Norcold freezer is worth the $$$$$

[Star152]

For all lay persons I wanted to report how well the Norcold / Engel / ARB fridge freezer works. I picked up a used Norcold 45 qt last winter for about 360.00. First I’m running with 2 AGM type batteries at 75 amp hours each hooked up in parallel. I have a Grandby and the freezer is mounted on the driver’s side as there is a gap between the counter and wall.

I went camping for 3 days the temp in the shade inside the camper was 107 degrees. The freezer work great. It was set at the freezer setting all weekend the battery meter stayed on the good setting (green light) it dropped when I used the water, but it went right back to green.

The one thing I noticed the area where the compressor is got very warm. Anyone else notice this with this type of freezer. I'm thinking on placing a fan there. any comments?

 

[K6ON]

Engel 45, Etc

Les,
Sorry to hear about Engel problems...Mine's still working great. Yours is the first one I've heard of having problems. Keep us informed.

Terry,
Glad you got yours..I'm guessing it's mounted in the same place as mine (see picture). There's about 4 inches clearance around the rear and sides for the heat to dissipate so it doesn't get too hot. I got mine installed Sept of last year, and it's powered by 2 group 31 marine deep cycle batteries. I've had it running 4 days without charging and no problem. I can't say enough good things about the Engel. BTW, we still need to get together on the Delta for some fishing and a few cold ones.. Bob

 

[craig333]

Wow, been looking on ebay and craiglist, you got a steal. Hope it all works out.

 

[kcowyo]

I've got an Engel 45 as well. Simply put, it's a great unit. I was hesitant on pulling the trigger on one of these due to WY, not experiencing some of the gawd-awful high temps seen in the southwestern US. But I'm glad now that I finally did.

I just returned from a week in the Sawtooth Mtns of Idaho, and the fridge performed flawlessly. I keep mine set at 2.5, to keep milk, beer, etc. cold. I haven't used it as a freezer yet. I am currently not running a dual battery set-up, just running it off the main truck battery. Before leaving a couple of weeks ago, as a test, I plugged the fridge on to see how long it would take to run my truck battery down. After 2 days, the truck would start just fine. As I approached 72 hours of run time, without having turned the truck on, the fridge was barely running and the truck wouldn't start. The low amperage draw on these is a great bonus on top of having cold beer and non-soggy sandwiches.

Mine came with a transit bag to further insulate the unit. I never notice excessive heat around the body of the fridge, but honestly, I didn't really check for that. I'm jealous of you Grandby guys with that extra room. Mine has taken up a small chunk of our open floor space. Other than accessing the cab via the sliding windows, it's not in the way though. If I ever replace the bench in my camper, I'm going to have to get real creative to make room for both fridge and the bench.


Here's how we were looking last week in Idaho -

 

[Phil]

Dumb Question But I need to ask

Do you guys not have stock refrigerators ? our is this used as a extra one

 

[kcowyo]

Mine came with the ol' icebox. It's essentially a built in cooler, that works better in theory than in reality.

It does make for a nice pantry to store dry goods, pots & pans and a bottle of your adult beverage choice -

.

 

[Phil]

Mine came with the ol' icebox. It's essentially a built in cooler, that works better in theory than in reality.

It does make for a nice pantry to store dry goods, pots & pans and a bottle of your adult beverage choice -

.

thanks for the help

 

[Star152]

Bob you are right I placed it in the same spot. But my space has about 1 inch on each side of the unit. the counter must be a bit longer. Yes I will be calling you to set up a meet how about some time in Aug.....

MXVP
Yes I have a three way refer and I use both. the Norcold gets really cold I'm still trying diffenent set ups....tired of buying ice. now I make my own.

I'm getting ready to go on a 4 day trip I will post the results when I get back Oh. I added a photo.....

 

[Barko1]

Here you go, from Sam's Club, steps and a cooler in one.

This great storage step offers you the beauty and durability you are looking for, with the versatility of a storage container. It matches virtually any spa. The step is a generous 36" wide in a warm gray color. Use it to gain easier access to your spa, plus have plenty of storage for chemicals or accessories. You can even use it as a cooler, just add ice and beverages then enjoy.

Think of all the other uses around the house, garage, deck or shed with this unit. It comes completely assembled, just pull it out of the box and start using. Why have just a step, when you can have storage and a cooler all in one? It is made of an extremely durable HDPE resin that maintains its original color and texture for years. This strong step supports up to 300 lbs.

 

[EdoHart]

Standing behind a product.

I'm glad to hear you had a good experience Engel. I don't currently own any of there products, but I like knowing that they satisfied you as a consumer That's one more "check" in the plus column for buying and Engel.

 

[Star152]

Final report on the Norcold. Well summer is over and the kids are back in school. With my set up, two batteries in the camper. I was able to run the freezer for 4 days, I would say 5 days would be the limit. I was also using the stereo throughout the 4 days during the day and night. One note I unplugged the freezer during the night to get some sleep. The compressor noise too loud. I used a propane stove outside to cook. The 3 way refer was also on. The propane tank lasted for 14 days of camping plus 10 days of volleyball tournaments. The tank meter shows less than a ¼ tank but there is plenty of propane left for one or two more trips.


Final Thoughts. The freezer $390.00. Buying ice for the summer $60.00 gone………… The ice cold beer priceless.