Forum Discussion

4x4FF's avatar
4x4FF
Explorer
Apr 27, 2015

Air flow for residential fridge

I am in the process of installing a residential fridge in my 5er. I am going with the Whirlpool WRT111SFDB. You can see it here: Whirlpool WRT111SFDB at Home Depot

My fridge is in a slide. As a result I have 2 fridge vents in the wall of the slide (An upper one and a lower one) but no roof vent. My question is 'How much should I block the current vents off?'

In my new fridge the coils are exposed on the back and I know I need to have some airflow. There is not really going to be any airflow from the sides or top because it fits in the space very tight. I also know that I need to restrict some of the air from the rear vents just not sure what is the appropriate amount.

Any ideas??

Thanks,

Steve
  • Endricken's avatar
    Endricken
    Explorer
    Apr 27, 2015
    My 2007 Whirlpool has coils in the back. I left the two legacy vents on the RV Sidewall in place. They've essentially waterproof and what else could I do with 2 holes in the wall? I've got the Fridge sealed up inside/the front, so that's the only ventilation it gets. I did re-install the old Dometic RV Fridge "pancake" fan between the 2 outside vents where it was before. I've never heard it run and I did successfully test it before re-installing, so it must never get too hot back there even when that side of the RV is in the sun.
  • newman_fulltime's avatar
    newman_fulltime
    Explorer II
    Apr 27, 2015
    4x4FF wrote:
    newman fulltimer wrote:
    You mightwant to look at the vasanifridge at homedepot it has no coils on the back


    I have actually been told that with my space constraints that the coils on the back are the best thing for my application. I am NOT a refrigeration guy so I don't know.


    Steve
    I can say I installed the vassaniin mine have hadno issues
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    Apr 27, 2015
    I'm going to install a Whirlpool: WRT771RWYW which does not have any coils on the back in place of my NoCold 1200 . I'm going to seal off the vent holes on the bottom cover (still be able to take on/off) and I'm leaving the roof vent open as it's going to be a tight fit... no open area at the top of the refer.
  • RustyJC's avatar
    RustyJC
    Explorer
    Apr 27, 2015
    Our Mobile Suites was built with a residential fridge. It has no vents in the exterior walls, but rather gets its ventilation from the interior of the RV around gaps at the sides, top and bottom just like a fridge set back into a refrigerator bay in the cabinets of a sticks-and-bricks home.

    Rusty
  • 4x4FF's avatar
    4x4FF
    Explorer
    Apr 27, 2015
    newman fulltimer wrote:
    You mightwant to look at the vasanifridge at homedepot it has no coils on the back


    I have actually been told that with my space constraints that the coils on the back are the best thing for my application. I am NOT a refrigeration guy so I don't know.


    Steve
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Apr 27, 2015
    From another post:


    There have been a number of alternatives on the ventilation. Basically, residential units want to take air from the bottom, run it through the condenser coils and out the back where it is expected to flow up the back and out the top of the refer. S&B homes do not have vents right over the back like RVs do. So, you can do whatever here. I chose to leave a bit of space over the refer (some of which I may close with molding later), seal the top vent and let the hot air return to the room for the air conditioner to take out. You may want to leave the roof vent open to let the hot air escape there. Just be aware that cold air can come in during the winter and hot air may creep in during summer if you leave it open.

    If you have a Samsung unit, they also run some of the piping along the outside walls of the refer and count on some air circulation up the sides and out the top. Depending on your unit, you may need to be sure there is air-flow here too.

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