External fans for Norcold fridge
Gary Munson
10 hrs
In September we took a trip from Nevada to Florida. For most of the ride we encountered unseasonably hot weather. Kept having the problem of the freezer and fridge running warm (10 degrees freezer, 45 fridge). At night, with cooler air, the freezer would go to 0 and 35 for the fridge. Examining things, it became obvious that while driving, there just was not enough air circulating through the rear of the fridge area. I'd previously replaced the sensor for the original fans but the little computer size things just were not doing the job. And, yes, the recommended shrouding was in place. I decided to install more robust fans that will exhaust directly out of the rear compartment top vent. I found these on eBay for about $25. They are small automotive radiator fans. I found wiring them in series cut the speed down and made them very quiet and also reduced current draw to less than 4 amps. They still move a LOT of air. I used flat aluminum stock from Home Depot to make the support brackets. As the RV wall is plywood over foam, I Liquid Nailed a couple strips of 3/4" wood to the inside of the wall to provide something solid to screw the rails to. I'll probably have to wait until next summer to see how this will work but I'm optimistic!
10 hrs
In September we took a trip from Nevada to Florida. For most of the ride we encountered unseasonably hot weather. Kept having the problem of the freezer and fridge running warm (10 degrees freezer, 45 fridge). At night, with cooler air, the freezer would go to 0 and 35 for the fridge. Examining things, it became obvious that while driving, there just was not enough air circulating through the rear of the fridge area. I'd previously replaced the sensor for the original fans but the little computer size things just were not doing the job. And, yes, the recommended shrouding was in place. I decided to install more robust fans that will exhaust directly out of the rear compartment top vent. I found these on eBay for about $25. They are small automotive radiator fans. I found wiring them in series cut the speed down and made them very quiet and also reduced current draw to less than 4 amps. They still move a LOT of air. I used flat aluminum stock from Home Depot to make the support brackets. As the RV wall is plywood over foam, I Liquid Nailed a couple strips of 3/4" wood to the inside of the wall to provide something solid to screw the rails to. I'll probably have to wait until next summer to see how this will work but I'm optimistic!
