Refrigerator Fans

[bluwtr49]

This is just sort of an FYI post.

We have a Dometic NPR 1292 2 door refrigerator that was having a problem cooling down when we left AZ for our summer sojourn. Now this is our first experience with a Dometic fridge as our other coach had a Norcold 1200 RIM but I figured they should all behave about the same.

After a bit of research it appeared many were satisfied that the addition of fans for both the Evaporator (inside) and/or the condenser (outside) were beneficial. With that in mind I ordered a couple of products and installed them.

First, I got an evaporator fan from a chap on Ebay:

Fan 1

This item has since been replaced by:

Fan 2

I never got this product to work well though. The wiring was such that it had the positive lead attach to the internal light switch which is OK but the wire was too short. The second problem was that the ground connection was an alligator clip that attached to a fin which also served double duty with the mounting mechanism. Poor idea from the onset in my opinion since the fins are aluminium which has an oxide coating that prevent good contact. The fan is also too heavy and the stupid fan kept sliding down the fin. This fan now resides in a bay for future use as ?????

The second go for the evaporator was this:

Evap Fan

Now this one is much better. The clip install securely to the fins and the 2 conductor lead length is more that adequate. In addition the clips serve as the ground, if so desired, or you can you can use the ground wire in supplied wire if necessary. I choose to use the clip. Note that the fans are small and a bit noisy when the door is open....not a big deal for me.

For the outside condensor fan I choose:

Condenser Fan

I liked the thermostat control and that it was supplied with a bracket that could simply be install right inside the outside access. door. This all went as planned right up to putting the access panel back on...no go, the panel fins hit the fans and wouldn't close. The solution was to abandon the supplied bracket and screw the fans further inside to a wood frame. I hung the thermostat out through a slot in the panel and all was well.

Now what this stuff is all up and running for the past 2 months I can say they appear to do the job. I have the fridge set on 3 with a fairly constant firdge temp of ~38 F moving to ~42 when outside temp gets near 100F. I haven't checked the freezer temp per se but the upper shelf will keep Ben & Jerry Chocolate Fudge Brownie hard. FYI, we have a stand alone ice maker so the Dometic does not have the ice maker option installed and can not comment on the ice production.

For a total investment of ~$55.00 or so, this appears to be well worth the effort.

[s_N_s]

Have had the 3rd evap fan that you show for the past two years. Works great and no more icing on the fins. Haven't tried a condenser fan yet. Don't think I really need one. Thanks for posting, these are good fans.

[Kaz]

bluwtr49 wrote:
This is just sort of an FYI post. (snip, snip)

The second go for the evaporator was this:

Evap Fan

(snip, snip)

Thanks! I just ordered the same unit. I'll check on the condenser fans once I can pull off the cover and see what installation options I have.

I love "FYI" posts. Like someone said, "Try to learn from others' mistakes; you won't live long enough to make them all yourself."

Thanks again,
Skip

[Sandia_Man]

Our Dometic has always performed well over the last 8 years whether it's 99 or 19 degrees outside. Until recently our kids always attended our RVing trips and with the constant opening of the fridge door by 6 or more we needed to find a way to quickly recover cooling losses.

Installed an interior dual fan mounted to our fins 7 years ago and we noticed a reduction in recovery time on the very first trip. Fan is still going strong although we have lost a blade on one of the fans. One of my favorite mods.

[cobra350]

Thanks for the info have been planning to do that.