General Information Questions
Q: Which Way do I Turn the thermostat?
A: The coldest position on the thermostat is reached by turning the knob to the right (clockwise); conversely turning the thermostat knob to the left (counterclockwise) yields a warmer setting. The OFF (0) position is reached by turning hard counterclockwise past the click.
Q: What do I do to start up my new unit?
A: The unit is ready to run as shipped. After following the electrical installation information found in the manual (click link here), turn the power on and set the thermostat between 3 and 4. You can make further adjustments to suit your personal requirements after the box has cooled down.
Q: How do I trouble shoot my unit?
A: Please see the step-by-step Trouble Shooting guide in our online manual.
A: Your serial number will be on a silver sticker within the unit. If you need to locate the serial number on a control module, please see the link here for a guide on locating your serial number.
Q: How do I find the serial number on my unit or control module?
Q: What is my warranty?
A: Your warranty is two years from date of start-up (delivery of vehicle/vessel/refrigerator) to final user - first year is parts and labour, second year is parts only.
Q: Is the Compressor Speed Adjustable?
A: All Nova Kool units are supplied with the quiet and efficient BD series variable speed compressors from SECOP. Nova Kool has supplied your unit preset at the optimum speed for most “normal” applications. The speed is controlled by a resistor (#8) in the thermostat circuit. 0 ohms (no resistor) runs the compressor on its slowest speed, a 1523 ohm resistor will provide you with the fastest speed. The slower the speed, the lower the amp draw, and the lower the capacity.
Q: What Voltage will this unit work on?
A: The DC models are 12 & 24 VDC (the only consideration is the models supplied with an interior light, either 12VDC OR 24 VDC). The AC/DC models work on both 12 & 24 VDC as well as from 100-240 VAC 50/60hz. (The interior light on the AC/DC models is always 12vdc regardless of the DC supply voltage). Both modules “auto” sense the supply voltages so no wiring adjustments are necessary other than following the guidelines for DC fuse sizing.
Q: Can I change the direction of the door swing?
A: Most models are shipped standard with the door hung on the right. The door swing can easily be reversed by simply removing the hinge pins and latches and installing them on the opposite side. All of the required hardware is supplied. Units can be factory ordered with the correct door swing (standard is right hinge: i.e. door swings from left to right). You can watch our step-by-step video here on how to change the door swing.
Q: Can I change the door panel?
A: The decorative door panels can easily be changed to match your interior by first removing the upper hinge pin, then pulling the door out and up. The door should pull off the lower hinge pin easily. Once removed, turn the door upside down and remove the two Phillips head screws. Then, roll the bottom extrusion towards the door gasket, careful so as not to dislodge the door gasket. You will see a ¼” channel where you can slide in your panel material. You can view our step-by-step video here for detailed instructions on how to do this.
Q: What do I do if my shelf moves forward, away from the wall, while I am underway?
A: Please click here to see an installation guide for a shelf friction tube which will stop the shelf movement.
Frost and Defrosting Support
Please do not use any sharp implements to remove frost from the unit. This can cause irreparable damage to the evaporator plate. Please follow the defrost steps below.
A: A couple of factors affect the speed in which frost builds up on the cooling plates:
1. the humidity of the air where the fridge is located
2. the number of door openings per hour
3. the duration the door is open when entering the fridge
If you have a two door unit with a separate door on the freezer, you will probably notice that the freezer does not build up frost as fast as the refrigerator. This is due in most cases to the freezer door openings less frequent than the fridge.
If you find you have frost build up on the cooling plate in a quicker than anticipated (1/8 (3mm) of frost on the plate per 24 hr period), it is often caused from the door seal not sealing completely around the door and the frame on the fridge. If you suspect this is the case look for the following:
1. something in the fridge is keeping the door open, even just a little
2. dirt or something magnetic has landed on the gasket or frame that affects the seal
3. the gasket has become out of shape
4. the gasket has pulled out of the door channel that it is designed to fit into
Q. Why is frost building up on my unit quicker than anticipated?
A: No - all Nova Kool units are manual defrost.
Manual defrost units require manual defrost by turning off the unit and allowing the ice on the plate to melt. (Never help it our with a knife or sharp object to remove quicker). This is different than the home refrigerator which is frost free. On home frost free refrigerators, the unit has 4 defrosts a day. With the use of a timer the compressor shuts down, and a high temperature (high amperage) heater melts the ice from the evaporator plate. Two other heaters heat around the freezer door and the drain pan to allow water to move freely from the freezer. This is convenient when you have grid power, but it can take up to 10 amps at 115volts (1150 watts) to defrost four times a day. Due to the high amperage required for self defrost we do not offer this.
Q: Will my unit defrost itself?
A: Defrost units manually by turning off the unit (either at the breaker panel or by turning the thermostat counterclockwise to the OFF (0) position) and prop the door open to allow the ice on the plate to melt. Place a towel or absorbent material in the bottom of the fridge/freezer to prevent melted frost from running out of the unit. Never help it our with a knife or sharp object to remove quicker.
Q: How do I defrost my unit
A: The frequency of defrost is dependant on the number of door openings, the ambient temperature and the humidity level. Typically, it is a good practice to defrost once there is ¼” of frost buildup on either side of the evaporator (cold plate).
Q: How often do I Need to Defrost my unit?
Running My Unit Support
Please do not use any sharp implements to remove frost from the unit. This can cause irreparable damage to the evaporator plate. Please follow the defrost steps above.
Q: What can I do to make sure I am running my unit as efficiently as possible?
A: There are several easy steps and checks you can take to ensure you are keeping your fridge in good working order .
1. Clean the refrigerator coils: Refrigerator condenser coils are located in the rear of the refrigerator. You can simply vacuum the vents and coils to clean them. Dusty coils have to work harder to cool down the interior and contents of the refrigerator.
2. Check the gaskets for proper air seals: The gaskets are the seal that keeps in cold air in and the room air out of the refrigerator and the same for the freezer. The gaskets should last the life of the refrigerator if properly cared for. All you need to do to keep them in good shape is wash them down with soapy water. You can test the condition of the gasket by the “paper test.” You should not to be able to slide a piece of paper between the rubber seal and the frame of the refrigerator (or freezer). If the piece of paper slips between the seal and the frame, the seal is not tight enough and the gasket requires replacement.
3. Defrost freezer: For optimum performance, maintain refrigerator temperature between 35F and 40F. Freezer temperature should be kept between 15F and 20F. Freezers need to be defrosted on occasion for optimum performance. Those without an automatic defrost capability, should be cleared of ice and frost that has built up on the evaporator plates. Ice buildup inhibits the freezer’s ability to maintain proper temperature and causes the freezer to work harder than necessary to compensate. Do not allow the frost to accumulate to more than ¼”. When it reaches this level, it is time to defrost the freezer. Please do not use any sharp implements to remove frost from the unit. This can cause irreparable damage to the evaporator plate. Please follow the defrost steps above section.
Q: What are your top energy saving tips for refrigerators and Freezers?
A: Energy Saving Tips For Refrigerators:
1. Minimize moisture by keeping food covered and containers shut. Moisture can cause the compressor to work harder unnecessarily.
2. Replace paper wrappings on items in the refrigerator with aluminium or plastic. Paper is an insulator and will prevent from cooling food items properly.
3. Consider the location of your refrigerator and / or freezer. Do not position them in direct contact with hot appliances as this will make the compressor work harder.
Energy Saving Tips for Freezers:
1. Keep in mind, a full freezer will perform better than a empty freezer.
2. Keep the doors closed as much as possible and make sure they are closed tightly.
3. To help minimise power consumption, it is a good idea to pre-freeze products that are going in the freezer section. It takes 133 times more power to freeze a product than it takes to cool a product.
Thoughts to Keep in Mind:
1. The colder the fridge and the freezer the longer the run time and the more power consumed.
2. For an efficient power versus temperature many users find setting the fridge for 40-42 and the freezer from 20-25 will extend your time with out recharging the batteries.
3. In mobile applications where the unit is running from stored energy in the battery it is desirable to use as little power as possible. This allows you to dry camp or stay at anchor for extended periods of time.
4. Our units are designed to work in variable ambient temperatures from 60 °F to 100 °F range while in transit or stationery. Our units will run on an incline of up to 30° angle in any direction.
5. The power to run our units is supplied from your battery system in 12-14 or 23-28 VDC
Q: What run time is the most efficient?
A: Nova Kool units are designed to run in the most efficient manner. The compressor size and speed is matched against the evaporator and condenser to minimize the overall power consumption.
We purposely design our units to run longer, but at a lower amperage draw. We do this for two reasons. Firstly because every time a compressor starts up it momentarily draws 4-5 times the running amperage. Secondly, every time the compressor starts up it is pumping vapor. It takes 15-30 seconds for the compressor to pump the refrigerant through the condenser which in turn changes the vapor to liquid which then feeds the evaporator (cold plate). So for the first 15-30 seconds of every run cycle the refrigerator is setting up to cool but is not effectively producing cooling at the plates.
Since batteries are rated in amp hours it is important to do the job with the least amount of amperage as possible. Run time does not equate directly to more consumption. To compare power usage you need to take the run time and multiply it by the amperage that the fridge is drawing when it is running. An example is our SECOP BD35f can draw 2.2 – 6.5 amps by changing the speed. It is best to set it the amperage at the lowest value and let the unit run with the minimal cycles to produce the best efficiency.
Q: What can I do if my run time is too long?
A: This is due to a high ambient temperature, a large size of box, and not enough insulation or combination of. (especially with LT ice box conversion kits)
The solution is to run the compressor at higher speed. To do so, you need a resistor installed in line of thermostat circuit. The thermostat is connected between the terminals C and T on the SECOP control module. Without any resistor in the control circuit, the compressor will run with a speed of 2,000 rpm when the thermostat is switched on. Other fixed compressor speeds in the range between 2,000 and 3,500 rpm can be obtained when a resistor is installed to adjust the current (mA) of the control circuit.
Q: Why is Ice Cream so hard to keep firm?
A: As far as ice cream is concerned it is essentially a solution of milk (which contains water, lipids, proteins, and lactose) and refined sugar. With so many solid substances dissolved in water, we would expect the freezing point of ice cream to be below that of water. But, it's slightly more complicated than that.
Cow's milk naturally freezes at a temperature of approximately -.5°Centigrade, or 30° Fahrenheit which is not much lower than the freezing point of water. So how is it possible that ice cream can still feel "unfrozen" at temperatures far below -.5°C or 30° F?
The reason is that as the water component of the ice cream solution begin to freeze, it isolates itself from the rest of the solution by forming pure ice crystals (which are readily observable in ice cream). As a consequence, the relative concentration of the solid substances dissolved in the remaining liquid solution increases, simply because there is less liquid water left available for the solutes to dissolve in. The left-over water can then only freeze at a much lower temperature; when it does get cold enough to do so, the concentration of the solutes goes up even higher, again, because there is less liquid water left.
You can imagine that as the ice cream gets colder and colder, the concentration of the solutes continues to increase as water is progressively removed from the liquid solution as it freezes, thereby greatly depressing the freezing point of whatever amount of liquid is left. The ice cream eventually becomes a mixture of frozen crystals and a relatively smaller amount of unfrozen, liquid solution which gives it a soft feel. Below about -25°C, or -14°F ice cream is stable for indefinite periods without danger of ice crystal growth; however, above this temperature, ice crystal growth is possible and the rate of crystal growth is dependent upon the temperature of storage. This limits the shelf life of the ice cream.
Nova kool freezers are design to keep frozen ice cream for a short period of time at temperature 10° to 20°F or -12° to -7°C.
Why does my freezer frame condense in some ambient conditions?
A: This is due to the temperature of the frame lowering to below the dew point of the air.
Solution: The solution is to run the freezer unit a little warmer. This can be done by adjusting the thermostat to a warmer setting. The coldest setting is 7, the warmest setting is 1.
On some models we supplied a thermostat desensitizer to allow the freezer to go to a lower temperature. This is a plastic straw that goes over the thermostat capillary tube before it is fastened to the evaporator plate. To allow the unit to run warmer you can remove the thermostat capillary tube by lifting the two tabs that hold the capillary tube to the evaporator. Pull the straw off the capillary tube and discard. Place the capillary tube back under the two tabs on the evaporator and press tabs against the capillary tube and the evaporator to make firm contact. By doing this it will run the freezer at a warmer temperature.
The freezer is designed to run at 16°f and -10°c
Maintenance Support
Q: How do I clean the inside of my Unit?
A: The interior can be cleaned with a non-abrasive cleaner. Do not use “brilo” or “sos” type abrasive pads, as they will score the surfaces. Baking soda is recommended.
Q: How can I clean my stainless steel door panel?
A: One of the easiest ways to remove marks or smudges on the stainless steel panel and door trim is with a little WD40 spray lubricant or Silicone lubricant spray (for a non-scented version). Spray a little on a clean cloth and wipe the panel or door trim. Take a clean cloth and follow up the initial cleaning to dry the stainless off. The residue of the WD40 or Silicone Lubricant should evaporate off and leave a clean, streak free refrigerator panel or trim.
Q: How do I change the door gasket?
A: To change your door gasket, click this link, to follow a diagrammed work flow on how to do this.
Q: How do I remove the crisper shelf?
A: Please see our step-by-step support video on removing the crisper shelf.
Q: What can i do if I have a crack in my cabinet liner?
A: If an object such as a can drops and causes a small indent or crack this can be repaired using standard plastic model cement to seal it. A small amount only is needed. Using model cement causes a reaction with the plastic so please allow time for this to completely dry.
The cabinets and doors of all Nova Kool units are foamed with urethane foam insulation. The foam is closed cell foam and is up against the plastic styrene liner of the refrigerator.
Q: What can I do if I have a bulge in my door liner?
A: Very rarely a door bulge can occur after the unit has been subjected to very hot environments and the foam gives off a little pressure. Click this link to see a work flow on how to repair this.
Q: How do I change my light to an LED on an older model fridge?
A: On fridge models that were made prior to 2014, you may wish to order an LED light and change the light source in the fridge. Please click this link for a work flow on how to do this. Click here for the light assembly template.
Ventilation Support
Q: How Much Ventilation do I need?
A: Ventilation should be one of your first major installation considerations. All refrigerators, regardless of make, are heat transfer machines which transfer heat from the inside of the box by way of the evaporator , compressor and refrigerant to the condenser on the outside of the box to be dissipated to the air. The cavity where the condenser is located MUST be adequately ventilated. Single door units require 30 sq.in. INLET and 30 sq .in. OUTLET. Double door units require 60 sq .in. INLET and 60 sq .in. OUTLET (With the exception of the RFU9000 and the RFU8220 which is designed with ventilation built into the front of the unit, and does not usually require additional ventilation.)
Wiring Support
Q: Can I see a wiring diagram?
A: Please see the wiring diagram in our online manual or click the below links.
Q: What Wire fuse and breaker size do I need?
A:
DC breaker & fuse sizing:
20 amp breaker (main switch) for both 12 & 24VDC applications (please note: minimum DC breaker sizing is 20 amps)
15 Amp fuse for 12VDC
7.5 Amp fuse for 24VDC
AC (optional) breaker and fuse sizing (100-240VAC 50/60 Hz)
6 Amp breaker (main switch)
4 Amp fuse (included with unit)
Q: What is the minimum battery voltage required?
A: Low Voltage Battery Protection Requires: Cut out 10.4 volts and Cut in 11.7 volts
The voltage must be measured with a meter, at the module on the fridge while it is running or trying to start.
Minimum battery voltage measured at the battery should be 12.4 volts
Q: How do I Install a speed resistor on an ACDC control Module?
A: Please click the link for our workflow on installing the speed resistor.
Module Support
Q: How do I change my control module?
A: Please see our step-by-step support video page for instructions on how to do this for the type of control module you have.