Fridge Chimney & Interior Fan Mod - DIY [Pics]
Note: There's a punchline to this entire story at the end. Hint: I'm a complete idiot.
Just wanted to pass along my experience since these forums are always a big help.
My 22+ year old fridge struggled at 90+. Interior fridge temps were over 50.
As a proof of concept, I threw a small 80mm fan down the chimney, resting it on top of the uppermost coils.
The fridge ranged from 44 - 47. Not bad. Still a bit too warm.
I went and got two 120mm computer fans and wired them to the antenna switch. Since I don't use the antenna, I gutted the switch but kept the nifty LED.
It's worth noting I have a child's basic understanding of wiring and my soldering still stinks after 25 years.
Anyway, I'm running two 120mm fans.. Unfortunately, without a speed controller I think they're only pushing 21cfm. They're dead quiet but also pushing relatively little air. They also draw just .18 amps.
Update: I did some research. These fans run at 5, 7 and 12v. If at 12v, they're full speed. I guess since I'm coming off a 12v+ battery these have to be running full speed. Here's the article I referenced..
Inside I stuck the aforementioned 80mm fan. It draws .3 amps but moves a good amount of air.
I'm not expecting a big improvement. I think a shroud is in order and I need to figure out how to get those fans spinning faster. Nonetheless, it was a fun project to piddle with.
Punchline: Turns out I've been reading my fridge temp setting switch incorrectly. I just never looked that closely at it. I assumed 1 was coldest. It's not. So it's entirely possible I never had a problem to fix beyond the problems between my ears.
Hey... live and learn. Still seems worth the trouble!
Just wanted to pass along my experience since these forums are always a big help.
My 22+ year old fridge struggled at 90+. Interior fridge temps were over 50.
As a proof of concept, I threw a small 80mm fan down the chimney, resting it on top of the uppermost coils.
The fridge ranged from 44 - 47. Not bad. Still a bit too warm.
I went and got two 120mm computer fans and wired them to the antenna switch. Since I don't use the antenna, I gutted the switch but kept the nifty LED.
It's worth noting I have a child's basic understanding of wiring and my soldering still stinks after 25 years.
Anyway, I'm running two 120mm fans.. Unfortunately, without a speed controller I think they're only pushing 21cfm. They're dead quiet but also pushing relatively little air. They also draw just .18 amps.
Update: I did some research. These fans run at 5, 7 and 12v. If at 12v, they're full speed. I guess since I'm coming off a 12v+ battery these have to be running full speed. Here's the article I referenced..
Inside I stuck the aforementioned 80mm fan. It draws .3 amps but moves a good amount of air.
I'm not expecting a big improvement. I think a shroud is in order and I need to figure out how to get those fans spinning faster. Nonetheless, it was a fun project to piddle with.
Punchline: Turns out I've been reading my fridge temp setting switch incorrectly. I just never looked that closely at it. I assumed 1 was coldest. It's not. So it's entirely possible I never had a problem to fix beyond the problems between my ears.
Hey... live and learn. Still seems worth the trouble!
Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum width.
