Do we need cooling fridge fan in new vans

Hey Jim · Guru

Do we need cooling fridge fan in new vans

Bushpie · Guru

Ha Ha off to the naughty corner you go Jim......

I would think that leave things as they are for now Jim, if down the track your fridge does not quite cut it then perhaps put a fan or two in...

my understanding is that the fans go at the bottom to help blow the hot air from rear of fridge up and out the vent at top thus making it a little cooler..... but it should be fine as is...... after all it is a Jayco... he he ... could not resist.

If you do find you need to do it you have to be careful as needs to be wired correctly taking all your power options into consideration..... there is some hints in the Techie pages

brickies · Guru

I have a caravan for 8.5 years and am yet to have a problem , But in saying when we had the caravan made we ask for a Tropical Fridge , So may have been a good call or just lucky .

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Should really be in "Techies" Jim but last time I said that I got shot down so have ducked for cover already.

I have only just fitted two of the little beasts to my fridge but to the inside of top vent to drag the hot air out. That is how I was told to do them many moons back. I have done a tempory job to see if it works then will do properly later if good.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Have you considered the solar fan option ? From $80. Separate from house batteries, work when suns out and hot..
Thinking of getting some myself ? Or similar..
www.ebay.com.au/itm/Solar-Attic-Fan-Exhaust-Fan-Vent-w-separated-panel-Boat-deck-Caravan-greenhouse-/321831392111

madaboutled · Guru

Dougwe wrote:
Should really be in "Techies" Jim but last time I said that I got shot down so have ducked for cover already.

I have only just fitted two of the little beasts to my fridge but to the inside of top vent to drag the hot air out. That is how I was told to do them many moons back. I have done a tempory job to see if it works then will do properly later if good.

Hey Jim · Guru

Thanks all,

Yes I'm Bad. I won't do it again. Dougwe.

The solar sounds good option for $80 smacko's. I don't want Lambie's wine to get hot when having future stress attacks.

I will ask under techies, and look further into the fitment if the need arisers...... Sorry.

Jim

-- Edited by Hey Jim on Sunday 3rd of January 2016 09:38:04 PM

wasn_me · Guru

VENT ABOVE FRIDGE

I have had my Jayco about 3 months now. The fridge works so well I haven't used the engel in the car. I used to use the engel for meat & beer.

I put the good performance down to 2 things. No 1, behind the top vent is enclosed with ply & silicon, so hot air actually exhausts as it should. The shelf above the fridge doesn't get hot.

No 2, The fridge is tropical rated. I don't know what the differences are between tropical & sub tropical rating. I'd think better insulation maybe.

I run the fridge on setting 4 through the day & setting 3 at night. This maintains 2 - 4 degrees C through the day. If I leave it on setting 4 overnight it freezes lettuce & tomatoes. (This is in summer)

I might turn it up to setting 5 through the day if the fridge side is in the sun. I will install a fan to help with this situation.

The only problem I've got with my van is the draw under the seat, near the door, will come open on rough roads. I've adjusted the catch, which improved it but not solved completely yet.

Cheers Pete

-- Edited by wasn_me on Monday 4th of January 2016 10:38:47 AM

Footprints · Senior Member

When i was about to have my Seabreeze van custom built the builder stressed that most caravans refrigerators are not installed correctly and explained the reasons why. Most vans have a vent on the side of the van at the lower area of the refrigerator and another higher up the side to allow the heat to escape, this in fact is incorrect the van should be constructed with a flue all the way to the roof of the van allowing it to "draft' efficiently. The other important point of the installation is that there be No Clearance on the sides and around the surfaces of the refrigerator. This is how he has installed mine and i am very happy with the performance of it, with temps as high as 38 degrees Celsius it still tends to freeze contents in the fridge compartment if the thermostat setting is 3 or higher. Subsequent checking of the Dometic installation instructions confirm that 'All' should be installed with the Dometic flue kit. Once again we get what we pay for and caravan builders taking inappropriate shortcuts.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Yes it seems the more draft above fridge the better the draft effect..
After seeing what can be done in solar section I fitted a thin alloy sheet to roughly
seal the shelf above fridge.. I must say it has helped.. There's solar wires through this
void but seals well enough to work.. Originally there was a pink batts pushed in there which had moved
some resting on exchanger pipes.. which wouldn't have helped..
Yes I find I have to manually adjust thermostat at night to prevent freezing lettuce etc..
The solar fans on top vent I hope will be set up and forget ..
Just for added help..

PeterD · Guru

Footprints wrote:
When i was about to have my Seabreeze van custom built the builder stressed that most caravans refrigerators are not installed correctly and explained the reasons why. Most vans have a vent on the side of the van at the lower area of the refrigerator and another higher up the side to allow the heat to escape, this in fact is incorrect the van should be constructed with a flue all the way to the roof of the van allowing it to "draft' efficiently.

You have encountered one of the few manufacturers that appreciate that fridge installation is something to be done correctly. If the manufacturer will offer a roof mounted vent then take it (even though you will loose a little space in the cupboard above the fridge.) Whilst the roof mounted top vent is the ultimate fridges will still operate to their T rated specification with the top vent on the side of the van. The top photo in the reply above by wasn_me shows a good installation. You should not be able to see the fins on the condenser at the top of the fridge at all.

If you can see the condenser fins through the top vent then the fridge will not work to full specs. Adding fans is a band aid solution and will still not get the fridge up to specification You will get far more improvement by correcting the installation. The first thing to do is to block up any gap between the top and sides of the fridge. Next is to add a second vent above the existing top vent. Construct a duct above the fridge to allow the fridge to vent through the new vent. Then block off the old top vent. If you do that then you will not need the fan/s and will achieve far greater improvement than fiddling with band-aid fans. See this link to check on how their fridges should be installed. You will note that you can not see any fins through the top vents. Another thing that limits the operation of the larger fridges (over 100 litres) is that van manufacturers do not use the larger vents for those fridges like is specified in that link. A further link for you to study is this one, it has been around for many moons.

There was a 90 litre Dometic fridge used in vans in the 90s (RM4001 I think.) It had a poor performance reputation. I had a switched on van repairer rework my van as I explained above. I had no problems after the repair, I had one of the few of those fridges that worked properly. Anyone who recommends you fit fans is giving you duff gen.

Hey Jim · Guru

Hi PeterD,

Thankyou for this information, I will wait till we see how the fridge performs in the new van before going any further. I have also seen folks use a fix blind off the vans to protect the area outside the immediate area of the fridge from the sun while staying in the one spot for a period of time. Our fridge is on the opposite side of our awning.

Regards Jim

Footprints · Senior Member

Tony McLaine of Sea Breeze Caravans was a very thorough and pedantic builder of quality caravans. Sadly Tony passed away a few months ago. My van may possibly have been the last van completed by Tony. Not a fault to be found in 12 months of living in it full-time and travelling. A happy Camper!

patrolst · Senior Member

Try this install if you need to install the fan. As you will note the fan is installed at the top with a thermostat, as the fridge is a heat absorbsion type installing the fan at the bottom won't let it operate as designed.

http://www.dreampod.net/boroma/fridgefan.html

Hylife · Guru

There are now two types of cooling systems used in caravan fridges.

1. Compressor type. These are just like your fridge at home. Once they used to draw way too much power to be considered for caravan use but now they are very efficient running on both 12V and 230V and drawing much less current than the older absorption type. Compressor fridges do not have the same ventilation requirements as the older type.

2. Absorption type. These fridges (if a 3way) have two heating elements for 230V and 12V and also a gas burner. They work by boiling an ammonia and water mixture and via a convoluted piping system the mixture is cooled, separates from the water and the ammonia cools the fridge internals. These need good air flow over a radiator grill to work effectively. Tropical units have a larger radiator and a higher ammonia mix.

Phillipn · Guru

Footprints wrote:
When i was about to have my Seabreeze van custom built the builder stressed that most caravans refrigerators are not installed correctly and explained the reasons why. Most vans have a vent on the side of the van at the lower area of the refrigerator and another higher up the side to allow the heat to escape, this in fact is incorrect the van should be constructed with a flue all the way to the roof of the van allowing it to "draft' efficiently. The other important point of the installation is that there be No Clearance on the sides and around the surfaces of the refrigerator. This is how he has installed mine and i am very happy with the performance of it, with temps as high as 38 degrees Celsius it still tends to freeze contents in the fridge compartment if the thermostat setting is 3 or higher. Subsequent checking of the Dometic installation instructions confirm that 'All' should be installed with the Dometic flue kit. Once again we get what we pay for and caravan builders taking inappropriate shortcuts.

Our van is a Winjana, built in Toowoomba. All Winjana vans and 5th wheelers have the fridge venting out through the roof.

The fridge vent through the roof is great as solar and phone aerial wiring can be run in the vent without the need to cut more holes in the roof.

aussie_paul · Guru

Hylife wrote:
There are now two types of cooling systems used in caravan fridges.
1. Compressor type. These are just like your fridge at home. Once they used to draw way too much power to be considered for caravan use but now they are very efficient running on both 12V and 230V and drawing much less current than the older absorption type. Compressor fridges do not have the same ventilation requirements as the older type.
2. Absorption type. These fridges (if a 3way) have two heating elements for 230V and 12V and also a gas burner. They work by boiling an ammonia and water mixture and via a convoluted piping system the mixture is cooled, separates from the water and the ammonia cools the fridge internals. These need good air flow over a radiator grill to work effectively. Tropical units have a larger radiator and a higher ammonia mix.

Thanks for the explanation Hylife.

Aussie Paul. smile