Replacing 8.1 cu ft Norcold Refrigerator

We're replacing our Norcold refrigerator and other than a Norcold replacement, we're considering a Vitrifrigo of the same size. None of these are frost free and we are wondering if the membership can enlighten us as to a good replacement.

Greetings,
Mr. C2. Can't really recommend any particular brand/model but it I'm pretty sure a frost free refer depends on a fan running quite a bit so this would suggest a greater power draw.

From the looks of your installation you would require a front venting model as your tight enclosure would hinder proper venting of any other sort and lead to an early demise of the appliance.

Have you looked into WAECO (Dometic)? They now have a larger model, the CR0140. I'd give that one a look see. When I did my research one reason these stood out was because of their relatively low energy consumption.

Note: The CR series are not frost free.

To avoid costly renovations to your interior finishings, take your dead Norcold to a fridge shop and have them take out the guts and replace them with a DC only Danfoss compressor unit.
I had a Norcold, and did so. This also allowed me to reduce my total battery load by 1/2, since I no longer had to feed the huge appetite for power of the AC/DC Norcold.

USE the unit that vents the unit into the cabin !!!

Forget the name.

Looking at new fridges myself....seems like half the reviewers claim Norcold has switched to new Danfoss compressors and half say no they are still using Engle manufactured compressors.


Guess I will have to call manufacturer and/or inspect unit out of box.

I had the same nevercold. It was a 10amp DC monster. With two compressors, it was the biggest in the market at that time.


After much research, we settled on an isotherm. Great frig, not frost free, but only pulls 1amp. The only thing I didn't like was there is not a mounting flange like your nevercold.

Well a little research reveals that Norcold switched to Danfoss just recently...halfway through their new line of 7.0 cu ft ac/dc fridges.


Not sure any compressor only uses 1 amp running...it certainly could be the average amp hr draw which I am hoping the new Norcolds are close to.


Isotherm CR219 (looks like your pic) from Defender web page which seems similar to all the newer fridges.



Current Draw:

• Compressor Running: 6.0 Amp @ 12 Volt DC (half at 24 Volt DC)
• Average: 2.3 - 2.5 Amp @ 12 Volt DC *

If my opening was taller I would probably go isotherm too as their water heater I installed is impressive. But to fit, I would have to drop down to their classic which is smaller....doesn't fit as well and is another $700 more....well I might still...but have to think on it some more.

psneeld said:

Well a little research reveals that Norcold switched to Danfoss just recently...halfway through their new line of 7.0 cu ft ac/dc fridges.


Not sure any compressor only uses 1 amp running...it certainly could be the average amp hr draw which I am hoping the new Norcolds are close to.


If my opening was taller I would probably go isotherm too as their water heater I installed is impressive. But to fit, I would have to drop down to their classic which is smaller....doesn't fit as well and is another $700 more....well I might still...but have to think on it some more.

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I could believe too, but 1 amp. You are right about the cabinet mods. The Isotherm was a little taller and not as wide. We are extremely satisfied with its performance, so far.

Norcold Replaement

I would consider a Nova Kool to replace your Norcold. The freezer compartment is on the bottom and the ventilation is in the front of the refrigerator. It is exactly the same size to the Norcold and has a Danfoss compressor.

Bensjoy said:

I would consider a Nova Kool to replace your Norcold. The freezer compartment is on the bottom and the ventilation is in the front of the refrigerator. It is exactly the same size to the Norcold and has a Danfoss compressor.

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Thank you...not sure about the freezer on the bottom...understand the convenience but not the thermodynamic efficiency.

Had a Tundra T-80 (made by Vitrofrigo) that died at the ripe old age of 28 years old. I replaced it with a Vitrofrigo as it had all the same dimensions and slid right into the hole.

No brainer and uses 30% less energy.

Bensjoy said:

I would consider a Nova Kool to replace your Norcold. The freezer compartment is on the bottom and the ventilation is in the front of the refrigerator. It is exactly the same size to the Norcold and has a Danfoss compressor.

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Exactly what we did in 2004, our Nova Kool has performed flawlessly 24/7/365 ever since.......

it will be interesting now tt Norcold uses Danfoss compressors how they stack up.


For those that have current Norcolds, like many, easy install options are limited.


Anyone have info on how bottom freezers are as efficient as top freezers?

Walt...hope you got some ideas...I have...

But I would still love to know if the bottom freezer reduces efficiency...if just doesn't make a lot of sense to me in that regard.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

I had the same nevercold. It was a 10amp DC monster. With two compressors, it was the biggest in the market at that time.


After much research, we settled on an isotherm. Great frig, not frost free, but only pulls 1amp. The only thing I didn't like was there is not a mounting flange like your nevercold.

Click to expand...

Exactly what model Isotherm is that fridge?

Norcold uses a 110 VAC compressor and inverts 12 VDC, not frost free.
Why not buy a 110 Ac frost free refrigerator and use a inverter on 12 VDC ?

HiDHo said:

Norcold uses a 110 VAC compressor and inverts 12 VDC, not frost free.
Why not buy a 110 Ac frost free refrigerator and use a inverter on 12 VDC ?

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Not the unit I am looking at...it uses a Danfoss 12V compressor and reportedly uses a fraction of the power that a household fridge does...plus none of them really fit without major surgery.

we had our local refrigeration guy out to do warranty work on our ice maker and he swears by the Vitrifrigio (sp?) and says there is one the exact size as the nor cold that he keeps in stock as he swaps them "all the time". I have been pondering a replacement to the nor cold for five years and still have not made up my mind.
I like the idea to swap out the compressor- can they replace the rubber door seal? that thing is gross.

psneeld said:

Walt...hope you got some ideas...I have...

But I would still love to know if the bottom freezer reduces efficiency...if just doesn't make a lot of sense to me in that regard.

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Well, I looked at a NovaKool today and didn't like the freezer on the bottom. It does fit the hole the old Norcold will leave, however. Yes, I believe that Norcold has changed to Danfoss compressors but the frig that caught my eye is the Vitrifrigo! Fits exactly in the same hole as the Norcold but has 8.1 cubic feet! (1 cubic foot more than the Norcold) Another thing that really impressed me is the "seal" around the doors. My friend has had his Vitrifrigo for two weeks and there is no evidence of it even being close to needing a defrosting.( MY Norcold needs one about every week.) So far my vote goes to Vitrifrigo!

Codger2 said:

the frig that caught my eye is the Vitrifrigo! Fits exactly in the same hole as the Norcold but has 8.1 cubic feet! (1 cubic foot more than the Norcold) Another thing that really impressed me is the "seal" around the doors. My friend has had his Vitrifrigo for two weeks and there is no evidence of it even being close to needing a defrosting.( MY Norcold needs one about every week.) So far my vote goes to Vitrifrigo!

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sure is a nice looking unit. would look great on your boat

HiDHo"Norcold uses a 110 VAC compressor and inverts 12 VDC, not frost free.
Why not buy a 110 Ac frost free refrigerator and use a inverter on 12 VDC ?"

Exactly!
Norcold is for RVs. They get to the campground and plug in. The only DC usage is while on the road, so inverter load doesn't count. In my boat, I count everything. My old Norcold drew more on DC than could be justified.. Far more than the batteries could keep up to. Got rid of it, put in the Danfoss, and the load dropped so much that I was able to cut my battery bank to 1/2 what it had been, and I added a freezer (also on a Danfoss DC only).

So put in a DC only if you want to be able to hang on the hook for a few days. If you put in a 110v, and use your inverter you suffer the greater draw of the frost free fridge PLUS the 5 amps of inverter draw for the whole time the inverter is turned on. That puts you right back where you were with the old style Norcold. The poorest efficiency of all. No chance of hanging on the hook for more than a quick one nighter. Plus an extra $1000 of batteries.

A few years back the old Norcold was dying slowly, 12 VDC inverter quit and door seals worn out. We installed a Summit frost free 110 AC unit, when underway or anchored we run our sound shielded NL 5KW generator and feel like the pint or so of diesel an hour it uses is worth having all the conviency of dockside power.

I will confirm the new Norcolds do use a Danfoss Compressor. I bought one 2 years ago. I looked at it. Right there on the compressor...."Danfoss". With that said, the Norcold is still a pile of crap. I would highly recommend anything but Norcold. So Walt, your initial intent in the original post is a good one. The quality of the hardware(hinges, latches, etc) is horrible. It still keeps things just kinda sorta maybe sorta cold. Anyway, I bought it because it fit the hole in my interior. I looked around and couldn't get good info and similarity of sizes of other units. Norcold continues the legend....of sucking!!!

Capt.Bill11 said:

Exactly what model Isotherm is that fridge?

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I believe it is the CR 219. The CR 271 was taller and I would have had to raise the top of the cabinet. I had to take a little out of the bottom drawer to get it to fit.

I'm not aware of any marine refrigerator that has a automatic defrost feature. But, I read on Panbo about a new product that may accomplish automatic defrosting. At the Seattle Boat Show I had the opportunity to talk to the developer at the Sure Marine booth about the "Fridge Optimizer" and it looks like something I may try on my boat.

It does the defrosting by mounting a fan in the refrigerator that is strong enough to really move the air around. However, the water that develops from defrosting stays in the drain pan and must be mopped out. The developer told me the freezer section does not defrost because the moving fan air does not reach that area. This unit also does much more to make the refrigerator more efficient.

You can read much more on their web site:

Fridge Optimizer | Stainless Lobster | Creative Marine Products

The main defrosting a fridge needs is the water in the insulation trapped in the box walls.

Very thin insulation (bigger interior) can not stay frost free .

Most house fridges have a weekly insulation defrost period with heater elements n the box walls and door.

K street bought this energy use NOT to be included in the annual Watts required sticker.

Caviat Emptor

I had the same refrigerator as yours, this year I replaced it with a Nova cool. fit in the same space it is more efficient and is much easier to keep the box temperature below 40

Still no Novacooler's that can explain how a bottom freezer is efficient all things equal?

I am considering the NovaKool with the bottom ventilation and freezer due to easier access to the compressor and because we use the fridge way more than the freezer and the fridge on top is more convenient. I am wondering though about where the water drains when the lower freezer is defrosted.