mjoplin
Member
The old Norcold frig in our 280 Dancer quit cooling on battery altogether. The DC power supply tested bad following Norcold's troubleshooting guide. At $300 for a replacement p/s, it made more sense to replace it with a new frig vs. repairing what was there. Picked up one on Amazon for $699 with free two day shipping.
Per Norcold, the direct replacement is the NR751BB frig. It is close, but requires some modifications to work.
The cutout size is the same, but the old 0051 frig had a bevel on the lower back edge where the 751 is squared off with no bevel. This changed the lower back clearance quite a bit and necessitated raising the frig 1 3/8". The upper edge of the cutout in the cabinet had to be cut with a sabre saw and I had to build up the height on the floor that it sits on. Not quite a direct replacement, but it will work.
The new unit comes without an AC power cord, the cord available separately for $28 and change. It is an industry standard IEC cord (same as the power cord on most desktop PCs). Most of us have a few of these lying around, or if not, they can be purchased for $3-$5 pretty much anywhere.
On temp setting 3 (of 5), the new frig holds a solid 40 degrees filled with drinks. BIG improvement over the old one, even on it's best days! I am going to do a bit of rework on the lower black front cover I fabricated. Most likely make it an inch or two taller and route some horizontal vents in it for air flow. That should do a better job of concealing the lower front of the installation.
The sad thing is not that I have upgraded electronics, new frig, new LED lighting, etc. and have the boat the way I want it, we may be selling it soon. Wife has been afflicted with a case of "bigger boat-itis". Will most likely start looking for 39-45' soon to get some more space.
Raised supports fabricated to lift the frig up:
Finished installation
Per Norcold, the direct replacement is the NR751BB frig. It is close, but requires some modifications to work.
The cutout size is the same, but the old 0051 frig had a bevel on the lower back edge where the 751 is squared off with no bevel. This changed the lower back clearance quite a bit and necessitated raising the frig 1 3/8". The upper edge of the cutout in the cabinet had to be cut with a sabre saw and I had to build up the height on the floor that it sits on. Not quite a direct replacement, but it will work.
The new unit comes without an AC power cord, the cord available separately for $28 and change. It is an industry standard IEC cord (same as the power cord on most desktop PCs). Most of us have a few of these lying around, or if not, they can be purchased for $3-$5 pretty much anywhere.
On temp setting 3 (of 5), the new frig holds a solid 40 degrees filled with drinks. BIG improvement over the old one, even on it's best days! I am going to do a bit of rework on the lower black front cover I fabricated. Most likely make it an inch or two taller and route some horizontal vents in it for air flow. That should do a better job of concealing the lower front of the installation.
The sad thing is not that I have upgraded electronics, new frig, new LED lighting, etc. and have the boat the way I want it, we may be selling it soon. Wife has been afflicted with a case of "bigger boat-itis". Will most likely start looking for 39-45' soon to get some more space.
Raised supports fabricated to lift the frig up:
Finished installation
