Thetford 323 Series - Manuel (Page 5)

Installation and Owner’s Guide 5
Refrigerator Care Checklist
Keep in mind the following electrical precautions for DC operation
of the refrigerator:
- Good battery condition is necessary for correct DC operation.
- 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, have a qualified service
technician make sure the voltage of the DC power supply
leads at the refrigerator is more than 11.5 VDC.
DC operation guidelines :
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
refrigerator. The refrigerator must be cooled and the temperature
must be steady before you operate the refrigerator on DC.
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.
Shut down:
- Turn the gas control to the OFF positon.
- Turn the energy selector to the GAS position.
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.
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 thermostat changes. If changes occur,
contact your dealer or service center.
- Make sure the gas supply is propane gas only and is not
butane or a butane mixture.
- When in propane gas operation, examine the appearance of
the flame. See “Gas Flame Inspection”.
- Make sure the air flow in the lower intake vent, through the
refrigerator coils and condenser, and out the upper exhaust
vent is not blocked or decreased.
- Make sure the area behind the refrigerator is clear. Do not
use the area behind the refrigerator for storage of anything,
especially gasoline and other flammable vapors and liquids.
Defrosting
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:
- with higher outside temperature and humidity.
- with the storage of non-sealed fresh foods or warm foods.
- with the amount of time that the door(s) are open.
- with any air leakage into the refrigerator.
It is normal for frost to collect inside the refrigerator. Excess frost
decreases the cooling performance of the refrigerator. Defrost
the refrigerator as necessary:
- Remove all food from the refrigerator.
- Turn the refrigerator OFF.
NOTE: Defrosting the refrigerator makes excess water inside
the refrigerator.
- Put dry towels (etc.) inside the refrigerator to absorb melted
frost.