Adding fan behind refrigerator...worthwhile??

pianotuna wrote:

SJ-Chris wrote:
Does anyone have any "before and after" data points or personal observations after having added such a fan?

Thanks!
Chris

Yes.

Cool down from ambient without fans 4.5 hours to first cycle

Cool down from ambient with fans 3 hours to first cycle.

My twin computer fans are in a mask at the top of the chimney. They are thermostatically controlled.

This limits air flow in colder weather.

I do have a thermocube and a 40 watt bulb for freezing temperatures.

pianotuna (and others with fans): What temperature settings do you have on your fan thermostat? What does the ambient outside temperature need to be before your refrigerator vent fan actually turns on? Does the fan only turn on on hot days? Warm days? Or even on cool days?

I would like to understand better what the NORMALtemps are behind the refrigerator while in operation. I assume it is somewhat (or heavily??) dependent on the outside daytime temperature. Say for example on a 70 or 80 degree F afternoon, what temperature does the space behind the refrigerator get? Is it just slightly warmer than outside ambient air temperature? Or is it 20, 30, 50 or more degrees hotter than outside ambient air temperature? I'm trying to understand what the temperature difference is between ambient outside temps and the temp behind the refrigerator. I suppose if the temperature behind the refrigerator gets 40 or 50 degrees hotter than outside ambient air temperatures then blowing in more outside air will definitely help cool that air behind the refrigerator significantly and make a fan worthwhile.

Is there any downside to the refrigerator's operation that could happen by adding a fan to help cool behind the refrigerator? Is it possible to blow TOO MUCH air across the cooling unit and out the top vent? I see some inexpensive fan/blowers online that push ~45CMF. This could be mounted to the side exterior vent and blow up the back of the refrigerator towards the roof vent.

-Chris