Reset recall device

[Jimalberta]

Had a recall done on my Norcold fridge this spring and then during a heavy rain storm this summer it quit on me. So for a temporary fix I rewired it back to original and forgot about it till this week.

So...I needed to see if I could get it to reset using the magnet trick that is around some of the forums...it actually worked. Had to use my magnetic pickup tool and held it to the top of the device above the led light for about 6 or 7 seconds...heard a faint click and it reset. Got my fingers crossed that this will last.

[Wrknrvr]

Sometimes it may take up to a minute or more.

But if it did trip you need to look very closely at the burner area for a yellow stain. Several years ago I had one that apparently leaked very slowly and had a small stain just at the burner bottom. I found it after taking the insulation apart and looking at the tubing that has the refrigerant in it.

 

 

Safe Travels, Vern

[Jimalberta]

Yes if it trips again I will be more concerned. The local RV repair shop said that it is common for them to trip in bad weather. So I asked him if I was now required to stay in good weather only.....he didnt have much of a reply.

[docj]

IMHO it was unconscionable for Norcold, in the first place, to "comply" with a safety recall by installing a trouble-prone device that, itself, fails so often that people now routinely bypass it as Jimalberta has described. Everyone should recognize that bypassing safety devices is a particularly risky endeavor even if it is quite likely that the device has tripped because of a false alarm.

 

As Jim has been cautioned, anyone who "resets" the safety device should be extremely vigilant to ensure that a high temperature situation doesn't exist. I further suggest that Escapees make it clear that it does not endorse any "directions" posted on its forum for bypassing the safety devices. Personally, I would try to prevent the posting of such directions on the forum.

[Jimalberta]

Joel...once the device has been reset it functions normally. Its not a cheat around any safety issue. My cheat to keep the fridge working was a temporary rewire back to original to avoid losing a fridge full of food....a risk but a temporary risk. Like I stated if it trips anymore then I will know I have a problem with the fridge. I have no discoloring or odor out at the back of the fridge at this point.

 

When you are on the road or boondocking and have a fridge full of food you have to do something.

 

These devices commonly fail....Norcold needs a better device.

[57becky]

After our Norcold 1210 lost it's replacement cooling unit after less than six months, I installed one of the ARP devices as advertised in the Escapees magazine when the second replacement cooling unit was installed. Heat makes these fridges work, but heat will also kill them if it gets too hot. So far, the ARP device is working exactly as advertised and our fridge is working better than the original cooling unit did, and also better than the first replacement unit, which was also a Norcold part. The original unit failed due to a plugged up system, and the replacement failed due to a leak, and both failures could be caused from excessive heat.

[Jimalberta]

Yes the ARP device is on my to do list...will get it when we head south this October.

[Biker56]

I further suggest that Escapees make it clear that it does not endorse any "directions" posted on its forum for bypassing the safety devices. Personally, I would try to prevent the posting of such directions on the forum.

 

That is covered under the Rules That everyone agreed too when registering to use the forum.

 

"Although Escapees RV Club does not and cannot review the messages posted and is not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message, avatar, attachment, or link for any or no reason whatsoever. This includes, but is not limited to, any content that is deemed offensive in nature, violates Escapees policies, or is of questionable legal nature. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s)."

 

"We reserve the right to reveal your identity (or whatever information we know about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by you. We also reserve the right to suspend the access of any forum participant who violates the forum rules, or fails to follow the directions of the forum administrators and/or moderators, or for any reason whatsoever that the administrators or moderators feel is sufficient grounds for suspension. Allowing registered members access to the posting function of the forum is solely at our discretion."

[docj]

Joel...once the device has been reset it functions normally. Its not a cheat around any safety issue. My cheat to keep the fridge working was a temporary rewire back to original to avoid losing a fridge full of food....a risk but a temporary risk. Like I stated if it trips anymore then I will know I have a problem with the fridge. I have no discoloring or odor out at the back of the fridge at this point.

 

 

 

I'm not faulting you for doing what you did and I do know that the device works normally after being reset. The problem is analogous to repeatedly resetting a circuit breaker when there is an underlying circuit problem. Sooner or later the breaker goes bad or the wiring problem becomes too large to ignore.

 

From the posts I have read by people who use the "Norcold reset trick", I would be surprised if many of them really check to see if they have a problem. The majority of the posts (there are a lot of them on Facebook) are along the lines of "here's a trick to reset your Norcold if the high temp device shuts it down." Resetting the device without carefully checking to see if there are signs of a leak is a dangerous practice.

[Kirk W]

, I installed one of the ARP devices as advertised in the Escapees magazine when the second replacement cooling unit was installed.

Both Mark Nemeth and myself are satisfied users of the ARP device. I kept a temperature sensor on the boiler of mine for a time with the device in place and it does remove the extreme highs like they claim. Mark is recommending them in the RV's Boot Camp program.

 

From the posts I have read by people who use the "Norcold reset trick", I would be surprised if many of them really check to see if they have a problem. The majority of the posts (there are a lot of them on Facebook) are along the lines of "here's a trick to reset your Norcold if the high temp device shuts it down." Resetting the device without carefully checking to see if there are signs of a leak is a dangerous practice.

I'm with you on this one. A circuit breaker is designed to weaken and slowly lower the trip point when frequently reset but as far as I know, that isn't the case with the Norcold fail safe device.

 

As an interesting side note, the owner/designer of the ARP has attempted to sell rights to his product to both Dometic & Norcold with no response, but Norcold did attempt to patent a very similar design but was rejected by the US patent office on the grounds of copying an existing patent for the ARP.

[Jimalberta]

From what I can see the ARP device is the same as the Device that was put on by the Norcold recall with the added feature of an automatic reset....unless I'm missing something?

Can anyone point me to where I can buy one?

[Kirk W]

....unless I'm missing something?

 

Can anyone point me to where I can buy one?

You are missing a bunch. The ARP monitors the temperatures of the boiler and simply turns off the refrigerator until the temperatures fall back well below the safety point. Following the setup instructions you can then set the temperature to a safe level based upon your refrigerator's actual operating temperatures while sitting still and level. You set it up to shut off before the Norcold device which is an over temperature device that dose nothing until after the boiler reaches a dangerous temperature and then it turns off until it is reset.

 

The ARP is not something that Mark Nemeth or myself would endorse if it were not significantly more than the hokey device they use now.

You can get more and better information from the website of ARP-RV.

[Jimalberta]

Kirk....I get it. I didnt miss anything. Both devices operate on the same principle....they sense a temperature and react to it. The ARP device I agree is a much better solution for continued use of my fridge. I do believe even with the ARP device I need to keep the Norcold recall device installed as a safety repair....correct?

[57becky]

The installation instructions that are provided for the ARP device specifically say DO NOT disconnect the Norcold device, as that would void the Norcold warranty, and I think in the event of a possible failure of the ARP device, it is still better than nothing having the Norcold device there to shut down the fridge in a catastrophic failure event.

[Kirk W]

. I do believe even with the ARP device I need to keep the Norcold recall device installed as a safety repair....correct?

Yes. You make no modifications to the refrigerator at all.

 

The difference is that the ARP actually monitors the temperature and keeps track of it, while the Norccold device is simply a thermostatic device that is open or closed.

[JohnM]

When our Norcold safety module faulted in early spring due to rain blowing sideways into the vent, I welcomed the information posted on several websites as to the possibility of resetting the module. It was because of the information posted that I was able to make an informed decision about resetting the magnetic switch on the module after such an event as heavy rains, pressure washing or ever an errant squirt of the hose thru the refrigerator vent. There were discussions available pointing out the poor design of the module in causing moisture deactivating the module, as well as the experiences of fellow RVers in attempting to get the repair done within Norcold's guidelines. In our case the frig went out on a Friday night. The Norcold procedure when the module activates is to take the RV to an authorized Norcold technician who will then verify that the refrigerator is working properly and not overheating. If the refrigerator works properly, the authorized technician will reset the module and you are good to go. If the module itself has failed, the technician will order a replacement module from Norcold who ships it to arrive "in 3 to 5 business days". Norcold does not pre-position these modules at authorized repair locations and according to the internet articles and the service tech I spoke with, the replacements are serial number controlled. It is no wonder that people are considering resetting the module themselves, to avoid the incovenience, costs and potential delays caused by this module. I have also installed the ARP module after our refrigerator was made temporarily inoperable by the Norcold Safety Module and am seriously considering going to a residential refrigerator at the least (further) provocation.