Yahoo Message Number: 83078 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/83078)
Done. Thanks for the tips from those who went this route before me.
Some observations:
Side-by-side, the OEM Norcold and the Pines cooling units were apples and oranges. The Norcold was relatively flimsy and was comprised of far less tubing length.
I was amazed at the amount of rust there was on my 7 year-old cooling unit - particularly in the areas not visible with the unit installed. I'm not talking surface rust... this was serious structural corrosion. There was no evidence of leakage, and the Norcold was cooling just fine, but it was living on borrowed time, for sure.
My installer was a master RV tech, schooled by Norcold. He had never seen or heard of the Pines unit, and he was reluctant to follow their installation directions. I put him on the phone with David Force from RV Cooling Unit Warehouse, and he set him straight. The instructions that accompany the unit are straightforward, and clearly show where the Norcold and the Pines installations differ.
The new unit works as advertised. I haven't yet loaded up the fridge and checked the ice cream. Film at 11.
My wallet is a bit lighter but the peace of mind is worth it.
Jay
05 Inspire 51457