Norcold

[MommaDrama]

Originally Posted by foggysail

Good luck Mommadrama.

I do want to clear up how the inverter is connected in my setup. First, the Norcold requires two power feeds, one at 12vdc and the other at 120vac. I only use the 120vac feed and my inverter is located remotely from the fridge.

Foggy

Thanks for the clarification! If you come up with the model number, etc. Let me know. I am open to all research. Only want to do this one more time! Is yours and upright freezer/refrigerator?

Thanks for your insight!

Mommadrama

[Richard Kollmann]

Thermodynamics of refrigeration are the same when it comes to removing heat and disposing of unwanted heat. Ice placed in a box will attract warm temperature inside box as ice melts at a rate of 144 Btu per pound of ice. Ice melting is open loop refrigeration because heat removal to make ice was done at a place where water heat was removed during its phase change to ice. Closed loop refrigeration like Norcold or Adler Barbour or any other refrigeration unit must dispose of both box internal heat and electrical and mechanical heat. All mechanical refrigeration must be designed and installed correctly for each application. Ninety percent of pleasure boat refrigerators do no perform as well as a home refrigerator because system was not designed for that application or unit is installed incorrectly without considering heat disposal or heat degree days onboard boat.

Norcold cabinet and icebox conversion units appear to all be designed for recreational vehicles and maybe air-conditioned boats. All of the Norcold units I have seen have Swing very small capacity compressors designed for refrigerator boxes of less than 4 cu ft in hot climates. It seems that refrigeration industry in general designs for best performance when unit is operating in seventy degree F ambient air. Norcold recommends on installation of their two piece icebox conversion unit that condensing piece be located in a 100 cubic ft area for heat disposal.

As far as any cabinet I recommend increasing airflow across condenser and providing a better path for all process heat to escape area around refrigerator preferable allow heated air to rise.

Many of the Swing compressor systems have static air condensers without heat sink fins and maybe only a small fan. See how this can be improved listed under FANS on my web site.

Increasing Insulation is over rated I feel if the exterior temperature of box insulation is with in four to five degrees of cabin temperature and no colder concentrate elsewhere on improving boats DC power grid.

As far as using a dorm 110 volt refrigerator operated from an inverter the problems are much the same as any other cabinet unit. The swing compressor itself is as energy efficient as they get and equal to Danfoss BD35 compressor at slow speed.

[Scott Berg]

FYI Vitrifrigo sells Norcold drop in replacements using Danfoss compressors and fan cooled condensers... Much colder and more efficient

Disclaimer: I used to sell both

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by MommaDrama

Thanks for the clarification! If you come up with the model number, etc. Let me know. I am open to all research. Only want to do this one more time! Is yours and upright freezer/refrigerator?

Thanks for your insight!

Mommadrama

The closest I can come to my unit is Summit's FF874W where the W is for whit. They now offer the cabinet in SS and black. What I found is advertised as 8.1 CU FT; I thought mine was 8.3. In anycase the dimensions are:
|
height 50.25
width 23.63
depth 27 all in inches of course.

Summit FF874W 24" Freestanding Refrigerators White

I also placed runner boards under mine when I installed it. Poor sketch but this is somewhat like what I have:

.
-----------------\______ |
------------------------- |<-----board step at ``````````````````````````````the rear.
^
|______ floor of boat, front of cabinet


The reason for the board with the step is the fridge is on rollers. OK, push the fridge into the hole, and fridge can roll right out. AHhhh but the step which is cut at 90 degrees not on an angle as my sketch shows prevents the fridge from moving.


I do not believe I can do anymore for you. You are now on your own and good luck. And as to Norcolds, if they could not build them right in the first place why should one believe their kits are any better?