Adding fan to outside fridge compartment. Where to buy?

[LangsRV2]

I want to add a fan to the outside compartment of the refridgerator. I thought I had seen a thread on where to buy the fans and how/where to install. But I can't seem to find it. I can only seem to find one option on ebay for a fan,ebay fan link
I think I need 2-3 to do the job. I thought I had seen one where someone sold a bracket with 3 fans. Maybe one will do, not sure. I just want to do some research.
My fridge has a really hard time keeping up in hot weather. I'm also adding a fan to the inside.
Any ideas?

[johnm1]

I've tried several fans outside the rig and this is what I ended up with inside the fridge (where the food is).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dometic-Refrigerator-Fan-to-INCREASE-cooling-inside/370591777926?_trksid=p39...

So far, this little guy has done much more than any other fan I've tried using.

John

[BarneyS]

I use a Valterra fan mounted in the compartment behind the fridg and it has worked great for the past 5 or 6 years.
Barney

[camperpaul]

I use two fans:

A 12Volt computer fan when I'm running the fridge on propane.

A 240VAC Muffin® fan when on shore power.

The 240VAC fan will move 100CFM on full voltage and 25CFM on 120VAC; that gives the compartment a complete change of air once every 12 seconds and you can't hear it running.

[Gjac]

I like the "fan in the can" concept better. It will produce a strong laminar flow that can be directed at your cooling coils rather than create a general draft over the coils. You can make one yourself from a hollow cylinder with a muffin or computer fan inside, or you can use a bilge pump fan for boats, or Valtera sells one for refer cooling. I installed a old bilge pump fan at the bottom of mine blowing up at the coils but I only need to use it when the ambient temps get over 90 F.

[Fishinghat]

I installed four small computer fans to the inside of the lower cover to the back of the refrigerator compartment, using nylon ties. I installed an inline switch and normally turned the power on only when it is going to be over 70 during the day. The fans seem to have improved efficiency considerably.

I would assume installing the larger computer type fans on the top of the frig near the roof vent would be more efficient, but what I did just looked easier.

My fans were left over from computers I scraped out, but I would assume any computer supply business would have fans at a reasonable price. If not, try e-bay.

[Peg_Leg]

I used a 5" 02Cool battery fan. I installed a voltage regulator in the battery compartment and wired in a thermostat. It moves a lot of air.

[JimBollman]

I have had fans on my last two campers and they really help. robatthelake says they draw very little power and that is true if you pick the right fan. My last camper I replaced the one that was installed by the camper builder with 3 low power fans with more than double the air flow and less total current than the previous. Mine have a thermal switch which sometimes actually shuts off the fan when not needed but I wired up the 3 fans so I could have the middle one on only, the two outer or all 3 so I could fine tune my current use when camping off the grid. Also helps with noise, not all fans are created equal and this allowed me to run no fan or just one at night when I usually didn't need as much air flow. I needed them most when I had to park or drive where the sun hitting the frig side of the camper. I try to park so that side is in the shade as much as possible.

[robatthelake]

I installed 4-90mm Surplus Computer Fans that I bought for couple of bucks each at a Computer Repair Shop!
Mounted them side by side on a piece of scrap aluminum angle that I had left over from another project. This got bolted to the top of the Fridge exhaust Vent stack below the plastic Cover.
The Wire feeds down the back of the fridge and connects to the 12 Volt Power supply. It is fused and has a switch which I located in the cupboard above the Stove which is beside the fridge.
I thought about adding a thermal switch or using a speed control but haven't gotten around to it .
The Fans are just barely audible while running,draw very little power ,so are usually on 24/7 .
We have Several Solar Panels on the Roof which help maintain the Batteries.

[westend]

That 70mm fan linked to is a bog standard computer fan and, IMO, is over priced. If I was doing this, I would opt for 2x 90mm case fans or 3x 80mm fans. They are easily ganged by a small strip of metal and fastened with through holes in the metal. Somewhere in the back of the fridge, you should have a 12V supply termination or wire. Splice into that power source for your fans. Sometimes, a switch or potentiometer and switch is a nice thing to have in the fan power circuit. That allows a user to control fan speed and on/off function.