DE-0061 Norcold fridge. 2.5 years old (conveniently 6 months out of warranty). This is a closed system with no tapping/filling valves (yet). I have a 101N0500 controller (12v DC and 120 A/C). This fridge acts the same way on both DC and AC
power supply:
Cools and seems to operate OK for the first few hours or so. The
cooling plate frosts to about 90 to 100 percent.
Freezer will get to about 20/25 degrees F and fridge about 40/45 degrees F.
Compressor and fan will continue to run but
cooling temperatures stabilize and the
freezer begins to thaw/defrost and cycle starts over again. The
compressor and fan don't ever seem to shut off and the fridge and freezer never bottom out to the point where the thermostat will shut the compressor off.
I have tried bending the capillary tube that not help anything. Door
seals are good and the cabinet is tight. I visually checked for R134a
leaks and will borrow a good sniffing tool this weekend for good measure. My best guess now is some kind of wax or moisture contamination that is freezing at the capillary tube expansion right before the plate.
I used an inline FLUKE meter and a clamp on amp meter and when running the system only draws 1 amp and then goes down to .5 to .6 amps measured at the 110v white or black wire entering the controller. The fan is drawing .1 amps alone which is in spec. There are no error codes present on the aftermarket installed LED (verified to function when a low
battery was installed on the 12 volt side). The amperage seems really low...am I measuring it correctly? (A/C amps). compressor is getting 33 to 34 volts a/c (but this may be a 3 phase feed?). I have seen where most people recharge the system based on compressor amperage draw of 5.0 to 7.0 amps....why is mine below 1.0 amp?
I have the 2500
rpm 677 ohm resistor installed. Removing it made no difference. I want to
exhaust all potential problems before I tap into the refrigerant system. I have access to a recovery machine, vacuum machine, nitrogen and virgin R134a to refill if needed.
Freezer is now in my garage an off the
boat. All
wiring checked out fine on the
boat and garage supplied
power. Everything is clean and looks nearly new. Some
condensation off the back of the fridge where the lines enter/exit the box.
Any suggestions before I add a valve? My main concern is low amp draw.