Norcold - L1-oP error code

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Smoky

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An hour ago our Norcold refrigerator went kapooie.

We are getting error code ?L1- oP?.  The manual says this means the high limit temperature switch is open.  Sounds to me like a safety issue.  I had planed to blow out dust and reset the switch.

However, the manual does not show me where the switch is and simply says, ?Contact your Norcold dealer.?  We are ion the wilderness and have internet but no phone service.  Our landline is being repaired after the effects of the big Colorado fires and no cell phone service here.

Can anyone give me further info on this?  We should be good until daytime tomorrow before we have to start throwing food out.  Is this a resettable switch, and if so where can we find it?

Thanks for any help anyone can provide us.

Smoky & Sharon
 
Norcold model?  That sounds like the "recall box" installed on the 1200, though I've not heard of it setting a code. It cuts power to avoid a fire caused by excess temp from a failing cooling unit. They have been know to trip in error. If that is what you have, AND there is no evidence of excess temp/leaking cooling unit, etc, it is possible to simply wire around it. That does of course no longer protect you from the excess temp issue if that is truly what is happening.
 
Although I have no experience with Norcolds, this sounds like a thermal switch which was added on the recalls. If so, you should be able to locate it in the back of the fridge. Again, if it is said switch it cannot be reset but must be replaced by an authorized dealer. (Norcold will not sell you one.)

It can be bypassed temporarily.  The recall added ones have been reported frequently for this problem.

I was going to suggest a call to Norcold (Thetford) but perhaps an email might do it... You will need the model number of the fridge.
http://www.thetford.com/HOME/SearchResults/tabid/37/HOME/ContactUs/tabid/72/Default.aspx

On edit, looks like AFchap was a faster typist!!
 
If you got the diagnostic code on the "eyebrow" panel, it is the internal high limit switch and not the add-on (recall) box.  The switch itself is not something you reset, but you can reset the main circuit board (which is what the Norcold tech would do). He is supposed to diagnose why you got the high limit condition first, but usually you just reset and see if the problem recurs.

If you will identify the Norcold model, I probably have the reset instructions for it. It is not just "push a button".
 
X2 on the recall. This was the exact error we got on our 12XX after the first recall was done. Bad news is it is not serviceable nor can it be reset. It only takes about 30 seconds for them to replace the recall box. However, Norcold will not let any dealers keep them in stock. They are ordered on a "VIN" basis. Service rep told us this is Norcold's policy.

I know because this just happened to us a few weeks ago. They will replace for free, but we had to pay $60.00 overnight fed ex from Norcold to the local CW.

If you have not had any recall's done, it is still not serviceable according to our original manual.

Ken
 
Turns out it IS resettable. 

The switch is located between the two wires that go into the burner area box.  Looks like the push button on a ball point pen. 

However there is a good reason Norcold does not want you to know how to reset it.  They want to investigate the cause of the high temperature.  Unfortunately I reset it several times, the fridge would run for ten minutes, then the limit switch would once again open.  I discovered the reason was that the metal box surrounding the burner was so hot it burned my finger.  Also the insulation on the stack that goes up to the root vent was too hot to touch.  This morning I smelled ammonia.  Looks like I have no other option but to find a Norcold dealer in Fort Collins Colorado to make repairs on a leaky ammonia system.

I believe I came close to causing one of those infamous RV fires.

Any suggestions for someone in Fort Collins that can do Norcold repair work.  I am also giving consideration to buying a new house type refrigerator.  Any suggestions for a straight AC type refrigerator?

Smoky
 
Smoky said:
Turns out it IS resettable. 

The switch is located between the two wires that go into the burner area box.  Looks like the push button on a ball point pen. 

However there is a good reason Norcold does not want you to know how to reset it.  They want to investigate the cause of the high temperature.  Unfortunately I reset it several times, the fridge would run for ten minutes, then the limit switch would once again open.  I discovered the reason was that the metal box surrounding the burner was so hot it burned my finger.  Also the insulation on the stack that goes up to the root vent was too hot to touch.  This morning I smelled ammonia.  Looks like I have no other option but to find a Norcold dealer in Fort Collins Colorado to make repairs on a leaky ammonia system.

I believe I came close to causing one of those infamous RV fires.

Any suggestions for someone in Fort Collins that can do Norcold repair work.  I am also giving consideration to buying a new house type refrigerator.  Any suggestions for a straight AC type refrigerator?

Smoky

I believe what your going to find out when the ammonia smell is the tubing etc mounted on the rear of your fridge has sprung a link and will have to be replaced.  Many folks with similiar leaks have chucked there entire unit and replaced with a residential unit.  This is all well and good and the majority are satisfied, however, it can become quite complicated requiring sometimes extensive carpentry work to make it fit.  To me, the most logical/economical thing to do would be to replace all the parts mounted on the rear of the fridge(keep the box) with Amish made products.  Much heavier duty and usually comes with a 5 yr warranty and additonal 5 yr optional.  Give David Force a call the # listed in the following link and he will give you the particulars.  I might also add that replacing the complete unit(box and everything) with a brand new one would be very exspensive and unnecessary as the quality does not seem to have improved. :(

http://rvcoolingunit.com/Default.aspx
 
Smokey,
We really enjoy our residential refrig.  More space, better cooling, cheaper than a new Dometic (in our case)

A major criteria for us was the dimensions that would fit into  cabinet.  Turned out we did have a bunch of cabinetry work done but it was all worth it. There have been several recent threads on residential refrigerator swap on the RVForum lately.
 
The "repair" is to replace the cooling unit, either with a new one from Norcold or another supplier, e.g. the "Amish" cooling unit. It's not a technically difficult job - any reasonably competent "home handyman" type can do it. Not a small amount of work, though.

Consider replacing the entire fridge with a residential type unit if you have an inverter and sufficient batteries to power it when no shore power is available. Many have made this conversion and are happy with it. Individual needs vary, though.
 
Looks like we are going to take Betty and Gary's advice and replace with a residential fridge.  We foresee problems for years to come if we continue with an absorption fridge.

Also we have been quited a repair job that is only $200 less than the $3200 cost of a new Norcold.

We found a great fridge at Best Buy for under $1,000.  They will even deliver free and take away the old one even though we are 35 miles up the Padre Canyon in the wilderness.

BUT ... and this is a big but, they will not unhook the propane and will not remove our salon window and put the old and new fridges in and out of the window space.

I need to know how to remove the window in a 2005 Newmar Kountry Star 3910.  And any suggestions for putting it through the window.  Window lower edge is waist high on the inside, but I am guessing about 7 feet high on the outside.  How many people are needed, and best way to move it through the window?

Smoky
 
Smoky:


The refrigerators removed and replaced at Happy Trails were done with a fork lift. You do not want the weight of the fridge to bear on the window frame.
 
You can rent a scissors lift (not a fork lift - a personnel lift for for working in high spaces). A fridge weighs about 200-230 lbs, so no more than a person on a lift. Still need 2-3 friends, though!

http://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/category.aspx?id=1209
 
Gary,

I have a NORCOLD 121X series, model 1210, how do I reset the high temperature limit switch?

Tom
 
Hopefully this topic is still alive...
I also got that error message regarding the the high temp limit switch open.  I have 121X series unit.
Please forgive my ignorance, unless I missed it, but WHERE do I find the excess to all these parts, specifically the high temp limit switch?
Do I need to completely pull the refrigerator out?
 
jpadrul said:
Hopefully this topic is still alive...
I also got that error message regarding the the high temp limit switch open.  I have 121X series unit.
Please forgive my ignorance, unless I missed it, but WHERE do I find the excess to all these parts, specifically the high temp limit switch?
Do I need to completely pull the refrigerator out?

You should have seen a red LED on the switch.

We had just replaced the cooling unit and received an alarm.  The people who replaced the cooling unit came out and replaced the switch.  This was all warranty work as we bought a 5 year warrenty when we bought the 2015 Winnebago.  This repair mostly just paid for the warranty expense.  Sometimes you get unlucky and then get lucky.  A reply earlier talked about using a magnet to reset the switch.

My switch was at the level of the access panel outside to the rear of the refrigerator.
 
Bill


smoky replaced his Norcold with a residential refrigerator several years ago.
 
Fellow RV'ers, this is my first post here, but an important one non the less. I have a feeling there are others out there like me that will do a google search and find this thread so I wanted to pass on some information I found while trouble shooting this problem.

As I was getting prepped for a trip this afternoon, I tripped the high temp limit switch while washing my coach. My 1st search brought me to this thread, and based on some of the information above, I ended up on another site, where a member posted detailed instructions on how to reset the switch. It can be done easily by the coach owner. I've pasted the instructions below. They were originally posted by "David-and-Cheryl" on Heartlandowners.org. A big thanks to them because within 10 minutes of reading their post, my fridge was back on-line...no trip to the dealer...no dealing with Norcold...I'm one day behind on my trip but planning on pulling out tomorrow morning. I hope this helps others...


  1. Leave the refrigerator turned on.
  2. Remove the lower refrigerator access compartment door on the outside of your RV.
  3. Locate the black plastic recall kit box. Confirm that the red LED is lit and not flashing. (If it's not lit, or it's flashing, you have a different problem, so these instructions don't apply.)
  4. If the recall kit box is not easily accessible, pull on it gently to remove it. It's held on by a simple spring clamp. Use caution as some of the wires leading to the box may be short, and you don't want to damage the circuit board by pulling on them too hard.
  5. Slide your flat-blade screwdriver into each of the three clips that hold the box cover onto the base to open the clips. Lift the cover off the base. Do not detach any of the wires attached to the circuit board--the board needs to be powered to reset the switch.
    6. Touch your hand and your magnet to the metal interior of the compartment to discharge any static electricity.
    7.  Locate the reed switch on the circuit board. It is directly above the LED. It looks like a small black rectangular component, about 1/2" long and 1/8" wide, and the circuit board says "SWITCH" next to it. Here's a photo, although your circuit board may look slightly different as there are different revisions of the recall kit.
    8. Touch your magnet to the right end of the top of the reed switch and hold it there for about 5 seconds. (Avoid touching any other part of the circuit board.) This is the step I discovered by trial and error - simply moving the magnet around the switch won't do it; it takes prolonged contact at the right spot. When the switch resets, you may hear a faint click, and the red LED will go out.
  9.  Go inside the RV and verify that the refrigerator is on, has stopped beeping, and the front panel display shows no messages.
    10. Wait 15-20 minutes to be sure that the refrigerator continues to operate normally. (I read some reports of the switch tripping again after a reset; this might be due to residual water remaining on the circuit board.)
  11. Line up the three clips on the recall box base with the cover, and press the cover into place so that the clips snap shut.
    12. Re-clamp the recall box in its original location. Ensure all the wires are firmly connected to the circuit board.
    13. Replace the lower refrigerator access compartment door.

 
Thank you for letting me know it takes awhile! I have been trying reset mine with no luck. I have a really strong battery and I had to put it in its side then spin it on the box above the red light. And click the red light went out and the fridge is on!!!! I did not do anything to the black box or open it and it still worked.
I hope when I get up tomorrow it is still running!
Thanks again!
 

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