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Refrigerator Cooling Issues

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8:16 pm
May 24, 2010


Sportsman Matt

Central MA

Moderator

posts 95

I found that over the weekend I couldn't get the refrigerator to stay cold enough (45-50 degrees was the coldest) when set to 9 on the Norcold LP/AC 2 Way Refrigerator that KZ Installed.


Luckily I remember something about how the thermistor is located with a clip on the fins in the refrigerator compartment, right above the drip tray.


This is very important to remember…..


Move the thermistor up on the fin to get the thermistor warmer and cause the refrigerator to get colder.

Move the thermistor down on the fin to get the temperature warmer.


So I moved the thermistor up 1/2″ and by Sunday morning when set on 9 the refrigerator was at 10 degrees when set to 9. When set to 5 it was at 25 degrees. So today I moved it down 1/8″ from where I had it Saturday night, and now when set to 5 it maintains 32-33 degrees, more than sufficient for my use.


So remember if the temp is too warm and you're away from an RV repair place, maybe you can slide the thermistor and it's clip to get it to cool down more or stop it from freezing liquids.


Good luck

8:44 pm
May 24, 2010


Teaspoon

Strawberry Plains, TN

Moderator

posts 246

Great tip Matt….its tips like these that can save us owners alot of time and expense with simple remedies. Smile

2010 Sportsmen Classic 14RK 2006 Nissan Titan V8 5.7

1:35 am
May 25, 2010


smilinjohn

Minnesota Prairie

Moderator

posts 380

Thanks, Matt for the tip.  Perhaps, it also applies to our all electric refrigerator.  I'll check it out.  SmileJohn

2010 Sportsmen Classic 14RK; 2005 Ford F-150, 5.4L V8; "…..it is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance." Charles Darwin

7:41 pm
June 14, 2010


Sportsman Matt

Central MA

Moderator

posts 95

OK after talking to Norcold and a couple service techs, one thing that came up was the fact that with the 2 way refrigerators, the cabinet they are mounted in is faced with wider cabinet boards to take up the space that would normally be used by the electric only refrigerator. If you read the instruction manual for installation, it calls for less than 1/2″ of clearance and insulation from the front rearward 19″ around the cabinet.

Unfortunately KZ RV Neglected to insulate the cabinet space where the refrigerator went in, and as the burner got hotter, the outside of the refrigerator got hotter, making the inside warmer, and as the inside called for colder temps, the burner would get hotter and hotter, warming inside even more.

So I pulled the fridge Sunday, stapled in 18″ wide strips of R-11 on the top and sides of the cabinet, and reinstalled the refrigerator.

Before Insulating, on an 75 degree day, the intrerior on temp setting 9 would get down between 45 to 50 degrees (a 25 to 30 degree drop in temp)

After insulating, on temp setting 9 now gets down to 24 degrees with an outside temperature of 78 degrees ( a drop of 54 degrees in temp)

I figure problem solved, and cost me a couple hours of time, versus having the dealer do a warranty repair and hold my trailer for a couple weeks, along with taking 4 hours of driving back and forth just to get the warranty work done.


5:31 am
June 15, 2010


Marlynmik

Northern Ontario

Member

posts 86

Well that's interesting!  I actually noticed that my carrots were frozen after about 24 hours in the fridge (top shelf)  My fridge only goes to 5 though, and I had it right up there – will be turning it down to make it slightly less cold.

2010 Sportsmen Classic 16BH * TV: 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L V8

7:01 am
June 15, 2010


Teaspoon

Strawberry Plains, TN

Moderator

posts 246

my fridge seems to be working really good..in fact last camping trip when I returned home, I emptied out the fridge and left the door  open about halfway with a towel inside to capture any condensation. After a couple hours I suddenly remembered I had left a bag of ice in the freezer, and thought I would find a puddle of water on the floor or wet towel…I ran into the trailer only to find inside the freezer compartment a solid bag of ice cubes !

Kim Cool

2010 Sportsmen Classic 14RK 2006 Nissan Titan V8 5.7

4:53 pm
June 25, 2010


Sportsman Matt

Central MA

Moderator

posts 95

Well, I had my father start the fridge for me last night so it would be cooled down before i picked up the trailer before work. I unplugged the 110 line and went in to check the refrigerator. 62 degrees! Surprised Then I realized that the interior of the camper was over 80+ degrees and the door was on the catch to air out the refrigerator, thus it was never closed. So from 6PM thursday to 1PM Friday, the refrigerator wasn't only cooling inside the box but the inside of the camper. So I closed the refrigerator door, and 30 minutes later it was down to 45 degrees and dropping, so I cut the cooling from 9 to 7 and will check it at 9 PM breaktime (I'm still at work until 11:30 tonight)

Luckily I'm not going to leave until late Saturday morning, so I can check and fix any further problems with the cooling before my trip, rather than have the headache part way through.

Also when doing the insulation on the 19BH I found the access panel for the shower faucet plumbing, so to make things even better, if I have to rework the shower faucet, I need to pull the fridge Yell doh!

6:05 pm
June 27, 2010


mbanda

ARKANSAS

Member

posts 121

Hey Matt

I have a question. You reported cutting the cooling from 9 to 7, but mine only goes from 1 to 5. Did KZ install different refrigerators?

BTW, on 5 setting, mine will have ice on the outside of the freezer.


8:21 pm
June 29, 2010


Sportsman Matt

Central MA

Moderator

posts 95

Mine is a Norcold with the digital settings (1 for cold 9 for coldest)

Still had a problem with keeping cold, running on electric was better than running on propane. One thing I found was that I was unable to pre-cool all the stuff to go in the fridge, but the temps were below 45 degrees at all times in the refrigerator compartment. One thing I did notice was if I put too much stuff in the fridge, it wouldn't cool properly. But as I used up the food in there, the cooling improved.


Looks like another weekend of adjusting the thermistor and possibly adding a couple circulating fans (one inside, one outside)


More to come.


Matt

7:57 pm
August 6, 2010


Sportsman Matt

Central MA

Moderator

posts 95

Finally It's fixed, and not too soon!


Spoke to Norcold again about the cooling issue. They recommended I check the burner or take it to the dealer. I asked "how close to the right is the thermal sensor supposed to be?" They didn't know, but the tech told me that the left side of the fins is warmer, and the right side is cooler, and if it ice's up it's too cold for the sensor. So I asked if I moved the sensor to the left one fin, what would it hurt. The response was that he didn't know. So I tried it, reset the refrigerator to LP and temp to 5, with the sensor moved to the 5th fin from the right. 8 hours later the fridge sat at 32 degrees. 24 hours later and 3 bottles of water, and it was at 32 degrees. So I switched to electric. Lo and behold the temp climbed briefly to 40 for 1 hour, then dropped to 32 degrees without touching the temperature controls at all.


So add in that if the sensor is on a fin that get's covered in ice and the temp keeps climbing in the refrigerator, moving the sensor one fin may help also, along with moving it up and down.

9:05 am
February 10, 2012


mikemay

New Member

posts 2

Do you think it has anything to do with the refrigerator filter needing to be changed? Perhaps that is creating a backup, which messes with the cooling?

I'd imagine that 1) driving around may create clogs in the main line and 2) when you pull into RV parks and use their water, it's often not the best water. I've seen huge clumps and contaminants in the water line as a result of the muddy water I was hooked into at some of the lower-end RV parks.

10:01 am
February 10, 2012


pfidahospud

Post Falls, Idaho

Member

posts 107

mikemay said:

Do you think it has anything to do with the refrigerator filter needing to be changed? Perhaps that is creating a backup, which messes with the cooling?

I'd imagine that 1) driving around may create clogs in the main line and 2) when you pull into RV parks and use their water, it's often not the best water. I've seen huge clumps and contaminants in the water line as a result of the muddy water I was hooked into at some of the lower-end RV parks.


My RV fridge doesn't have a water filter, especially one that somehow affects how efficiently the fridge cools down.  Am I missing something here?  I apologize if I'm wrong, but this looks a tad like marketing. Confused


Stephen

Tow-er: 2010 RAV4 3.5L 269 hp V6 with Tow Pkg ~ Tow-ee: 2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB ~ Director: The wife

1:54 pm
February 10, 2012


reeljuals

Orange Park, FL

Member

posts 43

Sorry NOOB!   This thermistor -  do you access from inside the fridge or the panel on the outside of the camper?

2012 Sportsment Classic 19BH w/U-Shaped Dinette

9:01 am
February 20, 2012


Mike Magee

near Tulsa OK

Member

posts 204

It's on the vertical cooling vanes inside the fridge.

2008 Toyota Highlander – 2011 Escape E14RB

12:07 pm
February 27, 2012


reeljuals

Orange Park, FL

Member

posts 43

Mike Magee said:It's on the vertical cooling vanes inside the fridge.


Found it, thanks. 

2012 Sportsment Classic 19BH w/U-Shaped Dinette