Adding vent fans to fridge

I used 2 computer fans, and put a wafer thermostat in line and a toggle switch inside by the sink to cut them off and on I got the 12 from the reefer, tapped the line and used an inline fuse. I got the fans from allelectronics.com for a couple of dollars each, made the brackets out of plumbing strip. They work really good.

I started with 4 inch computer fans. they did just OK.
Later I found that the refers are not normally installed properly. Big thing they are installed with too much distance between the cooling unit coils and the exterior wall. Instructions say less then an inch. Mine was over three inches. I closed space up with foam board.
Next looking at instructions, you need to block the void on the top of the refer. I used a peice of round duct to force the air out the upper vent. I had to remove the refer to accomplish this.
After fixing ventilation issues the refer has worked great.

I also installed a `muffin' fan in the outside refer compartment that plugs into a vacant 120 V outlet in that compartment. It blows upward and hangs by wire ties to keep it from touching anything metal which would make it noisy. Seems to work but I have no way to compare it with having no fan.

12v computer fans work well for this. They pull very little power and you only need a few to get an effective flow. You can pull power off of the 12v feed of the fridge to power the fans.

If you want to automate the fans then you can do this with a cheap NO (normally open) temperature switch. A NO temperature switch is open (disconnected) until it reaches a certain temperature. Once that temperature has been hit it closes (connects power). You can wire the switch so that it detects the ambient temperature and switches on when it's hot outside.

The fans use very little power, but if conservation of power is a concern then you can attach the switch to the fridge's burner flue housing. When the fridge is running the burner will heat up the flue housing which will close the switch. This will then call the fans to run. Doing it this way the fans will only run when the fridge is actively cooling.

Thanks so much for all the info yall! About the fridge needing to be as close to the exterior wall as possiable that makes sense see I've got at least three inches between the coils and the wall, so I'm going to make a run to frys electronics for some 12 volt fans to hook up and get a little chimney built in there to discharge the heat. I had cooking issues got two fans pushing air up and it did the trick however they are much too wide to be able to put the panel back on

Most of the pics do not show from this post but it contains some useful info . Im sure Steve would walk you thru it or resend if you contact him.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/25282708.cfm