How to Replace Norcold Cooling Units
If your Norcold refrigerator isn’t cooling or is overheating, it may be time dometic parts for a Norcold Cooling Unit Replacement. While it can be an expensive task, it is also relatively easy to replace a Norcold refrigerator cooling unit. Here are some tips to help you determine if it’s time to replace the Norcold cooling unit on your RV or trailer:
First, turn off your Norcold refrigerator and do a visual inspection. If you notice that there is yellow residue behind the fridge or an ammonia smell, these are signs that the cooling unit has failed.
Next, look at the evaporator foam pack. Make sure it has a good layer of thermal mastic on it and that it is in place inside the evaporator pocket. The evaporator pocket is an area that air can enter the cooling system through the gap between the evaporator foam pack and the back of the refrigerator. If this occurs, the evaporator insulation will become damaged and the evaporator coils can begin to rot and leak water into the unit.
After that, remove the rear mounting screws from the evaporator foam pack. You can see these screws by removing the front of the refrigerator and looking at the blue ovals on the back side of the refrigerator (see photo above).
When you have removed all of the screws, use a piece of cardboard to keep the screw location consistent and insert the cooling unit into the refrigerated cabinet from the inside. Once you have the evaporator foam pack inserted into the pocket, it should be sitting flat and evenly in the cabinet. If it doesn’t, you need to trim the foam from the evaporator foam pack to make it fit properly into the cabinet.
Once you have the evaporator foam packed in, spray low-expansion foam around the outside edge of the evaporator foam pocket on the sealing surface. The foam should be about one-inch thick, and it should be applied around the entire perimeter of the pocket.
Now that the evaporator foam pack has been sprayed with low-expansion foam, you are ready to set the evaporator pocket in place. The evaporator foam pack is located in a pocket that is surrounded by foil tape and has been sprayed with a thick layer of thermal mastic. The foil tape should seal the evaporator foam pack to the back of the refrigerator, and it will keep the mastic from falling out.
You need to be very careful to set the evaporator foam pack in place so that it is fully sealed to the back of the refrigerator. If you are not sure how to do this, ask your local Norcold or Dometic dealer for assistance.
Then, using a level, place the evaporator foam pack in the pocket. You may need to press a bit harder than usual to get the evaporator foam pack to fit in the pocket perfectly. If you can’t jiggle the evaporator foam pack, you need to have someone hold it in place so that the mastic doesn’t fall out.