Option Regrets?

CR,
Cool St Babs AMs I hear its down right chilly there these days. I miss the Nard but lovin' Tucson only 98 today. I have had the same experience as you with the fridge in the desert. It just doesnt work well. But since Its in my new Hawk I'll give it another try with Jeffs suggestions and maybe install a small exhaust fan in the out side locker.
 
Frig Compartment

camelracer,

This spring while installing my furnace I had to remove the frig to run the gas line and to access the wiring hidden behind the insulation blanket. There is very little insulation on the sides of the compartment and none on the top. The manufactures spec.s say the frig box should have a max of 1/2" clearance on the sides and top and a min. of zero. I pulled the frig again and insulated around the box top and sides, rebuilt the heat shield/baffle above the works and closed the sides to isolate the frig box from the outside air. So far the performance has improved with the extra insulation.
 
interesting fan unit...is that battery powered? where exactly do you put it and how do you secure it?
 
you just put the batts in and put it on a shel as though it was a soda can. the batts are supposed to last a month. i am testing it now.
 
Thanks for the info guys. The fan may help because I noticed that things stayed cooler near the fins. Maybe Stan or Ben can pipe in here with some info about insulation.
I was in the Owens Valley over memorial day weekend with temps in the 90's and it worked great. Maybe the secret is to hang out in an air conditioned cantina when the temps exceed 100.
 
Grandma's Doily on my Ceiling?

I've had the Super Shell all of 3 days and can already say I probably should have gotten the vent over the bed.:(
And Lord do I HATE the fabric on the ceiling!
Funky gawd awful white brocade like some kind of cheap coffin liner or a hotel mattress???? :eek:
I did not see that comin' at all!... . Especially since it goes SO WELL with the rest of the upholstery.:rolleyes:
All I can say is ICK, ICK, & DOUBLE ICK!

Other then that, it's Pretty Cool............:cool:
 
grumpy, what happened, did you not see the fabric when you bought the rig? your right though it does kind of look like a coffin...i sleep very well in it!
 
camelracer,

This spring while installing my furnace I had to remove the frig to run the gas line and to access the wiring hidden behind the insulation blanket. There is very little insulation on the sides of the compartment and none on the top. The manufactures spec.s say the frig box should have a max of 1/2" clearance on the sides and top and a min. of zero. I pulled the frig again and insulated around the box top and sides, rebuilt the heat shield/baffle above the works and closed the sides to isolate the frig box from the outside air. So far the performance has improved with the extra insulation.

Regarding clearances, the manufacturer of your fridge wants a chimney effect to develop an efficient "draft" to remove heat from the cooling fins. Too much dead air around the fridge negates this effect, and the fridge is therefore less efficient. This is true of both absorption and compressor type cooling units.

Regarding fans, an interior (inside the fridge) fan keeps temps even throughout the compartment. The fridge should run less often, and food should last longer if one of these are used. A fan to cool the outside (rear) of the fridge should be placed in such a way to support the chimney effect mentioned above. IMO, the outside fan makes a HUGE difference in the efficiency of the fridge, and is worth every effort to install, when installed properly.

DLN, I am not surprised at all that your fridge works better with the insulation you added. It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyways, if anyone is inclined to re-work the install of your fridge to tighten up clearances, be sure to use appropriately rated fire-resistant materials. The back of the fridge can get HOT! Over the years of camping in and working on RVs (professionally) I have not often seen the fridges actually installed to the specific manufacturer's recommended clearances, etc. There are too many variables, too little attention spent on this detail. That is to say, everyone should check the install of their fridge, if they want the most out of it.

Regards,

Bob
 
did you not see the fabric when you bought the rig?
We had the camper custom built and we scored the end of the year free delivery.
We went to the extent of supplying the fabric for the cushions and drapes but nobody told us the ceiling was fabric covered also. :(
 
Bob,
When you say chimney effect is it just a matter of installing a fan that will draw hot air out through the upper part of the out side grill? I would love to see a pic of a properly installed exhaust fan.....Anyone
 
Bob,
When you say chimney effect is it just a matter of installing a fan that will draw hot air out through the upper part of the out side grill? I would love to see a pic of a properly installed exhaust fan.....Anyone

Check out this PDF from the Norcold site...

http://www.thetford.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=18d2Sfky05U%3d&tabid=294&mid=879

Proper baffles are more important than the fan itself, IMO. The fan install depends a bit on the fan used. I'll see if I can find some pics.

Should this part of the thread be moved to a seperate fridge fan thread? I think I've cluttered up the options thread a bit...sorry 'bout that!

Bob
 
Bob,

Welcome to the board and thanks for following up with the information regarding proper fire resistant materials and maintaining proper clearances and ventilation around the rear works. I based my work on the construction details provided by Norcold in the installation instructions to completely isolate the frig box from the works while maintaining proper ventilation and air flow for both the exhaust stack and the cooling fin tubes. I sure do recommend that anyone reworking their frig study the factory instructions carefully before the start.
 
I'll add two ideas to the good ones of the vent stack fan (they can be thermostatically controlled), the inside distribution fan, being sure the reefer was properly installed w/regard to venting and insulation, and running in LP mode (moves more BTU's than 120VAC, which moves more than 12VDC in most reefers; check your specs).

If possible, put some kind of flexible, see-thru material across the bottom half or two-thirds of the reefer front inside -- The objective is to keep the cold air from 'falling out' when the door is opened. If the door is being opened a lot for drinks, consider a cooler and ice for those.
 
uncle grumpy

We can put the other vent in anytime you would like if you are up in the area. Changing the head liner would be a bit of a chore. I apologize about that one. Should have said something when you picked out all the other fabric for the camper. Just never thought of that one, never had a customer want to change it on us before.
 
back from the trip

I made it back Saturday morning. 11 days and 4100 miles later. Stayed with my daughter for 3 days and took care of some business in Oklahoma for a couple of those days. Playing catch up now. Looks like about 2 more days to answer everybody and get things back to normal.
 
welcome back ben, sounds like you had a good trip...
 
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