficiency loss of the inverter to factor in.

Rob

If I change I will go 12VDV for sure. They seem to have a pretty good track record from what research and reading I have done. They also are pretty reasonable on their install rate if one does not mind making the trip out to see them.

 

[triplethreat]

If I change I will go 12VDV for sure. They seem to have a pretty good track record from what research and reading I have done. They also are pretty reasonable on their install rate if one does not mind making the trip out to see them.

I had it done in May of 2022 and got the 12VDC Twin Compressor Mod installed. One compressor is strictly for the Fresh food area, the other is strictly for the freezer. Each have their own separate controls so you can them them individually. My freezer stays within a couple of degrees of zero, and the fresh food area will always be in the 38/39 degree range.

It does use some power though. On a typical day, it will use about 144 amp hours from the battery in a 24 hr. period of time, but of course that will depend on how often you open/close the doors, the inside of the trailer temperature, the amount of stuff in the fridge, direct sun or not on the fridge side, etc, etc.

I built a 302AH LFP battery before I had the conversion done, and we don't hardly ever boondock, but that much battery capacity is way more than enough for even the longest travel day. I've had zero issue with mine since the install and I consider it to be one of, if not the best mod I've done to my trailer.....and I've done a bunch.

 

[tyates007]

The 120VAC heating element in the stock Norcold is a power hog - as all resistive heating is. The 12VDC JC conversion would be more efficient than the 120VAC because you wouldn't have the efficiency loss of the inverter to factor in.

Rob

I had it done in May of 2022 and got the 12VDC Twin Compressor Mod installed. One compressor is strictly for the Fresh food area, the other is strictly for the freezer. Each have their own separate controls so you can them them individually. My freezer stays within a couple of degrees of zero, and the fresh food area will always be in the 38/39 degree range.

It does use some power though. On a typical day, it will use about 144 amp hours from the battery in a 24 hr. period of time, but of course that will depend on how often you open/close the doors, the inside of the trailer temperature, the amount of stuff in the fridge, direct sun or not on the fridge side, etc, etc.

I built a 302AH LFP battery before I had the conversion done, and we don't hardly ever boondock, but that much battery capacity is way more than enough for even the longest travel day. I've had zero issue with mine since the install and I consider it to be one of, if not the best mod I've done to my trailer.....and I've done a bunch.

Appreciate the real world feedback on usage. I really like the dual climate control. During this past week fridge cooled better than ever, too cold really once I got the freezer to 0.

Interesting thing was while I was playing with things, if I just ran the stock fans in the back of the fridge and not the upper vent fans the temp at the top of the compartment really increased. Even though I have a baffle to direct heat across the top of the fridge in the slide the heat just hung out there.

I suspect the conversion is in our future but if I can get another season out of this one I will. Your testimony about the best mod you have done is pretty convincing though. I will say in hindsight with all the time I have spent and probably money if I added it up over the past five years on this Norcold I could have already paid for the conversion. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so stubborn, lol.

 

[huntindog]

Appreciate the real world feedback on usage. I really like the dual climate control. During this past week fridge cooled better than ever, too cold really once I got the freezer to 0.

Interesting thing was while I was playing with things, if I just ran the stock fans in the back of the fridge and not the upper vent fans the temp at the top of the compartment really increased. Even though I have a baffle to direct heat across the top of the fridge in the slide the heat just hung out there.

I suspect the conversion is in our future but if I can get another season out of this one I will. Your testimony about the best mod you have done is pretty convincing though. I will say in hindsight with all the time I have spent and probably money if I added it up over the past five years on this Norcold I could have already paid for the conversion. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so stubborn, lol.

My 2118 continues to work perfectly. I am in Phoenix, so it is subject to our summer heat, and it deals with it well. The only problem I had was the factory cheap $3.00 fans failed early on. I replaced them with $20.00 fans that are weatherproof and have a 50,000 hour rating. I am pleased that it works well, as we always boondock so propane operation is a priority for us.

 

[tyates007]

My 2118 continues to work perfectly. I am in Phoenix, so it is subject to our summer heat, and it deals with it well. The only problem I had was the factory cheap $3.00 fans failed early on. I replaced them with $20.00 fans that are weatherproof and have a 50,000 hour rating. I am pleased that it works well, as we always boondock so propane operation is a priority for us.

I have heard there are some unicorns out there that worked really good from the factory

 

[triplethreat]

I have heard there are some unicorns out there that worked really good from the factory

I've heard that too. Unfortunately, mine was NOT one of them, and it sounds like you might be in the same boat. If you do end up going to JC Refrigeration...and you are somewhat handy and comfortable working with small electrical projects, you could do like I did and run a new 12VDC circuit from the battery area back to the area behind the fridge. The existing 12VDC that is back there now is likely NOT sufficient for the new Twin Compressor mod and if you run that circuit yourself instead of having them do it, you can save yourself some $$. I added a 12VDC breaker in my generator/hydraulic bay that feeds from the 12V buss, and ran the power back to the slide area where the fridge sits....before I went to JC. I think they normally charge around $200 for just that part of it...depending of course on the complexity of getting the wiring back there.

 

[tyates007]

Thanks for that tip. I would run the DC wiring before going. What guage wire did you upgrade to? I know JC has a recomendation

 

[triplethreat]

Thanks for that tip. I would run the DC wiring before going. What guage wire did you upgrade to? I know JC has a recomendation

I put in a piece of the rubber coated cable (SOOW) that is like a portable power cord or black extension cord. I used a run of 8/2.....that's 8ga wire/2 conductor. On my application, I had to go from the front compartment over and through the streetside propane compartment, then down along the outside of the main frame I beam on the streetside of the trailer. From there, I ran it into the "hinged" arm that connects from the outside of the frame I beam to the slide wall under the slide......just like the propane line and the 120VAC line, etc runs....and then up through the bottom of the slide. You have to be careful though that you get everything tucked away under there so that when the slide is retracted, it doesn't pinch anything.

After coming off of my Pos. and Neg. buss bars in the front compartment, I ran the Pos. lead to a 40A manual reset breaker.....
Here is a picture of the front compartment and you can see the breaker there. Look to the upper right side of the RED Pos. buss in that picture.

Pardon the mess...that picture was taken while I was doing the install of my DIY LiFePO battery and heat controller for the battery box that is insulated and heated....as well as the install on my Victron Shunt.

 

[tyates007]

I put in a piece of the rubber coated cable (SOOW) that is like a portable power cord or black extension cord. I used a run of 8/2.....that's 8ga wire/2 conductor. On my application, I had to go from the front compartment over and through the streetside propane compartment, then down along the outside of the main frame I beam on the streetside of the trailer. From there, I ran it into the "hinged" arm that connects from the outside of the frame I beam to the slide wall under the slide......just like the propane line and the 120VAC line, etc runs....and then up through the bottom of the slide. You have to be careful though that you get everything tucked away under there so that when the slide is retracted, it doesn't pinch anything.

After coming off of my Pos. and Neg. buss bars in the front compartment, I ran the Pos. lead to a 40A manual reset breaker.....
Here is a picture of the front compartment and you can see the breaker there. Look to the upper right side of the RED Pos. buss in that picture.

Pardon the mess...that picture was taken while I was doing the install of my DIY LiFePO battery and heat controller for the battery box that is insulated and heated....as well as the install on my Victron Shunt.

Excellent, thank you

 

[dryfly]

Out of curiosity, do you use it more on LP or electric? The reason I ask is that J.C. Refrigeration makes compressor cooling setups (120VAC and 12VDC) for the Norcold fridges that cool properly and are very reliable. Everyone who has done the conversion can't say enough nice things about them. If we had stayed in our previous rig with the Norcold fridge, I would have done it in a heartbeat (we had nothing but problems with the Norcold and even had to have the cooling unit completely replaced once due to a leak).

https://jc-refrigeration.com/

Rob

I have heard nothing but positive comments about the jc refrigeration conversion. Considering the cost is it that much better than just buying one of the OEM type 12vdc fridges as a replacement?

 

[triplethreat]

I have heard nothing but positive comments about the jc refrigeration conversion. Considering the cost is it that much better than just buying one of the OEM type 12vdc fridges as a replacement?

I have zero experience with any of the OEM type 12VDC refrigerators, so I couldn't tell you for sure. Having said that, when JC Refrigeration builds (they are all hand made in their shop) the cooling units, they use heavy duty piping and they also make the compressor mounting bases with rubber absorption feet to help lessen any strains that may be induced while the trailer is bouncing down the road during travel. Combine that with hand made and to me, they are probably the very best 12V compressor unit you can get out there. They build them specifically for the RV applications, and knowing how an RV is subjected to a lot of movement while traveling.

Here is a pic. I have of mine...

 

[Second Chance]

I have heard nothing but positive comments about the jc refrigeration conversion. Considering the cost is it that much better than just buying one of the OEM type 12vdc fridges as a replacement?

My multi-certified RV tech here in Maryland says he has a garage full of the 12VDC compressor fridges (a lot of them Furrion) which failed and were replaced under warranty. The issues were with the compressors and the manufacturers may have that ironed out by now - I don't know. In addition, I've read numerous posts about the shelves in the 12VDC fridges breaking and owners being advised not to travel with food in the refrigerator (a refrigerator in an RV!!!). With the sturdiness of the JC Refrigeration units and the fact that the Norcold fridges are made for RV use, I would opt for the JC Refrigeration conversion myself.

Rob

 

[tyates007]

My multi-certified RV tech here in Maryland says he has a garage full of the 12VDC compressor fridges (a lot of them Furrion) which failed and were replaced under warranty. The issues were with the compressors and the manufacturers may have that ironed out by now - I don't know. In addition, I've read numerous posts about the shelves in the 12VDC fridges breaking and owners being advised not to travel with food in the refrigerator (a refrigerator in an RV!!!). With the sturdiness of the JC Refrigeration units and the fact that the Norcold fridges are made for RV use, I would opt for the JC Refrigeration conversion myself.

Rob

These are my thoughts exactly

 

[dryfly]

My multi-certified RV tech here in Maryland says he has a garage full of the 12VDC compressor fridges (a lot of them Furrion) which failed and were replaced under warranty. The issues were with the compressors and the manufacturers may have that ironed out by now - I don't know. In addition, I've read numerous posts about the shelves in the 12VDC fridges breaking and owners being advised not to travel with food in the refrigerator (a refrigerator in an RV!!!). With the sturdiness of the JC Refrigeration units and the fact that the Norcold fridges are made for RV use, I would opt for the JC Refrigeration conversion myself.

Rob

Definitely makes good sense.

 

[Ra&Ta350]

We second the love for JC refrigeration