Norcold Fridge

YEp, they often go and are expensive to replace. I leave my two fridges on all summer and defrost them at least monthly ...working fine so far ...
 
We are just starting to experience intermittent problems with the DE-451. It is over 7 yrs old and it runs full-time year-round. Sometimes it just stops cooling, like the compressor hangs up, or the thermostat does not kick on. So far I've been able to get it running OK by cycling it off and on a few times.

The equivalent new model is the DE-0051, which runs around $700. So I am hoping for the best for now.
 
We have the DE0051 on our 260. Frig works fine on 12 volt. Unfortunately, the 110v side stopped working. Dealer is replacing under warrantee (Norcold offers a two-year limited warrantee).
 
Norcold makes repair kits for fridges that are in otherwise good condition. It's cheaper than buying a new unit and you don't have the problem of getting the parts through the campanionway door. The install takes about and hour.
 
sbw1 said:
Norcold makes repair kits for fridges that are in otherwise good condition.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. The gal in customer support just told me to call a local authorized service center. I have not done that yet because I want to try to get the unit out of the cabinet myself first.

I'll call them back and find out what's in the kit. I ought to be able to follow the directions.
 
sbw1 said:
Norcold makes repair kits for fridges that are in otherwise good condition. It's cheaper than buying a new unit and you don't have the problem of getting the parts through the campanionway door. The install takes about and hour.
Click to expand...

I hope you know people who have been successful with these ... I have never seen rebuilt fridges to last for more than two to three seasons ... why, I don't know ... :huh:
 
Just had my second futile conversation with Norcold Customer Support. The woman on the phone did not know of any kind of repair kit. She said the cooling units are sealed, and not serviceable. Also, they don't give advice over the phone.

I pulled up a DE-451 parts list from their web site, and did not find any repair kit listed, but lots of individual parts.

Sunday, I removed the unit from the cabinet for inspection. I agree that the cooling coils are sealed. No fittings for recharging or even monitoring the pressure. Looks like it will fit through the cabin door, if I resort to having it serviced or replaced.
 
RonF said:
Just had my second futile conversation with Norcold Customer Support. The woman on the phone did not know of any kind of repair kit. She said the cooling units are sealed, and not serviceable. Also, they don't give advice over the phone.

I pulled up a DE-451 parts list from their web site, and did not find any repair kit listed, but lots of individual parts.

Sunday, I removed the unit from the cabinet for inspection. I agree that the cooling coils are sealed. No fittings for recharging or even monitoring the pressure. Looks like it will fit through the cabin door, if I resort to having it serviced or replaced.
Click to expand...

Maybe "kit" is not the correct term. The sealed unit can be removed and replaced, something worth considering when you realize the fridge is installed prior to adding the deck. Getting a new fridge through the companionway door can be a challenge. I've been fortunate to have had good luck with the Norcolds in my SRs. All lasted for years without problems. There does seem to be a problem dealing with the company's helpline and service department. You hear lots of complaints about that.
 
sbw1,

OK, thanks for the clarification. The cooling unit is on the parts list and the exploded view.
 
I got a new Norcold about a year ago and was frustrated with it. It kept freezing up. I called Norcold and they said they would look at it under warrantee, but that I needed to take it to them. It took 3 days to get the old one out and install the new one. And I did some damage to the doorway. I did not want to go through that again. A friend of mine found the problem. The door was not closing completely. When you swing it closed, you hear a click and it won't open, and it looks closed, but it's not closed all the way. The latch was catching on the side trim piece. If you push it a little harder, you will hear it latch again in the complelely closed position. This solved the freeze-up problem, but I'm still a little miffed that I have to go through the extra effort to be sure it is closed. I'm going to do some work on it and see if I can make it better.

I was at the Ft Lauderdale boat show over the weekend and the units they had on display in the Norcold booth had the same problems. I talked with someone there and explained the issue. He did not seem too concerned.

And it is called the "cooling unit" and if your "box" is in good shape, I highly recommend just swapping out the cooling unit <unless you have a wide entryway>. It is a DYI project. All the parts, wiring, etc are part of this cooling unit.
 
I don't like Norcold. There was one in my former boat (S-ton). It was the fullsize model and was poorly vented. The afternoon sun baked that side of the boat and even after adding insulation and two thermostatically controlled fans to the adjacent bulkhead behind the refer-it crapped out after two years. Forget service in the field. They are mostly unrepairable. The best price I could find was from Defender. N-cold insisted on shipping to CT from their location in OH and Defender had to then drop ship to me in IL.
I now have two N-colds in my SR. I just bought it used and won't know much about them until May or June. Yes, Tundra is an option. If I still had the S-ton and had to do it again I would spend my money on a good cabinet maker, strong batteries and alternator, a converter, and an AC driven refer from Costco.
 
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