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Helped a friend remove Norcold Fridge that Faild due to Third recall

Yahoo Message Number: 76783
Friends what I saw today was Scary and Dangerous!!! A Friend with a SOB Brand asked me with other helpers to help lift in Resid. Type fridge after his Norcold 1200 Model Faild after the third recall fix and removed. Not to go any further on this Issue. Upon arriving at his rig. I SAW CHARRED/BURNED WOOD AT UPPER SIDES OF THE Fridge House in his Slideout. The Fridge faild due to the Stainless Steel Hose Clamp with the Thermo Sensor steel block sharp edges wareing a thin wear line in the Boiler Tube and all the Gas escapeed rendering loss of cooling. The major issue to me was on a slide out mounted Fridge there in NO ROOF VENT! Only a upper side vent about a foot under the roof of the slide out! The upper area inside was charred black. We figured a fire occuerd a while back and put itself out. Thank God!!! Friends with newer CC's or friends with slide out mounted Fridg's please if you had Norcold recalls remove you upper vent and check for charred wood also if your thired recall inspect wear on the boiler tube that the thermo sensor with the SS Hose clamp is not wearing into the boiler tube! If you Have friends CCs or Other Brand Motorhome's with this Slide Mounted Norcolds please pass this around! They are truly blessed their coach did not catch fire and burn. Now with a House Type they dont have to worry. I have a 1998 Model Dometic in our 99 Allure and so far no problems. I want to keep the name of my friend out of this but let me tell you waht I saw was Scary! Lets all be safe out there. Ken 99 Allure 30356

Re: Helped a friend remove Norcold Fridge that Faild due to Third re

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76789
The fridge you are writing about is the exact same one that ate our 2004 CC this past October (see previous message regarding that). Ours was not in the slide-out. Dometic, Norcold, slide-out or not, they are made the same and with the same crap. The recalls either are not addressing the hazards or just plain do not work. Newer ones seem more problematic than older ones (China?), which were/are also problematic. If you have an older one, you will eventually have a newer one if you survive the older one's breakdown. Being "careful" would be removing your absorption fridge before you spend another night with it. Otherwise, don't park it next to the house or in your garage... s/Terry Apple, 2004 Allure Newport 31001 (RIP)

Re: Helped a friend remove Norcold Fridge that Faild due to Third re

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76792
04 Allure High Cascade, with fridge also in Non Slide.
IMO:

-Some shared blame to coach builders that installed these units in slides without enough venting.
-Norcold really messed this one up. From design, to build, to recall, to recall, to recall. Very poor, with lost of fridge/coach/pets/life involved. Shame on them, as the last two are more then about money.
-We wanted to retain LP as an option, so we: -Replaced our cooling unit with the Amish one -Added extra pancake fans (one on all times the unit runs, 2nd on demand as I feel the need

-Changed roof vent with a solar powered fan -While unit was out, placed inside the cabinet a smoke detector. We also installed a SS-30 Extinquisher, as the final safety item.
-Inside the fridge itself, we added the little blue fan to aid air circulation

We are pleased with the enhanced cooling of the Amish cooling unit. Setting 3 runs keeps the fridge as cool as old setting 6. I liked the design of the Amish unit, with one piece thicker wall tubing and a slightly different gas mix. We did this all on our dime, and our schedule, as I considered it a safety item.
When I saw the last Mickey Mouse recall from Norcold, we decided 'no thanks' - as it looked like a bandaid on top of a bandaid.
If we did not want to retain the LP, we would have looked at the Samsung or other, as many RV owners are doing.
The bottom line on this unit, is either replace it, or go to the extreme that we did on keeping the unit safe, or risked managed. The costs are only a little less for the way went, so if LP is not important to your usage - go the new fridge way.

Best to all,
Smitty

04 Allure 31017
04 Allure Sold to a nice new owner! Now enjoying a 07 Magna Rembrandt 45' ISX600 #6775
"We're ONDROAD for THEJRNY!" (Toad and Coach license plates, say Hi if you see us!)

Re: Helped a friend remove Norcold Fridge that Failed due to Third r

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76806
One more thing: You need more than smoke detectors. We also had ion change detectors and two large multipurpose extinguishers at each end of the MH. Even so, I now believe the chemicals would have disabled our lungs before the smoke and fire if we had been in our coach when the fridge erupted.
And, I just heard about another fire story that occurred about two months ago (here in Oregon I think) that killed a man and a boy. A woman and a younger boy got out, but she had cuts from going through a broken window and the little boy is still in the hospital.

I'm just not that into LP...

s/Terry Apple 2004 Allure (RIP)

Re: Helped a friend remove Norcold Fridge that Failed due to Third r

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76815
Hi Terry,

I understand and respect the risk that LP, in any location, present. I also understand that on a fridge, if a coolant leak is added to the mix, a very dangerous situation does exist. That being said, I feel that LP's fridges, with the exception of the current Norcold problem unit, are one of the least dangerous areas for potential fire outbreaks. IMO, generators, heater's (coach and owner added small units), engines, electric in general - all combined, offer a higher potential combustion starting point, then LP fridges.
I feel your warnings are very solid, so not in anyway trying to dispute or disagree with you. (Well, perhaps other then still wanting LP fridge, and other LP items. But, those are personal choices we all make.)
I did not go into detail on my first post, but the SS-30 is my final 'ace in the hand' to stop a problem if needed. Here is a copy of what this unit is (I have it mounted in the cabinet behind the fridge, and have the 165F unit.): -----Start of copy--------------

Small-format automatic-release fire extinguisher

1 LB Halon 1211 fire extinguishant.
Automatic release Standard 286F temperature-trigger. Optional 165F temperature trigger if specified.

Special "Under the hood" design to suppress engine fires.
Stainless steel bottle

Stainless Steel quick disconnect bracket Pressure gauge

Recommended for use in classic cars, muscle cars and show cars.
Ideal for RV generator & frig. compartments.
Thermal release guard housing bracket Available w/ 90 deg. mount head on request.
----------End of copy-------------
Here is a link to the place I bought this, before full timing, I'll add the SS-50 to the generator space. I have not decided if I will add one into the rear engine space, considering it.
http://firefight1.com/products.html
I feel that my 1200 is safe, from the changing out of the cooling unit, and the added insurance of the 'Automatic release' SS-30. I would not have it in the rig if I felt it was not safe.
On a personal note. The closest my family has come to a fire, was from OUR HOUSE RESIDENTIAL FRIDGE. We came back from our first trip in our Allure, to a house that had the smell of bad food. Yep, the 1 year old, high end fridge, had gone out. When the service tech came, he pulled out a $35 plastic electronic switching unit, that had melted and had black scorch marks. He said he had seen kitchens with fire damage, from this unit. (Ours is a Jenn-air, but he said this was in several brands.)
As in all things in life, consumer beware. Always think safety, and make sure to do regular reviews of what to do in an emergency situation.

Be safe, have fun, and best to all, Smitty

04 Allure 31017
04 Allure Sold to a nice new owner! Now enjoying a 07 Magna Rembrandt 45' ISX600 #6775
"We're ONDROAD for THEJRNY!" (Toad and Coach license plates, say Hi if you see us!)
 

Re: Helped a friend remove Norcold Fridge that Faild due to Third re

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76826
Thanks for sharing. I agree as I have heard only good things about the Amish cooling unit. Our Insurer Geigo sent me a e-mail about recalls and the Buzz is the companys are trying not to take clames on Fridge Fires. Just a thought. BTW I see most Newer multi slide Morothomes and 5ver's out there with slide mounted fridges. A Friend with a new Monaco says his newer Norcold is not in a recall but I said you need to check now and then. Ken 99 Allure 30356