HELP PLEASE..Norcold Refrig in Cabin not cooling yet power is on..

barryg

Member
Jun 24, 2007
966
Fort Lauderdale
Boat Info
2005 320 Sundancer, Garmin 5208
Engines
Twin V-Drives 350 Mags
Up until Saturday, I've never had a problem with either of the refrig units on the boat, but after coming back from a day out on the water I went to check the refrig down in the cabin and see what was left in there, and saw that nothing in there was cold. Usually there's a faint noise when the refrig runs, but there was no sound.

HELP... any ideas or thoughts or suggestions? Any idea on what to do next would be great. Planning a trip in a few weeks and need to have it working.

Thanks!!
 
Mine is dual voltage, and right now it only works on 12v, so I have to turn the 120v breaker off... With the 120v breaker on, the interior light flashes but the compressor wont turn on.
 
Barry,

So, it sounds like the fridge doesn't work on 12v side. As one of the first steps I would test if it works on 120AC. If not, I would trace backwards to see if there's any power supplied to the fridge (12v or 120v).
 
Barry,

So, it sounds like the fridge doesn't work on 12v side. As one of the first steps I would test if it works on 120AC. If not, I would trace backwards to see if there's any power supplied to the fridge (12v or 120v).

That’s what seems to happen with Norcolds quite often: the 12 V side doesn’t work. Mine had a 120V compressor and I put an external inverter to run it with 12V. But the best solution is to get rid of your Nevercold and get a fridge with a 12V Danfoss compressor!
 
can you buy and install a danfoss compressor into an existing fridge?
 
can you buy and install a danfoss compressor into an existing fridge?

I think it should be possible. Not that easy though. You should empty all the system and fill the refrigeration fluid again.
 
What size inverter did you use pietro.Is there a fuse for the dc side of the fridge?where would it be?
 
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There's power to the refrigerator but the compressor isn't working....can it be fixed, replaced or do I have to get a new one?
 
I tried to fix mine. Replaced the power supply ($$$$$). When I powered up the unit the NEW power supply went out. That isn't under warranty. Thats when, through some additional troubleshooting I found the compressor was locked up. You can, or could, get a new compressor and coils but I wouldn't mess with it. I also wont have another Norcold on my boat.
 
What size inverter did you use pietro.Is there a fuse for the dc side of the fridge?where would it be?

I was using a 1000W Xantrex inverter I bought from West Marine (I know it's expensive but from Italy was the easiest way to buy a 120 V 60Hz unit). The inverter should be a pure sine wave

It was oversized but I was using that for my coffee maker also!. You should check the power of your Norcold.
 
Ok thanks pietro i will check the fuse and make sure i have 12 v to it this weekend ,It works on 120 but when cruising for 4-6 hrs its good to know my dinner isnt going bad,and there will be cold water and pop and gatorade to keep me alert on those hot summer afternoons on the bay.If i have power and the fuse isnt blown i will assume the power supply for 12v is bad and look into buying a new board if thats all they are ,pretty sure i can install, it shouldent be any more difficult than say repairing a motherboard on a tv .
 
Up until Saturday, I've never had a problem with either of the refrig units on the boat, but after coming back from a day out on the water I went to check the refrig down in the cabin and see what was left in there, and saw that nothing in there was cold. Usually there's a faint noise when the refrig runs, but there was no sound.

HELP... any ideas or thoughts or suggestions? Any idea on what to do next would be great. Planning a trip in a few weeks and need to have it working.

Thanks!!

Sorry if you checked this, but you should check the setting knob in the fridge to make sure it's above zero. When we started this year I thought ours wasn't working and someone had turned the temp setting knob (0-5 on mine) to zero and that basically keeps it from doing anything). I turned it above zero and it immediately started up...
 
Thanks, but I always keep it on (it's in the water behind my house) and always keep it at 4. The power light is on, but the compressor isn't working...
 
BarryG,
Do a search and you'll find a few posts I made about the same problem. Bottom line, West Marine has the exact same model on sale for 686 and i got a 10% off coupon, shipped to my closet west marine for just over 650 including tax. The cost to change out a compressor and the labor is probably not worth your time. I know everyone says don't buy another norcold and I understand their feelings, but mine worked great for 8 years and the new one fit the opening perfectly. Good luck!
 
Had this on my past boat, it was the compressor that blew. Would have been cheaper to replace fridge versus labor involved in swapping out compressor, but it turned out that the refrigerator would not fit out the cabin door without actually removing the door on that boat (as it was a sliding door it was not a easy thing to do) so I replaced the compressor.
 
Thanks guys. I'm bummed that the refrig is out after only really using it the past 3 years... Would think it would last for closer to 10...Figures too I just had some stainless steel inserts made for the doors to make it look a little more contemporary. Have to see how to get it out of the cabinet it's in and see if there could be anything else it might be. $600.00 for a small refrig like that is crazy..and bad timing right now...Looks like an extra cooler will have to do for a while..

Barry
 
Barry - if I am reading the posts right, your problem is 12V only, you see the power light on but compressor won't run, but that everything works okay when on AC power. Is that right? If compressor is working on AC its not a compressor problem. Possible DC inverter issue, or simple reverse polarity on the DC side... On my Norcold the light near the thermostat is not a 'power' light - it is a 'reverse polaritiy' light.
 
Well i fixed mine today,the previous owner apparently had problems with ac going out at their marina and the fridge drained the batteries,or they stayed on the hook to long and kept forgetting to turn the fridge off ,so they put in new batteries and cut the wires for dc on the fridge.I hooked them back up and added a switch so if the power goes out i only loose whats in the fridge.usually when restoring power with the ac switch on it will throw anyway.Wonder if my breaker is worn out?
 
Hey Captain,

NO it does not work either under shore power, generator or batteries.. The light is on and I hear a noise, but it's not cold at all.
 

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