Norcold 1200LRIM - Advice Needed

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jimivc1

jimivc1

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Posts
18
Location
Gulf Breeze FL
I live in Florida and did not feel the need to winterize my RV as we don't get all that cold but I did do a few things to minimize the electrical draw on the house by turning off my 1200LRIM Norcold unit and propping the doors open.  This was done after using it last (1st week of December).

So...I am getting ready to use the RV this coming week and I start to look things over including getting the fridge back up and running but the unit will not stay on more than 5-10 seconds before shutting off.  After it shuts off I have to hit the 12V on/off button by the steps to reset the circuit in order to try again.  Keep in mind I have tried to start the unit on LP only (did not work), AC only (did not work).  When set to AU (automatic) I can see/hear it cycling through the AC/LP/DC before it shuts itself off.

I have verified 120VAC at the plug receptacle and have tested that the LP Gas stove and water heater are working fine.

Any advice would be appreciated.  Hoping to figure this out on my own before I take it to Camping World down the highway for an expensive easy repair.
 
Have you cleaned out your refrigerator venting with compressed air?  This is located behind an exterior access panel.  I also have a Norcold that did the same as yours.  After I blew out the dust and cobwebs, it ran perfect.  Good luck.
 
My vote goes for a corroded electrical connection.  Check every one you can get at.  You may have to remove the cover on the main control board to get at them.  Check the fuse(s) on the board too.
 
So another piece to the puzzle that may lead me to a solution.  I noticed while "cleaning out the cobwebs" that the Norcold Recall with modified Thermal Sensor R-010 was blinking red.  I checked to see if I had 12VDC at the input and I do.  But nothing at the output.  I read that a strong magnet rubbed over the relay module may reset it and put me back in business but this did not work.

I suppose I will be giving Norcold a call Monday AM to see about getting a replacement R-010 Thermal Sensor.
 
Norcold will NOT sell YOU a unit but they will sell to an authorized RV repair service.

The magnet trick works but the strength of the magnet has a bit to do with it. I used the top edge of the plastic box and swiped the magnet across the top. You can actually hear the magnetically latched relay release when it works and the light goes out.

You can also bypass that unit by tracing the wires and swapping the wire with 12V presently on the box with the terminal on the refer coming from the box as a very temporary fix.
 
Was able to locate a stronger magnet and could audibly hear the relay engage/disengage but to no avail.  The red light continues to blink.  I bypassed the sensor just to see if the refrigerator would work.  Worked like a champ!  Was able to cycle through all modes and everything was fine.

Still...placed the thermal sensor back in place and will see if I can get it looked at Monday.  Not leaving until Wednesday afternoon so hopefully they will be able to swap out the unit and get me back on the road.

Thanks to all for the troubleshooting tips!

Jim
 
Not uncommon for them to fail like that.  It's a PITA to take it to an 'authorized service center'.
 
Check on the ARP control advertised above. They will tell you not to bypass the Norcold device, but it does the same thing except that it resets. That said; although it sounds like a bad box, you may have a different problem. Check that there isn't a short or bad thermostat somewhere before proceeding (as I recall, the ARP does provide its own thermostat).

Ernie
 
Yur problem is definitely 12v power  related - it is common to both AC and LP operating modes.

The black "recall box" can shut off the 12v power, but in many Norcold fridges you have no power at all when that happens.  Yours apparently at least lights up initially.  You can bypass the black box with a jumper wire to see if that is it, but don't leave it that way permanently. The fire risk is just too scary!

Adding an ARP boiler controller is a smart move, and it does perform the same (only better) function as the black box. ARP will advise you to keep the black box in place, both to assure you can hold Norcold responsible and to avoid increasing their own  liability.  The ARP site will also tell you how to reset the box with a magnet - there is a very specific technique needed.

https://www.arprv.com/
 
I have the identical setup. Was the fridge putting off any errors on the LCD? When I had my recall box trip during the summer, the fridge would turn off but present a LO DC error and beep. So, I know it still had power, but the recall box turned it off. If the entire fridge just goes dead, than that's likely electrical.

For me, the issue was heat related with not enough air getting through the vent stack while driving. I ended up installing some fans in there to circulate air. We'll see how it does this next summer. Also in Florida, so it gets hot. :)
 
I was hoping that someone can help.  My situation is pretty much the same, with a little twist.  The last time I checked our refer was about one week ago.  It was working fine and making good ice.  Today we went to load up and hit the road.  The refer was off and completely defrosted.  I checked the R-010 and the red LED was on solid (not blinking).  I checked all all input voltages and they were good, so I by-passed the r-010 (12vdc directly to the main module).  The unit now powers up fine and seems to work in all modes.  I do not get any error codes. 

The problem I have now, is that the refer does not seem to be getting cold.  It's been about 5hrs since I by-passed the voltage.  I don't think that I have a real overheating problem because it was off for at least 4 or 5 days.  The heaters are also working well, because it is drawing its customary 5 amps on AC.

I ordered an ARP. But I may have more serious problems...

Any ideas?
 
Yes, the boiler area is hot.  I may be just impatient.  The owner's manual said you should begin to see cooling after 2hrs, but should not load the unit until 8hrs.  We shall see what it looks like in the morning...

Thanks!
 
I usually leave mine on overnight to get it to cool down. 5 hours wouldn't be enough.
 
Yup, we waited over night.  It's never taken this long before and the heaters are cranking.  I must have a gas leak.  The unit is 12 years old and the piping does not look great.  I am going to research a few more things, but I am running out of ideas.  Has anyone ever had a Norcold recharged?
 
Do you see any yellowish residue? If so, that's an ammonia leak - which isn't good.

Some people replace the whole cooling unit with an Amish one. But, if you get into that kind of cost, it might be worth looking into replacing the whole thing with a residential fridge. But, again, only if your's is failing. My 1200 is still working, but I've already done the research into replacing it with a residential and I may at some point.
 
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