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Adding vents for a Norcold
WilliamA
Member Posts: 1,311
Lots of inquiries about venting a stock style fridge so I thought I'd make a thread on venting "how-to". My trailer came with a Norcold so it had a vent in the bottom, but I added another in the front to make better airflow. I'll get some photos and do a write-up soon.
WilliamA
"When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."
2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
2017 T@G XL
Boyceville, Wi.
Comments
First things first:
Why does my Norcold hum along merrily without any fiddling or interaction?
Good question...I answer to myself. Not to worry. I have lively discussions with the voices in my head all the time. Occasionally, I'll get into a big argument with me and then we don't speak for a few days but generally, it's pretty noisy in here.
I use my Norcold constantly. I break all of the common rules for its use. I leave the hatch shut. I never precool it. I have never checked the electrical connections or upgraded the wiring. It just works. So why do some folks have issues?
One upgrade I DID do was to add another vent for it. Actually, I cut a hole in the wall in front of it so I could install a rotopax mount in the side wall, but since there was a new hole there, I added a vent cover. Now, the Norcold has airflow through the bottom of the trailer (stock) and a warm-air exit that sheds heat through the cowbells when the hatch is closed. I need to point out that the Norcold worked fine before I made the modification and still does. I can't say it's now more efficient than it was when factory-stock as I've not tested that, but I find it difficult to believe that more airflow, in this case, isn't a good thing.
As I mentioned elsewhere, I keep my fridge set at about 42-45 degrees. I don't try to keep ice cream or freeze-ables. I put my meat (when possible) in it after first freezing it to reduce the workload. I've gone a week or more with things like meat, eggs and dairy with zero problems.
That's the bar.
I suspect that when folks run into problems with using excessive energy reserves, their are other factors at work. What I mean is that the fridge is probably working fine but other devices are hogging the volts. But that is a different issue. There are dozens of threads on power management elsewhere so I won't go into that, save to say the most dramatic change I have made in the area of power management has been getting rid of the stock fantastic fan for the Maxxfan deluxe. I can set my Maxxfan to "3" and just leave it on for days without issue. I set it to exhaust out the top, open both side windows and forget it. That's been a huge energy reduction for me and well worth the $300 or so bucks I paid for it. It has easily, EASILY reduced my energy consumption by 50%. Compared to the cost of solar, giant batteries etc, it's been the best money I've spent by far.
I will get some photos of my Norcold venting today if I can and my schedule allows, but my first thoughts on Norcold energy "problems" are suspect problems not with the fridge, but elsewhere.
More soon...
WilliamA
"When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."
2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
2017 T@G XL
Boyceville, Wi.
park it in Moab for 3 days in 108 degree heat, with virtually no other devices using electricity and plenty of solar power, the fridge just can't cool, too much for it
Hatch closed in hot weather anywhere, hatch closed driving through 100 degree weather, etc., this Norcold has been the steady partner. I live in California and when we get a power shut off the Noecold is our back-up reefer. Sad😳
Tom
Aptos, California
2015 LG Silver Shadow
2012 Ford Edge Sport TV
Hi WilliamA. Please post your vent pictures. I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Thanks
Pics Bill please....
Yes Please pictures Bill!
3 days of 108 degrees....hmmmm...up here in Wi at the height of summer when the temp rockets up to 70 (in the SHADE!) It's not uncommon to see 4 or 5 guys trying to tuck into the shade of a street light pole.
3 days of 108 degree heat isn't the cause of poor fridge performance. It's the result of bad planning. For those of us from Wi, 12 hours of 108 degree heat would result in spontaneous combustion. Warm bratwurst wouldn't be a problem. We'd be dead...
I go to Moab in March/April...
WilliamA
"When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."
2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
2017 T@G XL
Boyceville, Wi.
wife a nurse on the covid unit here, August was our only choice for vacation
Kinda do what we always have even with, Propane/120V and 12v only RV fridge. Alway precool over night at least, the frig and the cooler with power for the frige and ice for the cooler. In the frige we may freeze some food and water bottles. The cooler bag or two of ice. We ran the SW New Mexico, Arizona, etc no food spoilage. We very seldom ran the big trailers Frig on propane. It was 120V. 110 in Santa Fe and Sonora over a couple weeks. There was a deference but still worked well as far as cooling etc.
Gig Harbor Tom
Trl '17 T@G Max
TV 2018 Mazda CX9 Signature