Norcold 18 cu foot refrigerator does not get cold enough, freezer 22f frig 42f

I just purchased a 2017 FR30 DS in Ft Pierce, Fl.  Itts very hot and humid.  I was told by the service dept. That the frig was working to its max under the hot and humid conditions  eventhough it wasn't cold enough to keep food frozen.  They suggested I put a small fan in the frig to help circulate the cold air.  I will give it a try, but I was wonder if anyone has had a similar problem,  and wat they did to correct it?

In hot weather, the problem is more about getting air to circulate over the outside coils on the back of the refrigerator.  The outside coils run hot, and in cooler temperatures they set up a chimney effect.  The heated air rises out of the roof vent while drawing in cooler air from the side vent to carry away the refrigerator's waste heat.

Once the temperatures get up around 90 degrees or above, there isn't enough temperature difference between the coils and the ambient air temperature so the chimney effect breaks down.  The refrigerator can't get rid of it's waste heat and cooling reduces or stops.

Take off the outside vent cover and try setting up a small fan to blow air up the back of the refrigerator.  It doesn't take much, even a $10 6" clip-on fan will work for a test.

If this restores the refrigerator cooling, you can make a more permanent solution using a couple of small 12 volt muffin fans.

Also make sure when you pack it with food that the food is already cold or frozen. If you could park the rig so that the fridge side is in the shade will help.

I will agree with Lou about getting more air flow across the heat exchanger in the rear of the frig.  Ours is located in a slide, so there are two grills on the outside wall....a lower grill and an upper grill.  I installed a twin pack of Titan fans on the inside of the upper grill so that it pull air from down low, past the heat exchanger and exhaust it out the upper grill.  After I got done installing it, AND waiting for the temperatures outside to get into the 90s, I gave it a test to see how well it would do.  I turned on the frig, set it on the coldest setting (#9) and let it run.  I had nothing in the frig or freezer in the way of food, drink or anything else....I just let the frig run.  During the day it got to about 92 degrees and the afternoon sun at our house shines directly on that side of the RV.  I let it run overnight and when I got up the next morning, after being on for approx. 20 hrs, the temperature in the frig was 28 degrees, and the freezer section was at 3 degrees.

On another note....those Norcold 4 door refrigerators have a KNOWN issue with the "flap" not closing completely.  Open both doors of the frig section then close the left door, that is the door with the flap on it.  Make sure that the flap fully engages and goes into position (perpendicular to the edge of the door), then close the right door and make sure that the "flap seal" between the two doors is good.  Now do the same thing again, only this time, close the right door first, then the left.  And again, make 100% sure that the flap doesn't get hung up and doesn't fully close into position.  You will probably have to use a flashlight to shine in there and see it completely.  If it does get hung up, the fix is pretty simple, because the bottom of the flap is hanging up on the bottom of the inside of the frig.  The quick and easy solution is to remove the screws for the upper left door hinge and lift the door off of the bottom hinge pin.  Add a small washer on the pin and put the door back on.  Install the upper hinge screws and try the door again.  Test it several times with the right door already closed.  If it works every time, that's it.  If it still hangs up, repeat the process until you have 100% operation of the flap. every time you close the left door ....with the right door already closed.  Obviously, if the flap hangs up and doesn't seal, it is the same thing as leaving the frig door slightly open.  And on these types of refrigerators, the frig will never be able to "catch up" and cool efficiently.  Hope this helps

If he has the big Norcold fridge, it will already have two fans in the back to help circulate air over the condenser fins (they are standard).  However, it's possible that the installation of the fridge is not up to par, e.g. improper baffles reducing air flow, inadequate sealing around the sides and top, messy wiring congesting the air path, etc.  Sadly, all those are common factory shortcomings.


When properly installed, the big Norcold should be able to keep the freezer at 0F and the fridge area at 33f-38F, even at temperatures in the mid 90's.  Performance shouldn't deteriorate until it exceeds 100 outside. Direct sun on the fridge side can make the fridge area hotter than the general temperature, though.

The link is for a Dometic accessory but it helps my Dometic work (They also have 'em for Norcold)

This is an interior fan it does help the fridge. . Won't do much for the freezer

An external fan (outdoor) they also sell.    My RV-service tech told me of the problem with those

"Crud' eventually builds up on the underside of the heat exchanger but it looks like a gentle blast of compressed air shooting down would clear it say every 5 years.

https://rvcoolingunit.com/Dometic-3-fan-Special-Deluxe-Fan-with-LED-lights-13-inch-wide-P5672097.aspx

Gary RV_Wizard said:

If he has the big Norcold fridge, it will already have two fans in the back to help circulate air over the condenser fins (they are standard).  However, it's possible that the installation of the fridge is not up to par, e.g. improper baffles reducing air flow, inadequate sealing around the sides and top, messy wiring congesting the air path, etc.  Sadly, all those are common factory shortcomings.


When properly installed, the big Norcold should be able to keep the freezer at 0F and the fridge area at 33f-38F, even at temperatures in the mid 90's.  Performance shouldn't deteriorate until it exceeds 100 outside. Direct sun on the fridge side can make the fridge area hotter than the general temperature, though.

Click to expand...

The 18 cu. ft. (model 2118) is the one I have, and the one I was referring to.  There are actually three fans on the back...two that are towards the top, but under the heat exchanger, and one pretty small one towards the bottom of the space back there.  The two top ones, both running don't move enough air to compete with a moth farting.  The lack of air flow across the heat exchanger greatly contributes to the 2118 having cooling issues, along with the door flap issue on many of them.  And I agree with what you stated about that area being "sealed off" with insulation and having the proper baffles in place to direct the air flow.  Mine has all of that, plus a metal shield at the top that is installed and bent to a shape to help move the air towards the upper vent.  The problem is....the two OEM fans just simply do not move enough air to do the job.  And the thermistor that senses the temperature of the heat exchanger is mounted almost at the edge of the fins, with the tubing running through the middle of that assembly.  If it were located closer to the tubing, it would allow the fans to come on sooner.  Another issue is that thermistor is preset to actuate the fans at a fixed 135 degrees, which by the time it sees the 135 temperature, the frig is already way behind in it's ability to keep up and will most likely never recover.....unless you are camping in an area where it get's kind of cool at night.  I finally just gave up on the OEM fans and installed the Titan Twin Fan system on the inside of the upper vent....and it seems to be doing the trick so far.