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zonacamper's avatar
zonacamper
Explorer
May 24, 2013

fridge fan benefit?

I have seem some threads here that talk about different kinds of add-on fans people have put on thier refridgerators. My question is why- is it to cool the actual unit down so that it doesnt run as warm? Or does it actually help to keep the inside of the unit cooler?

I have about a 11 year old Dometic. No problems with it, other that it just doesn't seem to keep things as cold as I would like. As near as I can tell- it stays in the 39-40 degree range (my thermometer not real accurate). So, to offset this, we keep a couple of large ice packs in the freezer, and every morning we exchange the ice pack from the fridge with one from the freezer. It helps, but it still is not as good as I think it could be (nor is the freezer as cold as I would like).

a few other things- we run it on gas as much as possible (have heard that keeps it colder), it has the sliding temp adjustment on the side fin near the top of the fridge, and we try to keep it as full of cold food as possible and limit the door being open. I would imagine that where we are staying might have something to do with that, but we live in AZ so we need all the help we can get.
So would an extra fan on the cooling coils help me get a few extra degrees of cold?
Seeking Advice

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  • CincyGus's avatar
    CincyGus
    Explorer II
    May 24, 2013
    Putting a fan inside the frig helps equalize the temps in the fridge.

    Putting one in the vent stack to pull hot air out of the fridge vent area and out the top will help the fridge maintain better temps when it is really hot.

    Most fridges in RV's have the ability to keep temps in the area of 20-35 degrees cooler than the outside air temps when then get over 90. The movement of air caused by the fans helps draw in cooler air in the vent slats on the side of the RV and around the back of your fridge in that compartment.

    Not going to be dramatic in sub 90 weather but makes a big difference in 90+ and 100 degree weather.
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    May 24, 2013
    Hi,

    I added fans with a mask at the top of the "chimney". Cooling time to first cycle dropped from 12 hours to 6 hours.
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    May 24, 2013
    zonacamper wrote:
    An extrerior one to get the hot air out or away from the unit, and then an interior type that simple forces cirrululation on the inside of the unit?If so, is one type more beneficial than the other?
    That's hard to say. My Dometic (3 years old) cools no problem sans any coil fans. I do use the little plastic one (2 D cells) inside to circulate air. That results in more even and consistent cooling.
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    May 24, 2013
    slarsen wrote:
    I have a portable fan that runs on a pair of 'D' batteries. I dropped the average temp in the refrig by more than 10 degrees. The more stuff you put in the refrig, the more difficult it is for air to circulate naturally. The fan really helps. And BTW, the batteries DO last for more than a month, just as the manufacturer said they would.
    I installed a small computer fan that attaches to the fins inside the refer. I have not noticed anywhere close to a 10 degree drop when kept on the same temp setting. What I do notice is a quicker cool down when I first turn the refer on. Mine is a Norcold 682IM.
  • rodknocker's avatar
    rodknocker
    Explorer
    May 24, 2013
    zonacamper wrote:
    OK- to illustrate my ignorance a bit more- are there 2 different types of fans? An extrerior one to get the hot air out or away from the unit, and then an interior type that simple forces cirrululation on the inside of the unit?
    If so, is one type more beneficial than the other?

    thanks for the responses:)


    I installed both. I mounted 2 computer type cooling fans at the top of the refer compartment, behind the top vent panel, upper access from the outside of the RV. These are mounted horizontally to the upper "radiator" cooling fins. They pull air through the compartment from the bottom and out the top. I used an 85 degree temperature switch fastened to the hottest ammonia line at the bottom of the heating unit to control the fans. If the unit is running, the line heats up and turns on the fans.
    I put 2 inside the refer fastened to the cooling fins at the top of the fridge, found them on EBay. These are on a micro switch. When on, they move air all thru the refer and it does greatly improve the cooling on a full unit. It forces the air to the bottom of the unit. As a side benefit, I never experience icing on the fins anymore. The moving air helps with evaporation of the moisture in the unit.
    I have pics of all this, just have to find where I stored them. BTW; I have less than 75.00 in all of it. We always have cold food and drinks running unit on 6 or 7 rather than 9 or 10.
  • zonacamper's avatar
    zonacamper
    Explorer
    May 24, 2013
    OK- to illustrate my ignorance a bit more- are there 2 different types of fans? An extrerior one to get the hot air out or away from the unit, and then an interior type that simple forces cirrululation on the inside of the unit?
    If so, is one type more beneficial than the other?

    thanks for the responses:)
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    May 24, 2013
    slarsen wrote:
    I have a portable fan that runs on a pair of 'D' batteries. I dropped the average temp in the refrig by more than 10 degrees. The more stuff you put in the refrig, the more difficult it is for air to circulate naturally. The fan really helps. And BTW, the batteries DO last for more than a month, just as the manufacturer said they would.


    We use one of those battery fans along with a 12V Muffin fan which is on a switch. The battery one does in fact help a lot especially if you put it right on the front edge of a shelf one down from the top. That way the air that it circulates has a better chance because of the open areas that the inside of the door creates. The 12V one is positioned to blow across the cooling coil on the inside, again to better circulate the air. Our frigs have no fans unlike our stick and bricks homes have and rely totally on passive convection to cool things and that is very inefficient.

    Larry
  • slarsen's avatar
    slarsen
    Explorer
    May 24, 2013
    I have a portable fan that runs on a pair of 'D' batteries. I dropped the average temp in the refrig by more than 10 degrees. The more stuff you put in the refrig, the more difficult it is for air to circulate naturally. The fan really helps. And BTW, the batteries DO last for more than a month, just as the manufacturer said they would.
  • jamnw's avatar
    jamnw
    Explorer
    May 24, 2013
    I installed two fans in the back of my refer a few weeks ago.
    It has not changed any temps in my unit. However, the weather here in TN has been very cool, so I would not expect to see a change.

    Where I hope to see a change is this summer at Myrtle Beach. Last year it was HOT, and my refer had a time keeping up. I hope the fans will benefit me in the heat by moving more air across the coils in the back.

    We will see.
  • I_am_still_wayn's avatar
    I_am_still_wayn
    Explorer
    May 24, 2013
    zonacamper wrote:
    So would an extra fan on the cooling coils help me get a few extra degrees of cold?


    Probably. Expelling the heat at the back of the refrigerator will make it run more effectively and create colder temps inside.

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