Norcold N3100 electrical

rickw51

I have a 2020 Tab400. what are the electrical demands of the N3100 refrigerator?

MuttonChops

Assuming you are referring to the
Norcold 3-Way 3.7 cu ft model N3104

This model is now out-of-production.
Older specifications 'on the web' state:


?  Do you have the original manuals . . . specifications should be there.

Note:  Due to the very high current requirement running a Norcold 3-way on 12VDC
          can quickly drain a battery system.  Few folks use the 12VDC feature.

rickw51

The original manuals are not helpful.  Actually looked inside the unit ... there is a sticker with the information I was looking for.  Thanks for your help and I concur with your comments re: using the 12 volt source only. typically, the power lead from the car while in transit provides partial support (maybe 4 or 5 amps) and then in combination with the solar panels gets closer to balance if sunny while on the road. Net is a very slow drain on the battery.  Traveling on the road for 5 hours on a cloudy/rainy afternoon depleted the battery significantly, so we believe that the auto power source is compromised and are tackling that problem tomorrow.  Thanks for your input.

ScottG

rickw51 said:

...

Traveling on the road for 5 hours on a cloudy/rainy afternoon depleted the battery significantly, so we believe that the auto power source is compromised and are tackling that problem tomorrow.  Thanks for your input.

Maybe, but probably not. This is a very common problem with 3-way fridges running on 12VDC and seems to trace back to the "smart" alternators on modern vehicles. In many cases, these don't recognize the additional power demand of the fridge and fail to step up their output voltage. 

This was a popular topic of discussion before 3-way fridges started fading away. It's not necessarily a flaw in your vehicle, but it does limit the usability of the fridge on the DC setting.