Fridge Replacement Opinions

dwna1a

dwna1a

Well-Known Member
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Apr 23, 2012
5,981
James River
Boat Info
88 Weekender 300 "Seahorse"
Engines
Twins 350
My old Norcold is giving me a 12v headache and I'm going to replace it. I've seen some comments about Norcold here and there but so far they are the only one that will fit the cutout.

I'm looking for some opinions on some of the other manufacturers.
 
Other than price all the norcold's I have seen have help up well. There also not much more than other brands.
 
Have you checked on the Vitrofrogo's. Defender has the best prices and the specs are listed on their website.
 
Switched our notcold to a vitrifrigo. We've been very pleased.

***not all members have had the same direct fit. We did some surgery but it was minor.***
 
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Replaced our Norcold with another Norcold from Amazon. Took two units to get one that worked (12v inop on first unit). Quality control out of China not too good and calling the factory support line was useless. Thank goodness Amazon has good customer service because Norcold doesn't based upon my one experience with them.

And also, the new Norcold's are NOT a direct fit. You will have to do some cabinet surgery.
 
I replaced my Norcold when it died with a Nova Kool that was larger capacity, less power, quieter. I did have to do some cabinet cutting to get ti to fit, but it was relatively simple. Others have done the same with Vitrifrigo. If you search this site you should find some posts that talk about these replacements.

Nova Kool has a cross reference table on their web site linked below. I have heard that there are not that many US sellers of them (they are based in Canada, in BC I think), but I think they are sold a few places. I bought mine on-line from a selling in Ontario. Here is the link
http://www.novakool.com/crossreferenceNORCOLD10_002.pdf.pdf
 
Replaced my original Norcold in my 310 with another Norcold and it failed after 30 days. I got another one just like it and it appeared to fail, too, but after resetting everything power-wise on the boat (there had been some indication that we had lost shore power), this one started working again and has for about the last month or so.

I would have dumped Norcold after the first new one quit, but it was such a good fit for the cabinetry and the cheapest option with local return (West Marine). The other hidden fit issue is the cabin doorway -- the replacement *just* clears the entry, by like millimeters. Other brands in the same general size were slightly larger and may not have fit through the door, which had I mail ordered them would have been a big headache.

What I REALLY wish Sea Ray would have done is arranged the galley so that a standard "dorm" fridge could have been fit into a rectangular cubby with its own standalone inverter. Replacement would be easy and cheap, those fridges are $129 everywhere.
 
dwna1a said:
My old Norcold is giving me a 12v headache and I'm going to replace it. I've seen some comments about Norcold here and there but so far they are the only one that will fit the cutout.

I'm looking for some opinions on some of the other manufacturers.
Click to expand...
I replaced the unit in my 1989 300DA with a Nova Cool unit. Sold the boat two years after the installation but was very satisfied with the refrigerator. It was almost a direct replacement in regards to size...just maybe a 1/4" narrower if I remember. I had to use a small filler strip in the opening which was hidden by the mounting flange.
 
Replaced mine with a Vitrifrigo. No problems with it after two seasons. Low current draw and larger internal capacity for same external size. It's like magic, or a Dr Who tartus.
 
I thank you all very much, I ordered a NovaKool unit on Monday. They were the only ones that had the correct size.
There was only one problem, that was the 6 week delay.

I guess I still have a good bit of my dad in me tho. I got into the power control unit on the old fridge, tore it down and found some bad corrosion. So I did some cleaning of the board and the 120 to 12v switch. With the help of my slip neighbor (I owe him big) he replaced the switch. We put it all back together and put the fridge back in.

It's working like it was new again! He saved me $845!

You can't beat great boat neighbors
 
dwna1a said:
I thank you all very much, I ordered a NovaKool unit on Monday. They were the only ones that had the correct size.
There was only one problem, that was the 6 week delay.

I guess I still have a good bit of my dad in me tho. I got into the power control unit on the old fridge, tore it down and found some bad corrosion. So I did some cleaning of the board and the 120 to 12v switch. With the help of my slip neighbor (I owe him big) he replaced the switch. We put it all back together and put the fridge back in.

It's working like it was new again! He saved me $845!

You can't beat great boat neighbors
Click to expand...
Thats great!. I suspect that is what goes wrong with many of the Norcold fridges that fail. Maybe mine too. I don't miss it though. The Nova Kool is quieter, larger, and uses less power -- and it has a light!.
 
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