Adding a fan to the fridge?

[Ted]

I seem to recall a couple of years ago someone installed the fan out of an old computer near the vent for their refrigerator to improve the cooling. We recently replaced our home PC and am considering doing the same. Have been searching the forum and can't find it. Anyone recall that thread or have a link?

Thanks.

 

[pods8]

I recall it too, I ran wiring for one when I had my counter apart in case I decide one is needed. I figured I'd just end up jerry rigging a mount in the fridge compartment blowing towards the coils.

 

[HERR42]

I recall it too, I ran wiring for one when I had my counter apart in case I decide one is needed. I figured I'd just end up jerry rigging a mount in the fridge compartment blowing towards the coils.


mine is wired but not yet mounted to the coils. ugh.
i have used one of the "fridgefans" and i just dont see the benefit.
seems like a good idea but i cant recognize any benefit...i guess thats why i never got to mounting the fan.
the fan wiring is easy because there is just enough space to run them right next to the thermostat tube. voila, theres 12v at the convenient term strip.

 

[BSS]

I have two 4" fans (1.1 ah draw) inside the top vent. The idea is to evacuate the hot air that collects inside the top of the cabinet and lowers the unit's efficiency. Insulating the dead air around the fridge box as well as baffling the back edges of the fridge against the inside walls are also recommended. The idea here is two fold; isolate the "cold" portion of the box from the heat of the coils and ambient (outside) heat much well as possible, and get air moving across the coils while exhausting as much hot air possible away from the unit. So you want the fans to suck, not blow. Efficiency will damn near double.

As pods said, the power is already right there. I have mine wired to a switch as well as an inline plug that I can slip through one of the vent slots so I have the option to plug it directly into a portable solar panel that I throw up on the roof without using any battery juice.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Hello Herr42 (Jeff)

Does your 2007 four wheel camper have the larger refrigerator / freezer installed in it ?

If so, your camper should already have the refrigerator vent fan I think Ted is referring to.

I'm pretty sure he is asking about the exterior refrigerator vent fan.

We install the fan on all of our campers that get the larger refrigerator / freezer.

If you look inside the upper / exterior refrigerator vent on your camper you should see a fan in there..

hope this helps.



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[HERR42]

Hello Herr42 (Jeff)

Does your 2007 four wheel camper have the larger refrigerator / freezer installed in it ?

If so, your camper should already have the refrigerator vent fan I think Ted is referring to.

I'm pretty sure he is asking about the exterior refrigerator vent fan.

We install the fan on all of our campers that get the larger refrigerator / freezer.

If you look inside the upper / exterior refrigerator vent on your camper you should see a fan in there..

hope this helps.
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oops, i thought they were talking about the interior fan as an enhancement.
to move the air around a bit to improve cooling.
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[KILR0Y]

Hello Herr42 (Jeff)

Does your 2007 four wheel camper have the larger refrigerator / freezer installed in it ?

If so, your camper should already have the refrigerator vent fan I think Ted is referring to.

I'm pretty sure he is asking about the exterior refrigerator vent fan.

We install the fan on all of our campers that get the larger refrigerator / freezer.

If you look inside the upper / exterior refrigerator vent on your camper you should see a fan in there..

hope this helps.



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Stan,

Are you saying that if you order a new Hawk with the large 3.0L fridge, it already comes with a fan in it for better cooling?

 

[dsrtrat]

Ted, you might want to check the voltage on your computer fan to see if it is a 12 volt DC fan. It may be 120 volts AC. If you need a 12 volt DC fan they are easy to find on e-bay or from online retailers.
Dsrtrat


I seem to recall a couple of years ago someone installed the fan out of an old computer near the vent for their refrigerator to improve the cooling. We recently replaced our home PC and am considering doing the same. Have been searching the forum and can't find it. Anyone recall that thread or have a link?

Thanks.

 

[JHanson]

A friend of mine with an older FWC and a three-way fridge did the "fan mod," and swore it raised the temperature at which the fridge could still work effectively from around 80 degrees to about, oh, 82 degrees. So don't expect miracles . . .

BSS seems to have had better luck, but my friend thought it was mostly wasted effort. If you do it I'd be very curious to hear your results.

 

[chnlisle]

I know lots of folks have these types of 3way fridges and like them. I have never had great luck with them in the desert where we do most of our camping. My experience is that they cool, at the very best, to about 40 degrees below ambient. That's great if you're never in temps above 70. I've had several built-ins as well as 2 chest types, both new and used and my experiences are similar with them all. The cooling is ,of course, most important. After all it is a refrigerator. But they have several other issues as well. Most of which have been documented here. I wish they worked better because they're a damn sight cheaper than my Engel. But the Engel will freeze ice cream in Death Valley in July. Good luck.

 

[Walldiver]

Stan,

Are you saying that if you order a new Hawk with the large 3.0L fridge, it already comes with a fan in it for better cooling?

Kilroy,
Yes that is what Stan is saying, I have a 2010 Hawk that has the fan. It does help, I have forgot to turn it on during a hot day and noticed the difference. I also run 2 ref fans inside, I place them on the bottom of the ref in each corner blowing up thru the cooling vanes which also helps. Just wish they would push more air then they do. You also have to make sure that you don't place objects above them on the racks to block the flow of air, I am constantly jumping on my Wife's back about doing that. In regards to the freezer in the 3 Way, mine has no problem keeping anything frozen solid.

 

[Roger]

I added two computer fans to my Ranger a while ago and they are still both working fine after several thousand miles.

I can keep the fridge cold even in very warm weather. I also added an exhaust vent to the top of the stack...

I posted a write up here:



http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4980/

 

[Walldiver]

After reading this post, I realized that I also needed to try to improve my frig performance in hot conditions. Did research on the web and I came up with these mods. Finished this weekend and here are the pics.

1st picture is 2 80mm fans installed on .090 alum brackets.
2nd picture is 1 80 mm fan installed on a .090 alum L bracket below the upper 2 fans between the 2 other fans.

 

[Walldiver]

Here are 2 more pictures of my frig mod.

1st is where I fabed layers of Reflectix to fill the 2 3/4" open dead space above the frig to elimnate the heat being trapped.

2nd is where I fabed a pad that is attached to the inside of the outside wall of the Frig compartment that extends the entire length and from the bottom edge of the upper vent to the top edge of lower vent.

 

[Walldiver]

This is the last picture of my mod.

This is the .032 alum baffle installed at the upper edge of the lower vent. The bottom edge of the Reflectix pad that I installed on the wall is attached to it.

Now I will have to wait a few months for the weather to heat up to see how much of a improvement it makes. I will report back then on the results.