Norcold 811FRT fridge intermittently works

[8Muddypaws]

If you're going to have to replace your cooling unit I heartily recommend you check out JC Refrigeration.

I replaced my dead Norcold with one of their 12 volt dual compressor units and it has been awesome. If you live anywhere near their shop let them install it.

They also have 110 volt and gas/electric units.

 

[Rikopus]

Thank you for the recommendation 8Muddypaws. I'm in Michigan so Shipshawana, IN isn't a bad drive.

 

[8Muddypaws]

They do the installs right and quite inexpensively, for whichever type you choose.

 

[RayIN]

I think you are seeing the defrost cycles. The fridge controller will periodically let the temperatures rise several degrees. Unplugging resets the defrost interval timer, so you get another 24 hours or so of uninterrupted cooling. Quite a few owners complain that the defrost cycle gets warm enough to put food at risk. Nor is it clear what the "defrost" achieves, since these absorption fridges aren't actually self-defrosting like a residential type fridge.

Norcold refrigerators defrost on a 49 hr. cycle, so yes turning it off/on resets the timer. The temperature rise melts frost off the fins.
An absorption refrigerator can overheat in as little as 30 minutes operating stationary out of level requirements.
source: Fridge Defend | ARP Control | RV Safety | Dometic | Norcold | RV
Fire

Theoretically all fins are the same temperature, IF the mastic used to transfer heat from the box to the cooling unit is the same thickness and even. In real life, that appears to be seldom true.
Post #16 in Norcold thermistor on wrong fin??? - Page 2 - iRV2 Forums is informative to me.