I recently returned from a two-week trip, and I've got some Norcold
reports, related to some threads from this list a few months ago.
On 5/13/99, Macon reported his Carbon Monoxide alarm went off due to
refrigerator exhaust coming in via the window above the sink. I had
the exact same thing happen to me on my trip. It was a still night,
with no breeze. I was at about 8000 feet, and I don't have the high
altitude kit, so I think the fridge was somewhat starved for air. I
had the pop-top down (trying to be inconspicuous in a driveway) and
both side's small screened windows open. At about 2:00am, the CO
alarm woke me up.
Even in the fog of waking up at that hour, I quickly remembered the
thread from this list, and figured out what had happened. I closed
the window above the sink, opened the pop-top and its screened windows
for more ventilation, and went back to sleep. No ill effects. It's
good to know the CO detector is more sensitive than I am. Later, I
noticed significant soot on the fridge vent, furthering my suspicion
that the fridge is starved for air. Maybe it's time to see about
getting the high altitude kit.
On 5/19/99, Bill Armstrong started a thread suggesting the fridge
should use a thermostat to control 12VDC operation. Before my
recent trip, I made this modification to my Norcold. See my
web page at
for details on this modification to the fridge. This was my first
long trip since doing the mod, and I can report that it worked
wonderfully. No more over-cooling on DC, and there was plenty
of spare electricity to keep the coach battery charged.
Part of my trip involved a river rafting trip, where I left the van
parked for five days in summer heat while I was on the river. I
decided to leave the fridge on propane for this whole time, knowing
there was a risk the flame would go out, but also knowing that cold
beer and soda would make me very popular at the end of the trip. The
fridge didn't let me down.
I've also put a section on my web page about a handy indoor/outdoor
thermometer I added to my van.
--Rich Cochran
