refridgerator runs all the time

mbachani · 03-31-2008, 10:40 PM

We recently took our newly purchased 03' Ford V10 4x4 out for it's / our maiden voyage. The Norcold 3.0 never cycled off. Ran all weekend. no matter where the temp was set. I hooked it up to shore power for 24 hours before we left to get it cold. We did not have alot of stuff it in, mostly water bottles and soda. They got plenty cold but the compressor never shut off.

Any comments?

Thanks,
Bob in Tucson.

kzemach · 04-01-2008, 12:04 AM

Am sure others will add to this, but here are my starting notes.

*Unmodified, the thing runs a lot anyway.
*You noted this is your first trip, but it's a 2003. Try pulling the fridge out and brushing off the dust from the entire back and top; sometimes the dust can decrease efficiency (works for your fridge at home too!)
*Many have added insulation to the otherwise rather crappy Norcold performance. For instance, there's a thread here somewhere here where we all whine about how bad the insulation is. Several people have added insulation. See www.badgertrek.com for a good talkup about modding the fridge.
*I keep mine at 3.5 for a setting; you may have been trying to work it to a colder temp than it can get to, and thus it keeps running?
*You may simply have lost some coolant/efficiency and need a freon (or whatever they use now) recharge. I'd do the other fixes first, as you'll want to do them anyway.
*As a side note, I THINK someone here told of how, when their inverter is on, the fridge runs off the AC preferentially to DC if you have that model of Norcol... I could be mistaken on that though. This would be less efficient use of energy, but shouldn't really affect the runtime. Just something to keep in mind.

John Kalmbach · 04-01-2008, 12:09 AM

Hello Bob,

Did the ref cycle off when you were connected to shore power? If it did, you may have a discharged (or bad) house battery that didn't provide enough power to the ref so that it could cycle off.

If the ref did not cycle off when connected to shore power, or you know your house battery was charged (it should have been from being connected to shore power, although this could be another topic). Then it could be one of the following;

Try the "dollar bill" test. Place a dollar bill between the ref case and door gasket at various points around the gasket, close the door and see how easy it is to pull out the dollar bill. If it is too easy, you need to adjust the door so that you don't loose all your cold air, thereby making the unit run constantly. If this is the fix, you'll need to mail your dollar bill to me...just kidding!!!

Confirm that there is nothing blocking airflow to the condenser coils on the rear of the unit. There is an air inlet vent at the base of the unit and an exhaust vent above the door. There is also a cooling fan on the rear of the unit that you can confirm operates. You might be able to view it from the back side of the cabinet, or you'll need to slide the ref out of the cabinet to inspect it.

Also, a fully loaded ref that has cold items in it will not cycle as often as an empty one.

It is very possible that the ref control unit is bad and needs to be replaced. You should be able to get parts online if that is the case.

Good Luck!
John K.

jage · 04-01-2008, 07:29 AM

Make it a $100 bill...

Did you feel like it got/stayed cold? My 4.0 unit will run as often as every 4 minutes if it's hot outside.

When I was researching noise/insulation I repeatedly found comments that the duty cycle of a Norcold for 110v was a lot more often than 12v for the same temperature- not that this has bearing on your problem but when the invertor is on you're changing 12v to 110v which is not 100% efficient, and then your fridge runs more often to maintain the same temp because it's on 110v... so personally I installed a lightswitch so my fridge is only on 110 when I'm on shore power. I beat the batteries enough with the toaster, I figure every bit helps!

Of course your fridge isn't cycling at all so... two more things:
1. some people (The Badgers for one) have vented the panel below their 3.0 to allow more airflow.
2. when you pull the fridge out to clean, run it on the floor so to speak. You'll never have better airflow than then (plus I found that my fridge is actually wisper quite when not installed!)

Good luck and let us know the results.

mbachani · 04-01-2008, 04:48 PM

Thanks to all of you for your ideas. I'll try them all. And I'll send all of you a $100 bill when fuel gets below $2.00 / gal..

To answer some of your questions. The fridge never cycled on shore power or batts.
We didn't camp so we did not have a lot of stuff in the fridge.
Daytime outside temp was in the 50's and nighttime lows were 30.
The fridg temp got cold and stayed cold. But just kept running.

Bob in Tucson

airsick · 04-02-2008, 01:27 AM

FWIW try filling the empty space inside the fridg with crunched up news paper so it does not have to fill with so much cold air thus not running so long.

John Kalmbach · 04-02-2008, 01:28 AM

Hello Bob,

Since it ran continuously on both power sources, check the door adjustment. If it isn't that, it could very well be that the ref controller is bad. I'm drawing a blank on who it was, but someone at last years Rally had the same problem with a fairly new ref. A new controller fixed the problem.

The controller is very easy to change out and simply plugs into the existing wiring harness. It is located on the top of the ref. Ask Peter at SMB to see if he has a "loaner" to send you so you can see if it is the problem. A more serious issue would be a loss of refrigerant. It would be cheaper to replace the unit than to get it fixed if that is the problem.

Good luck!
John K.

mbachani · 04-02-2008, 02:57 PM

Thanks everyone. I'll let you know what I come up with.

Bob in Tucson

tskyhi · 05-25-2008, 01:52 AM

Hi Bob,

If you haven't tried this yet, go to your nearest RV supply store and buy one of the little air circulator fans for refrigerators - get the cheapest/simplest one(should be light blue in color) as the more expensive, fancier ones are more prone to breakage. They use 2D batteries which should last 30 days or more of continuous use. Makes a HUGE difference in the efficiency and run time of your frige.

I was camping last weekend and had both of my friges on(I have two of the standard size, in a custom layout, rather than one larger one). Until I can p/u a new one, I have only one working circulation fan(because one of the fancy one's broke after less than a year - actually both are broken, the working one needs a large rubber band to work) I used the cheaper style in my old Westy for about 11 years without failure. The frig with the fan cycled far less often than the one without.

**BroncoHauler** · 05-25-2008, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tskyhi

Hi Bob,

If you haven't tried this yet, go to your nearest RV supply store and buy one of the little air circulator fans for refrigerators - get the cheapest/simplest one(should be light blue in color) as the more expensive, fancier ones are more prone to breakage. They use 2D batteries which should last 30 days or more of continuous use. Makes a HUGE difference in the efficiency and run time of your frige.

I was camping last weekend and had both of my friges on(I have two of the standard size, in a custom layout, rather than one larger one). Until I can p/u a new one, I have only one working circulation fan(because one of the fancy one's broke after less than a year - actually both are broken, the working one needs a large rubber band to work) I used the cheaper style in my old Westy for about 11 years without failure. The frig with the fan cycled far less often than the one without.

Great info Tim. I've seen those fans in the Camping World catalog and I've wondered if they really help. Always great t hear first-hand info.

Herb