Norcold fridge 300.3 (in Rialta HD) repair.
The HD Rialta has the fridge with the freezer compartment in it. The fridge always worked great and mine is from '99. In the last year it would not stay lit on the propane. I did all the cleaning and maint. exactly as stated in the Norcold Service Manual. Still wouldn't stay lit. It fired off each time I pushed the Piezo button but the flame would go out after holding the Safety Valve button in for the recommended 30 seconds. A new fridge is around $950 min. So, the story went on and on. I ended up replacing every single component from the point of the gas line entering the fridge connection, to the Burner Orifice and all parts between.
The parts were readily available. I replaced the following: Thermocouple, Burner Orifice, Thermostat, Gas Safety Valve, Interrupter. Red and Blue wires from Interrupter to Selector Switch. I confirmed that the Selector Switch was making good contact. I also confirmed there was no blockage at the fridge shutoff valve or the flu. I had the fridge out of its enclosure many times. The last thing I did was confirm that the W.C. (water column) was 11" w.c. and 14" w.c. (static test - meaning all appliances turned off and just the actual gas pressure). For this I used a Manometer. I used to be an Instrumentation/Calibration Tech. so I am trained in doing this. It started to seem like science fiction because everything was new!!!???
It is working now but at times I have trouble and it won't stay lit when I try to fire it off. Once lit (electromagnet catches safety valve) it is fine. My last effort will be to remove the fridge one more time (actually easy) and be sure that the Interrupter and Thermocouple fittings are very tight. The Service Manual stressed this several times. All of the valves, interrupter, and thermostat components are at the top of the fridge so it has to be removed to perform any work. I can also verify that the flu is indeed clear and (hopefully) not deteriorated. If so it would be more cost effective to replace the fridge. BTW: the 12v and 110v sections work great! The reason I am going for this final effort is that the last time I put the fridge back into its enclosure, the wires and connectors from the Interrupter were sticking up beyond the top of the fridge. I had to slightly turn the Interrupter (unscrew) just enough to clear the opening. After talking with a repair facility they recommend I take the fridge out again and tighten the Interrupter far enough around that it clears but will be extremely tight. At this point; what can I lose? Also, I will have access to the flu and take a better look than I did last time. So, I hope this makes sense to anyone and perhaps someone can identify with the frustrations I have had. I thought a few components would make it work. Had I known it would snowball I would have just bought a new fridge....lol. At least I learned alot about these and confirmed my LP system is good!
Paul
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