Refrigerator Ventilation Fan

[steve dunham]

My refrigerator came from the Casita factory with the optional vent fan but I am not thrilled with the refrigerator's performance . When it is hot and humid it struggles to keep temperatures in the proper range. The owners manual advises you to add a second vent fan if this problem arises and I also called Dometic and was told to have the refrigerator serviced and that a second fan may help . Has anyone added a second vent fan ? Was it worth the cost and effort? I realize absorption refrigerator are affected by ambient temperatures.
My previous Scamp refrigerator worked better, I believe due to their venting through the roof unlike the venting system used by Casita . Running the refrigerator on propane or 120 VAC or 12 VDC seem to have little effect. Any suggestions?

[Raz]

My first trailer fridge had a freezer. The freezer would work great at the expense of the fridge. After reading the manual, something the trailer manufacturer elected not to do, I discovered that adding baffles to direct air across the coils made a big difference in performance. A 12 volt muffin fan from an old PC improved things even more. Finally choosing a site that did not allow afternoon sun on the vent area also helps. Raz

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

My first trailer fridge had a freezer. The freezer would work great at the expense of the fridge. After reading the manual, something the trailer manufacturer elected not to do, I discovered that adding baffles to direct air across the coils made a big difference in performance. A 12 volt muffin fan from an old PC improved things even more. Finally choosing a site that did not allow afternoon sun on the vent area also helps. Raz

Thank you : I too discovered that by deploying my awning and shading the refrigerator from the sun improved the performance. I will read the manual again and look for the adding of a baffle . After installing your modification were you able to get the refrigerator to operate in the safe range (34 to 45 Deg F) at high ambient temperatures (High 80's to upper 90's) . We were getting refrigerator temperatures in the 50's when the outside temperatures were in the upper 90's ( about a 40 Deg F differential ) Really not a safe temperature for storing perishables !

Steve D

[Mike Magee]

I'm watching this thread. My fridge spent a lot of time at 55-60 degree inside temp on this last trip, and I'm fed up with that. Living where I do, I can't avoid 90+ degree days on my way to & from the cooler places.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Thank you : I too discovered that by deploying my awning and shading the refrigerator from the sun improved the performance. I will read the manual again and look for the adding of a baffle . After installing your modification were you able to get the refrigerator to operate in the safe range (34 to 45 Deg F) at high ambient temperatures (High 80's to upper 90's) . We were getting refrigerator temperatures in the 50's when the outside temperatures were in the upper 90's ( about a 40 Deg F differential ) Really not a safe temperature for storing perishables !

Steve D

Below 40* but..... you have to keep the door closed. The milk, butter, salad stuff, supper, eggs ect. are fine but the beer, soda, ect. goes in a cooler. Every time you open the door you warm things up. On the Trillium we have a Dometic 2193, fridge only. Works better. No freezer. No ice cream , and the beer goes in the cooler. Oh by the way, in the fall put your salad stuff on the bottom and set the fridge on low or you'll freeze your lettuce. Raz

[steve dunham]

I checked the upper refrigerator vent and discovered that Casita had installed a baffle. The baffle was a screw mounted piece of fiberglass that was flush with the outside vent opening but there was a 1 1/2" gap between the baffle and the case (top) of the refrigerator . When the vent fan ran a lot of the warm air went underneath the baffle and over the top of the refrigerator . I fashioned a curved baffle from a length of 6" aluminum duct which rests on the top of the refrigerator case (closing the gap) and extending to the outside vent . The fan now seems to be expelling a lot more warm air so we'll see if there is any improvement in performance . The temperature today in Northern Wisconsin is in the upper 60's - low 70's so I can't put my modification to a real test (too cool ). I will have to wait until summer arrives to do a real test Thanks for your suggestion ,it was an easy install , inexpensive, and I am hoping for good results

Steve D.

[Otters]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I fashioned a curved baffle from a length of 6" aluminum duct which rests on the top of the refrigerator case (closing the gap) and extending to the outside vent . Steve D.

Steve, is it possible to post a picture of the baffled you made?

[Raz]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I checked the upper refrigerator vent and discovered that Casita had installed a baffle. The baffle was a screw mounted piece of fiberglass that was flush with the outside vent opening but there was a 1 1/2" gap between the baffle and the case (top) of the refrigerator . When the vent fan ran a lot of the warm air went underneath the baffle and over the top of the refrigerator . I fashioned a curved baffle from a length of 6" aluminum duct which rests on the top of the refrigerator case (closing the gap) and extending to the outside vent . The fan now seems to be expelling a lot more warm air so we'll see if there is any improvement in performance . The temperature today in Northern Wisconsin is in the upper 60's - low 70's so I can't put my modification to a real test (too cool ). I will have to wait until summer arrives to do a real test Thanks for your suggestion ,it was an easy install , inexpensive, and I am hoping for good results

Steve D.

Sounds like it's time for a road trip to a hot place. Moab in Utah is nice this time of year. Or maybe Texas. Barbecue brisket...

[Ak Ron]

Raz: I am curious if run the fan full time or can it be tied into the refrigerator cycling? I have a dc only fridge in my 2004 trillium and I'd like to experiment with a fan to see if it would reduce the cycling (and therefore the dc drain).
Steve: You are waiting for summer on Aug 3rd? Hope it gets there before winter!

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Ak Ron

Raz: I am curious if run the fan full time or can it be tied into the refrigerator cycling? I have a dc only fridge in my 2004 trillium and I'd like to experiment with a fan to see if it would reduce the cycling (and therefore the dc drain).
Steve: You are waiting for summer on Aug 3rd? Hope it gets there before winter!

Hi Ron. My fan was very temporary. I hung it on the outside of the vent with a couple of paper clips and a wire attached to the battery with alligator clips. I planned on a permanent install but never got to it. The new fridge has yet to need it. The fan I used drew less than 1/2 amp. With a compressor type fridge I would suspect the lower current use due to a shorter duty cycle would be about what you would use with the fan i.e. a wash. That said, muffin fans are easy to come by. Raz

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Ak Ron

Raz: I am curious if run the fan full time or can it be tied into the refrigerator cycling? I have a dc only fridge in my 2004 trillium and I'd like to experiment with a fan to see if it would reduce the cycling (and therefore the dc drain).
Steve: You are waiting for summer on Aug 3rd? Hope it gets there before winter!

My refrigerator fan is controlled by a single pole switch in series with a klikon thermo switch with a fixed setting of 100 Deg F . The klikon switch is mounted (attached) to the refrigerator coil ( Klikon is a thermo switch that turns on and off with temperature rise and has a metal disc that warps when heated ,activates the switch and makes a clicking noise when switching.
The fan only runs when the switch is on and the coil temperature is above 100 Deg. F . In cooler weather the fan cycles , in warm weather it runs constantly ..

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Ak Ron

Raz: I am curious if run the fan full time or can it be tied into the refrigerator cycling? I have a dc only fridge in my 2004 trillium and I'd like to experiment with a fan to see if it would reduce the cycling (and therefore the dc drain).
Steve: You are waiting for summer on Aug 3rd? Hope it gets there before winter!

We've had morning lows in the 40's and daytime highs in the 50's in both July and August this year . The corn in a lot of the fields was not knee high on August 1st .I hope it warms before Labor Day , the official start of SNOW SEASON , . Some of the campgrounds in our area close the Sunday after Labor Day , the other stick it out all the way to October 1st. It's probably warmer in Alaska . According to the local weatherman ,the reason for our cold Summer is those rotten Canadians who are importing their cold air into the US under NAFTA

[RRJR]

Ain't true, we ain't exporting noth'n.
If you check the weather radar all our bad weather seems to come from down under.especily here in southern Ontario.
Come on up and check and we also have good camping.

[jwcolby54]

If you look under Norm's thread about "improvements"

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...6-a-46387.html

you will find a post about adding a muffin fan on the back side of the fridge, which blows air up over the cooling vents on the back of the fridge. He claims a consistent temp in the 30s doing that.

It's a long post and an interesting read, but I don't know exactly which post it is that discusses the fan.

I will be doing this mod to my frige

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by RRJR

If you check the weather radar all our bad weather seems to come from down under.especily here in southern Ontario.

I disagree. It seems to come from the wet coast.
Back to the fridges ...
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/refrig-fan.php
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...dge-33684.html
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...dge-54485.html

[multi-task]

My 2004 trillium also has a DC only fridge (Nova Kool). If it's the same as mine it's already wired for a fan. There is a +- spot you can plug one into and it will cycle with the fridge. There should be a wiring diagram on the back of the fridge.

I added two fans recently and they work fine. Camping in Radium BC last week it was 40 degrees (C) and the fridge kept everything cold/frozen. It was on almost the entire time during the day so I'm not sure the fans helped much. However keeping the fridge side shaded helped drop it's cycles significantly. Shade or sun the fridge temp was good so the fans either helped or the compressor just works well regardless.