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Post by johnr on Aug 11, 2017 7:12:31 GMT -5
So, I was going out to pack the cold stuff last night for our weekend trip. I open the freezer, turn around to get stuff out of the basket and hear a very unusual clunking sound.
I turn around and the plastic hinge at the top of the freezer door literally broke off and my door was hanging at an awkward angle. I can get the door to close but I'm not sure how airtight it is now.
I have a N811 unit, has anyone else had the same issue?
From what I can tell, the entire door needs to be replaced because it's not a changeable part. I saw on Youtube a guy named Chad Leadbetter that fabricates replacement hinges out of thick sheet metal and you use self tapping screws to attach it to the door frame. Wondering if I should trust him with my $25 to have him send me one rather than replace the entire door?
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Post by jetzen on Aug 11, 2017 7:43:34 GMT -5
So, I was going out to pack the cold stuff last night for our weekend trip. I open the freezer, turn around to get stuff out of the basket and hear a very unusual clunking sound. I turn around and the plastic hinge at the top of the freezer door literally broke off and my door was hanging at an awkward angle. I can get the door to close but I'm not sure how airtight it is now. I have a N811 unit, has anyone else had the same issue? From what I can tell, the entire door needs to be replaced because it's not a changeable part. I saw on Youtube a guy named Chad Leadbetter that fabricates replacement hinges out of thick sheet metal and you use self tapping screws to attach it to the door frame. Wondering if I should trust him with my $25 to have him send me one rather than replace the entire door? Don't know if this will help you any but did you see this video??
www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+norcold+door+hinges&qpvt=youtube+norcold+door+hinges&view=detail&mid=03F72956450BB851252303F72956450BB8512523&FORM=VRDGAR
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Post by johnr on Aug 11, 2017 9:40:44 GMT -5
Hi, yeah I saw that video. That Chad Leadbetter had a better fabricated piece that didn't stick out as much and was painted black to match the fridge. I took a chance and ordered one from him. If it works out, I'm thinking about ordering the other 3 and fixing them all before they become a problem.
I also contacted my dealer to see if they had anything, just in case the first plan didn't work out. I sent them pictures and explained what was needed. Still waiting to hear back from them.
It does seem to be poor design. Why couldn't Norcold beef up the hinge area with a piece of metal rather than relying on a plastic piece to hold everything? I know... why spend pennies on good design when you can sell another entire door on failure?
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Post by jetzen on Aug 11, 2017 10:17:50 GMT -5
Yes it does seem like a poor design. Had a Dometic in the old Montana and if my memory serves me correctly it had a metal hinge/brace system like the ones in the video's. No wonder Norcold gets such a bad rap. |
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Post by johnr on Aug 14, 2017 7:04:31 GMT -5
Well, after camping this weekend, I believe that my freezer door was either manufactured or installed incorrectly. Here is a picture of my in-laws freezer hinge:  Now here's a picture of mine (already broken):  As you can see, my in-laws has a gap between the hinge plate attached to the frame and the door hinge (sorry for the blurry image). On mine, the hinge plate is bent down and actually makes contact with the door. Over the years of opening and closing the door, I'm guessing that it wore down that plastic hinge piece resulting in the failure of the hinge. Here's the fridge door hinge. It appears to be gapped correctly.  I'm going to contact Norcold and see what they think. I think someone should cover the cost to repair this, honestly. My guess is that Norcold is going to say it's out of warranty and that it was installed wrong. If you have a Norcold, check your hinge clearance on both the freezer and the fridge doors! |
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Post by johnr on Sept 11, 2017 7:07:04 GMT -5
In my searching, I found that Norcold makes a hinge reinforcement plate that fits onto the hinges of some Norcold doors. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KWP6MC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1The kit comes with 2 brackets, one for the bottom of the door and one for the top of the door. You need 2 kits to cover both freezer and fridge doors. I would highly recommend looking into these if you have a Norcold unit in your RV and save yourself some potential trouble down the road. Make sure this one works with your model number before buying, there are a couple different types that I saw. BTW, Norcold said it was out of warranty. If I want to drag the RV to a Norcold dealer, they might grant a warranty exception but that it was highly unlikely. |
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Post by jagnpackfan on Sept 19, 2017 12:50:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the info and link
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Post by keithandcecile on Oct 17, 2017 17:22:35 GMT -5
We had an 11 year old Rockwood with a Dometic fridge and this summer the hinge for the fridge broke .... then 4 days later the hinge on the freezer door did the same. It does not matter what brand the plastic hinge just gets old. I bought metal brackets to repair it.
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