Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Norcold Fridge Report
| Norcold Fridge Report [message #123535] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 15:59  |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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Last weekend I took my Son to a rocket launch. Finally, after 7 years of owing this coach we used it for the specific reason it was bought.
What a Blast.
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=38820&title=what-i-originally-bought-the-coach-for&cat=3625
I pre-cooled the fridge while plugged in at home overnight, and put ice in both the bottom drawers and ice packs in the freezer, not knowing how this old 12/120 Norcold would work.
We ran the fridge on 12V power from about 2pm friday all the way until about 8am on sunday. I elected to turn it off when the bathroom lights were very dim and the water pump was very slow.
We ran the genny for about an hour and a half on both friday and saturday (at nap time with the AC running), then a bit sunday morning to make coffee and bring the batteries up a bit.
The food always stayed cold, the freezer did a good job of keeping stuff just on the other side of frozen, and the ice in the bottom of the fridge was about half melted. The beer was so-so, but I keep most of it in a cooler anyway.
I'm thinking I may still convert to a gas fridge.
On another note, I blew the macerator fuse when I got home due to the extreme low battery voltage.
I also run the genny pulled out. It is much quieter inside, and I was actually able to sleep with it running, (A good thing).
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
[Updated on: Wed, 27 April 2011 16:00] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Norcold Fridge Report [message #123539 is a reply to message #123535] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 16:30  |
Rick Williams
Messages: 256
Registered: July 2004
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Chris
I had the same frig and got about the same results. I converted to gas/ac a few years ago. I prefer the new setup. Running the generator is not a big deal but with a gas frig, you can go for many days before needing to run it. It just seems more convenient now.
I'm glad you finally got the coach out for an adventure. A reward for all your hard work. I got mine out last weekend for a 300 mile run. It ran great and it was good to get back behind the wheel.
Rick
Rick Williams
Bliss, Michigan
1978 Eleganza II
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| Re: Norcold Fridge Report [message #123543 is a reply to message #123535] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 16:59 |
idrob
Messages: 645
Registered: January 2005
Location: Central Idaho
Karma: 0
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[quote title=Chr$ wrote on Wed, 27 April 2011 13:59]
I pre-cooled the fridge while plugged in at home overnight, and put ice in both the bottom drawers and ice packs in the freezer, not knowing how this old 12/120 Norcold would work.
We ran the fridge on 12V power from about 2pm friday all the way until about 8am on sunday. I elected to turn it off when the bathroom lights were very dim and the water pump was very slow.
We ran the genny for about an hour and a half on both friday and saturday (at nap time with the AC running), then a bit sunday morning to make coffee and bring the batteries up a bit.
The food always stayed cold, the freezer did a good job of keeping stuff just on the other side of frozen, and the ice in the bottom of the fridge was about half melted. The beer was so-so, but I keep most of it in a cooler anyway.
I'm thinking I may still convert to a gas fridge.
/quote]
Chris: I'm not sure if you have seen my article on the old Norcold you have, and the general refrigeration issues in RV's but, here it is again:
http://www.bdub.net/Refrigeration_in_the_GMC.pdf
You might want to consider keeping it, especially with a more modern inverter power supply. You said in another post you may be adding solar panels, which would also give you a much better battery run time on the Norcold you have now. Money spent on the panels might be better than money spent on a new refer.
The only thing really wrong with the old Norcold which has a very good and highly efficient swing motor compressor is that the power supply is obsolete. Newer electrical technology can make the original refrigerator considerably more efficient.
Rob Allen
former owner of '76 x-PB
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| Re: Norcold Fridge Report [message #123548 is a reply to message #123535] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 17:05 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Chris,
I also have an original Norcold all electric fridge in my coach. They are serious power hogs. I dry camped with Dan & Teri for about five days at Quartzsite this year and was pretty careful about battery use. I was only able to estimate the battery condition using a volt meter to check battery voltage (not resting voltage). I used my 2-k inverter generator for an average of two to four hours per day and the Onan when we needed more power (microwave etc.).
It worked pretty well and with the 3 hr. drive to the Pinal county Fairgrounds afterward, the batteries were close to fully charged. I see that you only had an hour and a half home, so I'm not surprised that the batteries were still low. I'm guessing it would be much more convenient to have a propane fridge in spite of their warm weather inefficiency. I have sufficient LEDs in the coach to light it pretty well at night, so the main power hog is my electric refrigerator.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report [message #123555 is a reply to message #123542] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 17:55 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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The cheapest place I have found is Palimino RV in Southern Michigan. The are a RV manufacturer and buy a lot of them. Their parts department sells them delivered to your door for aflat price no matter wherre you are located in the lower 48. It is cheaper if you use a business address to have it delivered to.
A Dometic RM 2650 will fit in the existing hole but sticks out about 1" farther than the old Norcold.
The RM2650 runs on 120VAC and propane. It does no run on 12 VDC. It does require 12 VDC to run the circuit board. I can not remember the 12 volt current requirement but it is very low.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: Norcold Fridge Report [message #123563 is a reply to message #123535] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 19:36 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Rob, I read your article a year or so ago. I was thinking of revisiting that and replacing the old electronics with a modern inverter, however I cannot make up my mind to get one that is just right for the fridge and use another one for other things, or get a mondo huge one for the frig and anything else I want to run, save for the microwave and AC units. Bob D also added some batteries in the refer compartment just for the fridge...
Propane Fridges never worked well enough for my taste, literally. The food in our old three way we had when I was a kid never tasted "quite right"
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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| Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report [message #123568 is a reply to message #123563] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 19:50 |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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Do you have any specs as to the current draw on 12V DC
for that Norcold fridge?
From what I have read, inverters seem to work most
efficiently when drawing 50-90% of their rated current.
I have an 8.5 cu. ft. Vitrifrigo that draws only 4.2
Amps when the compressor is running on 12V DC. The
Danfoss compressor actually runs on either 12V or 24V
DC directly at about a maximum 50 Watt draw.
120V AC operation uses an included built-on converter
to put out 24V DC.
I'd imagine that a fairly simple 100 Watt inverter
should do just fine to run that old Norcold and probably
at a considerable power savings.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ex-Palm Beach, 76 ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
----------------------------------------
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> From: cchoffataz@yahoo.com
> Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:36:50 -0500
> Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
>
>
>
> Rob, I read your article a year or so ago. I was thinking of revisiting that and replacing the old electronics with a modern inverter, however I cannot make up my mind to get one that is just right for the fridge and use another one for other things, or get a mondo huge one for the frig and anything else I want to run, save for the microwave and AC units. Bob D also added some batteries in the refer compartment just for the fridge...
>
> Propane Fridges never worked well enough for my taste, literally. The food in our old three way we had when I was a kid never tasted "quite right"
> --
> -Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
> 77 Ex-Kingsley 455, Power Drive, 3:21 FD, Quadra bag. The Engineer's Motorhome
> Scottsdale, AZ
>
> Photosite: Chrisc "It has Begun"
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| Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report [message #123571 is a reply to message #123568] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 20:40 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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How Much was that vitrifriggo, what model is it, and where did you buy it. Their website is a bit goofy.
| k2gkk wrote on Wed, 27 April 2011 17:50 |
Do you have any specs as to the current draw on 12V DC
for that Norcold fridge?
From what I have read, inverters seem to work most
efficiently when drawing 50-90% of their rated current.
I have an 8.5 cu. ft. Vitrifrigo that draws only 4.2
Amps when the compressor is running on 12V DC. The
Danfoss compressor actually runs on either 12V or 24V
DC directly at about a maximum 50 Watt draw.
120V AC operation uses an included built-on converter
to put out 24V DC.
I'd imagine that a fairly simple 100 Watt inverter
should do just fine to run that old Norcold and probably
at a considerable power savings.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ex-Palm Beach, 76 ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
----------------------------------------
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> From: cchoffataz@yahoo.com
> Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:36:50 -0500
> Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
>
>
>
> Rob, I read your article a year or so ago. I was thinking of revisiting that and replacing the old electronics with a modern inverter, however I cannot make up my mind to get one that is just right for the fridge and use another one for other things, or get a mondo huge one for the frig and anything else I want to run, save for the microwave and AC units. Bob D also added some batteries in the refer compartment just for the fridge...
>
> Propane Fridges never worked well enough for my taste, literally. The food in our old three way we had when I was a kid never tasted "quite right"
> --
> -Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
> 77 Ex-Kingsley 455, Power Drive, 3:21 FD, Quadra bag. The Engineer's Motorhome
> Scottsdale, AZ
>
> Photosite: Chrisc "It has Begun"
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-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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| Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report [message #123572 is a reply to message #123571] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 20:47 |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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I bought mine from Defender Marine. It ain't cheap!
I bought it last August for my boat, but boat was
destroyed on 1 Feb this year. I'm going to bring
it home and put it into either beer fridge service
and/or stick it into "The Money Pit" whose fridge
doesn't seem to be working.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ex-Palm Beach, 76 ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> From: cchoffataz@yahoo.com
> Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:40:00 -0500
> Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
>
>
>
> How Much was that vitrifriggo, what model is it, and where did you buy it. Their website is a bit goofy.
>
> k2gkk wrote on Wed, 27 April 2011 17:50
> > Do you have any specs as to the current draw on 12V DC
> > for that Norcold fridge?
> >
> > From what I have read, inverters seem to work most
> > efficiently when drawing 50-90% of their rated current.
> >
> > I have an 8.5 cu. ft. Vitrifrigo that draws only 4.2
> > Amps when the compressor is running on 12V DC. The
> > Danfoss compressor actually runs on either 12V or 24V
> > DC directly at about a maximum 50 Watt draw.
> >
> > 120V AC operation uses an included built-on converter
> > to put out 24V DC.
> >
> > I'd imagine that a fairly simple 100 Watt inverter
> > should do just fine to run that old Norcold and probably
> > at a considerable power savings.
> >
> > ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> > ~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
> > ~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
> > ~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
> > ~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
> > ~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
> > ~ ~ ~ ex-Palm Beach, 76 ~ ~ ~
> > ~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
> > ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> >
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------
> > > To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> > > From: cchoffataz@yahoo.com
> > > Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:36:50 -0500
> > > Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Rob, I read your article a year or so ago. I was thinking of revisiting that and replacing the old electronics with a modern inverter, however I cannot make up my mind to get one that is just right for the fridge and use another one for other things, or get a mondo huge one for the frig and anything else I want to run, save for the microwave and AC units. Bob D also added some batteries in the refer compartment just for the fridge...
> > >
> > > Propane Fridges never worked well enough for my taste, literally. The food in our old three way we had when I was a kid never tasted "quite right"
> > > --
> > > -Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
> > > 77 Ex-Kingsley 455, Power Drive, 3:21 FD, Quadra bag. The Engineer's Motorhome
> > > Scottsdale, AZ
> > >
> > > Photosite: Chrisc "It has Begun"
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
>
> --
> -Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
> 77 Ex-Kingsley 455, Power Drive, 3:21 FD, Quadra bag. The Engineer's Motorhome
> Scottsdale, AZ
>
> Photosite: Chrisc "It has Begun"
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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| Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report [message #123574 is a reply to message #123572] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 20:50 |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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Sorry! Forgot the model number.
It's the 8 or 8.5 cu. ft. model.
The fridge is currently 3 hours away.
Mac
----------------------------------------
From: k2gkk@hotmail.com
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:47:34 -0500
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
I bought mine from Defender Marine. It ain't cheap!
I bought it last August for my boat, but boat was
destroyed on 1 Feb this year. I'm going to bring
it home and put it into either beer fridge service
and/or stick it into "The Money Pit" whose fridge
doesn't seem to be working.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ex-Palm Beach, 76 ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
From: cchoffataz@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:40:00 -0500
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
How Much was that vitrifriggo, what model is it, and where did you buy it. Their website is a bit goofy.
k2gkk wrote on Wed, 27 April 2011 17:50
Do you have any specs as to the current draw on 12V DC
for that Norcold fridge?
From what I have read, inverters seem to work most
efficiently when drawing 50-90% of their rated current.
I have an 8.5 cu. ft. Vitrifrigo that draws only 4.2
Amps when the compressor is running on 12V DC. The
Danfoss compressor actually runs on either 12V or 24V
DC directly at about a maximum 50 Watt draw.
120V AC operation uses an included built-on converter
to put out 24V DC.
I'd imagine that a fairly simple 100 Watt inverter
should do just fine to run that old Norcold and probably
at a considerable power savings.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ex-Palm Beach, 76 ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
_______________________________________________
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| Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report [message #123584 is a reply to message #123574] |
Wed, 27 April 2011 21:27 |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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It's the DP2600iAc which is similar to the TUNDRA TJ85AC.
Vitrifrigo's website has gotten whacko for me, too.
It used to be much better.
Defender Marine in Waterford, CT is where I bought mine.
Defender is at: 800-628-8225 and has them in their catalog
as Item #400806 at $1,459.99.
You may be able to do a bit better than that with them.
I did. Ask if they can do any better on price. The worst
that can happen is that they say no.
Here's a URL for the spec sheet for the fridge and a selling
location at Coastal Climate Control in Bowie, MD.
(http://www.vfsales.net/images/Spec_sheet_-_2_door.pdf)
Coastal (www.coastalclimatecontrol.com) may also do better.
Mac
-------------------------------------
From: k2gkk@hotmail.com
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:50:38 -0500
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
Sorry! Forgot the model number.
It's the 8 or 8.5 cu. ft. model.
The fridge is currently 3 hours away.
Mac
----------------------------------------
From: k2gkk@hotmail.com
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:47:34 -0500
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
I bought mine from Defender Marine. It ain't cheap!
I bought it last August for my boat, but boat was
destroyed on 1 Feb this year. I'm going to bring
it home and put it into either beer fridge service
and/or stick it into "The Money Pit" whose fridge
doesn't seem to be working.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ex-Palm Beach, 76 ~ ~ ~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
From: cchoffataz@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:40:00 -0500
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
How Much was that vitrifriggo, what model is it, and where did you buy it. Their website is a bit goofy.
k2gkk wrote on Wed, 27 April 2011 17:50
Do you have any specs as to the current draw on 12V DC
for that Norcold fridge?
From what I have read, inverters seem to work most
efficiently when drawing 50-90% of their rated current.
I have an 8.5 cu. ft. Vitrifrigo that draws only 4.2
Amps when the compressor is running on 12V DC. The
Danfoss compressor actually runs on either 12V or 24V
DC directly at about a maximum 50 Watt draw.
120V AC operation uses an included built-on converter
to put out 24V DC.
I'd imagine that a fairly simple 100 Watt inverter
should do just fine to run that old Norcold and probably
at a considerable power savings.
_______________________________________________
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Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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| Re: Norcold Fridge Report [message #123609 is a reply to message #123563] |
Thu, 28 April 2011 06:15 |
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mike miller
Messages: 3576
Registered: February 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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| Chr$ wrote on Wed, 27 April 2011 17:36 |
Rob, I read your article a year or so ago. I was thinking of revisiting that and replacing the old electronics with a modern inverter...
... Propane Fridges never worked well enough for my taste...
|
Didn't Rob (or someone else) do some testing with a Hydro-carbon refrigerant in an original electric refrigerator? I seem to remember that it did pretty good... with a modern inverter.
After fighting it for years, I gave up on propane in my 26' and bought an all electric. It worked very well for us, for one season. Then I bought another coach... with a propane refer! Even though it is an older model than the "bad" one, it seems to work fairly good. (It is a pilot light model installed in 1978.) I'll keep it for now, the cabinet is too small for my electric anyway!
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Boo'
http://m000035.blogspot.com
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| Re: Norcold Fridge Report [message #123641 is a reply to message #123609] |
Thu, 28 April 2011 11:49 |
idrob
Messages: 645
Registered: January 2005
Location: Central Idaho
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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| mike miller wrote on Thu, 28 April 2011 04:15 |
[
Didn't Rob (or someone else) do some testing with a Hydro-carbon refrigerant in an original electric refrigerator? I seem to remember that it did pretty good... with a modern inverter.
|
Mike: My original testing with the Norcold was centered around upgrading the power supply and inverter. I found that the old original Norcold is really a pretty good unit, once the power supply is updated some. In essence I removed the original power supply, substituted a 120 to 24 volt transformer (about 4 to 5 amps capacity) and fed that with a more modern Xantrex "modified sine wave" inverter. That reduced the power consumption significantly.
Last summer I took a more modern Norcold (that used 134a refrigerant but had a bad swing motor compressor) and substituted a small 120 volt compressor from a water cooler, and charged it with duracool. It cooled but the compressor I had did not have enough capacity for the box and the efficiency was not that great. I am still looking for a slightly larger compressor to try out the test again.
I can tell you that if you are ever looking for an "off the shelf" 120 volt compressor refrigerator to put in the GMC, and you want to run it from an inverter and 12 volt supply, be sure to look for one which has a yellow hang tag showing the energy consumption per year in the 270 Kwh or lower range. Many of the small household refrigerators have terrible energy consumption. Small does not mean efficient. Also, if you are looking to replace the original size box, note that many of the newer refrigerators use the sides and top of the outside of the box for the condenser and cannot be pushed into a tight space with no air on the sides. Look for a unit with coils on the back.
Rob Allen
former owner of '76 x-PB
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| Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report [message #123664 is a reply to message #123641] |
Thu, 28 April 2011 15:09 |
Mitch
Messages: 272
Registered: May 2009
Location: Tacoma, Wa
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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I have Rob's Rig, and I can tell you the upgraded Norgold is working joost fine. I'm impressed with the changes he made.
----- Original Message -----
From: Rob Allen
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Norcold Fridge Report
mike miller wrote on Thu, 28 April 2011 04:15
> [
> Didn't Rob (or someone else) do some testing with a Hydro-carbon refrigerant in an original electric refrigerator? I seem to remember that it did pretty good... with a modern inverter.
Mike: My original testing with the Norcold was centered around upgrading the power supply and inverter. I found that the old original Norcold is really a pretty good unit, once the power supply is updated some. In essence I removed the original power supply, substituted a 120 to 24 volt transformer (about 4 to 5 amps capacity) and fed that with a more modern Xantrex "modified sine wave" inverter. That reduced the power consumption significantly.
Last summer I took a more modern Norcold (that used 134a refrigerant but had a bad swing motor compressor) and substituted a small 120 volt compressor from a water cooler, and charged it with duracool. It cooled but the compressor I had did not have enough capacity for the box and the efficiency was not that great. I am still looking for a slightly larger compressor to try out the test again.
I can tell you that if you are ever looking for an "off the shelf" 120 volt compressor refrigerator to put in the GMC, and you want to run it from an inverter and 12 volt supply, be sure to look for one which has a yellow hang tag showing the energy consumption per year in the 270 Kwh or lower range. Many of the small household refrigerators have terrible energy consumption. Small does not mean efficient. Also, if you are looking to replace the original size box, note that many of the newer refrigerators use the sides and top of the outside of the box for the condenser and cannot be pushed into a tight space with no air on the sides. Look for a unit with coils on the back.
--
Rob Allen
former owner of '76 x-PB
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Mitch
Tacoma, Wa.
'80 Spitfire
'03 Windstar
'77 Jaguar XJ6-C
X(very)'76 PB 26 "The Beast"
Where it rains, always.
It's wet, No sun, Gray.
Go to Oregon.
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| Re: Norcold Fridge Report [message #123685 is a reply to message #123535] |
Thu, 28 April 2011 16:35 |
Larry C
Messages: 1168
Registered: July 2004
Location: NE Illinois by the Illino...
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Which model Norcold do you have Chris?
I have an older Norcold 3 way, gas 12vdc and 120vac.
On my unit, you only use the 12vdc when traveling with the engine running. It will kill a battery fast. I gennerally just fill the freezer with frozen water bottles and that keeps for days if you don't open the door too much.
Gas uses so little power that it can run till the propane tank goes empty, that a long time. And of course 120v ac is great as long as you have ac to plug into.
I have been happy with this unit, served me well.
Gatsbys' CRUISER  08-18-04
74 GLACIER X, 260/455-APC-4 Bagg'r
Remflex Manifold gaskets
CampGrounds needed, Add yours to "PLACES" />
http://www.gmceast.com/travel
_
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