Norcold Removal

RZRBUG

I am considering removing my Norcold refrigerator and converting the space to storage.  I do not use it much, plus it seems a little noisy and cycles on and off more than I'd like.  Has anyone else done this?  If so, is there enough wiring to pull the unit out so the wires can be easily disconnected?  It is a two-way unit (no LP connection).

Michigan_Mike

Larry,

I would call Ed Kauffman at the factory and discuss it with him as he will be able to give you some good information regarding the hook-up and best means of disconnecting the unit.   And who knows, maybe it is an operational issue that might easily be remedied?  It seems like there would be either a plug or splice box behind such an installation and Ed would be a great source of information.   I would call Ed direct as I know he spends a lot of time down inside the factory.....  

Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers

Manufacturing Facility

754 Edelweiss Drive

Sugarcreek, OH 44681

330.852.4811 (office)

330.852.7065 (fax)

Ed Kauffman, Warranty Administrator

ed@tab-rv.com

RZRBUG

Thanks, Mike.  I think it is just the nature of refrigerators and their normal vibration when operating.  I will call Ed if I decide to keep using the unit and feel it needs attention.  Maybe I'm just a little sensitive to certain night noises.  I'm not sure it is something that needs warranty attention and did not mean to imply there was something wrong with it.  I was more or less thinking that since I don't use the unit much, I might just convert it to storage.  On the other hand, I could just take out the shelves and store things in the frig so I could use it later if I decide to.

Michigan_Mike

Too bad you couldn't stick an ARB in there Larry as they are the cat's meow.....  I have really grown to love the unit I picked up and it is a low amperage draw unit and performs well, even in extremely hot environments.  I keep mine in the back of my Equinox and have had the cab area in 100+ F conditions out in Arizona and it kept everything cold, without any major loss in temperature.  If there had been a reasonable means of mounting it in the back of my SS I would have considered it, but enjoy having it, filling it up with food and cold drinks and marvel at how it keeps things cold.  I have even stored bagged ice in it as a test and it performed flawlessly.  Am sitting here smiling just thinking about it and every time I take it out I knock off some $$$ spent on ice while traveling.  I sure don't miss all that floating lunch meat and other food after sitting in the cooler and wondering how much ice I had left..... I have even given a few coolers away to my kids as they were taking up space in the garage.  

mickietucs

Mike - is that the kind that can also be plugged into 110 (so you can use it while at a campground)? Or do you do something else while you're camping? I've been toying with the idea of getting one in lieu of the fridge (and use that area for storage). But then if I leave it in the back of the tv, then there's the issue of always going out there to get something. Not sure yet what I'll do. Thanks.

Michigan_Mike

Hi Michele, 

Yes, the ARB runs off both 12 volts and 110 volts....  I run it off my car when in transit and plug into shore power at campsites or use my trailer battery and solar panel.  It is actually more efficient when running off the 12 volt system.   If I had a T@B I would adapt to the trailer somehow.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvt6XsZiad0#t=98

mickietucs

Very sweet. It doesn't look TOO heavy. Will look more into this before I order my T@b.

Michigan_Mike

Michele,

The 50 quart ARB does weigh about 50 pounds and an alternative to carrying it around might be a small cart with wheels, similar to a small furniture dolly.   What's nice about these units is that you can adjust the temperature digitally and they can be used as freezer units too.  There is a light inside them as well for night use and the small compartment near the top is used for veggies, cheese, eggs, etc.  I wish I had purchased mine a few years ago as I could have eliminated the ice purchases and began paying off the initial cost of purchase then.  This is one of the nicest things I have invested in and for me, it was well worth the price as I will have it around for a long time.  

Wanderoo

Larry, I'm curious -- So what did you use on your last trip to replace the Norcold?  Do you eat out, or how do you store your food?  What type of campground did you stay in that made it so that you didn't use it? Do you have the 3-way?  I do have the 3-way, and I turn the temp control way down at night and I don't hear it at all, and I find the 3-way Norcold to be very effective.

Just curious . . . haven't boondocked with it yet.  That may be another story. 

Thanks!

RZRBUG

Well, I have an old steel sided Coleman cooler that holds ice very well and I mostly used it.  I was able to obtain ice pretty much whenever I needed it.  I did use the Norcold some by letting it run during the day and turning it off at night.  (It is a two-way unit.)  I kept ice in its freezer and it held its temperature rather well until morning.  But,  outside temperatures were cold most of the time I was gone, below freezing two nights.  I actually spent only one night in a campground with no hookups and it got down to 30 degrees and there was some snow on the ground.

I haven't done much boondocking (actually none in the T@B).  I would probably need the Norcold, or some type of replacement, when I decide to do that.  So, I haven't made a final decision yet on whether to remove it.  I will probably leave it in unless or until I get some other type of battery operated unit.

jkjenn

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jkjenn

l think you would need slides if incorporating the ARB into the T@b and slides to support the ARB are not cheap. ($200+)

PhotoJoe

I've been considering a T@B ( S model) that does not have the Norcold installed.  I was wondering if there is space for the ARB 50 quart cooler and if there is how difficult it would be to get power to it.  I was also considering keeping the ARB in my tow vehicle and using something else in the T@B.  Again is there an easy way to get power to the ARB here since I'd rather not continually power it from the car's battery?

mickietucs

I've been considering the same thing (when I saw it didn't have a freezer in the 3-way I wondered if I wanted to leave it out to get more storage and then use something like the ARB). But I don't want to lug a heavy thing back and forth between the tv and T@B. Perhaps leave it in the TV and run a cord to the 110v plug outside the T@B and get a small cooler of some sort to bring inside? OR since I'll be solo maybe a smaller ARB would work. Not sure what I'll do yet so it's good reading others' suggestions.

Verna

I leave the 50 qt ARB in my Escape.  While driving, it's plugged into the accessory socket behind the console.  When camping, I can either take a 40' outdoor, all-weather flexible extension cord and plug it into the electric pedestal, or  I have put together a 15' 12V extension cord with an accessory socket on one end, and the other end has a quick disconnect plug that is the same as the Zamp solar panel plug that is on your battery.  I do believe the T@B battery is under the cover on the tongue, so you just have to plug this cord into the solar panel plug on the battery box and then run it to the plug on the 12V connection on the ARB. 

As far as the 12V extension cord, the recommended cord for the ARB is as follows: 

ARB FREEZER FRIDGE WIRING KIT           part # 10900011      

www.quadratec.com  

$56.98 with shipping (about 3 months ago)

If you try to use a smaller gauge of wiring, the ARB will not work.  I tried a simple "Y" connector for the 12V socket, and the ARB refused to turn on--it needed to be a heavier gauge.

So, you do have to put a 12V socket on one end of this wiring kit, and a quick disconnect on the other end.  I found the quick disconnect in the boating section of Gander Mountain (a sports store) near the trolling motors, and the 12V socket in the automotive section of Walmart (I did buy the waterproof one).

When you plug it into your T@B's battery, you won't be using the tow vehicle's battery.  If you're plugged into shore power, your T@B's converter will be recharging the T@B's battery, so you'll be fine as far as battery strength. 

I hope this helps. 

PhotoJoe

Thank you Verna.

mickietucs

Yes, thank you - good details on what can be done. I'm going to copy them and save them in my T@B folder so I can refer back when needed.

Lisa33

I have the Norcold in my T@DA and the ARB in my tow vehicle. From past experience with the Norcold in my SS, I was able to use it for dry food storage when I wasn't using it for refrigeration. It was quite good for storing cans and other less perishable items. I don't think moving a fully loaded ARB from tow vehicle to a trailer would be very practical. It is a refrigerator, and is therefore a lot heavier than a cooler. Even the smallest ARB has a length of 27" which would be tough to accommodate, too. Personally, I love my two fridge system. I keep dinner and breakfast foods, half & half, milk, etc in the Norcold. Anything that we often eat on the road like sodas and snacks are in the ARB. Like Mike, I consider the ARB one of my best investments from a quality of camping life standpoint. While on very long road trips, my most dreaded task was the dumping of the nasty cooler water very few days not to mention the perpetual quest for ice. It all gets very old when you are on the road for weeks or months at a time. Love my ARB!

Wanderoo

I'm curious as to why people do not consider the 3-way Norcold the best of both worlds?  Why haul an ARB and/or ice in a cooler when you have a 3-way? Mine has performed just great. H-m-m-m-m.   :(

RZRBUG

So, now I'm wondering if I could set an ARB in the back of the truck in the same place I now carry my cooler, which is close to the tailgate on the passenger side.  The truck has a lockable cap on it so I can leave many of the things I carry in the truck instead of trying to find a place to store them in the T@B.

I wonder if the wiring that is run to the dome light in the truck cap would be large enough gauge for the ARB.  If so, I could rig a 12V plug overhead near the dome light, which is toward the rear, and would be an ideal location.  I suppose I could figure out a way to run new wires from the battery to the back if the current ones were insufficient.  Does anyone know what gauge I would need?  I think what I ran to the dome light was 14 gauge, but I'll have to check.

Verna

Larry, it was either 10 or 12 gauge wiring on the factory wiring kit. 

I've been thinking about putting a 12V socket near the rear of the Escape so I could reach it easier (you would have to see how the Escape's seats fold down to understand how difficult it is to get to the 12V socket on the rear of the console).  I've been trying to decide if I should tie into existing wiring in the "wall" of the rear of the Escape, or just run a new lead from the battery and figure out how to get it inside the rear....decisions, decisions!!

Michigan_Mike

I ran a #10 copper wire from my battery to the hitch receptacle at the rear of my Equinox and installed a fuse at the point of connection on the battery.  I'd have to look, but I believe it is a 30 amp fuse installed there?  

Since I'd previously used a cooler filled with ice I opted for the ARB, because I had heard good reviews on this freezer/refrigerator unit and did some research beforehand to make sure that this was the most practical and best suited unit for my uses while traveling.  Lisa was a big help and influence therein and the initial consideration was the cost of the ARB (they are not cheap), which was around $750.  I mulled this over and chewed on it a while before taking the plunge and buying a unit off of EBay.  I also purchased the extension cord that Verna has listed above and also picked up the insulated cover that has a storage pocket on the side and which I use to store both the 12 volt and 110 volt power cords.  Let me just say again that this unit is top of the line or as I'd tell my buddies, "it's the NBA of RV frig/freezer units."  You can use it in your home for sporting events, picnics, family events, holidays, etc.  It has a digital control and on/off switch and is worth the money in my opinion, especially having spent some good money for my new Silver Shadow and it makes life on the road easy, since there are no more worries about looking for ice, trying to stretch the cooler to it's limits and finding stuff water logged and floating in gray water that no doubt is growing bacteria in it.  As noted before, my car interior was over 100+ F and the highest rise in temperature I got was to around 31-32 F in the ARB so it was blistering hot out in Arizona and Texas and my food and perishable items remained fresh and unfazed by the brutal temperatures encountered.  Verna had mentioned this to me a year earlier and I'm thinking to my self, "yeah, RIGHT!"  But I took the challenge and she was spot on!

One thing that makes this process easier (storing it in the rear of my vehicle) for me personally is that I do have an exterior electrical receptacle mounted at the front (beneath the lip of the frame) of my trailer and directly in back of my tow vehicle.  So I'm able to take out a 10' extension cord and plug it into the receptacle on the same side I have my ARB sitting at the rear of my Equinox.  Once the vehicle is unhooked, I merely unplug that cable and plug in the 12 volt cable that is plugged into the ARB and that sits in the ready position next to the cigarette style plug at the rear of my console and in the back seat area.  This takes me a few seconds to do and the ASRB remains running (or plugged in) the entirety of my trips.  The extension cord is used for boon-docking, has a cigarette receptacle on it and also sits in the ready position and is plugged into my solar port(s) mounted on both sides of my tool box.  I use my 80 watt Zamp panel to keep things charged up and running and balance my electrical consumption/needs via the tow vehicle, the solar panel and shore power.  I was out for 30 days on the road and never missed a beat, nor did I ever need to have my car jump started as the ARB will shut off before running down the battery.  

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  

Lisa33

The Norcold 3-way has its downsides. The most important one for me is that it uses a lot more 12v power when in 12v mode. As someone with 300w of solar and two golf cart batteries installed and who boondocks a fair amount, 12v is my preferred source of power. It costs nothing and is self-renewing (no worrying about running out of propane). I also take mostly long road trips, so having something in the car to hold drinks and snacks is important to me. Also, the Norcold isn't very big. I like having the additional space. Actually, one of the options on T@DAs was to have two refrigerators installed. For me, the 12v Norcold and the ARB make a good setup. Everyone's needs and preferences vary, though.

RZRBUG

Well, I installed a 12V supply plug on the outside of my battery/LP cover today, so I'll be ready if I decide to purchase the ARB.  My trailer does not have the solar disconnect plug as many of the newer ones do.  The next decision will be whether to purchase the 37 or 50 quart ARB.  The cheapest 50 quart I have found is $837.  That will buy a lot of ice. 

Verna

Larry, you have to factor in the convenience of the ARB, not just price of ice. Mike kept telling me the same thing "that will buy a lot of ice ", and the next thing I knew he was bidding on a 50 qt ARB on EBay. No soggy ice water, no spoiled food (I lost a lot of meat last summer in July), the ability to find stuff on the ARB, and the ability to have frozen food. I can't imagine not having the ARB now.

Michigan_Mike

">  I bit the bullet and have no regrets whatsoever.....  I look at it this way, I do DO a lot of traveling around the country while retired, I have made a substantial investment in my SS and the food storage issue is now a non-issue.  For the convenience of it all by adding the last missing component for my trailer was worth the money in my opinion.  This thing should serve me the rest of my days and has made my life a lot easier and a lot less stressful in having to go to the store, buy ice, etc.  I can remain put wherever I am at and the fuel cost savings can be factored in as well and we all know that fuel isn't cheap with all this terrorism going on in the countries that supply us fuel and oil here in the US and abroad.   It's all personal preference bottom line and I am very happy with the 50 quart ARB as I keep that baby chuck full and everything stays fresh, no spoilage and o more floating food to dry out and toss!  

RZRBUG

With hopeful heart and trust in the Powers above, I sat on a crusade the morning against a windmill named Norcold intending to either conquer or kill it. 

First step of the journey was to take the unit loose and slide it out.  Naturally, it was hard wired so I couldn't completely remove it without cutting wires.  So, I just sat it in my lap and began my inspection.

By pounding on the unit with the palm of my hand, I found a couple of plastic wire tires rattling against metal, one against the compressor coils.  I know it doesn't make sense, but plastic really can create a rattle when vibrating against metal.  I solved this problem by painting the contact areas with liquid tape and letting it dry.  This material should be able to withstand any heat generated by the compressor.

I next took the handle mechanism out and dobbed (Don Quixote may not understand that term, but we southerners do) some liquid tape in strategic locations here, where metal vibrated against plastic.  I used a very minute amount because I did not want it to interfere with its operation.

I slid the unit back in place and turned it on.  (IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: disconnect all power to it before starting the work.)  I noticed a marked improvement in the noise level.  I then replaced the handle assembly, and again there was no added noise.  I let it run for a while and noticed another rattle and discovered this one was coming from the unit itself vibrating against the  bracket that helps hold it in place.  This was corrected by a little prying and pushing in that area until the contact was eliminated.

After letting it run a while, I heard no rattles, even having at one point to lean down and listen to make sure it was running.

So, at least for now, the windmill has been conquered, and I have decided to let it live.

This means by using the Norcold, I can get by with a smaller and easier to tote ARB.  There will, however, probably still be a small amount of ice in my future as I like to carry a small cooler in the cab of the truck for drinks, etc.  This keeps me from having to stop, get out and go to the back of the truck to get a cold drink.

It feels good to complete a successful crusade.

RZRBUG

OK, I found a couple of typos in this post, but it won't let me edit, so you'll just have to read my mind.....

Michigan_Mike

Good job Larry and congratulations as it sounds like you got things under control!   Sometimes that is what it takes, good ol' American ingenuity, determination and wherewithal!   And I like my ARB for the latter reason noted and that being "keeping some ice on hand" for cold drinks.  I had ice left over after my last trip and was able to keep it here at home.  Sounds to me like you're going to be a very happy camper after all is said and done!    ^:)^

geromo

i removed my "norcold--same type no gas. Very easy job-- undo screws, pull out fuse on top of refrigerator and cut the two wires---done!! i use a 65qt yeti cooler---much better no noise!! lots more space. lots of storage space to gain in refrigerator spot.

RZRBUG

Hooked up to shore power today to top off battery charge.  Turned on the refrigerator while connected and still no noise.  Forgot to mention, however, that if you're checking the unit for noise sources, be sure to remove the shelves, ice tray, etc. as these will rattle when it's running.  These rattles should disappear when loaded down with food.