Refrigerator Repair...Cha-Ching!, 6/01/2018

Last Saturday over the Memorial Day Weekend, we awoke to a non-functioning refrigerator. We have a 4-door Norcold with an ice maker. After calling several mobile RV repair services (with no luck due to the holiday weekend), we checked with the office at Paradise on the River for recommendations. They suggested Gary’s RV Service (970-372-7033). 

Gary made a service call to check out the situation. Sure enough, we needed a new cooling unit for the refrigerator. We considered replacing the entire unit ($5,000+), but opted for the replacement of the cooling unit ($2,000+ including installation). The RV refrigerators are so expensive because they automatically switch between electricity when we have power (50 amp) and propane when we don’t. Some opt for a residential refrigerator (will not run on propane), but we decided to stick with the Norcold. 

The part could not be ordered until thee days later (Tuesday) after Memorial Day. When we asked about an overnight delivery, we learned we needed a 90-pound cooling unit that essentially fits on the entire back side of the refrigerator. Freight shipping was the only option. And a delivery on Friday, June 1, was the earliest delivery date. 

We purchased dry-ice for the freezer food and cleaned out the refrig, putting most remaining stuff in the cooler. When we tried to purchase more dry ice, the local Safeway store was out. And there was nowhere else in Estes Park (or within a 30 mile radius) that had any. We tried to eat all of the stuff that thawed, but had to throw out some.

Our plans were to leave Estes Park Friday, June 1, but we were able to extend our stay by just one night at Paradise on the River. Fortunately, the cooling unit arrived Friday afternoon and Gary brought it to the RV for installation (which took 4-5 hours). In the second photo, you can see all the way to the other side of the RV through the access panel (where the refrig should be!)

The refrigerator had to be pulled out onto the floor of the RV to install the part. You can see our alternate cooling unit (the red cooler) in the background. 

We were so thankful that we found Gary to do this repair for us. He knew exactly what he was doing and had replaced Norcold cooling units on many occasions. He came back over Saturday morning to make sure everything was working properly (and it was). The total cost was well over $2,000, but a refrigerator/freezer is not something we wanted to do without!  Our motor coach is a 2011 model, so we did not expect this repair at this stage of the game. Hopefully, our new cooling unit will continue working for many years. 

Thanks to Gary for his flexibility in fitting us into his schedule and working Friday night to install the cooling unit. He was great and we highly recommend him for virtually any repair.

Farewell to Estes Park. We departed for Grand Junction, CO, Saturday morning with everything in order. Yay!