Why Do Norcold Cooling Units Fail?

Many RVers are concerned about their norcold cooling units because of refrigerator fires and a recall that they feel doesn’t really fix the problem. There is also a lot of misinformation and rumors on the internet about why cooling units fail. If your fridge isn’t cooling and you smell ammonia this means the coolant is gone and the refrigerator needs to be replaced.

One of the biggest causes of norcold cooling unit failure is heat. When an electric or LP gas heater is used to run the refrigeration process the boiler inside the cooling unit heats up and the ammonia turns into gas and the water remains as a liquid. Over time this can crack the boiler or damage the coolant hoses that connect to it. The patented ARP Fridge Defend control monitors the cooling unit boiler temperature and will warn you when it is overheating.

If you are replacing the cooling unit in your RV and have a Dometic or Norcold fridge that is leaking and overheating we highly recommend installing the ARP Fridge Defend. It will prevent the cooling unit from overheating and it will also restart the fridge if it goes down. The ARP Fridge Defend is an inexpensive and simple to install device that will save you money in repairs to your refrigerator. norcold cooling units