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Old 07-30-2021, 07:48 AM   #1
DesertCoyote
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Brand new '21 Raptor - Norcold Fridge sucks

I just got my brand new Raptor in June. It has the Norcold 2118SS fridge - 4 door gas/elec. Thing was a total nightmare. Problems I had:

1. Fridge would not go below 50 degrees (even at 9 cold setting, highest)
2. Fridge condensation was off chart and leaked water all over inside - had to put towel in to keep water from running everywhere
3. Freezer had almost 2" of ice build-up on back (this was just in a 10 day camp trip)
4. Left door on fridge would not seem to latch all the time.

So needless to say, garbage. We lost about half our food due to the high temp in fridge. I ran the thing on AC and Gas and no diff, it just wouldn't get cold. Checked everything, all fans working correctly..just appears Norcold is garbage.

I checked on some reviews (found a bunch on Camping world's site) for this fridge - everyone rated it 1 star and reported the exact same problems that I have.

So next question - is everyone having problems and this is like a 50/50 crap shoot on these things?

What could it be replaced with? I've checked and it doesn't seem that anyone else makes a fridge that size to fit in the trailer. Dometic only has a 12 cu ft so it's considerably smaller in size to fit in my spot. Furrion makes a 14 cu ft one, but it's AC only (no gas..ugh).

Any help??
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Old 07-30-2021, 07:53 AM   #2
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I suspect your condensation and poor cooling are related to the left door not sealing. Are you sure the thermister is in correct position in the fins?

Are the fans at the top in the rear of the fridge operating?
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Old 07-30-2021, 08:07 AM   #3
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So ya, there is a problem with the door seals. I suspect that could be the issue causing the high condensate, but I've felt around the door when closed and don't feel any cold/cool air escaping, so I'm not sure that's the problem with it getting below 50.

The thermistor was zip-tied up on the fins, so I suspect it's in the right place??

All fans, upper and lower were running full boar as that was my first thought.
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Old 07-30-2021, 08:55 AM   #4
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If the door isn't sealing then it will do what you are describing regardless of whether iot "junk" or the best fridge ever made. The easiest way to check the door seal ois to close a dollar bill in the door, 1/2 in 1.\/2 out. Pull on the dollar bill, if it's tight it's ok. If it pulls out with little or no resistance then it isn't sealing properly. Repeat around the perimeter of the door.
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:12 AM   #5
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Mine would have similar issues at first. Ended up being out of adjustment. Take door off and add a standard washer on the bottom door dowel on both sides. This will line up and “tighten” the door seal. Works perfectly now. Also, make sure u don’t over pack the fridge…especially the top row under the fins.
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:14 AM   #6
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well that is the first thing the dealer is going to fix - I'm not confident that will solve the fridge getting cold problem. And there's still the icing up issue in the freezer.
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:16 AM   #7
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Thanks Troy - will look into that. I was also wondering that - the air movement inside the fridge is negligible seeming to be from a small top fan, so I wondered if I could only use half the fridge capacity (which sucks)...
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:38 AM   #8
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My Norcold refrigerator on my boat went up a few weeks ago…I’m going with a Vitrifrigo unit…they get pretty good reviews in the boating community..the norcold units are good but the Vitrifigo has more volume in the same footprint and I’m able to take the front off to get in my boat without having to remove my entry door
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:43 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertCoyote View Post
well that is the first thing the dealer is going to fix - I'm not confident that will solve the fridge getting cold problem. And there's still the icing up issue in the freezer.
As for the freezer. Pretty sure they are not auto defrost freezers, which means u need to occasionally defrost it yourself….like the old days!
Don’t give up yet.
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:45 AM   #10
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Those units are pretty small and they are AC/DC only - no propane option.

They do look really cool though.
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:48 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Getn off View Post
As for the freezer. Pretty sure they are not auto defrost freezers, which means u need to occasionally defrost it yourself….like the old days!
Don’t give up yet.
Troy
I can live with the ice up in the freezer - it's not a huge deal as at least the freezer did get cold. But the fridge part...that's the killer...
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:52 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertCoyote View Post
Those units are pretty small and they are AC/DC only - no propane option.

They do look really cool though.
They make all sizes and drawer only units as well but I didn’t realize they didnt have a lp unit. They are just like the norcold as far as looks. They make them in stainless as well..boats are built like rv’s. They build the boat around some of the major appliances..yeah they are smaller then rv ones probably. I have the same refrigerator as yours in my rv and so far it’s been great
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Old 07-30-2021, 10:01 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jasin1 View Post
They make all sizes and drawer only units as well but I didn’t realize they didnt have a lp unit. They are just like the norcold as far as looks. They make them in stainless as well..boats are built like rv’s. They build the boat around some of the major appliances..yeah they are smaller then rv ones probably. I have the same refrigerator as yours in my rv and so far it’s been great
So your Norcold 2118 is working?? Fridge gets nice and cold (would like it to be around 37)?
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Old 07-30-2021, 10:03 AM   #14
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So your Norcold 2118 is working?? Fridge gets nice and cold (would like it to be around 37)?
Yes…. Probably just jinxed myself though.
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Old 07-30-2021, 10:06 AM   #15
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Wait a min I just looked at the 2118. I could be wrong
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Old 07-30-2021, 10:13 AM   #16
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No I was mistaken. Sorry about that..I have a dometic 4 door
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Old 07-30-2021, 10:16 AM   #17
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ya, if mine cannot be fixed, that's what I'd like to have put in - just not sure as it's physically smaller dimensions - always had good luck with Dometic.
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Old 07-30-2021, 11:20 AM   #18
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Quote:
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ya, if mine cannot be fixed, that's what I'd like to have put in - just not sure as it's physically smaller dimensions - always had good luck with Dometic.
OK....warning...this is going to be a little long, but, valuable info.

I have a 2118 in my Momentum Toy Hauler and there have been many, many, many, things posted about that fridge, so here goes....
1. The left door flap hangs up on the bottom of the refrigerator when the door is closed. This is the flap that rotates 90 degrees when the door closes to seal the area in between the left door and the right door. The easiest way to see if yours is doing that is to open both doors and then close the left one first, very slowly and see if that flap rotates the full 90 degrees. Many of them from the factory will rotate part of the way, but not fully. The easiest way to fix this is to remove the upper hinge and lift the door off of the bottom hinge pin, then add a small washer and put the door back on and try it again. You may have to add a couple, but once the door gets enough clearance, the flap will rotate the full 90 degrees. Just a caution though, too many washers and the top of the flap will hit the guide piece and not close completely.
2. The fans in the back (the upper two) are almost totally useless for moving enough air across the upper heat exchanger. Many of us, myself included have added a couple more fans to the backside area to help with being able to move enough air across the heat exchanger. I bought a Titan Fan kit on Amazon and installed it onto the inside of the upper vent. It blows outward and helps increase the airflow across the exchanger. Another issue is that the thermodisc that turns those OEM fans on, is preset for 130 degrees before it turns the fans on. In my opinion, with the small amount of air that the OEM fans move...AND the fact that they don't even start until it gets 130 degrees on the heat exchanger fins (that's where the disc is located..on the fins of the heat exchanger) causes the fridge performance to be anemic at best. The Titan kit comes with two fans, a controller, and it's own temperature probe that turns those fans on at 68 degrees back there.
3. There should be a piece of some type of material....wood, paneling, ??? across that opening where the upper vent is at. If there is nothing there, they screwed up the install of the fridge. That piece of material should go all the way across the opening (side to side) and leave about 6 inches of opening at the top of the vent opening. What this does is make the back compartment area like a chimney and it forces the inlet air from the bottom vent, to flow up and across the heat exchanger. If that board/material is missing, all the air goes out the vent before it has a chance to go across the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger simply cannot do the job it was designed to do. The result......fridge temperature in the 50 to 60 degree range.

I had all of those issue with mine, except the board across the opening...it was there. Before fixing the door flap thing, and adding the fans back there, I was set on #9 and the fridge would be at 42...43...maybe even 45 or more....not acceptable for sure. Now, depending on how hot it is outside, I can run the setting on either 3 or 4 and it keeps the fresh food compartment in the 33-34 degree range, and the freezer section at about 3...maybe 4 degrees.

Oh, and the other thing, the thermistor inside the fridge. It should be on the second fin from the right (while you are looking into the fridge) and be placed about 1/2" from the top of that fin, as per the instructions from Norcold.

I hope this helps you and good luck getting it resolved....I hated ours when we first got it, but the issues that have been taken care of make the fridge actually work like it should. The problem though, is that me, you, others should NOT HAVE TO DO all of that stuff on a brand new fridge....it should be good to go from the factory.

See, I told you it was going to be long winded!
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Old 07-30-2021, 12:03 PM   #19
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If the dealer can't fix it, maybe think about this. I had a Dometic that was a nightmare until the repair shop replaced the entire cooling system under warranty.
I know nothing about this thing except what I see on the internet....
https://rvcoolingunit.com/Norcold-Co...new-C4437.aspx
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Old 07-30-2021, 01:09 PM   #20
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I have the 2118 in my Solitude and it works well. As xrated said, you have to make sure the left door flap is fully engaged flat to provide a good seal. I just close the left door first, then open the right door, and if not seated, then just move the flap by hand. Seems to hang up more the slower you close the left door. I reasonable push on the left door seems to align mine fine. I haven't installed any extra fans yet. I have an Acurite temperature monitor. During the hot days, the unit is set to 9 and it is around 5 in the freezer and 35 in the fridge. At night, I turn the unit down to 5 or 6 to keep the fridge from getting too far below freezing. I put the Acurite display in the truck when on the road to monitor the temps while driving. Works great.
Sometimes when switching back from propane to electric, the temp seems to increase. I have found that turning the unit off for a minute and back on letting it find the AC seems to reset it. Have also found that when ready to drive, it is better to manually set it to propane rather than leaving it on automatic. It has faulted when I stop when in auto mode. Not a problem when manually set to propane.
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