Replacement for Norcold NR751BB

[BonDave]

Have to find a replacement for our 2.7 Norcold ac/dc NR7551BB. Circuit board is bad and can’t find a replacement part…discontinued. Went to bite the bullet and buy new fridge and can only find a DC only model #DC751BB. Couple ads said with additional cord it could be made into an AC/DC, but Norcold’s take over company assured me that is not the case. Wondering if anyone else ran into this problem and found a solution aside from cutting up the counter and installing a bigger one. Any help iis much appreciated!!
Thanks!!

 

[Twoxentrix]

I purchased this replacement back in 2018 & it proved to be a 'direct fit' replacement, If I recall,correctly I did purchase the additional 110 cord, but can't remember if I actually used it....pretty sure I did. Have to say I am surprised it's still available through Amazon (possible you find a better price if you conduct a search):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J3NW288/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cord:
https://www.amazon.com/NORCOLD-INC-...18-bc7b-e62cb3f48ca0&pd_rd_i=B00AJVK8Z2&psc=1

 

[Scalf77]

The pictures on the amazon add and actually another one I saw at Campervan HQ show the unit with a AC/DC controller. That could be that it is just a standard add picture and not based on reality. But, it could be possible that they are just installing the combined controller on the unit so that they wouldn't have to stock two different models.

Being that the AC power conversion can now done in the controller itself, and not with external circuitry. I expect the cost between a 12 volt only and 12 volt/110AC controller could be close. So I can only say it would be possibly true.

In the picture below the controller on the left supports both 110 AC and 12V DC.

 

[BonDave]

Thanks for your help. I have found that ad for the fridge on Amazon but the ad says “ temporarily unavailable.” On the NR model. I will research what circuit board is in the DC751BB model and see if that will work. I really want a new one, but I did find a used NR751BB on eBay…reputable seller, but how long will that last?…also found electrician who thinks he can repair circuit board for little over $100. Thinking of doing both and having a backup for around $500. Last we will find out there probably. Thanks again!!

 

[1der]

How often are you using shorepower only and NOT charging your batteries?

We have AC/DC fridge in one rig and DC only in the other. I rarely miss the AC feature of the built in fridges. Now, the chest fridges are a different story since those, at times, come out of the rigs to be used in the house as spare freezer space.

 

[BonDave]

Our current fridge works, but when driving it will not cycle properly. It will shut off and then turn right back on after only a few seconds draining the batteries. By the time we get to where we are going it tries to cool, but turns off after trying to come on after a couple seconds. 75% of time we are at state parks with power, but we do enjoy primitive sites, too. I’m not a fan of using a generator…even as “quiet” as the one we have is. I go for peace and quiet as much as possible.

 

[1der]

I was thinking about the new DC only one you were looking at. If you have a battery charger engaging when connected to shore-power then a DC only fridge works just fine.

 

[1der]

How did you determine the circuit board is the problem?

 

[BonDave]

Will have to think about that dc fridge. May skip the used one and just try to fix existing. If that doesn’t work, just get the new dc. David ran some tests with Dinosaur Electronics out of OR and they determined the problem. We already took it to a local repair place here and tried a new thermostat…wasn’t that. They also determined it was circuit board, but can’t find a replacement. Would a dc only fridge put more wear on the genie? David was concerned about that because of the age of the van being 18 years old. Sure that is costly. Any ideas how long those last on average?

 

[1der]

If you are referring to the generator, the fridge should not create any issue.

How is your system set up for charging your house battery bank? Normally, if you have shore power connection that is feeding to a converter/battery charger, or it is feeding into an inverter/ charger

 

[BonDave]

It is an inverter,. Thanks for your help and suggestions. We have decided to skip the used and the repair and just buy the DC model that is brand new and fits perfectly. Really don’t need the ac anyway after thinking about it, more efficient and brand new. Thanks!

 

[Twoxentrix]

It is an inverter,. Thanks for your help and suggestions. We have decided to skip the used and the repair and just buy the DC model that is brand new and fits perfectly. Really don’t need the ac anyway after thinking about it, more efficient and brand new. Thanks!

FYI: Before you pull your fridge, there are a couple screws that come out on the black frame around the edge of the fridge, BUT you may also have 2 screws that go through the paneling (which frames the sides of the fridge). The screw heads are usually masked by a ‘screw head cover cap’. Mine were positioned about 4 or 5” from the outer edge of the panels, and about 1/2 way the height of the fridge. May want to check if you have those before you start pulling on the fridge.