mobocracy
Active Member
This is my first season with a 2007 310 DA. As luck would have it, the cabin fridge went out a week after getting the boat in the water. Based on model number, I think it was the OEM Norcold the boat shipped with.
I ended up replacing it with its current Norcold model version, a NR751BB. Slightly deeper than the original, but I trimmed out the offset and it worked for about a month and then stopped cooling (compressor & fan still running, light worked, no cooling).
I swapped it with the same model (West Marine was pretty agreeable) and this one only worked for less than a week -- same situation -- compressor and fan appear to run, light works, but no cooling.
I'm gonna swap it again, but I'm curious if Norcolds are this bad or if somehow my boat is eating fridges? Boat is on shore power when we're gone, "Outlets/Refrigerator" AC switch on (DC Fridge switch off) and fridge worked as expected (when it worked).
The docks and power setup at the marina are only 3 years old, so I don't think power quality is an issue. We haven't had any tripped breakers and us and a Regal 3550 are the only boats using AC power on this stretch of dock (the rest are bowriders). I keep my A/C on the dehumidfy setting when I'm gone and haven't had any problems with that, and its likely far more sensitive to voltage sags. We also have the factory original Norcold in the cockpit that works like a champ off AC & DC.
I'm trying to come up with other theories on why I've had two die that aren't quality related. I don't think severe heat is an issue -- the A/C dehumidify setting leaves the cabin sort-of cool, and the fridge has a fan and a kind of built-in ventilation that draws & vents into the cabin, not inside the cabinet itself.
I'm going to swap it out again for this same model, mostly because it is the only one I've been able to track down that is right dimensions for the cabin cutout. There's an Isotherm that close, but needs about an extra 1/2 to 3/4" width and it's not clear that would even work internal to the cabinet space, and it possibly wouldn't even fit the cabin doorway -- the Norcold fits *barely*, another millimeter and it'd need the flange removed.
I ended up replacing it with its current Norcold model version, a NR751BB. Slightly deeper than the original, but I trimmed out the offset and it worked for about a month and then stopped cooling (compressor & fan still running, light worked, no cooling).
I swapped it with the same model (West Marine was pretty agreeable) and this one only worked for less than a week -- same situation -- compressor and fan appear to run, light works, but no cooling.
I'm gonna swap it again, but I'm curious if Norcolds are this bad or if somehow my boat is eating fridges? Boat is on shore power when we're gone, "Outlets/Refrigerator" AC switch on (DC Fridge switch off) and fridge worked as expected (when it worked).
The docks and power setup at the marina are only 3 years old, so I don't think power quality is an issue. We haven't had any tripped breakers and us and a Regal 3550 are the only boats using AC power on this stretch of dock (the rest are bowriders). I keep my A/C on the dehumidfy setting when I'm gone and haven't had any problems with that, and its likely far more sensitive to voltage sags. We also have the factory original Norcold in the cockpit that works like a champ off AC & DC.
I'm trying to come up with other theories on why I've had two die that aren't quality related. I don't think severe heat is an issue -- the A/C dehumidify setting leaves the cabin sort-of cool, and the fridge has a fan and a kind of built-in ventilation that draws & vents into the cabin, not inside the cabinet itself.
I'm going to swap it out again for this same model, mostly because it is the only one I've been able to track down that is right dimensions for the cabin cutout. There's an Isotherm that close, but needs about an extra 1/2 to 3/4" width and it's not clear that would even work internal to the cabinet space, and it possibly wouldn't even fit the cabin doorway -- the Norcold fits *barely*, another millimeter and it'd need the flange removed.