Quick question about Norcold

Tommy

OK this might be a very dumb question once exposed to light but I was born blonde so I have a God-given right to ask a very dumb question at least once a year.

I'm in the middle of the cooling fans mod on our fridge and for some reason I can't get the fridge to fire up and run on propane. The range burners will light and stay burning at the same time the fridge wont. I was very careful when splicing into the fan wires so I don't think I broke anything ... I'm thinking it's a leveling issue - or low propane.

Anyway my question is would the fan(s) come on if the fridge is running on shore power or is it simply the LP mode burning of propane that causes so much heat to develop on top?

Verna

The fans come on with shore power also. 

Tommy

Great thanks Verna! 

Tommy

Tommy said:

I'm in the middle of the cooling fans mod on our fridge and for some reason I can't get the fridge to fire up and run on propane. The range burners will light and stay burning at the same time the fridge wont. I was very careful when splicing into the fan wires so I don't think I broke anything ... I'm thinking it's a leveling issue - or low propane.

Ok well as it turned out it wasn't low propane or leveling ... over the course of two days of racking my brain trying figure out why the fridge suddenly wouldn't light after installing the new fan wiring, wiggling every wire and connection making sure I didn't knock something loose with my fat fingers, I discovered that this connection on the safety switch thermocouple had come loose. It was barely finger tight if even that and the copper lead was very loose inside it. As soon as I tightened it the fridge fired right up on propane. Thank goodness this didn't happen on the road...sheesh.

 

ScottG

Thanks for the followup, Tommy. I sometimes find my fridge to be temperamental when trying to light it on propane, but (so far) it always eventually lights and stays lit. However, I like to keep a mental list of things to check in the even of a real breakdown. 

ericnliz

Good job Tommy, and thanks for sharing the photo as well. Glad you got it fixed 

Tommy

Thanks guys - It was pure luck that I happened to see the thermocouple wiggle when retracing my wire routing under the safety valve. This one could have gotten really ugg.

Tommy

Regarding the mod - turned out great. I trimmed the inside of the plastic vent cover and installed two of the fans recommended by @OutbackAZ and they are blowing nicely based on the amount of exiting hot air. Extremely quiet fans - as advertised I literally had to put my ear up to the vent from the outside just to hear them running at all. Used hot-melt glue to fasten them in place and they are both solid as a rock. I lost a corner dampener rubber piece off the one on the left - it fell down between the fridge and the wall but it doesn't matter. I left the Norcold fan in place as I said in another thread - I may replace it later if the noise ever bothers us.

ChanW

Tommy, I've posted about this thermocouple problem before. It can be chronic, I assume due to vibration.

We had the problem two or three times before I added a touch of Loctite to the nut. I think it's fixed now.

ScottG

ChanW said:

Tommy, I've posted about this thermocouple problem before. It can be chronic, I assume due to vibration.

We had the problem two or three times before I added a touch of Loctite to the nut. I think it's fixed now.

I wondered if that was the same issue you had referred to in the past. Thanks for confirming.

Given my own issues, I'll be checking mine when open up to install the fridge auxiliary cooling fan.  

Tommy

ChanW said:

Tommy, I've posted about this thermocouple problem before. It can be chronic, I assume due to vibration.

We had the problem two or three times before I added a touch of Loctite to the nut. I think it's fixed now.

Thank you Chan. Based on this I'm going to open it back up and add some loctite to the nut.

ScottG

Well darn... I pulled the stove today to install the new cooling fan. The first time I poked at that thermocouple nut I swear it was tight. Another poke five minutes later I swear it was loose. Loctite to the rescue, and a crisis narrowly averted!

ChanW

Huh. I guess that thermocouple nut comes loose pretty easy...
 I thought it was due to vibration, but I guess you just have to look at it! 
Something about Schrodinger's cat?

Ratkity

Why couldn't it be Schrodinger's Squirrel? I just feel sorry for the cat! *meow*

ChanW

Cuz squirrels don't know when they're being watched (til the chase begins)? But I'm thinkin it seems that thermocouples do. 
But maybe only when you poke on their nut, as ScottG did.

Photomom

It's theoretical physics - no cats were harmed! :-)

ChanW

Are we sure no cats were harmed? Was anyone actually there to observe any cats that were (might have been) used?

(Ok, sorry. Off topic. Still trying to find my second glass of wine...)

Photomom

Oh, I've already had 2+.

Verna

First here

Nomad

Winos

ericnliz

Thread exploded!

ScottG

If you've got squirrels, you'd better worry about your own nuts...

Nomad

And it ain't getting any better :-)

ericnliz

Now it just went nuts!