Questions about Refrigerator Removal

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Smoky

Smoky

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I have some questions on how to remover my Norcold model 12101MD refrigerator from my coach.  After all the recalls I went through it was stubborn enough to still burn up.  I am in a 2005 Newmar Kountry Star model 3910 pusher.

I have removed all of the doors.  I also opened the back panel outside and tapped the propane tubing after tuning off and disconnecting.  I unplugged the 2 AC lines while I was out there.

My first question is on where to unhook the water for the ice maker.  I believe it should be inside, inside the panel under the refrigerator that accesses the floor.  I see what is obviously a water supply with a turn valve.  I figure I should turn off the water supply and then unhook or cut the output tube.  Sound like a plan?

Next question is what to do about all the wires in the outside back panel.  I believe most of them can remain attached and will come inside as I loosen the holding screw on the refgir and bring the fridge inside.  There are so many wires I am confused on this.  I suspect there is at least a wire or two that must be cut and wrapped.  I am not sure whe4re the 12 volt supply is connecting.  Anything else I should be aware of?

Another puzzle.  When I remove3d the fridge fuse and disconnected the AC, I expected it to be completely dead.  But when I turned it on using the normal fridge control, the inside lighting came on and the control panel lit up.  Is it safe to assume that this is because it uses a 12 volt supply for the light and the control panel?

I want to be sure the fridge is completely dead before bringing into the coach and setting it on the floor.

Has anyone been through this kind of refrigerator removal and replacement?

I know there are a number of threads on this, but I wanted to get my specific questions answered.

Thanks!

Go Ravens and sorry Wendy!  ;D

Smoky
 
Yep, that was the 12 volts that gave the refer power. You will have to figure out where the 12v power enters the refer and remove those wires. I would not cut the water line to the ice maker. It should have a fitting you disconnect somewhere near the ice maker itself.

The one time I had a refer replaced it would not go out the door. They had to remove a window to get it out.
 
For the ice maker you should be able to see the solenoid through the outside access. It is usually attached on the rear of the fridge or very close by. It has  2 wires and two water tubes , one input and one output, the output is very likely a small plastic clear tube going to the top of the fridge, the input may be copper coming from the water supply and may or may not have a valve. It can usually be disconnected easily without cutting... (On mine, the water comes from the filter under the sink on the other side of the trailer with a shut off there and another another shutoff  next to the solenoid itself which is mounted behind and attached to the fridge.)

The propane has to be disconnected and the feed should be plugged with the appropriate metal plug.... Just in case!!!

You are correct in that the fridge operates on 12V, the 120V is only for the 120V AC heater(s) and the ice maker itself and it usually has an ordinary plug. There are a lot of wires back there but many terminate on a terminal strip at the back, the only ones coming from outside the fridge itself will be the 12V battery and ground. If you have the wiring diagram, the correct terminals will be shown on it. You can trace backwards from the small fuse panel (circuit board with the fuses on it  skillfully hidden under a removable cover... the wiring diagram is likely on the inside of that cover.) In the worst case, start moving the fridge forward a bit and then check the back to see what might hang you up because it still needs disconnecting. 12volt lead must be taped up is there is live 12V power there unless the specific fuse is removed or the batteries are disconnected. (Maybe the fuse you picked was incorrectly labelled or you picked the wrong one!!!

As I am unfamiliar with your particular fridge, the only part I am unsure of is the eyebrow panel (control panel). (On mine, it is a separate panel above the fridge and can be unplugged. ) It might be wise to remove it first and see if it needs cutting off or simply unplugging.
 
As mentioned previously, there will be a set of wires, mine were black and white, that provide the 12V to the refer. Should be terminated near the bottom rear of the refer and can be disconnected easily. Other than the 120V plugs, one for the heaters and one for the ice maker, that should be all the electrical connections.

The shutoff for the water line to the ice maker could be mounted almost anywhere. Mine was tapped off the feed to the filtered drinking water faucet in the galley. It was underneath the sink.

The next problem is removing it from the coach if you are going to replace it with a household refer. With the doors removed on the refer, it fit through one of the side windows on the curb side. After having a 1200 with two cooling unit replacements and the 1210 with one replacement, I got rid of it and now don't worry about the fires Norcold has caused.
 
Smoky:

They removed the 1200 from our coach yesterday.

1. Disconnected the incoming water line where it attached to the icemaker solenoid.

2. Unplugged 120v AC.

3. Disconnected 12v at terminal block behind refrigerator.

4. Went into the bay under the refrigerator and disconnected the LP line where it was attached to the black pipe that runs from the propane tank.

5. Removed screws holding down rear of refrigerator.

6. Removed all four doors and the top and bottom trim at front of refrigerator.

7. Slid refrigerator out onto their car jack and placed it on the living room floor.

8. Removed stop holding our front door and swung it back out of the way.

9.Removed copilot's seat.

10. Carried frig out the door which has 25" of clearance

11. Carried new Samsung counter depth refrigerator in the same way.


 
Smokey, all the information above in good, I just did what you are doing. Took me about 2 hours to get the fridge out. Make sure you make a cart at the height of the fridge. This will make things a lot easier when sliding the unit out and moving it around. Good luck!
 
Sorry for slow reply.  We got a LOT of helpful coaching from Jeff Cousins.

Our 1215 Norcold had a lot of stuff that had to be removed from the back.  But once that was done and the doors removed, we had simply a "box" that fit through the door no problem.

We purchased a Whirlpool WRT111SFAB00 and it has been running perfectly on our ten day trip to Fort Collins Colorado.  It fit into the old cavity with an inch to spare on top and bottom and 3 inches on left and right.  Once inside the cavity there is more room.  We blocked in the top with a bolted 2x4 and used angle strip steel to fasten the bottom to the platform.  Also used flat strip steel to fasten the back to the metal "sill" in front of the old rear vent panel.  The roof vent prevents rain from entering, and we also stuffed in insulation.  If we ever have to remove the fridge we can easily unbolt the various support structures.

We did have to remove the passenger side chair along with unfastening the upper "stop" hinge on the entry door to get the new fridge in.  Jeff lent us his hand built cart which was 12 inches high.  My wife and I were easily able to lift the new fridge the remaining 2 inches to get it into the cavity.  We also had to reverse the doors to gain easier access into the fridge.

It seemed like an overwhelming project initially, but by slowing down and going step by step and taking time to do lots of research, the project became an immense success.  We love this beautiful sleek black refrigerator.

It does not have an icemaker in order to give us more freezer room.  For the time being, we are keeping the 4.5 cu foot Fridgidaire we have been using on an emergency basis since last summer.  We also purchased an Emerson external icemaker.  I think they are the manufacturer for the Dometic external icemaker you see in the Camping World stores.

If someone refreshes my memory on how to include pictures I will attach a few to this thread.

Smoky
 
Here are the promised photos of my Whirlpool refrigerator replacement. 

 

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flat straps and angle strap to secure back of refrigerator.  1 angle strap was used for strength.
 

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Nice job, Smoky!

One item I noticed, though - that propane line you disconnected from the old fridge.  It looks like it's hanging in mid-air and if so, you can get metal fatigue and cracking from vibration as you head down the road.  I'd secure it to something solid close to the end.
 
Good suggestion and thank you.  I intend to disconnect that tube when I get time.  In the meantime I will secure it.

Smoky
 
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