Another Fridge Adventure, Amish Unit Took a Dump $$$$$$$

[Notn2bars]

We made the unfortunate decision to purchase an Amish 110 volt cooling unit to refurbish our Nevercold about 2 years ago.  The unit was purchased from JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, Indiana to the tune of $1400.00.  This included misc parts, shipping and the cooling unit.  Last fall my daughter came to visit and we took the MH to the gulf and noticed the fridge would only cool at the highest setting.  I noticed some corrosion at the fittings from the compressor to the coil.  Called JC and sent a pic of the corrosion.  The response I received was, "you must have it sitting outside for that to happen."  No offer of help! About 2 weeks ago, went out to the storage lot and turned the fridge on, waited 24 hours, not cooling at all.  Need new fridge.  Decided to install a residential unit, which is what we should have done in the first place.  (hindsight is 20/20).  Pulled the old unit out.  Here are pics of the removal. First, remove hinges between doors.  This will allow bottom doors to come free.  Take pliers and undo the round nuts on top of the upper doors.  Then they can be removed. Second, remove the white plastic piece at the bottom of the fridge, the one with three screws.  Third, remove the trim around the perimeter of the fridge.  It basically pops off.  Fourth, remove the 3 screws from the top of the fridge and 3 screws from the bottom. Fifth, (if you still have an original Nevercold, shut off propane and disconnect the line from the back of the unit, undo water line, disconnect plug from wall, disconnect 12 volt lines, you will find 2 screws going through the bottom sheet metal in the back of the unit, remove those) if not just disconnect plug and 12 volt wires (white and black).  Sixth, disconnect and remove light fixture in front of fridge.  Seventh pull fridge out from the hole and discard. Used a motorcycle jack to help with the removal, worked out great. I took great joy in cutting the Nevercold into two pieces with a saw and throwing it out the door. After removing Nevercold and tossing it outside, I took the compressor off and discovered 2 places where the freon had leaked out.  Shoddy craftsmanship at it's best.  If you were considering an Amish unit, beware.  Will continue tomorrow.  God Bless, Ed & Sylvia

Edited June 6, 2023 by Notn2bars

[96 EVO]

Ah...... You never informed them you were installing it in a motor vehicle that may need to go outside occasionally 🤣!!

[timaz996]

I’m sorry to hear that Ed. Mine has been working great for four years.

[Fasthobie16]

No problems here with my 120v going on 4 years now. They’re supposed to give you a 3 year warranty on the compressor. I guess that’s only the compressor itself. Still think they should have considered it a defect. 
what did you do with the old unit?

[birdshill123]

Did water get inside through the side vent? Did you seal that side vent?

[jacwjames]

Too bad, I had read good things about the Amish units. 

What residential did you decide to go with???

[Dr4Film]

Some of us have had expensive lessons while owning these coaches. Welcome to the club! I belong to it also.

I almost made the same mistake back in 2012 but luckily over dinner one of my RV friends laid out the pros (not too many) and cons (numerous) of going in each direction. I finally came to my senses and cancelled the service call at JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, Indiana the very next day. Then I placed an order for the Samsung RF-197 to be delivered to Billy Thibodeaux's RV in Scott LA.

That fridge is still working great after 11 years of non-stop operation and the new owners of the coach absolutely love it.

I would not have purchased the Dynasty that we now have if it didn't have a residential fridge already installed. It also has the Samsung RF-197 and love it!

[cbr046]

When our Norcold went bad I considered installing a new cooling unit myself but figured JC Ref would do a better job . . . . except I had just been to N IN about 2 weeks before the fridge died and didn't plan on going back for at least a year.  I never considered that freight handling might have compromised the cooling unit.  And that's my guess in your case.  Sorry for the double trouble!

We ended up finding a similarly sized almost new Dometic for $750 vs residential because of all the boondocking we do and the fact it would have required major surgery (lowering the floor, moving propane, electric and drain lines) to get a Samsung in it's place.  I must admit that I'm not looking forward to the Summer months. 

- bob

 

[ByronW]

Ed,

Thanks for this write up. Especially the part about the attitude of the Amish company. I am looking for a used motorhome to replace mine and all the ones I find have Norcold in them. My favorite has always been Dometic. I used to repair absorption units and hated fixing the Norcold units. My thoughts were to call JC Refrigeration and discuss my options if I ended up with a Norcold. Now I know not to deal with them. Norcold actually made a 12v compressor unit and they were well made.  I will either go residential or bite the bullet and buy a new Dometic absorption. Sorry for your grief. :)

Byron White

[jacwjames]

Back in ~2017 when we were building our house I was going to Lowe's almost everyday.  Always looking for deals I swung by the appliance area and they had a Samsung RF18 refrigerator that had been returned.  ~$865 on clearance.  I snapped it up and we used it in the new house until kitchens were complete and we bought full size units.  Samsung was then stored in the basement.  I figured eventually it would be installed in the Windsor 

At some point the Norcold crapped out and I installed the Samsung in the Windsor in 2019 when my brother was visiting and he was able to help, mostly getting the old out and new in.  Didn't use it much until 2021 but after having it in the coach and it being able to hold cold temps when outside temps were +100F I am 100% sure we made the right decision.  Wife went on a trip a couple weeks ago and I fired up the fridge and it was cold within hours.  Full ice bin a couple days later after I turned on the water. 

Ed,

I had done a writeup on IRV2 and recently posted about the location change for the intake and exhaust.  If you have any questions holler.  I can post more pictures. 

I see you have some sort of hydraulic lift for getting the fridge in and out.  I'd suggest making a flat platform to make it easier to get the fridge in and out.  As I was fitting mine I pulled in and out many times as I was tweaking the install.  Especially at the end when I was adding blocks on to the back wall and side walls to center it.  In the end I was able just push it back and it would self center. 

[cbr046]

@ByronW Welcome to monacoers.org!  Funny, we had a 2002 Fleetwood Terra 32 and upgraded to a 2003 HR Endeavor 38.  I will admit:  I miss the turning radius of the Fleetwood and, while we were looking for another 34 / RR4R chassis, this 38 / RR8R chassis fell into our lap.  Many times I wish we had stuck to our guns and found an RR4R (Cayman, Knight, Ambassador, Neptune, LaPalma (gas or diesel) . . . ) that can turn!  What we don't miss is spring suspension and the whine of that V10 under our feet!  While I love the diesel it is much more complicated than working on a V10.

And now back to fridges . . . . I wouldn't be discouraged by one bad report.  JC Refrigeration (aka the Amish company) has an excellent reputation. 

- bob

[ByronW]

I hear you Bob,

 I am looking for a gas unit on a Workhorse Chassis. Harder to find but they are not as noisy as the Ford V10. Also want the Allison Transmission which comes with the Workhorse units.

I did start out looking for the Diesel but gave up on shorter ones and the fact that I could do a major portion of work on the gas unit. 

Thanks for all your information

Byron :)

[Notn2bars]

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read and reply to the post.  In answer to questions: Bruce, No water got inside, just the humidity in the air.  The coating wasn't applied correctly and the solder joints leaked.  See the pics of the lines where it is obvious the freon leaked out. Jim, Good to hear from you! It's my motorcycle lift.  Use it when working on the Ultra Classic. Good idea on the platform, will used plywood on top of the lift to accomplish that.We decided to go with a Frigidaire FRFG1723AV02 after many hours searching for a fridge with good reviews.   We were able to pic this up from American Freight Furniture for $900.00 including the new fridge warranty.  It just went off sale at Lowes and Home Depot for $1399.  Tim, Thank you for looking in.  The sympathy is appreciated, wish our luck had been as good as yours.  Bob H,  Their reputation is the reason we went with them in the first place.  They have a great reputation as long as you don't have an issue with a unit that has been already installed and you are close to their shop.  My bad for not thinking it through.  Fasthobie16, cut the unit apart and threw it out.  The compressor is still in the scrap metal trailer. Thank you for looking in Ben and Sharon, Dr4Film, ByronW and cbr046.  All input, suggestions and comments are of great value.  Here are some pics of the progress.  First pics of leaking lines. Next pic measured and marked cut line on platform.  Couldn't get to the pocket screws holding the shelf because of the furnace. Then pic of shelf after cutting.  Next pic of where old propane line was removed and capped.  Next, marked wires and ducts to furnace (I take lots of pictures and mark anything that needs to come apart and go back together:). Pic showing one of the L brackets holding the furnace in place. Our furnace was sitting on top of a couple of 2x4's laid on side.  Then a pic of furnace removed.  All in all not too difficult a job.  Unfortunately the furnace must sit directly on the floor which necessitates the relocation of the in house vacuum port.  That is going to be a PITA.  Will post more on that tomorrow.

[birdshill123]

As a business owner I firmly believe in the following: It is easy to appear like you look after customers when things go well. But when there are problems how these problems are handled  separates the good from the bad. In this case JC should have fixed the problem. His lack of concern could cost him  his reputation. Sometimes it pays to realize that you have made a mistake

 Immediately  he should have quickly offered to make it right.

 

[pulsarjab]

I spent many years keeping the Norcold working in our Diplomat. At one time or another, I replaced electric heaters, the main control board, the thermostat and front panel, and several ice makers. Finally, after many nights of getting up to check to make sure it was working, I decided the only way I was going to be comfortable in the RV was to get rid of the worry. I was elated to see the JC compressor but thought all I was doing was replacing another part and the cost was more than a residential unit. The Frigidaire will run 24 hours on the batteries and is always cold. My wife is a great cook and when she stands in front of the refrigerator, with the door open, pulling stuff out for another great meal, I just smile, knowing that thing will maintain good temps. Lots to love and little to worry.

[Guest Al redcay]

I thought you were going to wait for me to get back down to Tx to help, I’m glad I went residential it’s working good an has a lot more room than norcold. What model did you buy.

[Notn2bars]

Birdshill123, my thoughts exactly.  Especially considering the money spent.  Pulsarjab, we went with the Frigidaire after many hours of searching and reading reviews.  Al, we purchased the same model as you.  Found one at at scratch and dent outfit in McAllen.  Reconfigured the in house vacuum and we are ready to glue everything back together.  Will post progress later today.  God Bless, Ed & Sylvia

[Rich Cutler]

For those concerned about boondocking with a residential, our RF18 consumes very little power and runs on MSW.  We recharge a few hours every day.   Not sure about those without an inverter compressor.  The Nocold was removed working and we could not give it away.  Someone on this site took the electronics but that was it.   We had added all the recalls to the Nocold over time and eventually took the class action money to purchase the RF18.  I just did not want it to fail or catch fire on my watch.  Never had a part fail, it just was never as cold as a residential, even had placed one of those small circulating fans inside which helped.

[Notn2bars]

Rich, thank you for taking the time to look in. Just finished glueing the vacuum system back together.  The system came with 2 inch pvc ID.  2 in schedule 40 fittings won't work with the vaccuum lines, as they openings are to large.  1 1/2 inch schedule 40 fittings only have 1.90 inches openings, thus they will not accept the vacuum line.  Took a heat gun and heated up the schedule 40 fittings. After the fitting became soft, forced the 2 inch vacuum line into the fitting, the fitting expanded to accept the line.  Allowed the fitting to cool and it retained it's new shape.  Used the same method on all the fittings before dry fitting everything together.  As an aside, if you decide not to use the fitting after heating it up and expanding it, the pvc has a memory, just heat it back up till it's soft again and it will go back to its original shape.  It's all glued together now, just need to put the power line back in place and cover all the holes.   The first pic shows the how the fitting expanded to fit the vacuum line.  Placed a piece of 1 1/2 inch schedule 40 into the expanded fitting to show the expansion.  Other pics are of the glued up vacuum system in the basement and in the fridge cabinet.  Will work on it after things cool down (it's 94 in the shade) and post additional progress.  God Bless, Ed & Sylvia

[Notn2bars]

Finished up vacuum lines and covering holes.  Nicked the wiring in back of the outlet when cutting out the wall.  Had to pull outlet, strip bad insulation and cover with heat shrink.  Put everything back in place.  Now no electricity to this outlet, too funny how things compound when working on RVs.  The goal today was to reinstall the furnace.  Didn't happen.  Need to drill one hole for the furnace, the former bottom hole lines up perfectly with top tube of the furnace.  Not sure if it's intake or exhaust.  So only need to drill a hole for the bottom tube of the furnace.  Pray this finds all well with everyone.  God Bless, Ed & Sylvia

[96 EVO]

I'm in the process of cutting large holes in the floor, (about where you are) to install a diesel air heater.

You really have to watch for wiring! It's hidden everywhere under the floor!

[Bill R]

@Notn2bars maybe you just tripped a breaker or GFCI when you nicked the wire.  If your refrig outlet is on a GFCI, now may be a good time to change that.  The outlet to our coach residential frig was on a GFCI circuit that also supplied power to other outlets in the kitchen.  So I had to run a dedicated line to the refrigerator from the GFCI Line input.  It would have been so much easier to have done this before the refrigerator was installed.  
Your project is looking good.  

[Guest Al redcay]

On 6/6/2023 at 11:52 AM, cbr046 said:

@ByronW Welcome to monacoers.org!  Funny, we had a 2002 Fleetwood Terra 32 and upgraded to a 2003 HR Endeavor 38.  I will admit:  I miss the turning radius of the Fleetwood and, while we were looking for another 34 / RR4R chassis, this 38 / RR8R chassis fell into our lap.  Many times I wish we had stuck to our guns and found an RR4R (Cayman, Knight, Ambassador, Neptune, LaPalma (gas or diesel) . . . ) that can turn!  What we don't miss is spring suspension and the whine of that V10 under our feet!  While I love the diesel it is much more complicated than working on a V10.

And now back to fridges . . . . I wouldn't be discouraged by one bad report.  JC Refrigeration (aka the Amish company) has an excellent reputation. 

- bob

I read everything I could find about jc versus residential an jc didn’t fair well so I went residential a glad I did. Home Depot has a fridgadire model fit in door of my 2005 Monaco cheetah , 

[Georgia Mike]

My experience with JC was very positive. When my Norcold started acting up I replaced it myself with a JC gas cooling unit. After installation it never worked right. I played with it for a few weeks or more and still didn’t cool well in warm weather. After speaking with them and doing some tests they determined that the unit was defective. I didn’t want another gas model so they sent me a brand new 12 volt dual compressor model at no cost.  I have used it now in all seasons and it has been rock steady at 36 degrees and 0 degrees in the freezer. Just finishing up a 6 week trip out west and it has been perfect. I always worried about the temperature in the fridge but not anymore. JC  should have given your money back or replaced it with another unit at the least. I’m just know my experience was positive with them.

[birdshill123]

It is a shame that companies do not post on forums when they get a bad revues. Probably they do not want to be part of an online war. It is always best to get both sides of the story.