Norcold too cold

Vegascacher

I have the new Norcold 3 way refrigerator and it seems no matter the setting it is too cold 17 to 30 degrees once it gets up to speed. On the propane setting what is colder 1 or 3? I assume 3 but just want to make sure. Anyone else have a three way freezer?

Nomad

3 is colder - I do 3.5 and things right under the fins on the shelf do freeze once in awhile. The rest of the fridge doesn't though.

Vegascacher

The propane settings are only 1-3 on the N400. I have it on 2, I'll take it down to 1 and see what happens. I'm in southern Nevada so temps are mild with overnight lows usually in the 40's and highs in the 50's to mid 60's. 

Nomad

Ahhhh - Only 1-3 sounds kind strange.

Vegascacher

They are marked I think "low", "medium", and "high". I'm at work still so can't take a picture. It's the new fridge in the 2017 models. 

Vegascacher

I just checked. The settings are low, medium, and high but you can put it anywhere in between. I had it set on medium and it was at 17 degrees when I got home from work. I turned it down to low and ill see where it's at in the morning. 

ScottG

Somebody (Photomom, maybe?) tested temps on the old Norcold model at various settings, using different power sources. If I recall correctly, the fridge got colder on propane than on AC. Hopefully backing off the temp setting will work for you.

Photomom

I didn't formally test it. I do know that 3.5 keeps our fridge at 36 F on electricity. We camped a couple nights without electricity in Vermont and the first morning the fridge was 23 F on propane. I don't remember the exact setting.

The OP is talking about a different model fridge though, the N400 I believe.

Vegascacher

I have only had the Tab for a month and our first trip we had electric and it was pretty cold then it froze some items that were in there for several days. I changed the setting last night and it went from 16 to 21 degrees overnight. Right now I am just kind of testing to see how long I would be able to boonedock without electric if I was conservative with lights etc. Just the Alde at night and the fridge on propane. I have a honda 2000 but I don't really want to use it unless I have to. Maybe a small solar panel 100 watts or so?

ericnliz

Vegascacher, Having boondocked in one location for 10 days with a 100 watt Renogy solar panel, I can personally tell you that if you are frugal with your electric usage, you can be successful using solar. I use propane exclusively when running our fridge while camping. During this trip, there were 2 days of overcast weather, but the panels still functioned, just not to peak capacity. I hope this helps you. I have the older model fridge than do you I believe, and use 3.5 for my setting. That being said, on one occasion, we had shore power, and I tried the fridge on shore power just to see the difference, and had to turn it down to 2 3/4 to 3 so things inside didn't freeze.

Nomad

Ditto ericnliz - Boondock/drycamp 85-90% of the time. Roughly 850 days so far and do it on solar (120 watt Zamp). Only pull the generator out on rainy, crappy days.

Vegascacher

Thanks ericnliz and PXLated. Sounds like ill be good. I have a 120 watt suitcase on order I just like to test everything at home so there are no surprises. How long will a 20lb LPG tank typically last for the refrigerator and nighttime heat?

Nomad

Propane - Fridge is pretty miserly. Alde depends on how often it cycles on during the night. With moderate night temps (45+) I count on 3-4 weeks. In low temps (35-40), 10 days.