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Old 01-04-2013, 12:47 PM   #1
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Ouestion about putting a fan in refrigerator

Looking at putting a fan inside of my refrigerator for better air circulation.
Do you have the air blow on the fins or away from the fins inside the refrigerator?

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I know you can buy fans that sit on the shelf or mount to the fins but I want to use a computer fan.
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30cfm should be about right.

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Old 01-04-2013, 12:53 PM   #2
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The most effective location for a fan is to blow air over the outside fins of the fridge. This actually improves the effecincy of the fridge.

An inside fan typically just improves how quickly a warm addition to the fridge will cool.
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Old 01-04-2013, 12:54 PM   #3
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Kevin, I don't think that it matters. The main thing is forcing air circulation over the fins. I used a tiny computer fan about 1" in diameter and it seems to work well (50* inside / outside differential).

I agree with Norm that an outside fan will be more effective.
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Old 01-04-2013, 02:23 PM   #4
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I have a small 2.25" computer fan for the inside. How many cfm's should I use for the outside fins?
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Old 01-04-2013, 02:30 PM   #5
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I have a small 2.25" computer fan for the inside. How many cfm's should I use for the outside fins?

I'm guessing about 35 to 50 CFM - about a 4" fan.
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Old 01-04-2013, 02:41 PM   #6
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I use 2 computer fans. Therr's a 12 volt pickup in the back of the fridge. I run a switch to the front of the fridge
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Old 01-04-2013, 02:55 PM   #7
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Should I put one in the bottom vent to draw in air and one in the top vent to push air out?
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If I put a fan in the top vent I would have to drill out the rivets to get behind the vent.Click image for larger version

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Old 01-04-2013, 03:03 PM   #8
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Should I put one in the bottom vent to draw in air and one in the top vent to push air out?

If I put a fan in the top vent I would have to drill out the rivets to get behind the vent.
I had the same problem. I mounted the fan under the heat exchanger blowing upward. That way I can access it from the lower door if it needs to be serviced.
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Old 01-04-2013, 04:20 PM   #9
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I placed my fans in the accesible area blowing up. I simply stuck them between the coils behind the fridge's access door. They blow up. I simply tywraped them to the black tubes. Still there after 33 states and 2 provinces. I believe theres apicture in modifications/ preparing a 1991 scamp
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Old 01-04-2013, 04:23 PM   #10
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I made a metal bracket to hold the fan and used stainless hose clamps to hold the bracket to the tube under the heat exchanger. The fans don't like direct, conducted heat, so don't mount it directly to anything that gets really hot.
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Old 01-04-2013, 05:39 PM   #11
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We use one of the cubes that sits inside, and find it helps a lot in keeping the temps even. It really should not matter where a fan is placed, as long as there is circulation. Even moving real slow is fine, as long as it circulates all the air every few minutes.
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Old 01-05-2013, 02:16 AM   #12
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I've used the Blue one for years and set it on the bottom of the fridge.

I also put a fan in back of the fridge to help the hot air vent out. I have a switch inside of my trailer to turn it on. However, I've not really camped in extreme weather since I put it there so I've only turned it on once or twice and can not testify to it's effectiveness.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:19 AM   #13
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I have used the battery operated blue one for two years and it really helps inside the fridge. We don't get some items freezing while others spoil, the temperature seems to be consistent throughout now. Tried an outside fan before but that didn't help our problem.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:28 AM   #14
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I have used the battery operated blue one for two years and it really helps inside the fridge. We don't get some items freezing while others spoil, the temperature seems to be consistent throughout now. Tried an outside fan before but that didn't help our problem.

Right. The fan in back makes the refrigerator colder inside. The fan inside makes the temperature more even inside and makes the fridge cool off faster.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:45 AM   #15
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If you're interested in seeing an old, old thread from the archives that may help explain the differences between the two... and they're pictures: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/refrig-fan.php
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:53 AM   #16
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Going to add a 50cfm 80mm computer fan at the bottom and top vent outside also one inside the frig.
Thanks everyone for all the tips.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:57 AM   #17
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Going to add a 50cfm 80mm computer fan at the bottom and top vent outside also one inside the frig.
Thanks everyone for all the tips.
You might want to switch them separately if you boon dock, so you can optimize the power usage.
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Old 01-05-2013, 12:01 PM   #18
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Kevin I think you have made the right choose!

I have used the little cube fan inside the fridge for years - as Thomas indicated it really only moves air around but it helps! The instructions with my current one said it was best placed at the bottom of the fridge. If you get one make sure you get the one with an on off switch - one of the ones doesnt have a switch and I could never remember to pull the batteries out of it when not in use. The one with on/off switch can last me a year of camping on one set of batteries.

The big thing to remember about the inside of the fridge is - dont over fill it! If is over packed nothing will cool it down. Best to keep you none perishable items in a separate cooler. Also don't let the freezer compartment frost up. The more frost in the freezer area the poorer the fridge will run.

Two other things I have done that had a far bigger impact on better fridge performance were adding a small fan outside at the bottom of the fridge pointed upwards (leaving the bottom vent open a little bit) and wrapping the outside of the fridge in foil bubble wrap type insulation and resealing the area the fridge is enclosed - both inside the trailer and at the back. Scamp had not done a great job of that - there were a few spots inside the cabinet area that were wide open.

Putting a wireless outdoor temperature sensor inside the fridge is another great item to have. Put the readout panel outside the fridge saves having to open the door to check how well the fridge is performing. Have found it often takes in really warm weather a good hour for the fridge to recover from having opened the door.
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Old 01-05-2013, 03:51 PM   #19
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A pal of mine uses a solar powered fan very much like this (he's got it inside the fridge, not outside as illustrated):



I've been surprised at how little light it takes to power it. Of course it goes off at night, though to no real detriment of the goods in the fridge.

Francesca
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Old 01-05-2013, 03:55 PM   #20
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A pal of mine uses a solar powered fan very much like this (he's got it inside the fridge, not outside as illustrated):



I've been surprised at how little light it takes to power it. Of course it goes off at night, though to no real detriment of the goods in the fridge.

Francesca

Isn't it dark inside the refrigerator?
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