Adding fan behind refrigerator...worthwhile??

ernie1 wrote:
SJ-Chris: Thanks a bunch for the info and clearing a few things up for me as I also am trying to gain more efficiency from my Dometic 3 way fridge.

I'm not going to hijack this thread but I feel compelled to mention only briefly what I have done to gain more efficiency from my fridge. After noticing that the refrigerator in my 2018 PW would always run warmer by about 8 deg.F when it was on propane versus 120v shore power or inverter. Puzzled by this since normally when on propane a refrigerator will usually perform better than when on 120v ac I decided to experiment. I took the jet out of the burner and had it drilled out .003" and reinstalled it. The refrigerator performed much better but I stopped the experiment with this jet because I felt there was too much heat blowing into the burner. This a seat of the pants feeling only.

Next, I bought a new original sized jet for $70 and drilled it out only .001" and reinstalled it . So far I tested it for weeks at a time and I am now at a point where when I'm running the fridge on propane it's about 8 deg.F cooler than when on 120v ac and I'm really happy but am still experimenting. I think I've gained 16 deg.F of cooling. Oh yes, I have three fans in the outside rear and two inside the cooling area.

So that's it. So that I don't hijack this thread and put unproven experimental ideas into others heads which will cause a dangerous condition, I done discussing this experiment of mine.

Interesting.

I learn so much from these forums... I hadn't really thought much about refrigerator performance DIFFERENCES when using propane vs 120v. Would others agree that refrigerators generally run cooler on propane vs 120v? I hadn't heard that. On my RVs, I have the option to run on gas even if connected to shore power....I wonder if that is why the option exists (it's on a standard Dometic refrigerator).

If there is a difference in performance, does anyone know fundamentally WHY? My current understanding would make me think that the primary (only?) difference would be how HOT the boiler gets. Is my thinking correct?

One of my next DIY projects is going to install a simple high-temp thermostat to protect the boiler from getting too hot (overheating, as in when out of level). My understanding is that under normal operation it runs between 380F-400F. Now I will have to put on my to-do list to run an experiment to see how hot the boiler gets when on propane vs on 120v. We'll see...

-Chris