Norcold N811RT Fridge Door Failure

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Foto-n-T

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Well THAT was inconvenient!! Wife went to close the fridge door last nite and it jammed. Turns out the lower hinge receiver broke off. From what I've seen it appears that I'll be buying a new door because that hinge receiver is part of the door. Great engineering by Norcold. We happen to be boondocking right now so my friends Duct Tape & JB Weld are going to attempt a fix.
 
Had the same issue with my Norcold. Hinge is part of the whole door so yes you need a new door or fabricate a metal brace to support the door. I made one that worked great - I thought I had posted pics a few years ago
 
here are some pics...
 

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Well THAT was inconvenient!! Wife went to close the fridge door last nite and it jammed. Turns out the lower hinge receiver broke off. From what I've seen it appears that I'll be buying a new door because that hinge receiver is part of the door. Great engineering by Norcold. We happen to be boondocking right now so my friends Duct Tape & JB Weld are going to attempt a fix.
You may want to go ahead and order the aftermarket metal bracket set Norcold will sell you for a nominal fee. They sell the metal brackets to reinforce the abs hinges which they know are extremely fragile, but if they install the brackets in the manufacture of the units it would for one, cost their stockholders that extra $1.25 they were counting on and the CEO could be fired. For two, you wouldn't pay $39.99 for two brackets worth a quarter, when their plastic hinge breaks, making the CEO appear like a marketing genius and resulting in high fives all around in the board room.
I actually welded my broken hinge and added the metal brackets, it's been fine for two years. However, I went ahead and ordered a door just in case.
 
I have used the metal type JB Weld many times with great success in some very interesting places. They sell a JB Weld for plastic now but I have not used it, but would sure give it a try. If it is as good as the metal version you may not need to replace the door.
Without the metal reinforcing bracket I have reservations about JB Weld holding the hinge ie., the weight of the door. Don't know for certain that it wouldn't.
 
"Not designed for full time" is an incredible discaimer. It's not the number of times the the door is opened that's the problem, the hinges break because they're not designed to support the weight of being loaded and the stress on the plastic hinge when the door is opened 90-180°. That can occur in full time or occasional use. The metal reinforcing brackets largely mitigate that problem.
I'm a sample of one, but after my Norcold bottom hinge broke ( which in this case was not Norcold's fault, but mine) I plastic welded the hinge and installed the metal reinforcing bracket. It's held up fine for two years or so ( not fulltime) with the door loaded. I suspect It's not my weld, but that metal bracket that's the difference.
 
The word Norcold should make one want to cry. The Norcold 1200 series burned down a lot of RVs. Then their cheap construction is just another failure. I blame Norcold for all those folks that insist on residential refrigerators. If BUILT correctly and INSTALLED correctly, absorption refrigerators get the job done.
My 1995 Dometic, in my Bounder, is still in one piece and functioning correctly. Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Richard
 
The word Norcold should make one want to cry. The Norcold 1200 series burned down a lot of RVs. Then their cheap construction is just another failure. I blame Norcold for all those folks that insist on residential refrigerators. If BUILT correctly and INSTALLED correctly, absorption refrigerators get the job done.
My 1995 Dometic, in my Bounder, is still in one piece and functioning correctly. Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Richard
No amount of buiding or installing correctly is going to prevent you from parking on the side of a hill or driving in the mtns. with your absorption refer running. And btw., a Dometic absorption refer is subject to overheat no different from the Norcold.
 
So I ordered the very last door hinge reinforcement in existence on Amazon a few minutes ago. Hopefully I'll get a shipping confirmation from Mr. Bezo's assistant shortly, otherwise I'm gonna have to order a new door. From the looks of the reinforcement it should work pretty good with my JB Weld fix.

Currently I've got two paint stir sticks glued together and beveled stuck under the door to keep the weight off it when it is closed and during transit. We won't be putting ANYTHING on the door shelves until that part shows up.

Thanks everyone for your help.
 
So I finally found the last two hinge reinforcements in existence apparently and they were on amazon for the paltry sum of $59.95!!! I installed the plate yesterday and what a difference it makes in the way the door closes. I was going to offer the opposite plate (which I don't need as i have a right hand hinge) for sale but given my paranoia I think I'll hang on to it just in case I need to flip the door to left hand hinge in the future. I could grumble all day long about how much I got nicked for these things but on the other hand they were a LOT cheaper than replacing the entire door.
61vvbotnHbL._AC_SL1155_.jpg
 
No amount of buiding or installing correctly is going to prevent you from parking on the side of a hill or driving in the mtns. with your absorption refer running. And btw., a Dometic absorption refer is subject to overheat no different from the Norcold.
You discredit the RV community. Park on the side of a hill if YOU like but most of us know better and if forced to park on a hill we will turn the frig off. You show your lack of knowledge. Mounting driving will not harm an Absorption refrigerator.

Richard
 
So I finally found the last two hinge reinforcements in existence apparently and they were on amazon for the paltry sum of $59.95!!! I installed the plate yesterday and what a difference it makes in the way the door closes. I was going to offer the opposite plate (which I don't need as i have a right hand hinge) for sale but given my paranoia I think I'll hang on to it just in case I need to flip the door to left hand hinge in the future. I could grumble all day long about how much I got nicked for these things but on the other hand they were a LOT cheaper than replacing the entire door.
View attachment 169856
In my case, 10 years from now, when I need that other hinge I kept just in case, I'd turn everything upside down while uttering profanities for an entire day, then buy another ( the day after I'll find the one old one). History is prologue.
 
I have 2 brand new doors still in the box, I sold my 4winds so I’m selling these ..100.00 ea plus shipping
 

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