Norcold (1210) Fridge Stopped Working, Now It Works

6

6.7LMegaCab

Well-known member
Sometime last summer, I went out to check the fridge and it had stopped working. Everything in it spoiled (wasn't a lot, just a few items). I tried troubleshooting it, pulled the codes (I wrote them down somewhere, but don't have it right now), tried getting it to work on propane, nothing. I attempted this off and on for a couple of months.

Fast forward to today. I was out getting the RV ready for a trip, and ran the generator and ACs. For whatever reason, I decided to turn the fridge on to see what would happen. I left and came back to shut things down and the freezer was getting cold and I heard the fans running. I left it and put a thermometer in the freezer. I checked it this evening and at the time the freezer was down to 17 degs and the fridge was cold.

We were planning on using coolers, but now considering using the fridge and bringing the coolers just in case.

Anyone have any thoughts on what would have caused the fridge to stop working and all of a sudden start working again? There isn't any signs of the ammonia leaking and the circuit board seemed just fine.

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R

rhodies1

Well-known member
Your fridge may have developed an air bubble in cooling unit and by having It shut down for so long...it burst or settled out. I certainly would keep an eye on the unit and see if it functions for an extended period of time before I loaded it up with a lot of food.
 
6

6.7LMegaCab

Well-known member
I updated the title with the correct model number - 1210.

Here's the faults:

Screen 4:
These 2 I don't think are really cause for concern as they can be explained.
- AC Mode Selected, but AC voltage not available
- Fresh food door open for more than 2 minutes

- Burner failed to light/relight
--possibly set if propane wasn't available?

These 2 could partially explain - however, I couldn't figure out the cause for the DC voltage issue as the batteries and converter/charger are operating correctly and voltage at the board was fine, which on Screen 9 (DC voltage input) showed between 10.5 and 15.4 volts (middle dash)
- DC voltage low
- DC voltage high

Screen 5:
- Flame sensing (Sr) fault
-- not certain why as the propane did light, unless it set after not using propane for a while and changing bottles.

- No cooling sensed
-- perhaps the unit overheated causing the high temp limit switch to open

No other faults were recorded, to include the thermistors.

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6

6.7LMegaCab

Well-known member
rhodies1 said:
Your fridge may have developed an air bubble in cooling unit and by having It shut down for so long...it burst or settled out. I certainly would keep an eye on the unit and see if it functions for an extended period of time before I loaded it up with a lot of food.
Click to expand...
Air bubble... That's interesting. It had been running constantly for quite a while as we were using the fridge, but we haven't been able to take the RV on the road since Nov 2021. We did turn the fridge off a couple times, but it was mainly left on for the majority of time. Perhaps the unit overheated, possibly causing air bubbles - a no cooling fault was set which can be caused by overheating.

I'll keep an eye on it the fridge over the next few days. If it holds up I'll use it, but we don't plan on filling it. We will definitely bring the cooler just in case it fails again.

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travelin2

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
Any chance of moisture on the control board from a strong wind blown rain or from washing the rig?

That causes the fridge to shutdown and would have been one of the codes.

Over time after it dries and power is out for awhile it could have reset

Glad it’s working for
 
6

6.7LMegaCab

Well-known member
2019_V22 said:
I'd say if you had codes, then the fridge already suggested what was wrong. Things like poor thermistor connections, drifting resistance values, Etc can cause no cool or fault codes.

https://techsupport.pdxrvwholesale.com/technical-service-manuals/norcold-1201lrim/
Click to expand...
I posted the faults. None of the faults could be verified when I first tried to troubleshoot this. The fault for no cooling could have been caused by overheating. The DC voltage low or high were all within limits when I checked after this happened. No other sensors set any faults, including the thermistor. So it may have suggested what was wrong, but it doesn't explain why it suddenly started working...other than possibly an air bubble as rhodies1 suggested, and it sitting unused and off for nearly a year may have resolved it.

Had I followed the cooling unit testing and diagnostic flow chart when it first malfunctioned and wasn't cooling, it called for the cooling system to be replaced...but it's working... For now. The plan is to eventually replace the cooling unit with one from JC Refrigeration.

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6

6.7LMegaCab

Well-known member
travelin2 said:
Any chance of moisture on the control board from a strong wind blown rain or from washing the rig?

That causes the fridge to shutdown and would have been one of the codes.

Over time after it dries and power is out for awhile it could have reset

Glad it’s working for
Click to expand...

Thanks @travelin2! There is a slight chance I suppose. When I noticed the unit stopped cooling, we had an abnormally wet season with about 13 inches of rain all in the month of May last year - so I'm guessing about 15 inches when this happened. There is a large juniper blocking the sun on that side, so perhaps the wind pushed some of the rain in.

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travelin2

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
6.7LMegaCab said:
Thanks @travelin2! There is a slight chance I suppose. When I noticed the unit stopped cooling, we had an abnormally wet season with about 13 inches of rain all in the month of May last year - so I'm guessing about 15 inches when this happened. There is a large juniper blocking the sun on that side, so perhaps the wind pushed some of the rain in.

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Click to expand...
It’s happened to us so it’s a possibility
 
R

rhodies1

Well-known member
I replaced my Norcold 1210 cooling unit last Sept. when I was camping in PA . I replaced it with an Amish unit. Suggestion .. when if/you purchase a new unit, buy the kit vs just the cooling unit. It’s an extra 120 dollars but gives you 2 new fans, 2 new heating elements and a new fan switch. Well worth the extra. I purchased my pkg from RV Cooling Warehouse and the total pkg was $1510 dollars of which $225.00 was shipping from Indiana to PA . A real steal compared to what I would have paid here in Canada.
I replaced my unit because my fridge is s 2012 year and I was having same issue as you. Would run but would not cool. Only a small section of the coil would get hot . Remainder was cold to the touch. I tried everything to free up the blockage. I did have it checked and was told. Either air bubble in system or ammonia has settled to the bottom. Basically not repairable. Cheaper to replace than remove cooling unit and have re- charged.
 
R

rhodies1

Well-known member
PS… it only took 3.5 hours to remove fridge from cabinet. Replace cooling unit and re- install fridge. I did remove the trim on fridge and doors before tech arrived.
Also if you need a control board .. purchase it from Walmart . Com — yes Walmart ..
Cheapest price around. $139.00 dollars
I also replaced mine because if was 10 years old, I figured everything else is new why not that.
 
6

6.7LMegaCab

Well-known member
Thanks @rhodies1! It's holding up so far, although the next few days will really tell how it is holding up. I know I'm on borrowed time. My plan is to replace the cooling unit, but it'll probably be the 12V R134A cooling unit from JC Refrigeration. It's a bit more expensive than the rebuilt unit from RV Cooling Warehouse, but it'll also be field serviceable and it won't matter how level the RV is, which is an added bonus.

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R

rhodies1

Well-known member
The one I purchased from RV Warehouse was new. I didn’t buy the rebuilt. The rebuilt was only around 700. I went new
 
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6

6.7LMegaCab

Well-known member
They still use ammonia for the refrigerant. Going to the HVAC cooling units from JC Refrigeration will be more efficient and there isn't a need to ensure the rig is level just for the fridge.

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