Fridge Problems

mharrel · 08-04-2016, 12:59 PM

My Norcold fridge doesn't seem to want to work on electric and when I switch to gas, only the freezer works. All the interior lights work and I checked the 15 amp fuse. Is there an internal fuse or a reset on these. Of course, that wouldn't explain the problem with the gas. Any thoughts?

**Bama Rambler** · 08-04-2016, 01:23 PM

Absorption fridges work by cooling the freezer and further in the loop the fridge part. So, if the freezer is working the fridge will too. It takes the fridge longer to cool because it's farther along in the process and the fridge compartment is much larger in size.

How long did you leave the unit on before deciding that the fridge part wasn't working?

As for the electrical part, it could be a fuse. There's a 5 amp fuse on the board in the back of the unit. Or it could be a failed heater element.

mharrel · 08-04-2016, 01:31 PM

I left it on for less than an hour, but when I turned it on, there was no sound. When I went back later, there was no trace of cooling. Should I leave the electric on longer?

jtstromsburg · 08-04-2016, 01:33 PM

The general rule is to expect 12 hours or so to get fully cooled.

mharrel · 08-04-2016, 01:43 PM

OK--I switched it back to auto and we'll see what happens. It occurred to me that my wife is always the one who sets up the kitchen. She's not here for this trip and this is probably the first time I've been the one to turn the fridge on. Maybe I tapped the panic button a little too quickly.

**Bama Rambler** · 08-04-2016, 02:40 PM

Absorption units don't make very much noise when running. In fact on electric, they don't make any noise at all. Especially if they don't have fans in the vent stack.

On gas all you may hear is the burner flame, and it's so small that you can barely hear it.

We had our fridge off this past Friday when leaving for a trip, so I turned it on when we left and the freezer was freezing when we got to the campsite about an hour later, but the fridge part took about another 3 hours to get to fridge temps.

Keep an eye on it and let us know if you have any more problems.

mharrel · 08-04-2016, 09:00 PM

The fridge works perfectly. I overreacted. I also learned a lot about resorption refrigeration. The lack of noise when the fridge was switched on totally threw me. Thanks to both of you for pointing me in the right direction.

**Bama Rambler** · 08-05-2016, 10:23 AM

Thanks for coming back and letting us know that's it's working. Don't worry about jumping the gun, at least it was a learning experience.

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