Post by ckfan on May 8, 2017 1:41:18 GMT
Here is the thread where I finally gave in and bought the digital controller. It should help you a lot. It tells which controller I bought and how to install it. The compressor should have it's own separate plug that goes to an outlet under the cabinet. Unplug it from the outlet and plug it into the controller and you should be set. You will also have to plug in the old cord to keep the light working. Other instructions are in the post below. Good luck and let me know if you have questions. These are great machines except for the damn thermostats!
Well, it has been a long and arduous road but...here we are. I don't want to call it too soon but I think that this Norge is finally ready for service. I finally broke down and ordered a 3rd (not counting the original) thermostat. This time I chose a very neat digital controller. It is a Ranco ETC-111000-000 controller that I purchased from a site that installed a plug and outlet on it. Usually you have to connect your own line cords to it. I thought that I would go the pre wired route though because this Norge already has a plug wired onto the compressor lead. That's right it came that way from the factory so you could test the compressor without shorting the leads from the (presumably faulty) thermostat! All I had to do was plug the controller in and then plug the compressor lead into the controller. As far as the fridge light goes, you just plug the original cord into the other outlet and you are good to go. Pretty cool right? Well, it gets even better. The temperature probe obviously had to be run to the inside of the fridge cabinet. Now normally you would have to rig up a way to do this without it looking too unsightly or interfering with the door. This is where it gets good. Since the evaporator plate inside the fridge section gets defrosted every off cycle there was a drain hole at the bottom of the cabinet where the crisper drawers are. Of course the probe had no problem going through this. Are you kidding me?! I then ran the cord up to the back wall where the plastic cover for the drawers meets with the wall. I shoved the probe into a spot there. My thinking was that this spot would be the warmest in the fridge (furthest away from the evaporator) and it is also shielded from sudden temperature swings (like opening the door) because it is nestled in between the wall and the plastic and is not visible unless you take the drawers out. It is working very well so far. I had to turn the temperature up because the difference in temperature between the top and bottom seems pretty pronounced. However, now the cabinet varies between 35 and 40 degrees. Very nice. It also DOES NOT SHORT CYCLE! To say that I'm happy would be an understatement. No joke, I probably have tried 20 different combinations of 3 thermostats (including the original) and positions of the capillary tube. All of the various attempts had problems.
The secret to the success of this newest controller is simple. It is digital and you can program it for a WIDE range of circumstances. You can have it either on cool or heat mode. You can set it for Celsius or Fahrenheit. It has a temperature set range of -30 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It also has a differential setting (the difference between the set point and what temperature it will kick back on at) of 1 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Absolutely crazy. You could use this thing for a freezer, a fridge, a room (heating or cooling). The possibilities are endless. It even has a back light for the digital display! It usually will display the inside temp as long as you aren't programming it. As long as what you are plugging in doesn't exceed the limits of the relay inside the controller you are golden. I'm sure there are other controllers out there that do just as well but for me, this thing looks to be built like a tank and hopefully will make this fridge last a good long time. It has no reason not to. I would honestly suggest this controller in a situation where a broken thermostat exists but you can still get the thermostat to turn "on". Simply plug the fridge into this magic box and find a way to get the probe inside and you are good to go. I think it would be perfect for a monitor top if it needed a thermostat and no original parts could be sourced (I know, we all love the "clunk!" sound of the originals. I know I do).
Travis already replaced the start relay with a Supco solid state one (probably the reason why the thing is still alive after all of the short cycles I've put it through by testing different set ups). I now have a "Pavlovian" response when I hear the loud click of an overload. I respond by saying bad words. The wiring is also impeccable. Even the door gaskets are in great shape. I did have trouble with the freezer gasket not making proper contact. I'm assuming age has compressed it. The strike adjustment was out of room so my friend Drew had a brilliant idea. Why not remove the screw that is hitting the stop and move it forward a tiny bit and then tighten the remaining screw down good and tight. It worked! Now the door seals great, still closes properly, and no excess frost is developing. Before the fix, huge amounts of frost would gather in one little area on the top of the freezer section. Now it looks normal and passes the dollar bill test!
I can't tell you all how happy I am. I really just want to get this dialed in to where I am completely satisfied with how it cycles. I may not have to change anything but I haven't gotten a chance to look closely at the temperature and cycle times. It looks extremely promising though. This fridge will take a spot of pride as our main kitchen fridge. Since I have 2 roommates that is no small task. I hope that we can cram everything in this cute guy.
As I told Travis yesterday, "I will not let this fridge short cycle into the night! It will soldier on!"
To view the photos in this post, please follow this link: drive.google.com/open?id=0B8_jm7K-ahMaak9uczVILXVKQkU
Well, it has been a long and arduous road but...here we are. I don't want to call it too soon but I think that this Norge is finally ready for service. I finally broke down and ordered a 3rd (not counting the original) thermostat. This time I chose a very neat digital controller. It is a Ranco ETC-111000-000 controller that I purchased from a site that installed a plug and outlet on it. Usually you have to connect your own line cords to it. I thought that I would go the pre wired route though because this Norge already has a plug wired onto the compressor lead. That's right it came that way from the factory so you could test the compressor without shorting the leads from the (presumably faulty) thermostat! All I had to do was plug the controller in and then plug the compressor lead into the controller. As far as the fridge light goes, you just plug the original cord into the other outlet and you are good to go. Pretty cool right? Well, it gets even better. The temperature probe obviously had to be run to the inside of the fridge cabinet. Now normally you would have to rig up a way to do this without it looking too unsightly or interfering with the door. This is where it gets good. Since the evaporator plate inside the fridge section gets defrosted every off cycle there was a drain hole at the bottom of the cabinet where the crisper drawers are. Of course the probe had no problem going through this. Are you kidding me?! I then ran the cord up to the back wall where the plastic cover for the drawers meets with the wall. I shoved the probe into a spot there. My thinking was that this spot would be the warmest in the fridge (furthest away from the evaporator) and it is also shielded from sudden temperature swings (like opening the door) because it is nestled in between the wall and the plastic and is not visible unless you take the drawers out. It is working very well so far. I had to turn the temperature up because the difference in temperature between the top and bottom seems pretty pronounced. However, now the cabinet varies between 35 and 40 degrees. Very nice. It also DOES NOT SHORT CYCLE! To say that I'm happy would be an understatement. No joke, I probably have tried 20 different combinations of 3 thermostats (including the original) and positions of the capillary tube. All of the various attempts had problems.
The secret to the success of this newest controller is simple. It is digital and you can program it for a WIDE range of circumstances. You can have it either on cool or heat mode. You can set it for Celsius or Fahrenheit. It has a temperature set range of -30 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It also has a differential setting (the difference between the set point and what temperature it will kick back on at) of 1 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Absolutely crazy. You could use this thing for a freezer, a fridge, a room (heating or cooling). The possibilities are endless. It even has a back light for the digital display! It usually will display the inside temp as long as you aren't programming it. As long as what you are plugging in doesn't exceed the limits of the relay inside the controller you are golden. I'm sure there are other controllers out there that do just as well but for me, this thing looks to be built like a tank and hopefully will make this fridge last a good long time. It has no reason not to. I would honestly suggest this controller in a situation where a broken thermostat exists but you can still get the thermostat to turn "on". Simply plug the fridge into this magic box and find a way to get the probe inside and you are good to go. I think it would be perfect for a monitor top if it needed a thermostat and no original parts could be sourced (I know, we all love the "clunk!" sound of the originals. I know I do).
Travis already replaced the start relay with a Supco solid state one (probably the reason why the thing is still alive after all of the short cycles I've put it through by testing different set ups). I now have a "Pavlovian" response when I hear the loud click of an overload. I respond by saying bad words. The wiring is also impeccable. Even the door gaskets are in great shape. I did have trouble with the freezer gasket not making proper contact. I'm assuming age has compressed it. The strike adjustment was out of room so my friend Drew had a brilliant idea. Why not remove the screw that is hitting the stop and move it forward a tiny bit and then tighten the remaining screw down good and tight. It worked! Now the door seals great, still closes properly, and no excess frost is developing. Before the fix, huge amounts of frost would gather in one little area on the top of the freezer section. Now it looks normal and passes the dollar bill test!
I can't tell you all how happy I am. I really just want to get this dialed in to where I am completely satisfied with how it cycles. I may not have to change anything but I haven't gotten a chance to look closely at the temperature and cycle times. It looks extremely promising though. This fridge will take a spot of pride as our main kitchen fridge. Since I have 2 roommates that is no small task. I hope that we can cram everything in this cute guy.
As I told Travis yesterday, "I will not let this fridge short cycle into the night! It will soldier on!"
To view the photos in this post, please follow this link: drive.google.com/open?id=0B8_jm7K-ahMaak9uczVILXVKQkU