Norcold fridge cold weather kit installation

[WalkbytheSpirit]

I'm looking for info from someone who has installed the kit. I purchased it and assumed it would be relatively easy to install, but after getting out the instructions, it looks like the fridge has to be pulled out of the wall to access the back of the fridge/freezer. Is that correct?

[NXR]

What exact model of Norcold fridge do you have?

Normally, you should be able to install thr kit through the outside lower vent.

Ray

[WalkbytheSpirit]

Hi, Ray.

Our fridge is an N10LXR. I assumed I'd be able to install it through the exterior access panel, but I could only see a couple of the connectors. The instructions and electrical diagram show parts that I don't see in the access panel. We've owned RVs with two access panels, an upper and a lower, but our coach only has one panel. I am guessing the rest of the parts go behind the freezer.

BTW, we own a '22 Dynamax Isata 5 22SS.

[NXR]

I just asked for the post to be moved to the Dynamax forum. Your question is more about how to install the kit in their installation. Someone there should know.

Can you post a picture of what you see inside the lower outside vent door? The only winter kits I've seen are for the four-door models.

As an aside, although we have a JC Refrigeration cooling unit on our Norcold 1210, I asked them how their cooling unit works below freezing. Their response was to just switch the fridge to propane in below-freezing conditions and the propane burner will keep the fridge running down to about zero:

Our system will not have a problem with cold temperatures down to 0 degrees if it is running on gas. The LP burner will create enough heat to keep the system from freezing.

I suspect running on propane will work for most cooling units. We've run our Norcold 1210 stock down to 20 F and it still worked fine on electric.

Ray

[WalkbytheSpirit]

Thanks for the assistance, Ray. I created the thread in the appliance section thinking there may be others with the same Norcold refrigerator that were installed in a Forest River RV that wasn't a Dynamax. I will take help from any source.

I uploaded a photo of the external fridge compartment. If I am missing something, please tell me!

[Tom48]

When there are two access vents, that is normally a frig in a slide. One vent at the bottom means that yours vents the heat out the roof. The roof vent seems to vent the heat better so take consolation in that as you struggle to get that mod hooked up.

[bclemens]

What is this cold weather kit supposed to do?

I have been camping in the single digits and have never used one.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by bclemens

What is this cold weather kit supposed to do?

I have been camping in the single digits and have never used one.

It's a thermostatically-controlled heat tape that is wrapped around some of the smaller diameter cooling unit "pipes" that keeps the coolant from freezing up. It seems to have been developed for one or two models way back but people are using it on other models now.

Some Dometic models have a similar feature but it works in a different way. The Dometic "low ambient switch" simply seems to turn the interior incandescent light on continuously, producing a small amount of heat that causes the cooling unit to cycle more frequently and avoid a freeze-up condition.

Some people partially block off the lower vent in super-cold temps. Some people put an incandescent light in the compartment similar to how they keep a wet bay heated.

I think most people head more south.

Ray


This video illustrates where one owner wrapped the Norcold heat tape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3laYtgm5kPA

[NXR]

Originally Posted by WalkbytheSpirit

I uploaded a photo of the external fridge compartment. If I am missing something, please tell me!

When I installed an ARP Fridge Defend on our Norcold 1210 I simply could not figure out how to reach up high enough, similar to your issue. I finally had someone else look at it and they spotted the problem immediately.

We have a horizontal rectangular piece of metal, painted black, known as a "baffle" screwed to the top edge of the lower vent. It needs to be there to assure proper air flow but it got in the way of me reaching up to the boiler door.

Once I removed the black screws holding the black metal baffle on it opened the area up enough that I could easily install the ARP Fridge Defend boiler temperature sensor.

Take a flashlight and see if you have a similar baffle that you can remove to get more room.

As Brian noted, that kit seems like a great idea and I wondered why it was just not installed as standard. As that old saying goes, "In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they are not."

Depending on what actual temps you'll be using the fridge in you may need to do nothing or maybe just switching to propane to generate more heat will work just as well.

We've used our Norcold 1210 down to just below 20 F on electric and it worked perfectly.

Ray