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Topic: Norcold (Dometic) Cooling Unit Replacement - Florida (Read 3478 times) previous topic - next topic
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Norcold (Dometic) Cooling Unit Replacement - Florida

Yahoo Message Number: 82785
You should have changed the subject line to reflect your Dometic unit. Dometic owners like to think their coaches and families are safe and need to see that they are not. I will install a "residential" fridge in whatever coach I get next time. s/Terry Apple (the 2004 Allure Newport 31001 lost to Norcold fire)

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82788
Are all Norcold's having major problems? Or is it certain models? We have a Dometic NDR1292 in our coach, does anyone know if this model was having problems? I'm also going to call Dometic to see what info they can provide. John 03 Allure 30951

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82792
John - My advice is to replace the cooling unit (Pines RV Refrigeration) or convert to a residential unit. Choose whatever option you are most comfortable with. I'm trying to get more information about residential conversions to provide as reference material. Like pictures, exact details, costs, cabinet solutions, etc. So far nothing. I went with Pines RV Refrigeration and am happy with their product. Others here will confirm that both solutions have merit. Excessive heating of the absorber coils and vessel are early warning signs of possible problems. IE blocked tubing from crystallized sodium chromate.
Regardless of make/model your cooling unit could be 10 years old. Is it worth taking chances??

At 06:23 AM 10/1/2012, you wrote:

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82799
I have the Dometic NDR 1292 and Dometic told me years ago that this model was not on the recall list. Things could have changed, but I haven't seen any discussion of this model on any recalls. After saying that, when I changed out the cooling unit a while back, I noticed some burnt spots behind the old cooling unit. I installed one of the infamous Amish cooling units from pines RV.

Larry, 03 Allure, 30856

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82801
Infamous??? What is causing your negative comment?

Don Seager

2004 Allure 31046

Larry F wrote:

I have the Dometic NDR 1292 and Dometic told me years ago that this model was not on the recall list. Things could have changed, but I haven't seen any discussion of this model on any recalls. After saying that, when I changed out the cooling unit a while back, I noticed some burnt spots behind the old cooling unit. I installed one of the infamous Amish cooling units from pines RV.

Larry, 03 Allure, 30856

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82804
Just learning new N7 tablet and sometimes this keyboard has a mind of it's own. Infamous should have been famous. No negative connotations intended.

Larry

Re: Norcold (Dometic) Replace with What?

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82808
Larry, this Dometic has not had much use. But I'll check it out. From what I've read on this site, I'd be a fool not to change it.
So what are the options as far as to what brand unit to go with? I'm sure there are many.
John 03 Allure 30951

Re: Norcold (Dometic) Replace with What?

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82809
Replaced ours with a Samsung. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Roughly the same cost as rebuilding the Norcold (Dometic). We are currently at the SWCC's rally. I'll send more info when we get home. Probably be Wednesday. We are very happy with this residential fridge. Separate settings for freezer and fridge. No more frost! Very nice unit.
Barney

07 Inspire 52059

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82810
John: What do you think Dometic is going to say? Your unit is the same timeframe as mine. It was made the same with the same materials. I would be proactive in this situation and not spend another night in that coach until the fridge is gone. Do the research. Many fires have occurred with units that were not recalled. s/Terry

Re: Norcold (Dometic) Replace with What?

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82811
The Samsung French door models are most popular.
When my Dometic quit I didn't have the extra $800 so I installed a GE 18cu ft for $450 on sale at Home Depot. It has served us well, but if the money is available, and the dimensions work I like the Samsung.
Measure twice, shop well and choose what works best for you.
Unless you boondock for extended periods an Energy Star refrigerator should do well.

Bob Wexler
SOB

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82812
Why hasn't there been a class-action law suit started against Norcold?

Doug Nelson
'05 Allure 430

Re: Norcold (Dometic) Replace with What?

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82817
We replaced our Norcold with the Samsung. Best thing we have done to the coach so far. We are not into dry camping, so the Samsung is perfect. The freezer is -2 and the fridge 38 degrees. Plenty of room We did sacrifice the 2 drawers below the Norcold, but would do it again. We did the removal and installation ourselves. It was a one day project.

Tom Coomes
2005 Inspire
51177

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82821
I have a Dometic refrigerator in our coach, and I have no plans to change it. We dry camp, it works fine, I inspect in routinely and I am not worried. If I had a Norcold, I would worry. There has been an over reaction, IMHO. Motor home magazine had an article recently talking about gas absorption refrigerators and the fact that they have been around for years working reliably. I have owned coaches over the years, all had gas absorption refrigerators, and none of them gave me any trouble. But it is your money.

Al Colby

2000 Intrigue 10979

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82823
I second Don Seager's question. I have heard nothing unfavorable about the Amish (Pines) cooling units, so why are they "infamous?"

Ken

2004 Allure #31035

Re: Norcold (Dometic) Replace with What?

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82825
John

If you need a cooling unit, go with the Amish one with pine RV. If it's Dometic 1292 they are not on the recall list. My noted brown burn't looking spots were from the icemaker water feed heater line that crumbled in my hand when I removed it. I replaced this along with installing the Amish cooling unit because my Dometic cooling unit quit working. I saw Jim's 1292 that had a burned control board cover and wires that was caused by a loose chimney housing that allowed the heat to escape onto these items and melt it. This had nothing to do with an inferior CU as in Norcold's case. But if you feel better for piece of mind and want to change out the cooling unit I like the Amish cooling unit. It comes with a 5 year warranty and is less expensive than Dometic's CU. They also provide excellent technical support.

Larry

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82826
Ken - I don't think Pines RV Refrigeration's products are infamous beyond perceptions. Sadly and owing to very irresponsible practices on the part of gas absorption refrigerator manufacturers, there have been some horrific accidents and subsequent negative reactions. People thus make strong blanketing correlations between the horrible outcomes and anything that hints at a gas absorption cooling unit (GACU). It's your proverbial throwing the baby out with the bath water. It's understandable, especially from those that have sustained damage and/or loss of property. When your bus burns down one has every reason for strong feelings and reactions. All we need to do is watch the news and it's obvious people are predisposed towards negative information. It's what people remember, talk about and carry forward. And I'm not marginalizing what's happened, I'm simple saying it's a call to attention for facts. As always, the devil is in the details.
You may decide to replace your gas absorption refrigerator with a domestic unit. Great! What about your neighbor's bus parked 8 feel away?? I think if that bus ignites there's a good chance yours is going to sustain damage too. Not everyone is going to go with a domestic solution. At least not in the near foreseeable future. So we need to get the facts out there, educate people and make sure everyone stays in touch with their equipment. Part of that education is to acquaint people with the possible damage(s) that can be sustained in a worst case scenario. Fear will certainly get people's attention. Getting the facts out there is also important. With the internet, blogs, news groups, recall lists and social networking there's just no excuse for ignorance. But with people come emotional reactions, opinions, preferences, complacency and convictions.
We too could have burned our bus down so I understand the strong negative reaction(s) to GACUs. In our case the hand of fate dealt us a near miss. That meant ice bags and stair well refrigeration during the winter not loss of property, smoke, fire, lawyers and insurance companies. And later memories of a near death experience. I don't blame people one bit for being HUGELY pissed off, terrified and fleeing from the technology seeking refuge in domestic refrigeration. Those horrific experiences and the passage of time have become the seeds of change. Those stung have innovated, mixed and matched to solve the problems sometimes in unique ways. We now have another refrigeration option proven laudable by many RV owners. Like Germans and the Nazi war years, GACUs will always be tagged with the legacy of fires and damage. Horrific acts and events live in people's minds for a long time. To argue this is to argue human nature itself. But there is more to those stories.
When something horrific happens, the obvious question is why? When our GACU ruptured and puked sodium chromate all over the heating elements, I pondered that question too. It led me on a search for knowledge which turned out to be very educational. As many know from reading my little write-ups, I'm really tired of junk, unnecessary repairs, pissing money away, redoing other peoples work and the inconvenience of it all. Getting your wallet repeatedly raped is no fun either. Norcold's 1200 LRIM is a $3,800 refrigerator plus another $1000 + labor for a cooling unit. We did the work ourselves but it still meant shelling out $1k plus 15 hours of unanticipated work. This frustration has led me to document my findings and I figure it's best to channel negative energy into something positively productive. When it comes to safety my lid blows off when idiots (in corporations) pinch pennies, lie, cheat, make with the sales BS and steal to produce products that serve a profit motive at the expense of safety. Innocent people are getting hurt and/or killed in the process. This facet goes well beyond refrigerators. And like Joe Banks said, "An educated consumer is our best customer." Another guy said, "There's no status in over paying." You draw your own conclusions.
Years ago there was something called being a professional. We hired these folks (or paid for their services) to solve problems we could solve on our own for lack or knowledge/resources and when the deal was done somehow we walked away feeling a sense of ethics and value added. Now it seems we ourselves need to become the professionals we hire to keep an eye on things. It places the burden of knowledge on us. I find myself dealing with this at the fish counter right on through to the doctor's office. And all I want is quality and to get what I pay for. It simply amazes me as how much of a pain in the ass it is to be a paying customer. Now I find myself needing to become a GACU refrigeration engineer. And it doesn't stop there. What page I'm on in the book of knowledge I can't be sure. Luckily I like to learn so the education is good in a way. Some days it seems overwhelming and other days somehow manageable. Hot flashes, male menopause or mood swings perhaps. Who knows! Once equipped with knowledge, we all do the best we can.
As for GACUs, they remain a safe option providing you buy quality, keep a close eye on things and understand the dos and don'ts. Many of them out there are fire bombs, however. Out of level operation and condensation induced corrosion of the evaporator are the two most common failures. As for knowledge, I've documented all I know here: http://www.muniac.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=68#Post68 My absorber coils and vessel run consistently luke warm which is good. If you want a plug and play experience, it's best to go the domestic route. Safe travels to all.

At 09:31 PM 10/1/2012, you wrote:

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83108
Scott,

This is a very thoughtful, tactful, logical, well written and thorough reply. I agree with your thinking. You have taken a lot of your time to educate yourself on this subject. I appreciate your efforts and your willingness to share your knowledge with us. This is what I have come to expect from your posts. You came through again! Keep up the great work.

I now inspect my refer compartment area and coils regularly. My unit is about 14 years old and it gets used about six to seven months per year. It is still running with cool coils and all seems OK........ Lucky, I guess.
Daron Hairabedian, 98 Allure 30226 W/original Dometic GACU, Model RM 7732 side by side.

Re: Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83124
Daron - Thanks so much for the kind words. This GACU debacle hit me deeply with our near miss. One reaches a point in life where giving back into the system has more value than taking from it. Perhaps I've reached that point. Awareness and education are our most valuable tools for maintaining the highest levels of safety and comfort. Within this community we can achieve it with the vast array of experience it holds. I tell my stories as one guy with one vehicle hoping there's value beyond singularity. Luckily we have great communication tools at our disposal. The aspiring violinist tortures his family. The aspiring journalist tortures everyone.
I'm presently reaching out to a few varied resources hoping to develop some safety procedures that will help reduce these horrific experiences. It's my belief that these meltdowns don't just happen randomly or spontaneously. I think there are some warning signs before hand. If you know what these signs are then you can monitor things and catch problems early. Owing to ignorance we (Jeannie and I) missed all of them. It's all about being proactive and not waiting until catastrophe hits. Some here have gone ahead and replaced their cooling units just to be on the safe side. Hats off to that. All of us do the best we can and try to be responsible. But what about your neighbor's CAGU?
Our exterior frig compartment is on the same side as our exit door. We park the van behind the bus so exiting means I walk by the frig compartment many times during the day. I poke my nose in there and also do a visual inspection from time to time. Stay in touch with your equipment!

At 11:18 AM 10/9/2012, you wrote:

Norcold (Dometic)

Reply #19 –
Yahoo Message Number: 82908
Quote
Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:30:07 -0700 >Subject: Re: [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Norcold (Dometic) >

Mike - Glad to help out. I'm a big fan of community as I've said >before. I don't get paid for this nor do I have any associations >with businesses. If I did, I'd likely get fired. Like you, I'm >just a customer hoping for safe reliable products at prices that >work for everyone. There have been too many disappointments for >me. Not sure how the sarcasm and off camber humor creeps in from >time to time. Safe travels.

At 08:21 PM 10/3/2012, you wrote: >>Scott,

An amazing write up. Thank you for all your in put and taking the >>time to educate

************************************** >>Michael Title

Halfmoon Bay, BC, Canada
CDN Cell: 604.741.3328

San Miguel De Allende, GTO Mexico >>MEX Cell: [52] 415.100.1543 >

Best - Scott

2006 Allure 430 40' #31349

Bus-Stead Lemon) My Allure Page http://www.muniac.com/Allure%20Page.html