norcold 2118 stopped cooling

[farmerbk]

All
did a search first.... not finding what I (think) I am looking for....


We are in San Antonio, TX and have been here for a few weeks. At first, fridge was working great. As temps rose, inside temps rose in fridge, but had been able to offset it by raising the cooling selection (had started at 6).


as temps rose, condensation kept seeming to increase inside the fridge.... found a small air leak, but did not seem to correlate to the amount of condensation.


finally, this afternoon, went to get a drink out of fridge and the inside temp was 70, and freezer was up to 30.



I checked power to panel, it is on and you can select different cooling levels Checked power at outlet, it was good. checked the reset on the back of fridge near outlet.... no red light. Checked the 3A automotive fuse, it was good too. No error codes displayed.



seems no matter what I select, the fridge will not kick on (we can normally hear it run when cycling) Have tried electric and electric/propane combined, no joy.



I am at a loss, cannot figure out why the fridge will not kick on.


Thought I would try to reach out to the community before having to call someone for an onsite repair tomorrow.


Any tips or insights would be welcome.
Thanks
Bryon

 

[Mikendebbie]

I searched NORCOLD 2118 NOT COOLING on YouTube and got lots of results. Holy smokes…LOTS of videos.

If it was my fridge I would spend some time watching videos and come up with some ideas to test…look for ammonia leak (yellow stain), thermistor issue, bad control board, doors not adjusted to seal properly, and the big one on these RV fridges - air flow in the back.

I have a Samsung RF18 in the Monte, but there is a Norcold 2112 in our motorhome, so I was watching videos for selfish reasons. Good luck with your search. Maybe someone here in the forum will have better information to help you.

 

[Daryles]

Here's a good link to adding fans to improve cooling.

My post #14, I discovered the snap disk (thermostat) that runs the fans on the cooling coils in the back was bad. I bypassed the snap disk and the fans started working.
I installed a Digital Temperature Controller to run the fans in the back.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87403

 

[fatcatzzz]

My 2118 developed a leak and dump the ammonia into the inside of the rig. Had to leave the rig as we could not breath. We had already done the JC Refrigeration. At this point I was done with this POS. I did a replacement with a Whirlpool Residential frig. I followed the 432Bartman's thread on doing the install.
https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91902&highlight=refrigerator
I am not going to say it was easy, but glad I did it. Wife is loving it.

 

[farmerbk]

update

Thank you for the replies so far


This morning, I tried turning the unit on just for grins.... and it started working. After a couple of hours it is working properely.


I am wondering if I have a compressor that is on the way out? Perhaps it got hot and stopped? did not note any ice buildup in inside or outside when it had quit yesterday.


I still don't know what the real problem is.


Biggest hangup with an outright replacement is that a slide will have to come out to replace the fridge. From reading, seems the JC refrig is the popular conversion, short of replacement.


My wife is happy with the size of this unit, only change we would look for in a replacement is the freezer on the bottom rather than the top, getting rid of the post in the middle.


I appreciate any ideas.
bryon

 

[foldbak]

Thank you for the replies so far


This morning, I tried turning the unit on just for grins.... and it started working. After a couple of hours it is working properely.


I am wondering if I have a compressor that is on the way out? Perhaps it got hot and stopped? did not note any ice buildup in inside or outside when it had quit yesterday.


I still don't know what the real problem is.


Biggest hangup with an outright replacement is that a slide will have to come out to replace the fridge. From reading, seems the JC refrig is the popular conversion, short of replacement.


My wife is happy with the size of this unit, only change we would look for in a replacement is the freezer on the bottom rather than the top, getting rid of the post in the middle.


I appreciate any ideas.
bryon

You don't have a compressor, it's an absorption cooling unit. It works on 120 volt or 12volt/LPG. If it was on LP and the flame went out that would explain it. If it's working now I'd say you don't have a cooling unit leak. Something else is going on. If it were me I'd wait a bit before changing to a 12 volt fridge. Tech is new and they're still working out bugs.

 

[AZ Traveler]

Bryon,

If the freezer was staying cold but the refrigerator was warm it could be the center flap was not sealing. Several folks have done the JC conversion with good results.

 

[farmerbk]

You don't have a compressor, it's an absorption cooling unit. It works on 120 volt or 12volt/LPG. If it was on LP and the flame went out that would explain it. If it's working now I'd say you don't have a cooling unit leak. Something else is going on. If it were me I'd wait a bit before changing to a 12 volt fridge. Tech is new and they're still working out bugs.

thanks.... yes I had forgot these were adsorption units and not regular units... thanks for that. Hard to get rid of old knowledge.


I am hoping to keep things working for the next 10 days until we are back home. It is a pain trying to deal with some of this while on the road.


thanks again
bryon

 

[ChuckS]

I would download the Norcold 2118 service manual.. Within it there is a section on using the "Diagnostic Mode" from the eyebrow panel...

 

[scottz]

Norcold 2118 manual. Diagnostics start on page 14.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=72

 

[Kyle and Lisa]

Recently replaced the thermister on ours and it works great,I have always set ours at 9,now it is at 5,and what a difference. Remove and test the thermister in a cup of ice water.

 

[Rick A-XRD]

Daryl, Can you explain more about the controller wiring from the cooling unit to the digital display and a purchase source for the controller. I would sure like to find a way to turn on those upper outside cooling fans before the 130 degrees the current switch is supposed to activate. I have proven that mine will turn on if I put a hair dryer on them but while out camping I don't think they come on soon enough to help cool the fridge.

Rick A

 

[Daryles]

Rick A,
I bought the digital controller on Amazon.

HiLetgo DC 12V 10A Digital LED Temperature Controller XH-W3001 Mini Thermostat -50 to 110 Degree Heating / Cooling Temperature Control Switch with Waterproof Sensor Probe https://a.co/d/b7IPBU9

I used spade Connectors (junction) to bypass the 130⁰F thermostat snap disk and connect in the digital controller.

24Pcs Chair Terminal Quick Disconnect Adapter Connectors Combination Kit, Double Spade Connector, Piggyback Spade Connectors 8 Each, Female Spade Connector Spade Connector, Piggyback Spade Connector https://a.co/d/cZAqWXe

I drilled a hole in the wall of the top cabinet next to the fridge and ran the wiring from the controller to the snap disk.

 

[Daryles]

Rick A
Picture of the snap disk. This is in the top fridge vent at the left side of the fins.
The wiring diagram of the fridge is in a plastic pouch behind the bottom vent cover.

 

[Mikelff]

You don't have a compressor, it's an absorption cooling unit. It works on 120 volt or 12volt/LPG. If it was on LP and the flame went out that would explain it. If it's working now I'd say you don't have a cooling unit leak. Something else is going on. If it were me I'd wait a bit before changing to a 12 volt fridge. Tech is new and they're still working out bugs.

I have had the JC Refrigeration 12V replacement unit (Dometic 1350) for 3 years now with no issues. My fridge stays between 35 to 37 degrees in 100+ degree outside temps. My freezer is -19 to -10 degrees. At start up, Cools down from 80 to 37 in about 4 -5 hours. Temp recovery from doors being open is minutes instead of hours. Best thing I did for reliable fridge cooling. The tech is NOT new. It’s been used in boats for years, before JC Refrigeration started using it in RV’s. There may be bugs in new Dometic or Norcold factory units, but I haven’t heard of any. Conversion is usually less than half the price of a new fridge. JC Refrigeration uses heavier gauge tubing than factory units of either residential units or factory 12 V units. They are built to take the vibration in a rv bouncing down the road. Mine was installed by JC while I was on a trip up North and had a tour of the shop and watched them building the units. Was impressive. I can recommend their units without hesitation. Check out their web page. Happy trails.