Re: How to disconnect my Norcold refrigerator from A/C 120v [message #317391 is a reply to message #317389] |
Thu, 11 May 2017 14:41 |
A Hamilto
Messages: 4508 Registered: April 2011
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Ken Burton wrote on Thu, 11 May 2017 14:07That is interesting. On my coach the outlets are on a GFI breaker while the refrigerator is on a breaker by itself.
Well, so much for that idea.
As near as I can tell from the manuals, GM never hooked up the 120VAC fridge power on the early models. When I took the OEM fridge out of the Sequoia "donor" to put in mine, I never found a cord. There was a two-spade connector on the "chattering protector" for AC connector, but no cable/connector from there.
I have a bigger Norcold that came out of a Palm Beach that had a regular power cord from the connector on the "chattering protector". So I bought/assembeld the stuff to make a cord/connector and made one identical to the Palm Beach fridge for the Sequoia. I used 120VAC to test it for functionality. I have never tried it on 12VDC.
And if your eyes haven't glazed over yet, I think I know the reason that GM never hooked up the 120VAC to the fridge.
A. The Onan can run slow or fast and the frequency will be outside what the swing-motor compressor will tolerate, and it won't last.
B. There is no reason to use the 120VAC input. Underway, its power originates from the engine alternator, through the isolator, the converter, to the fridge. "Dry" camping, it gets its power from the battery like it has to. On shore power or Onan, it gets power from the converter.
To summarize: There is never any need for it to run on anything but 12VDC, and the generator can kill it graveyard dead on its 120VAC if it runs too fast or too slow.
If I was going to keep it and use it, I would gut the electronics to eliminate the OEM "chopper" (square wave) inverter and install a 12VDC-to-120VAC 60Hz pure sine wave inverter connected to a 5:1 transformer to get the 24vac that the compressor wants.
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