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Use Norcold 3163 (three-way) as a freezer?

sgkramar
sgkramar Member Posts: 10
in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
Has anyone opted to just use the Norcold as a freezer? My wife and I are thinking about trying it. We would keep frozen things in the Norcold and cool things in a cooler. By swapping out ice blocks between Norcold and the cooler we wouldn't have to buy ice for the cooler any more.
Thoughts?
2016 T@B Max S
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Comments

  • Grumpy_G
    Grumpy_G Member Posts: 704
    Interesting idea, how cold can you get the fridge turned down all the way ? From my experience the fridge temp varies quite a bit (10F or so) with the outside temperature and that's not getting better when the fridge needs to keep temps below freezing.
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  • webers3
    webers3 Member Posts: 432
    edited October 2021
    Don't think that will work, can't get the temp of the refrigerator less than 20-30 degrees below ambient temp, so you'll have to travel when it's pretty cold outside.
    2017 T@B 320S   2019 Jeep Cherokee - Southern Connecticut
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  • BrianZ
    BrianZ Member Posts: 1,770
    If you want to keep things frozen, get an ARB or similar portable frig, though you need either shore power, solar or generator/TV.
    -Brian in Chester, Virginia
    TV: 2005 Toyota Sienna LE (3.3L V6)
    RV: 2018 T@B 320S, >100 mods 
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    +2 on an ARB. My 50 qt ARB fridge/freezer keeps meat frozen in the bottom for as long as it is powered. It runs off of the truck during travel, or through a 15’ 10 gauge cable I have made with a SAE plug for the T@B snd a 12V plug for the ARB on the other. Between my solar and the dual AGM batteries in the T@B, it will freeze everything (be careful of fresh veggies). It’s a very good method to shop less and Boondock more. 
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,521
    Will Prowse, my solar hero, has a blog post from a couple of years ago that says using a portable icemaker and a decent cooler is much more efficient for power use than even one of the 12V fridge/freezers, since you only have to make ice every couple of days and almost any solar power/battery setup can handle that. 
    I'm not sure how my 3 way fridge can really keep cold with just the small amount of ice I can get into it, but I'm sure it can help a bit.  (PS:  I'm going with a small Alpicool.......it can make ice if I want to for the Norcold, too.)
    The ice maker idea is at the bottom of this page of 12v fridge reviews.

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • sgkramar
    sgkramar Member Posts: 10
    Well, the Norcold is staying around 28°F, so technically freezing but not cold enough to really freeze anything very quickly. I also learned that I really like having the fridge in the camper rather than outside in a cooler, so this isn’t going to be a final solution. I think our next attempt may be to put styrofoam insulation next to the cooling fins and convert the area under the fins to a “freezer” and still have rest of unit as a fridge. I’ve seen posts by others that have done that successfully. 

    We may end up buying a separate unit eventually, but we do try to keep things as minimal as possible, so will play with these options first. 
    2016 T@B Max S
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  • sgkramar
    sgkramar Member Posts: 10
    Well, for future reference, this model of Norcold (3163X) stayed between 25 and 30 degrees F while using shore power. It would get a bit warmer for a while if we put something in that wasn't already frozen. At that temperature it takes a very long time for anything to freeze (longer than overnight). 
    2016 T@B Max S
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  • Dutch061
    Dutch061 Member Posts: 765
    I may be wrong, but if I remember correctly to "truly be a freezer" that the device must be able to reach zero or below in Fahrenheit. I don't believe that 25 to 30 degrees truly qualifies it as a "freezer".

    Here is a link to a whirlpool website that mentions "0".

    https://www.whirlpool.com/blog/kitchen/whats-the-best-freezer-temperature.html#:~:text=What%E2%80%99s%20the%20best%20freezer%20temperature%3F%20The%20recommended%20freezer,lower%20depending%20on%20its%20environment%20and%20other%20factors.

    Personally, I wouldn't do it but then again I am very particular about food storage and temperatures. To the point that my wife will roll her eyes at me at times  :o

    Brad
    2020 400 BDL aka "Boonie"
    2022 Black Series HQ19 aka "Cricket"
    2021 F-250 Tremor with PSD aka "Big Blue"
    Concord, NC 
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