How to Test A RV Fridge and/or Cooling Unit

[farrelltravis]

I am about 95% certain my cooling unit for my fridge is toast on my 5th wheel. Before I drop $1000 or more, I want to check to see if anyone else has any ideas on what to do.

I have a Norcold N611 fridge. Neither the fridge nor freezer cool properly on either electric or gas. I seem to have proper 12 volt and 110 volt power. There are no error codes flashing. I have replaced the thermister and it did not fix the problem. I have performed a 24 hour cooling unit test by plugging the cooling unit directly to 110 volts and still no cooling.

Any other ideas and/or suggestions before I replace the fridge?

I believe it is not worth the money to just replace the cooling unit. Plus, my freezer still has a smell from rotten meat left in there from a few years ago.....

[jlbreaux]

Are your coils behind the unit warm? If not system might not be passing the coolant. You may have a leak and have no coolant to drop the temp.

[farrelltravis]

I have not felt the coils directly behind the fridge. However, it is my understanding that once there is a leak or a blockage in the cooling unit, it is toast. Is that correct, incorrect, or partially either?

[jlbreaux]

I may be wrong, but I think it might be chicken dead. I believe it uses ammonia and another chemical so it is not like a freon system where you find and repair the leak, pull a vacuum and recharge the system. Most places will more than likely replace the unit. If your unit is out of warranty, you might want to do some research before you go to your RV dealer and see if someone sells refurbished units. You might want to check with your insurance company, depending on coverage they may cover contents.

[cadman99]

RV frig's have no moving parts. Liquid is vaporized by heat, travels up to the top and becomes liquid that drains back to the bottom and starts over. If it is run out of level (more than 3°) the liquid cannot drain back to the bottom. Look at the the large back and forth pipe on the back. It is the drain back. When out of level the liquid begins to crystallize in the pipe inhibiting the draining. Cooling capacity gets worse and worse and eventually quits.

There are two maybe fixes. The first is to remove it and turn it upside for a day or two.
The second is to try and dislodge the crystallized material by "tapping" or maybe banging on the drain pipe. Some time you can do this while the frig is still in place. I have seen this method work several times.

[Herk7769]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC_FQjKqgAo

You can buy new/rebuilt pre-charged coils here:

RVCOOL.COM - Supplier of rebuilt cooling units for Norcold and Dometic RV Refrigerators.

[TN_VA_CHRIS]

Go here Service Documents and Manuals and download the service manual for the "Norcold N Series manual. Covers N61X, N62X, N64X" it will walk you though all checks and troubleshooting.

[farrelltravis]

Thanks for everyone's comments. I was not wanting to replace the cooling unit, as the price of the cooling unit and a new fridge are not that far apart. Also, the freezer has a smell, so replacing the entire fridge would solve that problem also.

I have read the service manual. I am not seeing anything in there that I have not done.

I have not taken the unit out and turned it upside down though. I haven't banged on the cooling pipes either. I can try those and see if anything helps.