Norcold 1210 Not cooling

[grashley]

My Norcold fridge was acting up on my trip last weekend.

Freezer 1    13 deg F
Freezer 2    28 deg F
Refrig          48 deg F

All measured with digital remote thermometer.

My search here indicated either poor door seals or bad cooling unit.

DOLLAR BILL TEST RESULTS
Freezer 1 was fairly tight all around.  At one point, it wanted to keep the bill  ;D
Freezer 2 was fairly tight, but not as snug as freezer 1
Refrig had several spots that did not hold the bill.  In addition, the soft rubber "seal" pictured below has fallen off.  It was somehow stuck to something near the center bottom of the fridge doors where they meet.

Can anyone ID this and tell me where to put it?  (Boy, that really opens me up to ???)

A quick Google search showed replacement center flappers and entire doors.  I did not dig deep enough to find gaskets.

Can the doors be adjusted to fix this?  How?

Any suggested sources for gaskets?  Are they difficult to install?

 

[beaverfever]

http://www.laurelhurstdistributors.com/

 

[captsteve]

Me thinks you may be looking at the wrong end of that mule for answers...

Check the coil temps on the back of the unit. while you are there, make sure no insulation has fallen blocking the path to the top vent. If you can see the little cooling fans up near the top see if they are working.

You may benefit from a cooling fan mod. it made all the difference in mine when I did it . kept ice cream hard!

Just a search for norcld mod and you will find some good info.

 

[grashley]

Beaver, that led me straight to the Norcold web site, that does not sell gaskets for 1210 series units.

Capt, Is it necessary to pull the fridge out of the cabinet to check these things?  How difficult is this?

 

[captsteve]

Open the grill on the outside of the coach.

Search the forum  and you will find step by step help.

 

[captsteve]

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,113510.msg1042404.html#msg1042404

look this over

 

[regval]

The 1210 Norcold should have 2 cooling fans installed at the rear of the cooling unit (behind the refrigerator unit) and you should be able to see them from the outside refrig service access  panel opening, looking up towards the roof. If not, remove the refrigerator roof exhaust vent to look down onto the rear of the refrigerator unit. Both should be running and if not, your freezer and refrigerator compartment temperatures will suffer.
Leaking door gasket will cause noticeable condensation on the inside walls and somewhat higher temps.
Finding a replacement gasket for the 1210 is nearly impossible. You'll find replacement doors with gaskets probably.

 

[8Muddypaws]

If it's running on AC check the heating elements.  If it's on propane check the flame health and blow any debris off the burner.

A small mirror  and a good flashlight comes in handy when trying to see the two fans.  The thermostatic switch that controls the fans is at the top right (from the back) of the heat exchanger coils.  A jumper across the two connectors should turn both fans on.

 

[grashley]

UPDATE  and a big  DUHHHH

I ran the unit on gas to see if a heating element was the issue.  Similar results to the above numbers.

Then, reading the service manual, I note the temp setting goes from 1 - COLD  to 9 - COLDEST.  When I turned it on, I did not have my glasses on.  I saw 1 - Cold.  Therefore 9 must be warm.  :-[  The camping trip with the issues had the fridge on setting 1.  DUHHHH

Back on electric at setting 9, freezer is about 4 and fridge is 37.  I suspect new door gaskets would help. 

I did check ventilation at the top.  It was surprisingly clean!  A few small wasp nests (removed), no cob webs and a warm breeze out.

Now, back in part to my initial question:
The attached pic to my original post  is a foam gasket type material that was attached near the bottom center of the door.  Any help identifying the part and its proper location???  It is about 1 inch by 4 inch (guessing)

 

[Alpena Jeff]

Made me laugh Preacher.
You may not need to be on 9. I get to workable temps on 5-6 but I guess if 9 works....

 

[SeilerBird]

Made me laugh Preacher.
You may not need to be on 9. I get to workable temps on 5-6 but I guess if 9 works....

My refer has five settings. I have yet to figure out which one is the cold. The temp is the same no matter where I set it. 10 degrees in the freezer and 45 in the refer. I need to junk it and put in a residential.

 

[Rene T]

UPDATE  and a big  DUHHHH

I ran the unit on gas to see if a heating element was the issue.  Similar results to the above numbers.

Then, reading the service manual, I note the temp setting goes from 1 - COLD  to 9 - COLDEST.  When I turned it on, I did not have my glasses on.  I saw 1 - Cold.  Therefore 9 must be warm.  :-[  The camping trip with the issues had the fridge on setting 1.  DUHHHH

Back on electric at setting 9, freezer is about 4 and fridge is 37.  I suspect new door gaskets would help. 

I did check ventilation at the top.  It was surprisingly clean!  A few small wasp nests (removed), no cob webs and a warm breeze out.

Now, back in part to my initial question:
The attached pic to my original post  is a foam gasket type material that was attached near the bottom center of the door.  Any help identifying the part and its proper location???  It is about 1 inch by 4 inch (guessing)

You'll never do that again even without your glasses.