Yes, I know , I better catch it.
Anyhow, we have a Norcold. It runs pretty much constantly. Not 100% of the time, but its definitely running more than it is off.
Our boat has an under-counter Norcold refrigerator/freezer. It was installed by the previous owner a year or two before we bought the boat. So this makes it 18 or 19 years old now.
Not long after acquiring the boat I felt the unit was running an abnormal amount of time. It woudl run for about five to seven minutes, then be off for that same amount of time, then be back on again.
So I contacted Norcold and asked them if this was normal or if they felt it had a problem. They replied that the times I gave them were normal for this model.
So basically, it's running half the time it's turned on. In our case, we turned it on when we got the boat to its new harbor in 1998 after having it trucked up from California, and we have not turned it off since other than the times the boat is being hauled for bottom paint or other work and it's between being in the water and being blocked in the boatyard where the boat is plugged back into ground power.
At one point some four or five years ago we thought the Norcold was dying as during a cruise it began cycling at very short intervals and at one point stopped running altogether. It started up again on its own the following day but we made plans to replace it when we got home.
We selected a replacement--- an Isotherm AC/DC refrigerator/freezer that would fit in exactly the same space and connect to the same wiring. We were about to order one when the Norcold "fixed" itself and began cycling normally. Apparently the thought of being removed and tossed into the dumpster scared it enough that it's been running correctly ever since.
We also changed out our battery system for a new system, replacing a pair of older 8Ds with six 6vdc golf cart batteries. Whether this new power source sparked the Norcold's "recovery' we don't know.
But as long as it continues to function correctly, we'll keep it even though compared to modern units it's not particulalry efficient. My wife defrosts the freezer periodically, and perhaps this plus the fact it's never turned off has contributed to its longevity.
I did cut several large holes in the divider under the counter between the refrigerator space and the under-sink part of the galley counter cabinet. This has improved the air circulation through the refrigerator space.
The Norcold, which is in essence and RV unit, does not have a lot of insulation, hence the frequent cycle times. It cycles less frequently in the winter than in the summer.
My wife really likes the shelf arrangement and flexibility of this particular unit. The Isotherm that's waiting in the wings in case it's needed is a much more efficient unit and uses a Danfoss compressor, but its interior arrangement is not nearly as nice as the Norcold's.