My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12
volt. It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?

Thanks

"Jim" wrote in message
...
My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12 volt.
It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?

Thanks


Take a good look at NovaKool for a replacement. Every Norcold I've had was
noisy and underpowered as far as cooling is concerned. Two years ago I
replaced the Norcold that came with the boat with a NovaKool. Much quieter
and stays cold. (the one in this boat is a 90 cubic foot with separate
freezer on the bottom. We also replaced the original Norcold on my wife's
boat with a smaller NovaKool model and it also works quietly and nicely.

http://www.novakool.com/

Eisboch

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
...
My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12 volt.
It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?

Thanks


Take a good look at NovaKool for a replacement. Every Norcold I've had
was noisy and underpowered as far as cooling is concerned. Two years ago
I replaced the Norcold that came with the boat with a NovaKool. Much
quieter and stays cold. (the one in this boat is a 90 cubic foot with
separate freezer on the bottom. We also replaced the original Norcold on
my wife's boat with a smaller NovaKool model and it also works quietly and
nicely.

http://www.novakool.com/

Eisboch




try 9 cubic feet. I really don't eat *that* much.

Eisboch

On Wed, 7 Nov 2007 18:25:18 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
...
My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12 volt.
It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?

Thanks


Take a good look at NovaKool for a replacement. Every Norcold I've had
was noisy and underpowered as far as cooling is concerned. Two years ago
I replaced the Norcold that came with the boat with a NovaKool. Much
quieter and stays cold. (the one in this boat is a 90 cubic foot with
separate freezer on the bottom. We also replaced the original Norcold on
my wife's boat with a smaller NovaKool model and it also works quietly and
nicely.

http://www.novakool.com/

try 9 cubic feet. I really don't eat *that* much.

I was just going to ask you if you had a walk-in refrigerator. :)

Which, by the way, I have actually seen in a house. One of my best
bud's father owned a resturant in New Orleans and when they built the
house after he sold it, one of the things he installed was a walk-in
refrigerator.

It was a scream to walk into a refrigerator to get a can of soda.

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:47:42 -0800, Jim wrote:

My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12
volt. It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?

If it's still running on 12 volts that means that the
compressor/condenser is still OK, which is at the heart of the unit.
You could either try to troubleshoot the electrical problem or
continue running it on 12 volts by beefing up your charging system if
necessary.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:47:42 -0800, Jim wrote:


My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12
volt. It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?


If it's still running on 12 volts that means that the
compressor/condenser is still OK, which is at the heart of the unit.
You could either try to troubleshoot the electrical problem or
continue running it on 12 volts by beefing up your charging system if
necessary.

That's what I'm doing right now, and it seems to be working ok. It is
an old unit, newer ones are more energy efficient and maybe quieter.
Hopefully.

The latch is broken, it's time for a new one.

"Jim" wrote in message
...
Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:47:42 -0800, Jim wrote:


My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12 volt.
It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?


If it's still running on 12 volts that means that the
compressor/condenser is still OK, which is at the heart of the unit.
You could either try to troubleshoot the electrical problem or
continue running it on 12 volts by beefing up your charging system if
necessary.

That's what I'm doing right now, and it seems to be working ok. It is an
old unit, newer ones are more energy efficient and maybe quieter.
Hopefully.

The latch is broken, it's time for a new one.


I missed the part of your post that Wayne pointed out. These refridgerators
run on 12-24 volts DC. When powered by 120vac, there is a converter that
steps it to the 12volts. It would seem that's the component that is bad on
yours.

Still, IMO, at 20 years old, it probably isn't worth the cost to fix. I'd
replace it. It certainly doesn't owe you anything.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:
"Jim" wrote in message
...

Wayne.B wrote:

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:47:42 -0800, Jim wrote:



My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12 volt.
It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?


If it's still running on 12 volts that means that the
compressor/condenser is still OK, which is at the heart of the unit.
You could either try to troubleshoot the electrical problem or
continue running it on 12 volts by beefing up your charging system if
necessary.

That's what I'm doing right now, and it seems to be working ok. It is an
old unit, newer ones are more energy efficient and maybe quieter.
Hopefully.

The latch is broken, it's time for a new one.



I missed the part of your post that Wayne pointed out. These refridgerators
run on 12-24 volts DC. When powered by 120vac, there is a converter that
steps it to the 12volts. It would seem that's the component that is bad on
yours.

Still, IMO, at 20 years old, it probably isn't worth the cost to fix. I'd
replace it. It certainly doesn't owe you anything.

Eisboch


I'm ore than willing to replace it. Everything i have seen so far
won't fit the cutout unless it's SMALLER.

I had a similar problem with my refridgerator a few years ago where it would
only run on either AC or DC (cannot recall now), but it was a simple fix.
There is a small relay accessible on the back (just sliding the fridge out
from its home) and it had failed. The fridge circuit is designed so the
relay recognized when AC is available (shore power plugged in) so it would
switch over from DC to AC or vice versa. Try checking out your relay,
unless you prefer purchasing a complete new unit.

Mark

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:47:42 -0800, Jim wrote:

My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12
volt. It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?

If it's still running on 12 volts that means that the
compressor/condenser is still OK, which is at the heart of the unit.
You could either try to troubleshoot the electrical problem or
continue running it on 12 volts by beefing up your charging system if
necessary.

Mark wrote:
I had a similar problem with my refridgerator a few years ago where it would
only run on either AC or DC (cannot recall now), but it was a simple fix.
There is a small relay accessible on the back (just sliding the fridge out
from its home) and it had failed. The fridge circuit is designed so the
relay recognized when AC is available (shore power plugged in) so it would
switch over from DC to AC or vice versa. Try checking out your relay,
unless you prefer purchasing a complete new unit.

Mark

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:47:42 -0800, Jim wrote:


My Norcold DF0704 stopped working on 110. Seems to work fine on 12
volt. It was probably original with the boat, so it must be 20 years old.

Replace or repair?

It looks like that model isn't made any more and what I see (on a very
quick look) shows that none of the new ones fit the cutout.

Maybe i just haven't found the right one yet.

What have you all done?

If it's still running on 12 volts that means that the
compressor/condenser is still OK, which is at the heart of the unit.
You could either try to troubleshoot the electrical problem or
continue running it on 12 volts by beefing up your charging system if
necessary.



The ac shows a high drain, then trips the breaker. The dc works just fine.

I'm sure it's a simple fix, if I were smart enough to find and order the
correct part. Since it works on dc, I'll probably leave it as is and
look for a new one.

It's missing a lot of door screws, the door latch is long gone, it's
noisy and probably draws more than a newer design would. While it may
work, and it's probably fixable, common sense says, look for a new one.

When you are not in a hurry you are more likely to make a good decision.