20 Most Recent Thetford Norcold RV Cooler/Freezer - Page 4 Questions & Answers

Hello,
Sounds like you have a defrost problem since the freezer side is working okay . It probably is not blowing cold air into the refrigerator side , so to check the defrost circuit , unplug the refrigerator and inside the refrigerator section at the top about 2" in from each side in the back , there are "D" slots to put a finger in , and pull downward and forward , to remove the control panel cover . Once removed , there is a 1/4" screw on each side holding the adjustment indicator panel on , 1 phillips screw behind both light bulbs , and 1 screw holding the complete panel to the rear wall . After removing these 5 screws , at the top right corner , with about 6-8 wires going to it , is the adaptive defrost board . Sometimes you can see the electronic board and on newer refrig's , a white box will be seen. Inside this box , is the adaptive defrost control . Disconnect the plug going to the board and on the right side of the PLUG , the far right wire is yellow , then another color , then white . Useing a small insulated wire with both ends stripped , insert one end into the yellow wire hole and the other into the white wire hole . This will bypass the adaptive board and send power directly through the defrost bimetal ( thermostat ) AND heater to check if they are good .Plug the refrigerator back in . Now , wait about 3-5 min and look for a red glow at the bottom of the inside freezer panel , which will be the defrost heater or listen for sizzling which will be the frost melting and dripping onto the heater .If NO red glow , watch for a spark while removing the jumper wire you installed , from the plug . If a spark IS seen , then the heater was on and the heater AND bimetal are good . If you see the red glow , hear the sizzling , or see the spark , then the adaptive defrost board should be replaced . If no glow , sizzling or spark , then unplug the refrigerator and reinstall the refrigerator control section . Remove the food in the freezer section enough so that the 2 screws holding the lower freezer panel on and the freezer panel , can be removed . Remove the panel . If the heater (black element at the bottom of the coils ) wires are visible , trace then to the top of the coils and disconnect . Use an ohm meter to determine if the element is good . If the element IS good , at the top of the coils , is a 1" cylinder with 2 wires , clipped onto the coils . This is the defrost thermostat ( bimetal ) . Replace this part if the element shows good . If the element shows bad , replace the element . NOTE 1 : sometimes the element and the bimetal come wired togather and the replacement part comes with a new heater and bimetal already wired togather . This would be the adviseable replacement part . However , each part can still be replaced individually . NOTE 2 : If looking at the bimetal and the top plastic " cap " looks cockeyed , replace the bimetal as moisture has gotten inside and disturbed its designed function .

I hope this will help to solve the problem...

Also keep in mind that these units are very sensitive to being leveled; even a minor tilt will cause them to quit cooling. These units are not equipped with compressors as are home refrigerators which are not quite as fussy as the evaporative type.

Not sure who said lay it on it's side, but it should be turned upside down for 24 hrs, then back upright for 24hrs, then restart and see what you get.

If your freezer is not cooling, i will suggest you check the defrost thermostat. To test the defrost thermostat, please follow the steps below:

1. Locate your refrigerator's defrost thermostat. In freezer-on-top models, it may be located under the floor of the unit, or it could be found at the back of the freezer. If you have a side-by-side refrigerator, the defrost thermostat is found at the back of the freezer side. The thermostat is wired in series with the defrost heater, and when the thermostat opens, the heater shuts off. You will have to remove any objects that are in your way such as the contents of the freezer, freezer shelves, icemaker parts, and the inside rear, back, or bottom panel.
2. The panel you need to remove may be held in place with either retainer clips or screws. Remove the screws or use a screwdriver to release the clips holding the panel in place. Some older refrigerators may require that you remove a plastic molding before you can gain access to the freezer floor. Exercise caution when removing the molding, as it does break fairly easily. You could try warming it with a warm, wet towel first.
3. There are two wires leading from the thermostat. They are attached to terminals with slip-on connectors. Gently pull on the connectors to release the wires from the terminals. You may need to use needle nosed pliers to help you. Do not pull on the wires themselves.
4. Proceed to remove the thermostat. It may be secured in place with a screw, clip, or clamp. The thermostat and the clamp on some models are one assembly. On other models, the thermostat clamps around the evaporator tubing. In some other cases, the thermostat is removed by squeezing in on the clip and pulling the thermostat up.
5. Set your multitester to the R X 1 ohms setting. Place each of the multitester's leads on a thermostat wire. When your thermostat is cold, it should produce a reading of zero on your multitester. If it is warm (anywhere from forty to ninety degrees Fahrenheit), then this test should produce a reading of infinity. If the results you receive from your test differ from the ones presented here, then you will need to replace your defrost thermostat.

To replace the defrost thermostat, please follow the steps below:

1. Locate your refrigerator's defrost thermostat. In freezer-on-top models, it may be located under the floor of the unit, or it could be found at the back of the freezer. If you have a side-by-side refrigerator, the defrost thermostat is found at the back of the freezer side. The thermostat is wired in series with the defrost heater, and when the thermostat opens, the heater shuts off. You will have to remove any objects that are in your way such as the contents of the freezer, freezer shelves, icemaker parts, and the inside rear, back, or bottom panel.
2. The panel you need to remove may be held in place with either retainer clips or screws. Remove the screws or use a screwdriver to release the clips holding the panel in place. Some older refrigerators may require that you remove a plastic molding before you can gain access to the freezer floor. Exercise caution when removing the molding, as it does break fairly easily. You could try warming it with a warm, wet towel first.
3. There are two wires leading from the thermostat. They are attached to terminals with slip-on connectors. Gently pull on the connectors to release the wires from the terminals. You may need to use needle nosed pliers to help you. Do not pull on the wires themselves.
4. Proceed to remove the thermostat. It may be secured in place with a screw, clip, or clamp. The thermostat and the clamp on some models are one assembly. On other models, the thermostat clamps around the evaporator tubing. In some other cases, the thermostat is removed by squeezing in on the clip and pulling the thermostat up.
5. To install your new defrost thermostat, reverse the removal process. Reconnect the wires, replace the panel, and restore power to your refrigerator. For those models where the defrost thermostat is attached to the evaporator coil, make sure you install the new thermostat in the same location and position of the old one.

Hope this information helped. Thank you for using fixya

Try to unplug it from the battery a few hours and then plug it back in and see if you are now able to select the AC or LP mode. There has been a recall on the 1200LRIM, The defect is a potential cooling unit leak caused during AC electric mode operation. Click on the link below to read more:

http://www.texastriallawyer.com/norcold/index.html

no these units run on 12 volt aswell check your fuses or and be sure u are getting atleast 10.5 volts to that fuse

It will almost look like this not exacly same it will be located on door side or the back side based on the model.Hope this will help you out.You have a defrost problem.Switch of the Norcold
for some hours it will defrost the system and it will start working.
Enjoy the vacation..

Hi,

Check out these tips...they can help you figure out whats going wrong with your refrigerator and why it is not cooling

Refrigerator not Cooling or Fridge not Cooling

How to Defrost Refrigerator Defrost Timer Problem

Water Running in refrigerator from Freezer

heatman101

Hello

Have the people who had a look at the device had a good look at the transformer on the circuit board at the power inlet?

Also, have they checked the fuse of the device? This advice may sound stupid, but in order for me to diagnose the problem, we need to start at the most basic problem areas.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards
Andrea