Thetford N500 Series Owners Manual - Manual (Page 10)

Owner’s Manual 10
Defrosting
Refrigerator Care Checklist
Your refrigerator will give you years of trouble free service if you
do these simple checks every three to six months:
- Keep the food compartment and the freezer clean. See
“Cleaning”.
- Defrost the refrigerator as necessary. See “Defrosting”.
- Make sure the door seals correctly. See “Door Sealing“.
- Be aware of any cooling changes that are not because of
weather, loading, or gas control changes. If changes occur,
contact your dealer or an authorized Norcold Service Center.
- Make sure the gas supply is propane gas only and not
butane or a butane mixture.
The cooling fins of the refrigerator operate at below freezing
temperature and will naturally form frost from humidity, which is
always present in the air. The humidity inside the refrigerator
increases:
DC operation is intended only to maintain the temperature of
the refrigerator and its contents when they are already cool.
The DC operation is not intended for the initial start up and
cooling of the refrigerator. Always use either the AC operation or
propane gas operation to initially start up and cool the refrigera-
tor. The refrigerator must be cooled and the temperature must
be steady before you operate the refrigerator on DC.
This refrigerator is made to operate on DC power while your
vehicle is “in transit” and AC power or propane gas sources are
not available. Operate the refrigerator on DC power only when
the vehicle engine is running.
For the refrigerator to operate correctly on DC power, the battery
must be maintained in a fully charged condition.
For the battery to be fully charged at all times during refrigerator
operation on DC, the vehicle engine must be running and the
battery charging system must be in good operating condition.
Keep in mind the following electrical precautions for DC
operation of the refrigerator:
- Good battery condition is necessary for correct DC opera-
tion.
- The capacity of the battery charging system must be more
than what is necessary for the refrigerator and other DC
appliances.
- While the vehicle engine is running, make sure the voltage
of the DC power supply leads at the refrigerator is more
than 11.5 VDC.
DC Operation Precautions (N400.3, N500.3,
and N510.3 models)
DC Operation Guidelines (N400.3, N500.3, and
N510.3 models)
- If the temperature is too warm, push and hold the
TEMP SET button to raise the temperature setting
by one number.
- If the temperature is too cold, push and hold the
TEMP SET button to lower the temperature setting
by one number.
- Have the refrigerator serviced by your dealer or an Norcold
authorized Service Center as soon as possible.
Keep in mind the following guidelines for DC operation of the
refrigerator:
- Use DC operation of the refrigerator while the vehicle is in
transit.
- Do not use DC operation until the refrigerator and its
contents are completely cooled.
- Only use DC operation if the vehicle battery and battery
charging system are in good operating condition.
Effects of High Altitude on Propane Gas
Operation
When you operate the refrigerator on propane gas at altitudes
higher than 5500 feet above sea level:
- You may experience reduced cooling performance of the
refrigerator.
- You may experience burner outages.
To avoid these possible problems, Norcold recommends that
you operate the refrigerator on AC when at altitudes higher than
5500 feet above sea level.