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Norcold NRF30 Problem Solved

TeardropEddyTeardropEddy Member Posts: 1
in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Like many of us, I have struggle to keep my NRF 30 running while out on the road, especially when running the unit from battery power. I have had the flashing lights, the L1 error code, the E1 error code and lots of frustration. I have replaced 12v batteries, moved from a single 12v to dual 6v batteries, and 2 years ago even bought a new unit. Usually, the unit would operate better for a while, but sooner or later it was back to the cryptic error codes. Today, I called a repair center and when the technician asked me what the problem was, embarrassingly, I didn't know where to start. So many types of failures had occurred, and I had no log of them. Today, I devised a series of troubleshooting steps that I intended to use to help the technician get a head start, and I think in doing so, I solved my problem.

My original unit, I'll call Unit 1, it is 7 years old. My newer unit, Unit 2, was purchased in 2020. Here is what I did. BTW, there was no need for 2 units to do all this, but since I had them both, I took advantage.

I connected Unit 1 directly to a 12v battery using a 12v style (cigarette lighter) connection cord that mated with the cord that came with the Norcold unit. It worked fine. The temp went down to 30 F and stayed there for a couple of hours, until I shut if off.

I connected Unit 2 via AC power, routing through my NFCO 8725P A/D converter. It worked fine. This is the standard setup for the unit when it is in my RV, except that I was running on AC power. Typically, I run on battery power, recharging with 120 W solar panels.

I then disconnected AC power and tried to run Unit 2 from the dual 6v batteries that power the RV. I had tested the batteries earlier and they were outputting 14v with no load. Under load, they put out 12V with up to 1000 CCA, so the batteries were fine. Once I turned the unit on, the compressor started up, ran for 10 seconds, flashed L1 and stopped. The unit kept trying to start, repeating the cycle every 3 minutes with the same result. The cutoff switch was in position 3. So, the NRF30 would not cool when operating on the dual, 6v batteries.

I have a Little Guy Silver Shadow (2016) and there is a 12v (cigarette lighter) outlet in the galley. I disconnected the power cord coming from the NFCO 8725P and used the cord that I had used from the Unit 1 test to connect Unit 2 directly to the 12v outlet in the galley. I believe that this outlet was on a different circuit than the cord that is routed to the cabinet for the NRF30, but I don't know. Using this alternative power circuit, the NRF30 worked perfectly and had the temp down to 25F in an hour. This was accomplished while running from the dual, 6v batteries only.

So, I began to suspect the wiring from the NFCO 8725P to the plug that connected in the cabinet to the NRF30. Clearly it wasn't the batteries. I read the manual for the converter, and only found a troubleshooting voltage test. I decided to perform the test. I was supposed to find 13.6 volts at the test points, but I found 17.6. I don't know if this is a problem or not. I emailed technical support at the manufacturer's website. In any event, I concluded that I didn't have a low voltage problem from the output of the converters. This was all tested without load, and I may have been testing upstream of the fuses, but I don't know if that matters.

However, I noticed the enormous amount of dust that was on the converter after I pulled it out of its mount to test the voltage. I wiped it down with a damp cloth and then pulled out each fuse and wiped down the male contacts and used compressed gas to blow out the female contacts. I then put a dab of dielectric grease on the plug that comes from the converter (the original circuit that did not work in the initial battery attempt) and plugged it back into the NRF 30. Ensuring that A/C power was still off, I turned on the NRF 30. It has now been running for an hour and 10 minutes and is down to 28F.

My trailer has been over hundreds of miles of dirt and gravel roads, and dust gets everywhere. My theory on this is that dust may have worked its way into either the fuse contacts or a combination of dust and oxidation had built up on the plug, or both, either of which could have added enough resistance to the circuit to cause a voltage drop, or intermittent voltage supply, which was the cause of my many, confusing and inconsistent failure modes. I realize that this could be totally incorrect, but for now, it's my working assumption.

If you have a problem, you should be able to easily check your unit by connecting it directly to a 12v battery, use a fused cord, to see if it will operate with "clean" power. I did not that the cigarette lighter cord was a heavier gauge than the OEM installed cord to the cabinet. When starting out, I was suspicious of the condition of this cord, but due to the complexity of its routing, I could not fully inspect it for damage. This could still be a problem.

Truth in disclosure, I'm no expert, and you should get a second opinion and take safety precautions before attempting to troubleshoot your unit based upon my findings. However, I was so thrilled to seemingly get to the bottom of my problem, I wanted to share in case it can help someone else. My wife and I grew tired of checking the fridge every time we went near the galley to see if by chance the fridge was working. Of course, one never knows what may happen next. These units appear to be temperamental.

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