1962 globetrotter Refrigerator

[wunderful62]

MY 62 GLOBETROTTER HAS THE ORIGINAL NORCOLD PRPPANE/ELECTRIC FRIDGE IN IT. MY GARDENER UNPLUGGED THE TRAILER TO USE THE POWER CHORD ,THEN PLUGGED THE TRAILER INTO A LONGER POWER CHORD IN EXCESS OF 50 FT. WHEN I SAW THIS I CHECKED FRIDGE AND FOUND IT TO BE NOT WORKING. I THINK THE LO VOLTAGE OR SURGE FROM THE FRIDGES AMP DRAW MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE HEATER COIL IN THE FRIDGE.DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW HOW TO REMOVE THIS PART,WHERE IT IS LOCATED IN THE FRIDGE ,WHERE TO GET A NEW OR USED ONE,OR IF IT WILL MATCH UP OR CAN BE REPLACED BY A LATE MODEL NEW ONE? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD CHECK? THE FRIGE WAS WORKING FINE PRIOR TO THIS; WAS RUNNING FOR THE LAST MONTH OR TWO IN THE DRIVEWAY. I THOUGHT IT MITE BE A GOOD IDEA AFTER SITTING FOR SO LONG

[airstreamcaravel]

Wayne,

Does it run on propane ok?? There can be MANY reasons for your
fridge to fail....

It you haven't already ... try on propane only.

Make sure your fridge is LEVEL.

Check for vent blockages.

Any amonia smell lurking around ?

Search the forum for fridge .... many threads on the subject.

Replacements are available .... but would not have the charm
of the original .... You should be able to get a heating element if thats what it turns out to be.

Good Luck!!

DMC

[wunderful62]

dmc , thanks for the info. i unplugged the fridge from the trailer,and plugged in my radio in its place to check its incoming power. that checked out okay.ive never light the fridge on propane yet but ill give that a try next.it is level yes and there is no ammonia smell.i made an appt to have it checked at an rv place this week. i hope it is something simple and not the cooling unit.ideal rv in redwood city has the oem norcold heater elements for 50-95 dollars hopefully that is all it is. i want to test on propane to verify cooling unit is still working but ill need to replace thertmo coupler first once i get up there.thanks again.ill post results wayne

[Pahaska]

My guess is that it is unlikely that the element is bad.

Low voltage can not damage a heater element. Nor can any kind of surge you would get by unplugging and replugging the unit.

Since the coil would have been cycling on and off on the thermostat while the refrigerator was running, unplugging is unlikely to affect it.

I would check the circuit breaker or fuse as a first step. If it is a breaker, cycle it off and back on. If that doesn't work, I would, carefully, use a voltmeter to check that you are getting voltage at the element. No voltage at the element may mean a bad thermostat.

Most refrigerators have a short cord to a nearby receptical located somewhere in the back. If so, you might try plugging that cord directly into the extension cord.

If you have voltage at the element and no heat, then it is new element time.

[wunderful62]

thanks for the info john,with the summer coming the fridge is a top priority.ill try the things you suggested. thanks again .wayne

[wunderful62]

to john irwin and dmc,unfortunately i think you are right about the heater element not being the cause of the problem.i did manage to light the fridge on propane and felt no change in the temperature. it is probably more like the cooling unit is bad. i guess they just go. i hope it isnt too costly to rebuild . mine is norcolds model 624 if anybody has any info.fortunately i have a 110 v only fridge in the garage to get me by till i can get this one rebuilt or fixed if the problem turns out to be something else.i guess it probably would be a good idea to put a new heating element in while fridge is out and apart. does anyone know what it will cost to rebuild mine typically and where a good place to get it rebuilt might be? THANKS TO ALL FOR ANY INFO.I AM IN THE SAN JOSE CALIF AREA BUT WOULD CONSIDER SHIPPING IT TO THE RIGHT PLACE TO GET IT REBUILT. THANKS AGAIN WAYNE

[wunderful62]

i decided to remain optimistic yet and my stomach was going over at tyhe thought of having the cooling unit rebuilt and having to find all the new parts involved. one of my airstream buddys in the neighborhood that has a 59 flying cloud offered one last word of encouragement and said oh they come on as ya hit a bump goin down the road,i havent given up on mine yet,well i hadnt totall given in yet even after the unit failed to get cold on the propane side after a couple hpurs of running yesterday.the flame was light easily and burning reasonably well and steady,but no change in temp after 2 hours,leading me to beleive it was the cooling unit and not the heater element.to my amazement the fridge was very cold after plugging in on electric though today for a couple of hours.the only change i made was to turn the electric thermostst switch to a slightly different position in case there was a bad spot in the switch,and maybe to try to plug the trailer chord into the ext chord a little harder.ill have to try to run it on propane again sometime.im going to let it run overnite and see what happens since the electric side is working again.thanks to all that helped and offered feed back/advice happy camper wayne