Norcold Refrigerator Drain

[Redrider007]

I noticed today my water pooling in my drain pan in the refrigerator. I checked the drain line on the backside and it had a type of plug in it. Is there a reason for this? I noticed it drains into a rather small catch basin that doesn't drain but just seems to capture the water.

 

[danemayer]

The plug in the end of the hose should fit loosely. It lets water out but restricts the warm air from getting into the refrigerator. If you ever lose that cap, you'll have cooling problems and will probably have ice buildup on the cooling fins inside the frig.

There may be a blockage that's keeping the tray from draining.

 

[kdubinwa]

Well I too am mystified as how the Norcold 2118 rear drain pan (exterior) is supposed to empty itself... My refer inside condensation collector backed up and I had several cups of water inside on the floor of the fridge. I pulled the drain hose out of the full rear drain pan and it the hose immediately drained the remaining water. There is no drain on the rear drain pan and when it get's full things seem to back up right into the interior condensation collector and then all over the inside of the fridge. Am I missing a drain hose on the rear drain pan??

Thanks Kurt

 

[szewczyk_john]

I have a different model then you do, But mine doesn't have the catch pan on the outside, My drain tube is longer and just exits outside the access door through the venting area. I just replaced mine because the piece the stuck out had become brittle and was breaking off, making it too short to reach the outside. The replacement tube was only a few bucks.

 

[weekender01]

That plug should have a small opening in it to allow the water to drain while preventing warm air and bugs from getting inside the tube/refrigerator. If that small opening becomes blocked water can pool up inside the tube and eventually into the inside of the fridge. I remove mine after each trip and let the tube drain then reinsert it back in.

 

[kdubinwa]

I have a different model then you do, But mine doesn't have the catch pan on the outside, My drain tube is longer and just exits outside the access door through the venting area. I just replaced mine because the piece the stuck out had become brittle and was breaking off, making it too short to reach the outside. The replacement tube was only a few bucks.

That is the setup I was expecting. This is a new refer. The hose connecting the interior collector to the exterior pan is not long enough to provide a direct drain exit though the access door.

- - - Updated - - -

That plug should have a small opening in it to allow the water to drain while preventing warm air and bugs from getting inside the tube/refrigerator. If that small opening becomes blocked water can pool up inside the tube and eventually into the inside of the fridge. I remove mine after each trip and let the tube drain then reinsert it back in.

I have the little plug installed in the drain hose and it appears to be working until water backs up and fills the rear drain pan. Might be enough back pressure to prevent the flow from continuing and just overfilling the rear drain pan. That might be a good thing as the rear drain pan is mounted where water could overflow into the backside of the refrigerator compartment. Something here is not right. I've been on hold for almost an hour waiting for Norcold support

 

[lynndiwagoner]

On my former Norcold 1200 (I have a RF18 ready to install)there is a drain pan mounted inside the lower access cover for the water to drain into. I guess they expect it to evaporate. If it ever did fill up it would dump water all over the chipwood floor under the fridge. I've seen it pretty close to filling up. I ran a 12vdc feed wire in that drain tubing to power a fan I had installed inside the fridge....which really didn't help much.

 

[kdubinwa]

I spoke with Norcold and they told me the rear drip tray is emptied via evaporation. No way. Mine is full to the brim and any movement in the trailer causes it to spill on the chipboard. I need to add a drain to that pan I suspect

 

[kdubinwa]

Just in case others have similar issue, the root problem was the left door retractable bar that is supposed to form a tight seal for the right door when closed. It does not always flip into place allowing an air leak and causing excessive condensation. I need to play with it to see how I might adjust it so it always snaps flush to the front of the refrigerator doors when the left door is closed. At least I know what to watch for now.

 

[danemayer]

Just in case others have similar issue, the root problem was the left door retractable bar that is supposed to form a tight seal for the right door when closed. It does not always flip into place allowing an air leak and causing excessive condensation. I need to play with it to see how I might adjust it so it always snaps flush to the front of the refrigerator doors when the left door is closed. At least I know what to watch for now.

The Dometic RM1350 had this same problem with the flap closure being unreliable and they released an engineering change. The guide brackets at top and bottom were redesigned so the flap would get a more forceful rotation when closing the door.

You might try a little lubricant on the pins/brackets or whatever Norcold uses.

 

[Roller4tan]

Yeah, that little catch basin is suppose to evaporate water from the heat of the burner. I make sure the drain tube isn't touching bottom, about an inch or so up.