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Old 06-21-2018, 02:37 PM   #1
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Question Norcold Runs Often

Our SMB is about 10 months old. The build documentation says we have the old Norcold 2.6cf refrigerator, but we actually have the NR751BB Danfoss compressor unit.

It seems like this unit runs overly often. We were camping last weekend in cool, rainy conditions with the refrigerator set at 2 initially, then dropped down to 1. The compressor/fan would run for about a minute, then rest for only 7 minutes before the compressor/fan would run again. This seems like the unit is not running correctly. Can anyone provide some info on what is "normal" for them?

Our 200A battery didn't seem to be able to to support this unit for as long as we'd been lead to believe it should. We know that this uses more power than the older Norcold, but we want to figure out if the one we have is even behaving correctly. The fact that we got a less efficient unit is a different matter that we'll be bringing up with SMB.

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Old 06-21-2018, 04:04 PM   #2
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I installed the exact same Norcold 3 moths ago - Admittedly I have not timed it, but have spent enough time in the Van to respond that what you are describing sounds about right. I keep mine set to "3", and have a 2yr old 225AH Lifeline (with 160wt roof Solar) - I'm not experiencing any unusual battery drain compared to the old Fridge...do you have Solar?
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Old 06-21-2018, 09:16 PM   #3
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We have a 100w GoalZero portable panel. Even with the rain and clouds, it was putting out 12.4+, but I don't know how many amps. The previous weekend the battery got down to 11.9 even with better sun. This time it was down to 12.2 by Saturday evening when we decided to run the engine to charge up. (So it was basically 26 hours to go from 12.9 to 12.2 and all we were running was the refrigerator and some lights.)

The fridge we were supposed to get is rated at 2.2A/h. The one we got is rated at 5.4A/h.
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Old 06-21-2018, 10:01 PM   #4
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We set ours to 3 or 4 while traveling during the day and when we stop we turn it down to 2. We also always bring a pound of frozen ground beef and stuff in the freezer which helps to keep fridge cool. About the 4th day we pull out the burger and it is usually still frozen. This plan seems to keep the the fridge from running a lot at night.
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Old 06-21-2018, 10:04 PM   #5
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With refrigerators its best to keep them densely packed, the items inside will help to keep the temperature more even.
I've experienced this with my Engel mt45.
So my question is, how packed are you keeping it and how often are you opening it?
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Old 06-21-2018, 11:51 PM   #6
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Since these were both weekend outings and only about 40 minutes from home, I would not say that the unit was densely packed. The door shelf was full of beverages, the area under the shelf was packed, and the shelf was loosely packed with about 6 16oz Coke bottles. We had nothing in the freezer for either weekend.


Temperature maintained at about 39F both weekends. We don't get into the unit very often, especially this past weekend when it was cool so we made lots of coffee and didn't drink much coke.
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Old 06-22-2018, 12:12 AM   #7
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Make sure you pack the freezer with something even if you aren’t going to eat it. Use ice packs if you prefer. That will really cut down on the runtime.


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Old 06-22-2018, 01:37 AM   #8
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Good point I forgot to mention.
I use a bunch of these (5) all the time just to help maintain the temps better.

Also ambient temps play a role too. I have the transit bag (insulated protected covering) and I also built the cabinet with its own insulation. In hopes of saving electric and wear and tear on the unit.
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Old 07-09-2018, 11:23 AM   #9
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My Norcold started surging a few months ago. I think it was because I let the batteries go down to low and low current messed up the motor. Replaced it with an Isotherm. It takes up less space but has more volume inside. I don't even hear it running.
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Old 07-09-2018, 11:15 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by dosmena View Post
My Norcold started surging a few months ago. I think it was because I let the batteries go down to low and low current messed up the motor. Replaced it with an Isotherm. It takes up less space but has more volume inside. I don't even hear it running.
What do you mean by "surging"? What model Norcold did you have and what model Isotherm did you replace it with?
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