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Old 07-15-2016, 03:51 AM   #1
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NORCOLD Refrigerator Problem

We are getting ready to take a two week trip in our new Aerolite 213RB. We have used the inside refrigerator once before using AC. Tonight we tried to use it without AC and it went from Green to Amber to solid Red. The stove is working which is my test to see if there is gas. I went through the fault codes for red, on solid. I get stuck where it reads " that the manual shut off valve of the refrigerator is open". Where is that?

Or are there any other ideas what might be the problem.

Thank You
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Old 07-15-2016, 10:05 AM   #2
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Did you try a few times? Sometimes after changing tanks or shutting the gas off, my stove will light right away but the fridge takes several tries before it fires up on propane.
Rusty
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Old 07-16-2016, 12:36 AM   #3
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Not sure if you have time to take it to a dealer but the Norcold website has a flyer with a recall on it. It didn't list my model but the dealer got them to ship out a new part and fixed it for free.

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Old 07-16-2016, 03:04 PM   #4
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Worked!

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Originally Posted by lcv800 View Post
Did you try a few times? Sometimes after changing tanks or shutting the gas off, my stove will light right away but the fridge takes several tries before it fires up on propane.
Rusty
This did not work at first so I moved on, but I tried again this morning and it worked on third try. Thank You. You kept the wife happy which is priceless.
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Old 07-16-2016, 03:05 PM   #5
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Recall

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Originally Posted by Mauger View Post
This did not work at first so I moved on, but I tried again this morning and it worked on third try. Thank You. You kept the wife happy which is priceless.
Will Check. Thank You.
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Old 08-30-2016, 06:42 PM   #6
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I had this same problem this weekend. When I unplugged power, the fridge tried to spark up, but never lit. Gas was on all weekend and everything else worked. The auto igniter sounded like it clicked several times to try to light, but never did. We won't travel with food in the fridge any more. Wasn't bad, but any longer of a drive and it could have been.
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:39 AM   #7
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When we're getting the camper ready for a trip, I plug the camper in 2 days before we leave so it's good and cold. Just before we leave, I burp the propane system. I light all the burners on the stove several times, light the HW heater, cycle the furnace and then flip the fridge to auto.

My theory is that any airlocks get broken up by the time everything else is running, so the fridge fires first time. I usually have more trouble with the furnace going into lockout, than the fridge not lighting.
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Old 08-31-2016, 10:52 AM   #8
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I just got my unit back from CW, the reefer worked really great on AC, (24 deg) but not gas (70 deg) After several days I insisted that they re-check the WC (they claimed that they had checked it) and it was really low causing the burner flame to be so low as to be useless, they re-adjusted the regulator and now everything is within the temp specs for the lower reefer. I was informed, at first that since the stove worked great then there was no problem but the stove only needs about 6" WC and has it's own regulator and the reefer needs about 11" WC. At first they were adamant that it was the reefer and would need to be replaced. I had also installed 2 12V fans with a button thermostat and a switch to remove the excess heat (due to the outside ambient temp. being so hot here in Fl. this summer.
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Old 08-31-2016, 11:09 AM   #9
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For a quick cool down, I toss in a chunk of dry ice in the freezer and fridge, occasionally opening the door for a second or two to release any CO2 released. Also gives me that comfort zone in case the LP shuts off going down the road for whatever reason.
Rusty
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Old 08-31-2016, 12:13 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nineoaks View Post
I just got my unit back from CW, the reefer worked really great on AC, (24 deg) but not gas (70 deg) After several days I insisted that they re-check the WC (they claimed that they had checked it) and it was really low causing the burner flame to be so low as to be useless, they re-adjusted the regulator and now everything is within the temp specs for the lower reefer. I was informed, at first that since the stove worked great then there was no problem but the stove only needs about 6" WC and has it's own regulator and the reefer needs about 11" WC. At first they were adamant that it was the reefer and would need to be replaced. I had also installed 2 12V fans with a button thermostat and a switch to remove the excess heat (due to the outside ambient temp. being so hot here in Fl. this summer.
You must be one of the very few lucky ones to have an adjustable regulator.
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Old 08-31-2016, 07:44 PM   #11
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I learn so much here.

Dry Ice trick is great!
And the 48 hour advance shakedown is actually a good routine for a lot of reasons.

My biggest issue if I decide to actually haul the Aerolite somewhere is that I have treated it like a stationary home and haven't exactly stored or put things where they would travel well. I'm betting all my appliances would be perfect, but my cargo would be on the floor.
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Old 08-31-2016, 10:32 PM   #12
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but my cargo would be on the floor.
Snake,

Some of the places we drag our camper to, that's not a bad thing. Last year we wound up on an old oil patch road, it brought new meaning to the expression "Pick your rut wisely, you're gonna be in it for a long time."

I used to tell my kids that when ever the topic of career choices came up.
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Old 08-31-2016, 10:33 PM   #13
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I learn so much here.

Dry Ice trick is great!
And the 48 hour advance shakedown is actually a good routine for a lot of reasons.
My fridge actually works great, we just fire it up the day before we leave and put all frozen meat in the fridge to defrost and cool faster. Probably less trouble than dry ice? The fridge will actually start to freeze stuff if I turn it up above 3 after the initial cool down.
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Old 09-01-2016, 12:39 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by dawniewest View Post
My fridge actually works great...

X2... But there is this post card I received in the mail today???



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Old 09-01-2016, 03:22 PM   #15
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X2... But there is this post card I received in the mail today???


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I guess a class action lawsuit is the only way the consumer can get action. The NHTSA has a list of 24 recalls on Norcold fridges dating back to 2002.

http://search.usa.gov/search?utf8=✓&...hCommit=Search

Search Results: NORCOLD | Safercar | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

The second link will take you to the recalls by model page.
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Old 09-07-2016, 03:01 AM   #16
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We found out today that our Norcold N-302 fridge can't pre-cool enough when sitting with the sun on the south side of the trailer. I took a IFR reading at the exhaust vent and it was 40* hotter than the ambient air which was 95*. It did the same thing on gas cooling once it got hot outside today. As a test, I glommed on twin 12V computer fans and the fridge temps started dropping again. Looks like I'll have to make an exhaust fan set-up for when the trailer is sitting in the sun for pre-cooling. It was fine in the morning and cooled quickly until the air temp outside started to climb. I'm hoping that the hot air will be pulled out when towing and running the fridge on propane.
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Old 09-08-2016, 03:02 AM   #17
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Some people had fabricated an awning that covers the reefer vent area, this keeps the sun off that area.
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:20 AM   #18
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We just went out on our 2nd trip with our 213 and when I fired up the fridge on gas, it was a no go - RED light. Checked Gas, it was OK. We loaded her up with ice and drove to our campground. Worked A-OK on AC, but once we were ready to go home, I tried Gas again....Nope the big RED light gain. Guess it's time to call the dealer.....
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Old 09-13-2016, 11:12 PM   #19
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We just returned from our 6 day maiden shakedown trip to the Eastern Sierras and camped at 9700' in a primitive site. We had fridge issues with the inadequate cold temps on AC or gas before we left and packed frozen items in a separate cooler with dry ice. The fridge fired up great on gas once at camp and stayed in the green the entire time we camped. The propane fumes and heat buildup in the outside area were very annoying and leaked into the cabin space when a lower door was opened near the fridge. Outside air temps varied at that altitude from 81* to 17* and we were still freezing things in the cold section even set on 3 of 5. The gas pilot blew out in transit both to and from but nothing thawed out or got warm so that will require some investigation. I'm convinced that counter height Norcold model is working OK but the trailer manufacturer (Coleman) should have either vented through the roof or installed a better method to evacuate heat and fumes as well as shield the pilot in transit. I'm going to reseal the fridge around the framing and make up a solar fan to pull hot air out of that upper vent. I attribute the fumes to the pilot running super rich at 9700'. One other thing I have to look into is why the inverter blew a 15A fuse when I shut down the generator I was using for the micro, replaced fuse and all is good. All and all the rig was great and worked well. I'm so glad I did that over/under axle flip last week since we were on some really dicey forest service roads and never contacted anything. I forgot how tasty fresh pan-fried trout is, fishing was so good we almost got tired of it!

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