Norcold 2.7 cuft refrigerator noise

sinbad · 05-18-2009, 05:00 PM

Hi,

I am considering doing a Sprinter conversion with SMB and want to know what experience you have had with the standard Norcold 2.7 cuft refrigerator noise and current draw. Does SMB insulate the refer cabinet well enough so one does not hear the compressor turn on and off in the night? If you add the big 4D battery, how long will the refer run in say 80 deg weather before you have to charge the battery?

Thanks,

Sinbad

jage · 05-18-2009, 07:39 PM

I don't know about the Sprinter or the 2.7, but my 4.0 Norcold is louder than the Diesel and the Toyo MTs combined.

OK, maybe not quite that loud, but it shore ain't quiet. My brother has an SMB Sprinter with the 3.0 (2.7?) and he has never complained, then again he leaves it off as much as on.

Be careful with requests for extra insulation, SMB has been known to block the vents and the fridge has to have ventilation.

Steve_382 · 05-18-2009, 08:33 PM

We have the smaller (2.7) fridge and it isn't silent. Not bad, and it doesn't wake us up, but you can hear it and feel it also. You can't hear it when you're driving, but at night in a quiet campground, it's noisier than I hoped.

sinbad · 05-18-2009, 08:52 PM

Hi,

Thanks to both of you for your fast reponse. I kind of thought so. I have always had the Dometic 3 way refers and used the DC (yes it draws about 9 amps- but it is only on at night when we have no AC power) and then propane when we are stopped and have no AC power. The Dometic would freeze food which was kept too close to the cooling surfaces, so it kept food just fine. The Dometic is absolutely silent and it sure is nice not to be woken up in the night when the refer comes on.

Sinbad

kmessinger · 05-20-2009, 09:20 AM

My 4.0 Norcold is too noisey for me. On the long list is the plan to pull it and add more insulation and rubber mounts. I had SMB add more insulation and that helped a little. Lately it has set up a vibration of the hood so when I am parked it sounds like something under the hood is running. If I put my hand on the hood it stops.

In the Eurovan we had, the refridge was quite (running on propane) but the fan cycling on and off was bothersome.

On the other hand

, it is very efficient. At a 3 setting it keeps food cold and ice frozen. My solar keeps the battery charged and I have never worried about a battery draw down. It is on most of the time.

Regards,

Keith

CSG · 05-23-2009, 12:48 PM

Hope you don't mind a non-SM owner responding here but I have a Pleasure Way Traverse with that fridge and it definitely hums. I've found that it works fine if you turn it off at bedtime and back on first thing when you wake up. I tend to not camp in hot weather nor do I carry items that require freezing so those are two caveats to keep in mind.

kmessinger · 05-23-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CSG

I've found that it works fine if you turn it off at bedtime and back on first thing when you wake up.

Yes, I did that a couple of nights when I had nothing in the freezer. That's a good idea.

Regards,

Keith

Greg In Austin · 05-23-2009, 01:39 PM

We do that same thing....

We pre-chill the fridge when on shore power.
We turn the firdge colder when driving.
We turn the fridge to a warmer setting at night to avoid more cycles. With the firdge not getting opened it goes long stretches without running.

kmessinger · 09-08-2009, 04:17 PM

Once more into the breech . . .

I was doing something else on the Sprinter and this is part of that posting . . .

Quote:

While I had the Reflectix out I decided to add some to the refrigerator compartment. You will recall we spent time on this previously trying to get rid of the refrigerator vibration (we never did, just lessened it). Pulling the refrig (I am a pro at that now) I cut four pieces of Reflectix and stapled them on top of the insulation (by Sportsmobile). The top was not insulated so I added that. Putting the refrig back in now was a perfect fit on the sides. The insulation presses right up against the refrigerator which is what I wanted. Insulating the top also helped the noise. It is much quieter than the original installion and seems to cycle a lot less. I wish I had “before” data but I don’t. That part of the project took about 40 minutes with more time spent on the trim than anything else.

My insulation is now about 3 times as thick as what SMB puts on and I think having the sides now basically sealed makes a difference.

Regards,

Keith

Aldercrest · 09-09-2009, 01:27 AM

The PO installed a Vitrifrigo drawer refrigerator in the '02.

http://www.vfamerica.com/eng/catalog.as ... ceandrawer

It's a DW70RFX or DW70RFXAC at the link above. Very quiet, to the point that the only time I hear it is that few minutes between lights out and falling asleep, and then only if it's not raining or windy outside. I don't know anything about longevity or cost, but I'm happy with it so far.