NORCOLD N10DC

My NORCOLD N10DC will not run on batter. It is a DC fridge. On batter power I have 13.47 volts at the fuse/Converter. When I connect to shore power I have 13.56 volts. Shore power works great. But on battery power the compressor just continues to cycle start but never runs, fridge lights blink.

For some reason the manufacturer linked rear cabin lights on the same circuit.

Any ideas?

Bill

Check your batteries to see how they are handling a load. If old batteries, or bad, they will not handle a load being placed on them.

Ditto what David said. The battery may read proper voltage on a voltmeter, but the meter doesn't place any load on the battery. If you try running your fridge on just the battery while taking a volt reading, I'll wager you'll see the difference. Just be aware that low voltage can eventually harm your fridge compressor.

I can run all lights - stereo, pumps, for days on my 2 LifePo4 100 ah (200 total).

Bill_256RL said:

My NORCOLD N10DC will not run on batter. It is a DC fridge. On batter power I have 13.47 volts at the fuse/Converter. When I connect to shore power I have 13.56 volts. Shore power works great. But on battery power the compressor just continues to cycle start but never runs, fridge lights blink.

For some reason the manufacturer linked rear cabin lights on the same circuit.

Any ideas?

Bill

Click to expand...

Is the fridge factory installed or after market?
Has it ever worked on battery power?
Are the batteries factory or after market?
If after-market, who did the install of the batteries?
If after-market batteries, did the fridge work on batteries before the change to the new batteries?

Factory Installed
It has worked for a short time on battery
Batteries are aftermarket LifePo4 200 ah
I installed the batteries. I have changed the converter to charge LifePo4 batteries.
Fridge did not work on Marine battery.
Rear cabin lights are on the same circuit

Bill_256RL said:

I can run all lights - stereo, pumps, for days on my 2 LifePo4 100 ah (200 total).

Click to expand...

I just purchased 2 lifePo4 100 ah I was wondering if they will work my current inverter on a 2019 Elkridge or is there anything else that I might need. Thank you in advance

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dsealund said:

I just purchased 2 lifePo4 100 ah I was wondering if they will work my current inverter on a 2019 Elkridge or is there anything else that I might need. Thank you in advance

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Click to expand...

Check the specifications of the inverter you have for input voltage requirements. Most inverters can handle the higher voltage of Lithium batteries.

dsealund said:

I just purchased 2 lifePo4 100 ah I was wondering if they will work my current inverter on a 2019 Elkridge or is there anything else that I might need. Thank you in advance

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Check your converter to see if it will adapt to lithium batteries charging.

Update:
I could run the fridge on shore power...Turn off shore power from breaker box 30 amp. Fridge would stay running. The when I raised temp from 1 to 5 and the compressor would kick in, the fridge would cycle trying to start the compressor. It was like it was losing power then back on, because the fridge lights would blink in unison with the compressor cycle. I decided to remove the 12VDC Buss Bar Mini Breaker that feeds 12vdc to the fuse panel/converter. I connected the 12vdc line from the battery to the 12vdc line to fuse panel. See attached pdf. The fridge now runs on the battery.

Now I need to replace the mini breaker. My issue is this. I am not confident that Heartland put the correct breaker.
The breaker is a ignition protection - 50A 24vdc 323-A2P-50: See attached pdf page 3.


I bought the RV during covid. San Diego was back logged. I found this one in Ohio, and paid to have it delivered. The wiring upon delivery was all jacked up. Running lights and etc did not work. It was a mess. It took me forever to find a certified warranty place to fix it. I had to pull the rig 70 miles one way.

This fridge never worked correctly - I asked Heartland for a production diagram. They are not very helpful. Heartland will not cover it. Says warranty is past. We decided to use the Rig at sites with hookups or generator until the dust settled. Then I tried to get it fixed. The production quality was horrendous.

Why would I have a 50A breaker on a fuse panel/converter rated for 40 Amp. Why 24 vdc?

Any help to determine the correct mini breaker would be appreciated.

This is an example of one of the breakers used:
The 50-amp breaker is used for high draw power items like the slides, landing gear, etc......

david-steph2018 said:

This is an example of one of the breakers used:

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7823117

The 50-amp breaker is used for high draw power items like the slides, landing gear, etc......

Click to expand...

They each have their own breaker. Those circuits are not routed through the converter/fuse panel.

I let it run over night - I still have 13.09 volts at the fridge fuse but the fridge is cycling again. Guess it wasn't the mini breaker. Next step is to pull the fridge and see what the voltage drop is to the compressor. 11.7 VDC is the required voltage. Perhaps the installers used too much wire and the voltage drop from shore power (14.02 at fuse) is high enough and the voltage does not drop below 11.7. My battery box is 2 LiFePO4 100a in parallel. Also the rear cabin lights are on the same circuit. I think the fridge should be on isolated circuit per the installation manual