Rebuilding Norcold Refrigerator

[Froggy1936]

My Norcold surprised me with the strong smell of ammonia when i opened the door one evining It was still cold inside and freezer was still at "0" degrees but i knew it was time.  I replaced my unit with a galvanized evaporator unit with the non flammable gas option (extra $100.00 for special gas) which also made it take twice as long to get part wich was pretty well bent out of shape had to rebend as necc to make it fit the new rebuilt unit ws 3 in longer than the old one requiring remounting all propane valves and plumbing but all worked out well. i delt with World Class  RV Refrigeration Inc 504 W Nesbitt Ave Plummerville AR. 72127   1 866 977 0877   Galvanized unit $480.00 + $100.00 Safety Gas + $70.00 shipping (both ways) old unit must be returned within 30 days for warranty to be effective  Warranty is 2 yrs with a 5 yr rust thru warranty on the evaporator. Though the one i replaced was a complete new refrigerator installed in 1996 so it takes 15 yrs to rust thru a regular steel unit.

[Froggy1936]

I had to remove the door gasket but it did fit thru the doorway.   k  Had to rebuild the floor in the refrigerator compartment original pressboard was junk.

[Froggy1936]

1.The back of refrigerator with unit removed, 2. The unit with foam core. I used a knife blade of 3 in length to separate the 2 foams (you can destroy the unit foam as much as necc to get it out ) but be very careful of the refrigerator box foam it gets reused.  Frank

[Froggy1936]

1. Old unit with foam picked off to see evaporator Rust can be seen (that caused leak) Due to condensation on evaporator This is a known failure (the other main failure is baking solution from operating refrigerator off level)  After baking the boiler can crack (from Overheating) if unit is operating on Propane at the time You have all seen major R/V fires One of the gases used is hydrogen Nuff Said. 2. New unit The pipes are supposed to be parallel with side of refrigerator And the evaporator is supposed to sit down into opening the condenser at the top is to have a 3o slope Had to rebend all to fit (after a phone call to rebuilt manufacturer ) This is pretty normal as unit is all soft steel and gets distorted pretty easily ok to bend just don't kink or puncture (unit is charged to 350 PSI.)   Worked just fine though operates at about 8o above what original would do .  Frank

[Froggy1936]

Outside view of finished unit replacement. Extra propane hose is for outside grill. Rebuilt base laminated for weather protection. Also installed exhaust fan in chimminy for extra refrigerator cooling in very hot whether. also relocated all wiring in compartment wile it was empty ( many wiring projects went thru there it was a mess   Frank

[Froggy1936]

Ahhh! back to cold BEER &  Ice Cream  Frank

[ibdilbert01]

Glad you posted those pics Frank, I just got back from camping at the fair and took a few mins to dig into TJ/LJs old fridge.

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[DaveVA78Chieftain]

I see you have an old Winnebago W6EG Fridge.  Not sure who Winnebago had make them.  There is a parts breakdown for them in the Winnebago 75-79 Common Items Parts book starting on pdf page 107.  You would have to contact Winnebago for any type of a cross reference.

Dave

[Froggy1936]

Upon turning Fridge on (after winter shutdown)For trip to Trap Pond 6/7 I found that it would only operate on propane .  After returning home investigation showed a bad 5 Amp 110 Volt fuse (not blown ) link broken into pieces inside glass was the reason no AC operation replacement cured problem  Note: there are also a 25 Amp fuse for the 12Volt heater and a 3 Amp fuse for board protection in side control unit Frank

[Froggy1936]

Well my replacement refrigerator unit has gone KAPUT ! Installed 8/11 with a 2 yr warranty till 8/13 died 9/16 /14 I hope no one took my advice to purchase from World class refrigeration they applied for bankrupcy in 2013 . So i have ordered another unit from Artic Refrigeration Approx same price $630.00 But with a lifetime warranty Pur off EBay will post pics during replacement . Now back to replaceing my Generator  Frank

[Oz]

After all that work and expense.  That really stinks!   

[Froggy1936]

Well Generator problems all solved. The rebuilt cooling unit that leaked after 2+ years Looks like the leak had to do with original manufacturing weld and rust Looks like replacement evaporator is ok just needs some welding, evacuation, and recharged. The New unit wont be here for anotherweek due to seller enclosed a message on the Pay Pal receipt that i did not see ( i do not look at pay pal receipts ) That they would not ship without verification of model No Phone No And Shipping address . Message that i found when started checking on why it did not arrive last fri . Yea Sh--- happens ! Frank

[Froggy1936]

white stain is from ammonia leak @ rusted weld. Frank

[Froggy1936]

After contacting Articcold Refrigeration by e mail 10/1 Steve Cormier The owner said he would expidite shipping And ship from a stock in the State of Main to eliminate customs delay (Manufacturer is in Ontario Canada) Unit arrived 10/8 @ 9:30 via UPS Upon examination this unit is superior to the original made by Norcold It is a heavier gauge metal with extra reinforcement for vibration  damage from road shock All connections look very good And foam pack is superior to the last replacement all mounting predrilled holes lined up perfectly Very easy install Also comes with all new screws and new chimminy with insulation  Frank