Refrigerator Condensation

[MONTIE]

What causes the condensation to build up on the partition between the refrigerator and the freezer? Large drops of water drips down from the top of the refrigerator section, to the shelves and drawers. The unit stays cold and the freezer keeps everything frozen but there is so much condensation that it actually wets the floor when the slide is in sometimes overnight.

One thing I have noticed is the refrigerator doors are hard to keep shut; when closing them I have to push on each door at the same time and then sometimes it opens when we start rolling. I looked in the manual to find a way to adjust but could not find the door adjustment. It is just a hook-and-latch system. I hope someone knows what to do????

Norcold four-door!

[wolfe10]

Montie,

I would start by minimizing moisture intrusion into the refrigerator.

Do the "dollar bill" test to insure the door gasket is OK and the door properly adjusted. Ya, it is a motorhome, so a $10 bill works better.

All you do is close the bill the the gasket area and try to remove it. There should be some drag on removal and it should be consistent all around the doors.

Also, check the condensate drain hose (outside access area) to make sure the restrictor is in the outlet. If not, hot humid air "rises" into the refrigerator and makes condensation a really bad problem.

Certainly humid climates encourage condensation, as do more frequent openings of the refrigerator door.

Brett

[MONTIE]

Thanks Brett, I don't think it is the door being opened much, it has been parked for about two weeks and the door has not been opened much. I think the air is getting in. The doors seem to be hard to shut, I don't see any way to adjust the catch, it seems to be mounted without adjustment. When you asked about the restrictor in the line, I have never seem any water in the catch pan but there seems there is a plug in the line, I will check that in the morning.

[tbutler]

Montie,

I think you have identified the problem yourself. You have mentioned two symptoms either of which or perhaps both could be causing your problems. You mention the doors are hard to close. You also said you found water on the floor under the refrigerator.

It sounds as if the doors are not closing properly. The test Brett suggested using the $10 bill will identify this problem as well. Put a bill in the door seal area and close the door on it. If it is loose anywhere around the door seal (test lots of areas), that is where your moisture is coming from. We checked and there are no replacement seals for our doors so when they get too bad we'll have to look on the generic market. If the doors are not aligned properly or have simply been damaged in some way and don't fit properly you should call Norcold and talk to them about possible solutions.

The second area Brett mentioned recently caused us some problems. The catch basin for moisture below the cooling fins in the refrigerator drains excess moisture from the refrigerator. Our hose was clogged and the basin was filling with water. We noticed this when we found water on the floor in front of the refrigerator. I cleaned the line and the refrigerator is performing normally again.

[MONTIE]

Thanks guys, I checked the drain tube in the back and it was stopped up, I cleaned that out and there was a large decrease in the refrigerator. I tried the 1$ trick and found that the seals seemed to be sealing. It is hard to get the dollar in far enough to check the seals but they look good. When I looked at the doors more closely I noticed a small slide lock on each handle, I locked that and everything seems to be better.

[wolfe10]

A $10 bill works better, and a $100 bill does the job perfectly.

Glad you found to items so easy to fix.

Brett