Noisy Norcold

Tabaz

Went camping this weekend at 5,500' elevation.  75 degree days and 40 degree nights.  Pre-cooled the Norcold 24 hours prior to leaving on shore power. Ran the Norcold on propane at the campsite.  Had the thermostat set to the 5 o'clock position.  The thing would not stop running during the night making it impossible to sleep without earplugs.  What is causing the noise - the little computer fan or some other mechanical devise?  If I knew the frig would make so much noise, I would not have purchased a T@B.

Nomad

I believe it's the built in cooling fan - Do you have the new exhaust fan kit installed? My fridge doesn't really run that much - been at lower elevations for awhile - but when it does, I hit the aux fan and it settles down in a few minutes and the aux fan is pretty quiet.

Tabaz

I do have the aux fan (i.e. high altitude kit).  My question is why I would need it at those low temperatures and why does the frig fan have to run so much at those temperatures.

ChanW

Outback, our fan is nearly silent. 

What kind of noise? Maybe the fan is rubbing on something? 

If this is the three way fridge, there are no moving parts except the fan(s).

jkjenn

OutbackAZ said:

I do have the aux fan (i.e. high altitude kit).  My question is why I would need it at those low temperatures and why does the frig fan have to run so much at those temperatures.

I have noticed the fan seems to run a bit more at higher elevations. Here is a thought, you could turn the fridge temp warmer or even turn it off to sleep. IF you are not opening the door, it will stay pretty cold  while you sleep. You don't have to run it 24 x 7 to keep things cold.

Nomad

Hmmmm - ya got me confused with ... aux fan (i.e. high altitude kit) ...we talking the same thing, I'm talking about the new exhaust fan. An install kit for us current users, std. on new T@Bs. The little fan behind the external grill.
As boo mentions, it could be the high setting. I usually run on four.

Tabaz

It is a 2016 with the dual exhaust vents on the front and separate fan switch on the Norcold.  If Chan is correct that the only moving part is the fan, then maybe replacing the stock fan with a quiet ball-bearing computer case fan might solve the noise problem.  However, I'm still concerned as to why the frig kept running with the cooler temps.  Perhaps the thermostat shifted position or is bad.  Here is a video of a guy who sounds like he had the same problem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGBG1Jyx5SU

Verna

My built-in fan behind the left hand panel on the 3-way is loud, to me. Loud enough to wake me. But, if I run the auxillary fan (switch on the upper right corner to turn it on), it is so quiet that I can barely hear it. If I run the auxilariary fan, the built-in fan doesn't run at all. Disclaimer: I have camped at elevations up to 4,028 ft, temps from mid 20's to the low 90's.  

Tabaz

Verna - my aux fan is not quiet.  Would not want to have it running all night.  A fellow boondocker recommended putting a piece of dry ice at the top of the interior to help keep the inside cooler and thus eliminating the fan from running so much.

Verna

Frank, I would go with turning the fridge off at night. I don't turn mine on for traveling and the contents are still cold when I get to my destination. 

To replace it would require some work from your dealer, but you may also need to contact them to see what they have to say. 

jdargis

Wait till you run your a/c!

Tabaz

LOL! That is a solution - just run the A/C so I won't hear the frig.

Nomad

I just leave the little exhaust fan run most the time, takes very little energy and the main fridge fan rarely comes on.

Tabaz

My noisy Norcold is now the SILENT Norcold!  That's right - my "Leaf Blower Loud" frig is now quite as a church mouse.  The only "noise" you hear is the very quite propane burner - absolutely ZERO noise from the fan.  Here's what I did:

Thanks to ChanW stating that the only moving part is the fan, I set out to find the quietest fan available.  I pulled the factory fan out of the Norcold and the LG fan from the aux vent on the side of the T@B.  They are different sizes.  The frig fan is 80mm and the aux fan is 92mm.  Once out, I Googled the specs for the factory fans to try and match (or exceed) their specs for the new fans.  After may hours online and a trip to Fry's Electronics (no joy), here are the only two fans that looked like they might work:

http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A8-FLX-Premium-80mm/dp/B00NEMG9K6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

http://www.amazon.com/NF-A9-FLX-Premium-Quality-Computer/dp/B00NEMG9B0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

They are exact matches for the factory fan sizes, but HALF the noise dB(A) levels:

Norcold 80mm factory dB(A) = 32.  Noctua dB(A) = 16.

T@B 92mm dB(A) = 34.  Noctua dB(A) = 17.

Each fan is only $17.

They fit PERFECTLY in the frig and the side vent opening.  Anything larger will not work.  I bypassed the separate switch on the Norcold for the aux fan and wired the new aux fan to the Norcold thermostat.  Both fans now cycle on/off at the same time.

Words can not describe how quiet they are.  Even with the Norcold side cover off, you need to see the blades moving to confirm the fan is running.  Same with the aux fan on the outside vent.

The bad news:

The two screws holding the Norcold fan to its bracket are REALLY hard to get at.  However, this little gem from Lowes did the trick:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_525797-86580-KS21_0__?productId=50201449&Ntt=

The End

Tabaz

Nomad

Cool - Impressed - Show us how you wired them so they come on at the same time.

Tabaz

The wiring was the easiest part of the project. First, remove the 30A fuse from the battery, remove shore power and turn off the propane.  The Norcold fan has a red and black wire that go to the thermostat located at the top/front of the cooling fins behind the removable plastic side panel (can't miss it - a round red disk with two spade connections for the fan.  Moving on to the aux fan, simply disconnect the two wires coming from the aux switch on the Norcold and wire-nut them so they don't short out anything.  Using a hanger or electrical fish tape, simply thread two new wires from the thermostat to the aux fan along the top of the frig (plenty of room to easily do this).  Put a couple of plastic wire holders on the wood frame near the thermostat and at the front of the frig by the aux fan opening.  This keeps those wires at the very front of the frig away from all the piping and stuff from the propane stove.  The Noctua fans have 3 wires - red, black and yellow.  Disregard the yellow - its for a lower speed.  By using only the red and black wires, the Noctua will run at the highest RPM (still mouse-fart quiet).  Now back to the Norcold side panel.  Simply splice the two aux fan wires to the new Noctua fan wires.  Leaving plenty of slack for the wires, turn on the shore power and set the frig to max cool.  After about 10 minutes, feel the pipes near the wires.  Some pipes get very warm.  Simply zip-tie the wires to the vertical aluminum pipe (which stays cool) so that they do not make contact with the warm tubing.

Other items - the factory aux fan is duct tapped to the plastic vent cover along with a bug screen (the amazing Amish craftsmen who built the rest of our T@Bs must have been off that day).  I decided to scrap that set up and use double-sided tape to hold the right side of the new fan to the aluminum frame that surrounds the vent opening.  I also used a small "L" bracket to hold the left side of the new fan to the bottom aluminum frame (also with double sided tape).  I then trimmed the inside of the plastic vent cover with a Dremel tool leaving only 1/8 inch of ledge on the inside.  I cut a new piece of bug screen and silicone caulked it to the ledge on the plastic vent.  The result is that the new fan is now mounted directly to the aluminum frame and not the plastic vent cover (ugh!).

The end

Tonydjd

Excellent job. Its on my list to get to. Thanks for the fan info. Crazy but any thought to placing 2 of the 92mm fans on Aux side or do you believe that 1 is sufficient.

Tabaz

"Crazy but any thought to placing 2 of the 92mm fans on Aux side or do you believe that 1 is sufficient. "

I thought about that, but wasn't sure how loud they would be.  Knowing how quite they are, two would be fine.  BTW, two 92mm fans will fit in the aux opening, but not 3.  My feeling right now is that since both fans are cycling at the same time, one in aux opening should be sufficient.  Also, because they are so quite, it doesn't matter how much they run - you literally can't hear them.

irvingj

Hey, Outback-- did you happen to have the specs for CFM and amp draw for the comparison(s) on the OEM vs. the "new" fans? I'd be interested to see that. Nice job, BTW!

SweetlyHome

There must be a significant variation in the set thermostat temperature for the Norcold fan.  We have rarely heard it run even on very warm days.  Wonder if they have made a change over the years.

Tabaz

irvingj - the 92mm is a Sunon ME92251V1-000U-A99.  The Norcold 80mm is a Mechatronics F8025E12B.  I Googled both model numbers and found their respective factory websites.  From the Mechatronics site, the 80mm has 46 CFM and draws 240 mA. Power is 2.88 watts.  From the Sunon site for the 92mm, CFM is 51.5, power current (amp) 0.165 and power consumption (watts) of 2.00.  Hope this helps.

Tabaz

12 hour update - spent the evening and night in the T@B to see if the new fans functioned properly.  They seemed to cycle on/off at reasonable times and durations.  Again, you can't hear them.  You must listen for the propane burner to kick on (it is almost imperceptible).  The fans would kick on with each propane cycle.  I had one screw holding the Norcold plastic panel on, so removed it each time to visually check that the 80mm fan was in fact running.  Had to put my hand over the right side of the aux vent to feel the air moving from the 92mm fan behind the plastic grill because it is virtually silent.  Temperature in the frig at the 6 o'clock position stayed around 35 degrees.  I'm VERY happy so far with this mod.  The noise from the Norcold was the one thing that dampened my enjoyment of the T@B.

Tabaz

Whoa - big mistake in my last post!  I just realized the frig was on shore power last night - DOH!  So much for me hearing the "propane."

Tabaz

Have been running the frig on propane all day.  Same as on shore power - almost silent when the unit cycles on.  The new Noctua fans are amazing.

irvingj

Thanks, Outback-- very efficient fans!

ChanW

So OutbackAZ, did your counter-top get warm at all, during your test?

Just curious, cuz mine still gets a bit warm, even after adding the fans and baffles under there to redirect the hot air.

Tabaz

Chan - yes the countertop was warm to the touch above the frig side access panel (same with the metal propane stove).  Not sure if it was any hotter than the factory fan set-up, but decided to make it cooler by adding a second 92mm fan to the side vent per below.  I have three alternatives (1) simply splice the left side fan to the one on the right so that cycle together based on the thermostat located on the frig, (2) connect the left side fan to the manual switch on the frig and turn it on whenever I feel the need (just like the factory aux fan), or (3) connect the left side fan to a separate thermostat I bought on Amazon that I can't figure out because the instructions are written only in Chinese (Mandarin?).

Looks like I just lost the ability to post more photos to this comment - more to come.

Tabaz

Here is a photo of the wiring for the manual fan switch on the frig, the Chinese thermostat and cutting I had to do on the plastic vent covering (my first time using a Dremel tool, so cut me some slack).  Please note there is a bug screen that goes in front of the fan which restricts the exiting air.  Hopefully, the additional fan will mitigate that issue.

Tabaz

Update on fan mod - It's been about a week with the new silent fans (one under the frig coils and two on the outside vent).  All three are wired to the Norcold thermostat and cycle together.  The cabinet above the coil area of the frig (left of the propane stove) is still occasionally warm to the touch (pretty much same as when using the factory single fan).  Also, the frig seems to cycle on and off like normal (i.e. not running excessively).  BUT, and its a big BUT, the frig is now "mouse-fart" quiet when running.  I could not be happier with this result. 

jkjenn

@OutbackAZ - do I understand correctly that if I have no factory auxiliary fan, I could simply replace the Norcold fan and add 2 more, both of the vent mounted fans would tap into the wiring of Norcold mounted fan?