OK, so here we are about two and a half months before we leave for the big round trip across America and our Norcold refrigerator dies. It had been intermittently been shutting down from time to time, but now all I get is a noCO error message on the display when the power is turned on. This happens on both propane and AC settings. I had read in some of the RV Forums I visit on a regular basis and found out there was a circuit board reset sequence that would restore the electronics and clear the noCO error. I followed the manufacturer's instructions and was successful in getting it to work twice, but then it died permanently...time to consider a replacement. Better now than out on the road having to live out of an ice chest.
Fortunately, when we became the new owners of this coach, we purchased an extended service policy from Good SAMS that covers almost everything, except for wearable parts like brakes, belts, hoses, etc. with a $1,000 deductible. The Norcold was covered, so we contacted Good SAMS extended service department and filed a claim. All they needed was an estimate from a certified repair facility and the work could begin.
We have been very happy with the RV dealership where we bought our coach, so I contacted the service manager and discussed it with him. He was very familiar with the process and had worked with Good SAM many times, so I turned it over to him to submit the estimate and start the process. Initially, his estimate included a replacement of the same Norcold model that was factory installed including labor to remove and install the new one. Good SAM would only authorize replacing just the cooling unit and if I wanted a complete unit, I would have to pay the deductible plus the difference between the cooling unit and a new refrigerator. The service manager recommended replacing the whole unit with a residential type refrigerator, as most owners are doing now, due to the cost of a new Norcold ($3,000).
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| Whirlpool 20.5 cu.ft. Model WRT311FZDB Top Freezer with optional IceMaker |
I did some online shopping on the internet at Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy and Brands Mart and found a Whirlpool 20.5 cu.ft Top Freezer model that fit the width dimensions perfect, but the height was a few inches higher than the opening in the cabinet where the Norcold is installed. With a little trimming of the cabinet at the top, the new Whirlpool will fit nicely in the space. The cost of the Whirpool model with an icemaker at Best Buy is $864 and whatever labor costs are, but my out of pocket expense is only the $1,000 deductible.
According to several other coach owners, replacing the Norcold with one of these residential refrigerators is the way to go. They work fine when operated with a modified sine wave converter for boondocking and their cooling/freezing performance is well above the RV style propane/AC refrigerators that most older coaches had installed.
I will post photos of the whole process when it's complete.
