Norcold is Nevercold -Refrigerator Threadfest - Page 3

deminimis · 04-20-2009, 08:01 PM

I could have accessed the "L" bolt nut by removing the MDF face that houses the rear AC vent that is below the fridge...if I cared. Instead, I decided that this Norcold will never again allow the sweet golden nectur of the gods to go warm again. Thus, I got medieval on its compressed gas.
Here you go Jage:

jage · 04-20-2009, 08:16 PM

Wow, I need to implement a forum gold star program so I can give you a gold star.

deminimis · 04-21-2009, 10:42 AM

Suprisingly little metal in this unit. Other than on the front edge, there are just a few brackets encased in the foam here and there where needed to support screwed-in components (i.e., the junction boxed on top). The foil housing is just a foil and carboard product.

**BroncoHauler** · 04-22-2009, 07:26 AM

Makes you wonder why the Reflectix bubble wrap actually appears to make such a difference, given the thickness of the foam. The foam must not have a very good R-value.

Herb

deminimis · 04-22-2009, 11:12 AM

I'd be very suprised if bubble wrap would noticiably help improve the fridge's insulating properties. In fact, I wonder if the huge amount of insulation on this Norcold has reached and passed the level of diminishing returns. My guess is the door seal and door itself leak tons more than the box, so adding any additional insulation around the box would not help at all (other than noise issues), and might hurt if you further restrict the air flow around the coils. In my case, I have almost no insulation on the van body in the fridge's cabinet (very noticable on cold mornings -you can see the outline of the cabinet from the outside of the van because of the lack of insulation). So, I'm using the reflectix to remedy that little issue. Since I have a little water damage to the rear cabinet panel and the little panel that houses the rear AC inlet vent (because of leaking bags of ice in the fridge), I picked up some MDF yesterday. The MDF in the van is double-sided and 1/2" thick. HD only had single sided MDF in 1/4" and 3/4". So going to sandwich panels together (lots of Titebond) to make the cabinet boards. Even considered ordering up some cam lock fasteners to make the rear panel easier to remove in the future (you know, like the fasteners in some Ikea furniture). Not sure it would be strong enough for my liking though:

**BroncoHauler** · 04-22-2009, 11:35 AM

Here's something I pulled from BadgerTrek's site, only since it has some actual oberservations about their fridge's run-time, before and after they added (foam) insulation.

"Initially the refrigerator (at a setting of "3") ran about 4.75 minutes and would then sit about 4.5 minutes (at 70 deg ambient). First we added some ventilation holes to the cabinet under the 'fridge to increase air-flow over the condenser coils (4.3min run, 4.8min sit). Finally we added 1/2" of foam insulation to the sides (the holding cabinet was 1" wider than the fridge), 1" under the fridge (with the vent holes, the normal under-'fridge air channel was unnecessary), and 1/2" on top (2.75min run, 9.25min sit). The duty cycle of the fridge has gone from 50% to about 25%, resulting in half the energy usage, and hopefully twice as long a lifetime. This also made the 'fridge much quieter when running."

Herb

deminimis · 04-22-2009, 11:42 AM

Seems like that might have been the smaller model they were talking about. I'm no refrigeration engineer, but I just can't see it with the 0041, but perhaps underneath as the lower foam seems to be the thinnest. There's an insane amount of insulation on the box. The door is relatively thin in comparison so I would expect that is where noticiable losses would be happening (and/or the seal). At least I'm Norcold-free at this point!!

Ford_6L_E350 · 04-22-2009, 03:51 PM

I have a -0041 fridge and added 1/2" foil backed (both sides) foam to the outside of the fridge. Sealed all the seams with foil tape (the REAL duct tape!). It definitely runs less now than it did before. Unfortunately, I did not time it before and after for comparision purposes.

It was a little snug to get it back in place, but it went.

Mike

deminimis · 04-22-2009, 04:44 PM

Sounds like we need a study here. Fortuantely, my Norcold is not a viable candidate for this scientific endevour. Jage, your fridge comes out easy. Test it for the team! Pull it, put a cool six pack in it, plug it in (in your home where the temps are constant and there itsn't direct sunlight). After 24 hours, then the beer is the right temp. Time how much the unit runs in a 1-2 hour period. Add or remove the Dynamat and check the run times. When finished, drink the beer.

deminimis · 04-24-2009, 09:52 PM

Picked up my fridge today. Can't plug it in for a day or so as it had to travel on its side. The difference in this fridge, however, is huge. Has a service port! Lots of usable space. Box has a real case, not a foil covered cardboard box. Danfoss compressor. I'll take pics later. I'm very pleased. Here's a pic of the box so you can see some of the quality.

Here's that magnificant service port!