Norcold 1200 Giving "No AC" message

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dpickard

dpickard

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Posts
255
Location
Eden, NC
Hi All...It has been a while since I have posted and the Norcold 1200 has worked well for quite some time. Now, a new issue has arisen:

I am getting a "No AC" error message even though it is plugged in to electricity. I get the same message whether on shore power or using the generator.

Does anyone have any idea as to the cause or possible things to check?

Thanks in advance,
Dianne

 
Welcome back.
1st, check and see if a breaker has tripped. You need to shut it off then back on.
2nd, open the lower outside access door, unplug the fridge and plug in something else like a light or electric drill just to verify you have 110 Volt AC power at that receptacle.
 
Hey Rene!

Thanks for the reply and the suggestions.

I will try those tomorrow.

Dianne
 
If you have AC power at the outlet, the next thing to check is the 5 Amp fuse on the circuit board.  It will blow if the AC electric heating element or it's wiring has shorted out.  If the heating element failed open circuit you'd get an AC HE error code, failing as a short circuit blows the fuse instead.

Here's a link to the Service Manual for the 1200 series:

https://www.thetford.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SM_1200-Series_618968C_022707.pdf

"NO AC" code troubleshooting is on Page 13, a photo of the control board showing the F3 fuse location is on Page 40.
 
Thank you Lou. The weather here today prevented me from being able to check anything.  I appreciate the info!
 
It is conceivably the board and RV shops way overcharge for both the part and installation of it, but more than likely it is just the 120vac power source or the AC fuse on the board. However, a blown fuse suggests the heater element is damaged as well, causing the fuse to blow. If the problem recurs, look for the cause of the short.
 
Checking the fuse and/or a bad heating element is not hard if you have the proper information, which is why I included the link to the Service Manual showing how to do this.

I like to eliminate the cheap stuff first before assuming an $850 part is bad.
 
Getting at the AC power fuse can be difficult on some fridges, either because there is rats nest of wires in the way or the protective cover on the board is hard to get at. Ditto for access to the heating element(s).  But $850 is a lot of incentive to check those first!
 
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