Fridge Problem

k3nlind · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:16 pm Post subject: Fridge Problem

Anybody have access to a marine refridgerator troubleshooting guide?

Recently my Norcold DE-0051 quit getting cold. It worked fine for a year. Now it just cycles on and off without cooling at all. I am simply looking for a starting point to see if it might be owner repairable.

One interesting thing is that when I started looking for a possible problem area I first disconnected shore power, then I turned off all batteries... the fridge just kept on trying to run... must have a direct connection to the batteries...

The cycling on and off runs every couple of seconds.

drjohn71a · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:22 pm Post subject:

Norcold shouldhave some list of participating repair shops in your area. Norcold is often used in campers and motorhomes, so any of those shops should be able to trouble shoot your problem. I think you ought to call the Norcold "help line" or whatever if it is very new. John

Sea Wolf · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:30 pm Post subject:

ken-

The direct connection to the batteries is usual in marine refrigerators to prevent accidental spoilage when the main boat/house power is turned off.

The running w/o cooling sounds like the refrigeration gas has escaped from the system.

I'd calll Norcold.

You might be able to find a repair shop locally that could re-charge the system, if that's the problem. I'd want to be sure the leak is found and repaired in the process. They have electronic "sniffers" that can locate small leaks.

Joe.

oldgrowth · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:57 pm Post subject:

k3nlind - It could have a vapor lock. Usually it will cure itself unless it cycles too fast. If you haven’t turned it off, try that and leave it off for an hour or so then turn it back on.

They give away free service manuals for the refer you have here but they charge a handling and shipping fee. Don’t know how much it is.

k3nlind · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 1:26 pm Post subject:

thanx... great information... I ordered the service manual!

I know the unit is under warrantee and I intend to take it in for service... but I also want to get ready for the next outage that probably won't be under warrantee! Crying or Very sad

Salty-Cs · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:06 pm Post subject:

The fridge is great, until like anything else it becomes a severe pain when it decides to be uncooperative. Ours has a different problem from the one posted above...it cools to a point...the compressor runs, but it never shuts off, regardless of the thermostat position. I called our local service guy and he seems to think there is a small blockage in the system that is restricting the flow of coolant. It will decide to work fine on occasion...the service guy thinks the blockage is most likely migratory (causing the sporadic functioning)...actually sounds like a correct diagnosis. The whole unit is sealed and has to be replaced in it's entirety. The repair is approx. $350.00. Has anyone else had a problem like this?

Thanks

thataway · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:37 pm Post subject:

There are two separate types of Norcold refigerators--the marine type currently use the Danfoss 12 volt DC compressor and are considerably better than the older ones which used the 27 volt AC swing motor compressor. Unfortunately these units are difficult to repair--in the past they didn't have valves to allow easy replacement of the refigerant.

Generally what is described suggests low refigerant. If it is still in warantee, then you are in luck. As noted, the repairs have always been pricey. One of my friends who does marine refigeration would not attempt to repair the older units.

The second type of Norcold (and Dometic) refigerators are absorpition use amonia as a refigerant. The amonia is heated and forms a gas, as it condensses it cools. This type of unit has no motors or compressors and is what is commonly used in RV's. These are not effecient on 12 volts, and the heater is best run on LPG or 110V AC. Although a few trawlers use these, they are rarely factory installed on boats.

I would disconnect the refigerator from the 12 volt source. The way my Tom Cat is wired, is that there is a fuse/switch for the refigerator. I personally would not hard wire a 12 volt refigerator. The danger of running down the batteries and then not having a running bilge pump out weighs the potential of spoiled food.

Sneaks · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:40 pm Post subject:

The following is from one of my favorite sites for instruction and repair manuals for RV's plus service tips and in this case RV and marine absorption refrigerators work the same, only the heating element is different. RV's use propane, 115 AC, and sometimes 12VDC, Marine versions don't have propane. As Bob points out, you may not have the absorption type, but since they're cheap, best you check.

Bryant sez:
With the proper ventilation- enough air over the condenser coils to make liquid ammonia, if the unit is level, and with the correct amount of heat applied to the boiler, unless the cooling unit is bad, it will cool.

Tips
A couple of tips- if the refrigerator has been working, and it suddenly stop cooling, turn it off for one to two hours, re-level the RV, and turn it back on. Sometimes the flow of ammonia can become "vapor locked", and turning it off will allow the pressures to equalize (the old method was called "burping", and consisted of taking the refrigerator out of the coach and turning it upside down.. newer models- built since the early 1980's, do not need this, nor will it help).

A venting tip is that there is a minimum clearance at the back of the refrigerator. If the back wall is more than one inch away from the refrigerator coils, an added baffle will greatly improve the efficiency, because a large gap will allow the air drawn in by convection to bypass the coils, but if you put a baffle in to force the air to pass over the coils, the refrigerator will cool much more efficiently.

Don

Salty-Cs · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:00 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the above advice.

Took the entire unit to the repair guy today. Then, I took it home again!
What was to be a $350 repair turned into a $566 repair. The guy insisted that it was worthwhile to fix it at half the cost of a new one. I just didn't feel right and when he insisted on a $450 deposit I told him I needed time to convince the wife (knowing full well that the fridge was more important to her than me). Long story short...she was on the computer when I called her with the sad news. A quick look up of the prices on various sites found a new in the box model on ebay for $1.00 less than the repair.
Oh by the way...the ebay seller was the repair guy. Caveat emptor. I hate this stuff.

TyBoo · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:07 pm Post subject:

Salty-Cs · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:55 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Mike...as Kerry says "we dodged a bullet"...the bullet has to land somewhere, though.

journey on · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 9:31 pm Post subject:

Sorry you had the problem, but thanks for the info. Obviously we have the same kind of refrigerator; so far so good. When we got it/the boat, it was the noisiest appliance to which I'd ever been next (like that wording?) Anyway I took it out, put in a lot of tape and wiring, quieted it down, and noticed it was made in China. I guess you get what you pay for. It does have a compressor so it isn't an absorpition type, but it isn't a Danfoss.

Anyway, when it quit working, I found out that there is a second fuse on top of the fridge; one get at it by pulling the thing out. Also, the duty cycle when we were in the San Juans was 50%, which is high for that climate. Did work well, though.

Boris