My Fridge Died

[Caveman_Charlie]

😞 😞 My Norcold model 6053 fridge has all the symptoms of a plugged up pipe. I've tried to keep it level over the years but, I'm not the original owner of this Travel Trailer and,, it's 29 years old. I guess nothing last forever. It still sucks. I go dry camping sometimes and I have no wish to convert over to an all electric fridge.

I've been looking around the internet for a replacement cooling unit and I think I've found a good place called "RV Cooling Unit Warehouse". Does anyone have any reviews on this place or recommendations of other places where I can get a new cooling unit?

Has anyone done this job before and do you have any advice?

I'm not looking forward to the job and wish I could just buy a rebuilt fridge but, it doesn't seem like anyone does that. I just have to rebuild it myself. I've found a couple of You Tube videos on it but, none for exactly this fridge.

Does anyone have a good tutorial I can use to help me though this?

Thank you for any responses you can give.

[slider45]

TechWriter wrote:

Caveman Charlie wrote:
My Norcold model 6053 fridge has all the symptoms of a plugged up pipe. I've tried to keep it level over the years but, I'm not the original owner of this Travel Trailer and,, it's 29 years old. I guess nothing last forever. It still sucks. I go dry camping sometimes and I have no wish to convert over to an all electric fridge.

I've been looking around the internet for a replacement cooling unit and I think I've found a good place called "RV Cooling Unit Warehouse".

I have a 21-year-old original Dometic fridge and I would probably go with www.rvcoolingunit.com guys.

Cooling units are much cheaper to replace that entire fridges.

Suggest you talk with someone at the cooling unit warehouse for replacement advice.

They surely got good models!

[Caveman_Charlie]

To wrap up this thread.

After removing the fridge I found yellow powder at the bottom of the boiler tube. Soon after that it started leaking ammonia. I ordered, and had installed, a new cooling unit. Unfortunately this took a long time. Everyone is just so busy these days. Now it the propane part of the fridge won't stay lit. I've started another thread about that.

[Caveman_Charlie]

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Up to you of course!

Gotta take the fridge out anyways to fix it, wouldn't take long to try it.
It's actually not that bad to remove. I had mine out on the floor in about half an hour.

Short term fix? Like anything, it's a tumble of the dice.
6 years later mine was still going strong, and I know the guy I sold it to. Last time I talked to him it was still working.

Good luck on your repair, hope it doesn't cost too much. 🙂

Let us know the outcome.

OK, I will give it a try. I think the fridge will fit though the door of the camper. I will take closer measurements this weekend. The camper is at Gull Point State Park on Lake Okoboji Iowa right now. That is about 1.5 hours south of me. To get a spot for the 4th of July I had to set it there 14 days in advance at $16 a day. When I am down there this weekend I will take better measurements and look for a plug to put in the propane line.

After I come back from that park on the morning of the 5th I work until Friday the 8th and then I have a camping spot at a county park only 35 minutes from home. I will remove the fridge at the park and try your suggestion. I'll take along a old car battery and I should be able to tell if it works at the park.

After that I come home and work for a week.

Then the weekend of July 16th and 17th I'm taking some kids down to Arnolds Park Amusement Park on Lake Okoboji Iowa. It's a small amusement park but, in the 80's the were going to turn it into condos. It was saved by chartable events and is now a non-profit. I try to support them by taking some low income kids there every year and paying for their day at the park.

The week of July 18-23 I'm towing an old pop up camper I bought that I named "Plan B" to the Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior that's about a 6 hour drive for me. I have 6 days to see the whole north shore and Duluth. It will be a busy week.

I come back from there on a Monday and work Monday afternoon until Thursday morning.

Then I hook up to the main camper again and head to MN Whitewater State Park 3 hours east of me for 3 days.

Then I have a wedding the first weekend in August and a concert to go to that weekend.

Then I have to stay home for a week while my boss takes a week off to go camping.

Then I have the weekend of August 19-20 planed to go to a county park a hour south of me.

Then I work for a week.

Then I go to MN Camden State Park 1.5 hours north of me for a weekend.

Then I don't have anything planned in September.

So, as you can see this was not a good time for something to break. I wish I could just hire someone to fix it for me local but, there is no one around here. Hopefully shaking it around fixes it.

It really sucks that it broke but, ship happens, I guess.

[BobsYourUncle]

Up to you of course!

Gotta take the fridge out anyways to fix it, wouldn't take long to try it.
It's actually not that bad to remove. I had mine out on the floor in about half an hour.

Short term fix? Like anything, it's a tumble of the dice.
6 years later mine was still going strong, and I know the guy I sold it to. Last time I talked to him it was still working.

Good luck on your repair, hope it doesn't cost too much. 🙂

Let us know the outcome.

[Caveman_Charlie]

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Charlie this may be a long shot, but let me explain how I resurrected my fridge when it died. I tried everything to make it work, but no sale on that deal. It lit, the burner, 12V was fine etc but no cooling.

I was FT for 2 Alberta winters and it was really cold out. The fridge died exhibiting the symptoms you describe.
I bought a small bar fridge to hold me over until I could replace / repair my unit in the spring.

I removed the fridge from the TT and took it outside to the parking lot of where I was set up. I then "took it for a walk"

From the upright position, I laid it over on its side, waited I think about 30 seconds, may have been longer, a minute or 2, don't recall for sure. Then I turned it upside down and let it sit a for the same amount of time. Then on its side again, then back upright and so on, waiting in between flipping it. I repeated this process about 20 times or so (20 complete cycles from upright to upright), finishing with it in the upright position. I gave it about 15 minutes, then reinstalled it. I then waited for quite a number of hours, it may have been overnight, again, don't recall for sure.

After the wait was over, I turned it back on and voila!! Success!!
The fridge not only resumed operation, but worked 100% like a champ for the next few years until I sold it! It was I believe the spring of 2015 when I did that, and I sold the unit last fall, the fridge still working perfectly.

I figure a chunk of something internal came loose and blocked a pipe, and "taking it for a walk" dislodged it.

It's worth a try before you spend a gob of money and a bunch of effort on a new cooling unit or replacement fridge. What have you got to lose?

Mine was a 1997 model Dometic.

**On edit, I think it was maybe only about 10 times that I rolled it over, not 20. and I think I left it for at least a couple minutes in each position. Seems to me it took about an hour once the fridge was out. It has been a while, I forget exactly**

I've heard of that before. I've also heard that if you flip it upside down and let it set for awhile that will sometimes loosen stuff up too. But, I've also heard that this is a short time fix. If it wasn't so hard to remove it then I would be willing to try it. But, I think I'll just bite the bullet and rebuild it while I can still get the parts. Before you know it they won't be making them anymore. If I sell the camper I will remove the fridge and keep it. The Da**ed thing just works so well!!!! My brother has a 2 year old 5th wheel and his dometic fridge with the adjustable thermister on the coils works poorly and doesn't cool well. I think I will fix this one and keep it. Thanks for the post though !!!

[BobsYourUncle]

Charlie this may be a long shot, but let me explain how I resurrected my fridge when it died. I tried everything to make it work, but no sale on that deal. It lit, the burner, 12V was fine etc but no cooling.

I was FT for 2 Alberta winters and it was really cold out. The fridge died exhibiting the symptoms you describe.
I bought a small bar fridge to hold me over until I could replace / repair my unit in the spring.

I removed the fridge from the TT and took it outside to the parking lot of where I was set up. I then "took it for a walk"

From the upright position, I laid it over on its side, waited I think about 30 seconds, may have been longer, a minute or 2, don't recall for sure. Then I turned it upside down and let it sit a for the same amount of time. Then on its side again, then back upright and so on, waiting in between flipping it. I repeated this process about 20 times or so (20 complete cycles from upright to upright), finishing with it in the upright position. I gave it about 15 minutes, then reinstalled it. I then waited for quite a number of hours, it may have been overnight, again, don't recall for sure.

After the wait was over, I turned it back on and voila!! Success!!
The fridge not only resumed operation, but worked 100% like a champ for the next few years until I sold it! It was I believe the spring of 2015 when I did that, and I sold the unit last fall, the fridge still working perfectly.

I figure a chunk of something internal came loose and blocked a pipe, and "taking it for a walk" dislodged it.

It's worth a try before you spend a gob of money and a bunch of effort on a new cooling unit or replacement fridge. What have you got to lose?

Mine was a 1997 model Dometic.

**On edit, I think it was maybe only about 10 times that I rolled it over, not 20. and I think I left it for at least a couple minutes in each position. Seems to me it took about an hour once the fridge was out. It has been a while, I forget exactly**

[Caveman_Charlie]

Thank you all for your responses

[Scottiemom]

The only place I trust to work on RV fridges is National Refrigeration. Website is https://fixyourfridge.com/

They replaced my 4-door Norcold with a brand new Norcold including the swap for $2100.They are Amish and Glenn Miller is the owner. I believe they sell parts as well, but you're not that far from northern Indiana, where he is located.

Dale

[craig7h]

Two years ago my Norcold frg of 13 years decided it had served the RV well but needed a rest.

I was not in favor of replacing with a home style frig as my carpentry ability was not good enough to make the finial result look like it belonged there.

Replacing with a new Norcold would require removal of the windshield and that was a NO go.

I looked into replacing the cooling unit and found the JC Refrigeration had just what I wanted. Their customer service is way above average. The instalation went very well. My wife and I were able to do the job over a couple days. We could have done in in hours but we were in no hurry.

I made a dolly the same height as the bottom of the frig., sled the frig onto the dolly and was able to do all work in the camper.

I would ckeck out JC Refrigeration before making a decission.

https://jc-refrigeration.com/

[rhagfo]

TechWriter wrote:

Caveman Charlie wrote:
My Norcold model 6053 fridge has all the symptoms of a plugged up pipe. I've tried to keep it level over the years but, I'm not the original owner of this Travel Trailer and,, it's 29 years old. I guess nothing last forever. It still sucks. I go dry camping sometimes and I have no wish to convert over to an all electric fridge.

I've been looking around the internet for a replacement cooling unit and I think I've found a good place called "RV Cooling Unit Warehouse".

I have a 21-year-old original Dometic fridge and I would probably go with www.rvcoolingunit.com guys.

Cooling units are much cheaper to replace that entire fridges.

Suggest you talk with someone at the cooling unit warehouse for replacement advice.

I believe X3
We have used two units from them. First was in an 86 27’ King of the Road” used a refurbished unit. The second was in our current rig, 2005 Dometic RM2862, as we full time we went with the “New Amish Unit” both exceeded our expectations.

[TechWriter]

Caveman Charlie wrote:
My Norcold model 6053 fridge has all the symptoms of a plugged up pipe. I've tried to keep it level over the years but, I'm not the original owner of this Travel Trailer and,, it's 29 years old. I guess nothing last forever. It still sucks. I go dry camping sometimes and I have no wish to convert over to an all electric fridge.

I've been looking around the internet for a replacement cooling unit and I think I've found a good place called "RV Cooling Unit Warehouse".

I have a 21-year-old original Dometic fridge and I would probably go with www.rvcoolingunit.com guys.

Cooling units are much cheaper to replace that entire fridges.

Suggest you talk with someone at the cooling unit warehouse for replacement advice.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

In your shoes, I'd go to a 12 volt fridge.