Residental alternatives to replace the Norcold 1200

[Joint Venture]

17 minutes ago, Georgia Mike said:

I did the same conversion myself almost 2 years ago and so far it has been flawless. We have the stainless steel doors on our Norcold and it matches good with our appliances so I wanted to keep it and didn’t want to do any modifications. I know the door seals can be an issue but ours are good and if they became a problem I would find a way to replace them without replacing the doors. Also I have read problems with the hinges breaking but I’m not sure how that could happen unless you forget to close the doors before you drive down the road. Ours are steel hinges and seem to be very stout. As long as the Norcold box is in good shape I would definitely get rid of the fire hazard innards and turn it into a residential. We have traveled the country this past year in all type of climates and it has been rock steady 36-37 in fridge and 0 to -2 in our freezer I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

Like you I considered the present condition of our Norcold and could not find anything worn in regards to hinges, door seals and liked how the door paneling matched our cabinets. Glad to hear yours is working well after 2 years.

[tmw188]

If your happy with 10cf at best it’s a viable option. 

[Joint Venture]

4 minutes ago, tmw188 said:

If your happy with 10cf at best it’s a viable option. 

Over the years we have had as much as 21CF fridges in our homes, No matter the size, they always were completely full. Our present Norcold works well for us and we do have a portable freezer in the basement for additional frozen food products.

[1nolaguy]

Jim, Ours is on a "shelf" over a furnace. I replaced the "shelf" which was made of particle board, with 3/4" plywood and had to replace some of the supports. It amazes me how they supported such heavy shelves with 3/4" X3/4" white wood stapled to luan walls. I ended up putting a brace made of 2x4 in front of the furnace to provide added support. The left side of the fridge (facing it) is against the 1x2 side trim but it is about 1-1/4" off the wall. On the right side there is about 9" of space that will be a future project (pantry). I mounted the fridge to the 3/4" ply "shelf" using 2 steel brackets screwed to the floor and fridge. While this stabilizes the fridge if you hit a bad spot of road a loaded fridge will tip out, tearing out the screws from the fridge. To install I had to remove the header (top trim) of the opening. I am going to replace this with a 2-1/4" piece of cherry. I am thinking of using a piece of aluminum flat bar to attach the to of the fridge to this trim.

Any other suggestions about securing the fridge from the top and or back would be appreciated.

[jacwjames]

Not sure if you have good enough access from the top through the roof vent or not but you might see if you can put a bracket on the back of the fridge and they use a piece of tubing/metal to keep the top pushed towards the wall. 

I had to completely remove my self to work on the furnace to lower it ~1 5/8" to the floor.  This gave me enough headroom for the fridge but I had to get creative and used the heavy conduit strut material and made two legs and mounted them the same width as the rear and front rollers on the fridge.  I made sure the back rollers were fully resting on the strut material as the front wheels are narrower so the heavy brakets support and secure the front of the fridge. 

To keep the back of the refrigerator from shifting I added tapered blocks on either side at the rear so as I push it in it centers itself.  I also added block on the rear wall to keep it from tipping back.  The blocks keep it in its place. 

I then added the angle on the front, really don't even notice them.    In my case I have about a 1/2" gap on either side so it was easy to attach these and they have held firm.  Not sure if you could put something like this across the top even if you had to put some additional support across.

Never had a problem with the fridge shifting. 

[1nolaguy]

1 hour ago, Joint Venture said:

Over the years we have had as much as 21CF fridges in our homes, No matter the size, they always were completely full. Our present Norcold works well for us and we do have a portable freezer in the basement for additional frozen food products.

We too have traditionally had large fridges at home (for 20 years we had doubles (a total of 32cf) bottom freezer set up that we loved. It took a year to get adjusted but we now have 14cf at home and now in the RV we replaced our Norcold 1200 with a Insignia 11.6 cf bottom freezer unit from Best Buy (under $500 delivered). We have taken it on one 4.5 week trip and it was great. Much more usable room than the Norcold, ice and ice cream freeze and keep just like home. Very efficient; we can easily drive for 4-6 hours with it on inverter power and still have plenty of battery power left. Except for the fit issues I am still working out we love it.

[tmw188]

This is what I did while in FL to secure the bottom. At the top I have an angle running across the top about a foot back or so with a rubber cushion between the the angle and fridge. It works but I’m not as crazy about it as before. 

[1nolaguy]

1 hour ago, jacwjames said:

Not sure if you have good enough access from the top through the roof vent or not but you might see if you can put a bracket on the back of the fridge and they use a piece of tubing/metal to keep the top pushed towards the wall. 

I had to completely remove my self to work on the furnace to lower it ~1 5/8" to the floor.  This gave me enough headroom for the fridge but I had to get creative and used the heavy conduit strut material and made two legs and mounted them the same width as the rear and front rollers on the fridge.  I made sure the back rollers were fully resting on the strut material as the front wheels are narrower so the heavy brakets support and secure the front of the fridge. 

To keep the back of the refrigerator from shifting I added tapered blocks on either side at the rear so as I push it in it centers itself.  I also added block on the rear wall to keep it from tipping back.  The blocks keep it in its place. 

I then added the angle on the front, really don't even notice them.    In my case I have about a 1/2" gap on either side so it was easy to attach these and they have held firm.  Not sure if you could put something like this across the top even if you had to put some additional support across.

Never had a problem with the fridge shifting. 

So you attached the angle to the fridge an then placed in the hole and attached to the frame?

[jacwjames]

3 hours ago, 1nolaguy said:

So you attached the angle to the fridge an then placed in the hole and attached to the frame?

I actually put he fridge in the cabinet, fastened feet anchor, and made sure it was centered in the hole.  I had precut and drilled the angle and painted the exposed sides, attached the HD 3M tape and then placed them onto the fridge where I wanted them so that they would be tight to the wood.  I then made sure the screws that I installed were pressing toward the fridge to make sure the angle was as tight as possible to the fridge.   That way I didn't have to do much measuring and the fridge was where it needed to be. 

I think the blocking that I put at the rear of the fridge on the sides and back help, it can't shift side to side or front to back, pretty much locked in place. 

Hasn't move at all since install and doubt it ever will.   I've put ~20K miles on since then over some pretty rough roads and a couple hard braking instances. 

Edited November 21, 2023 by jacwjames

[1nolaguy]

On 11/20/2023 at 8:55 PM, jacwjames said:

What is the new fridge installed on, floor or a shelf??

I have a furnace underneath so had to get creative, I modified the the bottom portion of my refrigerator opening so I could mount a heavy L bracket in the location right under the fridge leveling feet.  I removed the leveling foot, marked for a hole to align with the foot, took the bracket off and drilled a hole through it and remounted, then threaded the foot back into the fridge.  This took care of the bottom.

For the top I used 1.5" aluminum angle about 10" long.  I used the HD 3M adhesive tape to attach it to the sides and then just drill holes and put screws into the face of the cabinet.  Painted them black and you can't even see them. 

Thanks Jack. For my application this sounds like the way to go. It will be after the holidays before I can do this but your solution sound like it will work well for me. I will post a follow up with some pics once the project is completed.

[Dr4Film]

I watched and photographed almost the entire sequence of the RV shop in Scott LA removing the NotSoCold and installing the Samsung RF-197 in our previous Windsor.

The Samsung is mounted on a lowered shelf where the NotSoCold sat. The shop secured the front with two lag screws mounted from below the shelf up and into each of the feet which had been reversed on each corner. Then they installed three lag screws using fender washers at the rear. They went through the fridges base frame and into the newly installed shelf.

That fridge hasn't moved a millimeter since it was installed in 2012. The new owners absolutely love the residential fridge.

Our Dynasty came with the Samsung RF-197 already installed so I have no idea how it was secured and hopefully I never have to find out.

[JacobA]

Has anyone tried the “defrost fix by adding a wire in the drain”? We have a rf197 and it was already installed when we bought the Rv, it’s been really good for 9 years with the exception of a defrost issue. Apparently it’s a known issue regardless of Rv or home use. From time to time we would have water under the drawers in the fridge, sometimes frozen others just wet. A couple weeks ago Rv was plugged in at home and we herd the fan in the fridge making noise so we unplugged it and after it defrosted we cleaned the water that was in the fridge again and it worked fine. 
Currently on a trip and the fridge wouldn’t cool past 56 for two days so I decided to remove the fridge inside panel to see if the fan failed. After hours of defrost time and a blow dryer I got it off and it was completely froze up. The last thing to clear or defrost was the drain. So it kinda made sense that when it froze up that it would lead into the fridge instead of down the drain causing it to freeze over and over. So I found a post from a appliance repair company that said for years he has been hanging a piece of 6” 12/2 ground wire loosely over the heater tube and down the drain hole to keep it clear. Seems to make sense that if the drain stays frozen the water either drains into the fridge or just keeps freezing up the coils and fan.We are five more days into the trip and holding at 36. Time will tell.

[Dr4Film]

@JacobA I was one of the first on this forum to have this problem with water collecting under the bins back in the fall of 2012 shortly after having the RF-197 installed. I was located in Valencia Travel Village in Santa Clarita CA at the time. I called for a Samsung service call under warranty. The tech that came out discovered exactly what you had found. He made some calls and found out that there was a "tech service bulletin" about this problem. The fix was to install a larger defrost clip. He ordered two, one for each compartment, fridge and freezer. That solved the problem for many years.

However, maybe 8-10 years later I discovered a very small amount of water under the bins one day. I removed the cover and installed a copper wire in addition to the larger defrost clip to supplement the clip. Never saw anymore water ever again.

Later I sold the coach, and to my knowledge there hasn't been anymore water found. However, the new coach owners after a year later had to replace a sensor and fan located in the fridge compartment as the fridge would not go into defrost mode.

After purchasing the 06 Dynasty and getting it home, I decided to remove the cover in the fridge compartment to see if the larger clip had been installed, NOPE, it was still the smaller factory installed one.

I ordered a new larger clip from Amazon and installed that PLUS I put in a copper wire too. Didn't want to deal with water under the bins again.

[jacwjames]

1 hour ago, JacobA said:

Has anyone tried the “defrost fix by adding a wire in the drain”? We have a rf197 and it was already installed when we bought the Rv, it’s been really good for 9 years with the exception of a defrost issue. Apparently it’s a known issue regardless of Rv or home use. From time to time we would have water under the drawers in the fridge, sometimes frozen others just wet. A couple weeks ago Rv was plugged in at home and we herd the fan in the fridge making noise so we unplugged it and after it defrosted we cleaned the water that was in the fridge again and it worked fine. 
Currently on a trip and the fridge wouldn’t cool past 56 for two days so I decided to remove the fridge inside panel to see if the fan failed. After hours of defrost time and a blow dryer I got it off and it was completely froze up. The last thing to clear or defrost was the drain. So it kinda made sense that when it froze up that it would lead into the fridge instead of down the drain causing it to freeze over and over. So I found a post from a appliance repair company that said for years he has been hanging a piece of 6” 12/2 ground wire loosely over the heater tube and down the drain hole to keep it clear. Seems to make sense that if the drain stays frozen the water either drains into the fridge or just keeps freezing up the coils and fan.We are five more days into the trip and holding at 36. Time will tell.

Do a search and it will show the kits you can buy to do this.  If you find one on Amazon they are usually good about posting the instructions.  If not another site may have the instructions. 

9 hours ago, 1nolaguy said:

Thanks Jack. For my application this sounds like the way to go. It will be after the holidays before I can do this but your solution sound like it will work well for me. I will post a follow up with some pics once the project is completed.

I did make sure to buy the good 3M tape, it really does hold.  Made sure to follow instructions and clean both surfaces you want it to adhere to. 

[JacobA]

I saw the kits but I’m on the road and the wire I had with me. Also some posts said that the larger defrost tabs still didn’t work. I like the idea that the wire will heat down the drain and just not above the drain hole. 
 

[6Wheels]

On 8/25/2023 at 3:31 PM, Dr4Film said:

The 32 inch counter depth Fisher-PayPal would also fit but the price may be unaffordable.

Fisher-Paykel?

[Dr4Film]

The new design clip from Amazon is actually larger and goes deeper into the drain hole. When I installed the copper wire I made sure to stick it well down into the hole before wrapping it around the heater element.

Amazon link - https://tinyurl.com/2cf2hh7s

55 minutes ago, 6Wheels said:

Fisher-Paykel?

That's what happens when your spellcheck takes over and it doesn't get proofread.

Plus you only have a specific amount of time to correct it otherwise it is "cast in stone" and too late.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Dr4Film

[Rocketman3]

I installed the Fisher-Paykel counter depth fridge in my 2000 Dynasty - we really like the fridge. Got it special ordered from Best Buy. 
 

For install - I had to drop the furnace 3-1/2” - it was mounted on the 2x4 - so I removed the 2x4 put in on the floor fixed the inlet and exhaust- then I could lower the shelf and the fridge would fit.

to keep it in place added some blocking on the sides and top - so it can only slide in and not tip in or out. Also I added a 3/4” piece of plywood under the back between the wheels. Then when the fridge was in place drove screws through the bottom metal fridge plate into the wood. It has held great!

a little trim on the sides and it looks good

My brother-in-law is an appliance repair guy and I asked him his opinion on the Samsung and Fisher& Paykel - he said stay away from Samsung… and you will love the Fisher &Paykel until you have to order parts - then it will take a while.

good luck

[1nolaguy]

2 hours ago, jacwjames said:

Do a search and it will show the kits you can buy to do this.  If you find one on Amazon they are usually good about posting the instructions.  If not another site may have the instructions. 

I did make sure to buy the good 3M tape, it really does hold.  Made sure to follow instructions and clean both surfaces you want it to adhere to. 

Jim, I actually have 3M HVB tape left over from another project. I usually use 90% isopropyl achohol but have read there is also a spray activator to increase hold of VHB but I have not been able to find any. DO you or any one in the groupe have experience with this activator?

[Joint Venture]

6 minutes ago, Rocketman3 said:

My brother-in-law is an appliance repair guy and I asked him his opinion on the Samsung and Fisher& Paykel - he said stay away from Samsung.

10 years ago we did a complete remodel of our kitchen in our home. Searched all the appliance stores locally for a good "package deal" for a refrigerator, dishwasher, built in microwave and a gas stove. Wanted a quality built product that would give at least 10 years service. Bought all Samsung products and had the dealer install all of them to obtain a good warranty. 5 years 7 months later the dishwasher quit working, called dealer and after a thorough inspection they said it needed parts replaced that because the warranty had expired at 5 years would cost me $356 installed. Decided to buy new dishwasher, Kitchen Aide. Short time later microwave quit. Knew I was out of warranty so went shopping and bought a Kitchen Aide unit. 8 months later refrigerator gave up and I had it replaced as well with (you guessed it) a Kitchen Aide unit. 2 years later the stove oven started acting up and I replaced it with another Kitchen Aide unit. All the Kitchen Aide products ran perfect till we sold the home last May. Couldn't give me a Samsung product.

[dl_racing427]

1 hour ago, Joint Venture said:

10 years ago we did a complete remodel of our kitchen in our home. Searched all the appliance stores locally for a good "package deal" for a refrigerator, dishwasher, built in microwave and a gas stove. Wanted a quality built product that would give at least 10 years service. Bought all Samsung products and had the dealer install all of them to obtain a good warranty. 5 years 7 months later the dishwasher quit working, called dealer and after a thorough inspection they said it needed parts replaced that because the warranty had expired at 5 years would cost me $356 installed. Decided to buy new dishwasher, Kitchen Aide. Short time later microwave quit. Knew I was out of warranty so went shopping and bought a Kitchen Aide unit. 8 months later refrigerator gave up and I had it replaced as well with (you guessed it) a Kitchen Aide unit. 2 years later the stove oven started acting up and I replaced it with another Kitchen Aide unit. All the Kitchen Aide products ran perfect till we sold the home last May. Couldn't give me a Samsung product.

Hmmm, I installed a Samsung refrigerator in my new home in 2009.  Besides it running a few degrees colder than what I set it at, I haven't had one problem with it.

[Dr4Film]

9 minutes ago, dl_racing427 said:

Hmmm, I installed a Samsung refrigerator in my new home in 2009.  Besides it running a few degrees colder than what I set it at, I haven't had one problem with it.

Well, frankly, I have to agree with you. We have owned and now still own a bunch of products made by Samsung that have not caused us any great concern or problems with any of them.

As posted earlier, the Samsung RF-197 in the Windsor is still operational and that is 11 years old. The RF-197 in the Dynasty is still operational, (don't know what year it was installed though) but it has to be about the same vintage being the same model. Samsung came out with the upgraded fridge model RF-18 a few years later.

After purchasing the house in Florida in 2016, we had to replace all of the appliances in the kitchen due to a few reasons. I researched what Samsung models of each appliance I wanted to install, then went shopping at various locations. The best package deal price was from John's Appliance in Palm Coast. That was back in 2016 and we haven't had any problems with any of the appliances. We have their 23 cu/ft fridge, 30 inch electric stove, over-the-range microwave and a high end dishwasher that you can barely hear when it is running. You actual;y have to get directly in front of the dishwasher to see if it is running or not.

We also have many Samsung TV's, mobile phones, i-pads, etc.

I guess it just depends on each persons point of view. However, I have no cause for alarm when it comes to Samsung products.

[Tom Cherry]

37 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

Well, frankly, I have to agree with you. We have owned and now still own a bunch of products made by Samsung that have not caused us any great concern or problems with any of them.

As posted earlier, the Samsung RF-197 in the Windsor is still operational and that is 11 years old. The RF-197 in the Dynasty is still operational, (don't know what year it was installed though) but it has to be about the same vintage being the same model. Samsung came out with the upgraded fridge model RF-18 a few years later.

After purchasing the house in Florida in 2016, we had to replace all of the appliances in the kitchen due to a few reasons. I researched what Samsung models of each appliance I wanted to install, then went shopping at various locations. The best package deal price was from John's Appliance in Palm Coast. That was back in 2016 and we haven't had any problems with any of the appliances. We have their 23 cu/ft fridge, 30 inch electric stove, over-the-range microwave and a high end dishwasher that you can barely hear when it is running. You actual;y have to get directly in front of the dishwasher to see if it is running or not.

We also have many Samsung TV's, mobile phones, i-pads, etc.

I guess it just depends on each persons point of view. However, I have no cause for alarm when it comes to Samsung products.

Ditto.  No one has EVER purchased an appliance that was running for a lifetime.  ALL the surveys, and I trust Consumer Reports better as they are more realistic and not some "BOT" out there giving GOOD or BAD RATINGS...  Here is the latest.  YES, Samsung gets low marks.  Ours was installed in 2017.  Works great. Now, you want reliablity...then bit the bullet and buy the Fisher & Paykel.  They had one that was $2.500 or more.  The GE's don't fit...or at least not often mentioned.  I had a WORLD of trouble with a GE and fortunately, under extended warranty, I got every electronic component and icemaker and temp sensors and such....all except the compressor, replaced.  Then I dropped the warranty.  Runs good....but it took 4 years and about $700 to achieve that....

FOR YOUR INFO....the latest Consumer Reports for French or Bottom ones.  

Refrigerator Ratings & Reviews - Consumer Reports.pdf

[jacwjames]

There is a Class Action Lawsuit against Samsung but the models involved are all larger residential models.  Can't remember what the issue was.

 

We bought a new Whirlpool washing machine when we bought a house back in 1985, it lasted until 2017, not bad.  So we bought another one and I got the 3 year extended warranty.  Worked fine until Sept and started to leak, I could feel a mist of water coming out above the motor when it was running, bad seal.  But the unit comes with a seal drive unit, one piece  $110.  Just last week I finished fixing a Whirlpool washing machine.  Problem was to change out the drive unit you have to remove th tub cover, which did not want to come off, watched a bunch of video's on ways to get it off, none the worked and eventually I broke it.  I actually had to cut the remaing plastic piece off the shaft.  ~$32.  Then I got to the part where I had to take off the rotor, same thing, could not get if off and broke the plastic house where it splined onto the shaft,  bought a used rotor/stator set for $85.  What a job and cost ~$230 for the parts.  Not sure it was worth it.  

Now I'm working on a Whirlpool Dishwasher, leaking, can't find the source but it leaks towards the end of the cycle. 

[RedSectorA]

I don't think I ever saw anybody else do it but I installed this LG fridge instead of my NoCold 1200:

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/lg-electronics-33-inch-w-19-cu-ft-french-door-refrigerator-with-2-freezer-drawers-in-smudge-resistant-stainless-steel-counter-depth--energy-star/1001485956?eid=PS_GOOGLE_D29A - Vendor-Funded_Major-Appliances_GGL_Shopping_PLA_MB_EN_Major Appliances_PLA_EN__PRODUCT_GROUP_pla-299507932726&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAjfyqBhAsEiwA-UdzJB5hJOfudtlMI2tzKD3F1itCukjiKYNJCRDCuZv2wE1R-by0XX7llBoC82QQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Width wise it fit in the space perfectly, I had to take out a drawer below the 1200 to make it fit height wise.  It's counter depth so only the door protrudes.  It runs great, very sizeable and uses an inverter compressor.  Only downside is that you need to shut it down while moving, the compressor doesn't like being shaken while in movement and makes a weird noise.  No issues for me as I don't intend on driving more than 5 hours and I installed an on and off switch above the fridge.   I apologize I did not take the time to take pictures while installing it but it went pretty well.  It even went through the RV door (barely though).

Dan