We have a 2022 Grand Design momentum 399, we finally took ownership in November of 21 after a lengthy wait from the time we ordered it. We are just weekend warriors but I do have a covered RV Barn I built for it on our Ranch, it stays out of the direct sunlight and the norcold 2118 had been doing fine up until about 3 weeks ago when I came up to the camper one day to load some things up I noticed the refrigerator had a Max temp of 68° and at the time it was sitting at 54°. The freezer was sitting at around 18° and had a Max temp of 29°. There was a little bit of build up on the freezer portion so I let it defrost for a couple days and I fired it back up. So far it's been running for about 8 hours today and the refrigerator is now 91° and the freezer is 44°, when I turned it on earlier today both compartments were 85° So I don't see any ammonia leaks, all my fans are running and it is exchanging heat through the exterior compartment but the refrigerator is just rising in temperature. I believe rather than take this back to the dealership for who knows how long and have them replace it with what seems to be a problematic unit from norcold I might go the route that you went. I just happened to stumble across your video and I love the content. We do a lot of boondocking and I have a medium size battery Bank so I think the DC conversion is the route I would go because I like the ability to be off grid and when the weather is nicer and not have to run the generator or an inverter, which I do have for things like the TVs and a fan for the bedroom but I just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful video!! I did have one question though, how heavy would you guess the refrigerator is when you start removing it from the slide? I would guess maybe 80 -100# Thank you and have a great day!
I'm so sorry for your issues. I do not remember the weight of the refer, but I did have a friend help me pull it out. The great thing is the unit we had was super simple to take out because of the big straps/handles on each side. I would say you might be able to find the weight on Google if you need that. Best of luck!!
You discussed going with the residential refrigerator. One of the items I have heard is that they are not designed to bounce down the highway. Great job on the replacement.
Mark Ogaz I had also heard that. I can tell you that the compressor and the fans that have installed extra are currently using 6.1 amps when it is cycling. My fridge tends to stay closer to the low end and freezer will hover around -3 to 0.
Great information! We have a Norcold 3-way fridge with leak on the boiler region, ammonia leakage issue, model 983. we have been asking around and trying to repair it instead of buying a new one which is going to cost us $1,400. It seems no one want to deal with the ammonia part after we made many phone calls to those specialty refrigerator repair shop in the Bay Area. I just sent an email to JC refrigerator and see what they say. Thanks again for sharing!
They will definitely be able to answer your questions. They are very helpful and knowledgeable. Let me know if you have any other questions. They are a real family business. We found calling them and speaking with them was much more responsive.
Hi Larry! Thank you! We had some camera/audio issues, so I very much appreciate your kind words. Let me know how it goes and let him know we said hello!
Great video. Miss you guys. Hope it's a long time before I need to change mine. I hope by installing the ARP a few years ago that ours will last longer...
Well, ours really shouldn't have gone out. But apparently Norcold has an issue with them doing this. Just so thankful we didn't have a fire. I hope no one ever goes through this. It was an expensive endeavor .... and the food we had to throw away ... oh gosh!
Thanks for the video. Almost a year later are you still happy with the cooling unit? I ask because I am looking into this for our Norcold 2118 also. As I'm sure many have.
If I may 1 more quick question, we do not have solar nor a bank of battle borns. How long would this run off of your standard marine battery? Also, what wattage solar panel would you need to maintain the battery to keep it running? Thanks in advance. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to me.
Mathew Harrison mine runs between 5.5 and 8 amps depending on the fans that are running. It does cycle but if you figure 8 amps over twelve hours Is around 96 amps. That is not counting any other loads running. Every night. I see that kind of recovery on a normal good sun day in in 3-4 hours from 700watts on the roof through a Victron 100/50. Lead acid will not charge as fast. If you don’t have the power system to support it I suggest you look into JC Refrigeration’s Amish cooling unit.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I'm a full-timer in Florida. I cannot depend upon this 2118 unit to keep my food safe. I have this unit in a 2020 Momentum 381M and so displeased. I installed wireless monitors to track the temperature flucutaions and with the unit set on 9, cannot cool things properly. Refer was at 48 this morning, freezer at 22. Refer went up to 58 at one point, for nor apparent reason. So you went direct to your buss bar, but you're main power source is battery. For those like me that rely mostly on an AC power source, you'd be relying on a 12v converter to power this unit. Wouldn't that put stress on that converter? I'm leaning toward 120v, unless I decide to install a solar system, which I did in my previous camper. Your thoughts?
We chose the dc powered unit because we were primarily off-grid and we have a fairly robust solar set-up. We no longer have the stock power converter. Your decision should be based on how you are going to utilize your RV. Any kind of refrigeration unit is going to struggle when trying to cool when in high heat and humidity environments. The results would be just as poor if you took a standard residential refrigerator and set it outside in the sun.
I am glad I did it and things are working great, but I never had issues with my Norcold until I did. We were down a week and lost a weeks worth of groceries.
@@PnwFireguy We did consider it, but I have a pretty substantial Solar setup on the trailer and wanted to try to get away from the propane usage since I can make a bunch of power from the sun.
@@PanelsUpSolar Yes we also have a similar solar/LiFePO4 investment but I was thinking that options for running the fridge would be a good thing. We spend a lot of time in the PNW where solar may not be an option for a large part of the year.
PNW Fireguy and that is a valid concern. If the solar was not as abundant, I would have probably gone with an absorption cooling unit. It is why we went with one prior to building the solar system we have now. But I know I would have not gone with an OEM cooling unit so JR Refrigeration was probably going to get my regardless. I only wish there was a better option for a combination DC/propane configuration. Electric heating elements are not the answer.
Great video, thanks for doing it. At 5:57 of you video there is a red and black wire with a plastic plug attached. Do you know what that plug is attached to? Mine isn't plugged in.
If you are referring to the one that comes down from the top of the refrigerator, that is the thermistor wires. That plugs into the thermistor that is slid onto the fins that tells the control card when the temperature is right in the refrigerator. Without the thermistor plugged in, the card will default to always call for cooling.
At the time that I did this, they did offer installation services by appointment. But you will need to reach out to them to see what they can do for you.
Great video Justin. My problem is that my freezer is ice cold, but the refer is not cooling at all. It has only been plugged in to 110 at my house for about 8 hours. Outside temp is 100 degrees. When I switch to propane only and disconnect the 110, the unit beeps at me with an "FL" in the display. Should the refer be cooling at the same time as the freezer? I checked for propane, and fired the stove burners to bleed the lines from any air, as the RV has not been used in 2+ years. Any thoughts?
Make sure the the middle flap is closing properly on the refer doors. That is a regular issue with these refers. The FL code could be a couple of different things. Make sure that the flame has a good burn to it and that it is not getting snuffed out for some reason or has a failure to ignite. If the unit has been sitting for awhile it could have an insect obstruction in the burn tube.
We are still extremely happy with our decision. We do notice a slight increase when the slide is in the Florida sun with the elevated heat and humidity, but by turning the unit up we have been able to maintain the freezer 0-4 degrees F and Refer in the high 30s. If things were to get to bad(they have not) I do have a sun shade that can be added to the slide topper track that allows me to shade the sunny side of the rig. I manly use it for the dining slide windows when the need arises.
Norcold should have a class action suit filed against them! EVERYONE who owns one knows they are garbage and the manufacturer of the RV knows this also, yet they continue to install a poorly manufactured unit. AND we all know the other frustrations that this unit plagues us with. They should be ashamed!!🤬😡
Did the delivery company charge you extra? I received a page (after the guy took it off the truck) for a fuel surcharge and a fee to use the lift gate. Pretty awful.
I had to have it delivered to a moving and storage company because I was boondocking out west when my refrigerator went out. So shipping cost me a bunch extra to include forklift fees as well. But fuel surcharge and lift gate charges are pretty common from what I understand. It is all part of the LTL shipping standards.
Now that we are in the heat of a Northeast summer we have had to turn it up. Until this summer we were able to set it between 3-5 depending on sun hitting the side of the trailer. We are now bouncing 7-9. That is keeping our temps of 40f for the refer and 0f for the freezer.
Just a little follow up on this response. I have found that direct sun on that side of the trailer does affect cooling because it heats up the whole slide. If we are parked in the shade, the system works great on 4
Thanks for the Video. I simply despise our Norcold as is has never cooled properly. We have the same setup and we will definitely be reaching out to JC Refrigeration soon. What was the total cost of your conversion?
There were no other expenses required other then the cost of the unit and shipping. Incidentals we had included having to pay a moving company to accept the delivery for us as we are full time RVers and don’t stay in parks and dinner and beers for our friends who came and helped with the heavy lifting for the install.
I also have the NorCold 2118SST and I was wondering what the cost of the conversion kit was that you purchased? I didn’t hear you specifically address that cost in video. I went to the JC website, but prices not given without contacting them. Thank you again 😋
@@bahunny There are different options, so it really depends on the option you decide is best for you. There is the AC and DC option, plus we ended up getting a fan for the inside of ours, which was a little more. It's been a bit, but I believe the total cost was around $1,100. Give or take a few dollars for tax and such.
Opting Out of Normal Great, that’s what I needed to know. I’ll be going the same route y’all did. As you are aware, you helped me put together my system. 2 Victron 3000 in parallel 2 Victron Smart MPPT chargers 150/100 800ah Battle Born BB 2200 Watts of PV Victron 712 Victron Color Monitor Etc etc etc. 😋 We couldn’t have done It without you. Thank you from Phx, AZ Jim & Lo
Great video! I am in exact same spot w bipolar norcold 2118. I have tried the little fixes, added fans, installed some thin gauge metal help hot air go thru fins. Has helped a little, but not acceptable. 10 F or 9 F is about my coldest freezer at level 9 of 9. And, I am in NY, not like TX , NM, AZ, FL, or other hot hot hot areas. Right now, I cant even think of bringing this fridge as is to any type of these places. I want a compressor set up like yours. I have emailed cust serv, but no reply. If you had a salesperson w direct email and you wouldnt mind sharing that info, could you please? Thank you
We have a 2020 Momentum 397TH with a 2118 Norcold as well and the ‘dr code’ comes up on the display and a continuous beep. There’s also a lot of condensation on the inside and I have to continuously empty the water tray on the inside of the fridge. It seems to be cooling fine but the beeping is annoying. Any ideas of what the issue could be?
Calandra Freeman sounds like your door is not closing correctly. Make sure the drain hose is clear to the catch pan on the back of the refer on the outside of the 5th wheel.
Opting Out of Normal thank you. I feel like it might be the door because when I push against it the beeping sounds stop and then starts back up a few minutes later. I’ll check the drip pan on the outside
Calandra Freeman make sure there is clearance for stuff on the shelves and stuff in the door. Sometimes there is some clearance issues that hold the door from properly clearing. Also make sure that the center flap is properly closing and sealing between the doors. They have been know to hang up at the bottom of the flap. The fix is to put a washer on the lower left hinge pin to lift the door just a little bit. It gets worse when there are gallons of milk in the left door.
Opting Out of Normal ok I’ve heard about putting a washer on the hinge. It’s the right door that seems like the issue, so I would put the washer on the right hinge, correct?
There is a valid link in the description in the video to the cooling unit. The dc compressor did have a small up-charge on it though. They sell for $1095 for the AC version.
Door seals, a center flap out of alignment or not sealing correctly, bad propane flame, bad airflow on the back of the unit, no airflow inside the unit. There are a number of potential causes. Did you install it yourself?
Not sure where you ever got the idea that I was doing that. The old unit was an absorption cooling unit that leaked its ammonia water mixture. That was what the yellow powder residue was. I replaced the cooling unit with a 12 volt compressor cooling unit that utilizes standard refrigerant. The cooling unit comes from the manufacture filled and ready for installation.
Hi John. Thank you for your input. We did have some issues with the audio at the end. I am sorry it was hard to listen to. We did know this, but at the time, we didn't have the time to re-record that part. I apologize and hope there was some value you received from the rest of the video. Thank you either way. Have a great day.
