Residential Fridge Ventilation

[bluwtr49]

When I had the Samsung installed I was shown how the ventilation draws air from under the fridge and than redirected with a baffle plate in the rear so the air than exits under the fridge back into the MH. This seems to be common for residential units so they cam be placed close to a wall and still have adequate ventilation.

But this has started me wondering if I could cut that baffle so the air exits out the back instead of sending the hot air into the coach. Since this is a conversion I still have the ability to vent the area between the fridge and the back wall.

Has anyone else considered this and is there any apparent downside I might be overlooking.

[Mile_High]

Just the air leak alone would impact the recirculating AC to the point I would think it negated the benefit. I know just leaving a window open a little can really hurt the AC performance.

[Bill_Satellite]

Not sure about that part as I have had a RR in my coach for 18 years and no "breeze" has ever caused issues with cooling (and I have been in some really strong breezes over the years!

[STBRetired]

It's not just the temp of the outside air that is being brought in, it's also the humidity. Takes a lot less energy for your A/C to cool down warm, dry air than it does to cool down warm, humid air. Another issue is that the fan under the refrigerator is not very strong. A decent breeze from the right direction could stop the airflow across the condenser coils and cause the refrigerator to lose cooling capacity.

[Bill_Satellite]

Interesting MrWizard. RV's are pretty drafty units so if you draw air from the living space and let it exhaust through the roof, even via convection, the same amount of replacement air would need to be brought into that space. Now, how hot is the exhaust air and how hot is the incoming air? Interesting post. Thanks for making me think.

[MrWizard]

i think on a hot day
exterior ventilation will allow more heat in from the outside than the fridge produces

[Chum_lee]

RDG wrote:
Does anyone here vent their HOME residential fridge to the out side? I doubt anyone here does, so why the big issue with the residential fridge in the motorhome? I changed over to a residential unit and have never felt any amount of heat coming from under the unit or off the top.
Bob

Just because you don't feel the additional heat doesn't mean that it isn't there.

The issue here is one of design. Residential compressor type refrigerators are designed to sit in a house where the kitchen/dining/family room is often larger than the total square/cubic footage of most motor homes so that the additional heat they add to a residential environment is much less noticeable. In the tight quarters of a motor home on hot days, additional heat can very well be an issue. On cold days, its an additional heat source and of benefit. Absorbtion type refrigerators also have oxygen depletion and carbon monoxide/dioxide production issues so they generally require an exterior supply/exhaust vent for occupant safety.

Chum lee

[Bill_Satellite]

bluwtr49 wrote:
My Samsung is front intake and front exhaust. There is a baffle in the rear that separates the inlet and exhaust with an access plate covering the two. That's why I thought about removing the plate and cutting it so it only seals the inlet and air from the fan would still cool the condenser but let it exhaust out the back and up the sidewall to the roof top vent. Since it would be a positive pressure not additional fan would be necessary.

Of course I could be fixing a non-exsitant problem,...I've been known to do that occasionally.

While the problem might be a non-existent problem in a home, I think you have a great idea and should take a look at the option of making it a rear exhaust UNLESS there are also coils that the air blows across on the return trip. If there is then I think you are stuck with the existing air flow pattern. If not, you would have a setup just like mine and the air drawn in the front blows out the rear and exhausts out the roof. The old RV fridge sidewall vent was sealed to prevent outside air coming in so it keeps the rear of the fridge warm (exposed water lines) and a nice steady air flow due to natural convection.

[TNGW1500SE]

When I installed mine, I replaced the side vent with a plastic watertight hatch that I bought that was made for a boat since the side vent didn't have a screen. Never touched the top vent. Works great. Everything is frozen in the freezer.

[OldF__t]

My fridge is the older style with an external condenser mounted vertically on the rear. Air flow over the condenser is strictly convection with air entering thru the existing external access panel, rising over the condenser, and exiting thru the existing roof vent. There is a fan at the roof vent if it gets really hot. The box is sealed from the inside of the mh and insulated all around with 2" fiberglass. Works great.

[JC2]

I agree. We replaced our Dometic rv fridge junker approx. (2) years ago with a 10.3 cu ft Haier brand residential and left the add-on fans in the outside fridge compartment in place. When we get in a similar situation as you just described, I just flip the fans on with a toggle switch and the "excess" hot air is vented out the roof vent. :C

TechWriter wrote:

RDG wrote:
Does anyone here vent their HOME residential fridge to the out side?

No, but my RV residential fridge is essentially in an enclosed cabinet with its back against a thinly insulated wall that can be exposed to direct sunlight and potentially high temps.

I monitor my Whirlpool's freezer and fridge temps pretty closely. During a month I was in a southern campground, I noticed a consistent temp rise during the day as the sunlight hit the fridge side of my RV. The Whirlpool manual suggests the fridge works best in an environment between 60 - 90 degrees F and also warns against installing next to a heat source.

Anyway, after I added the roof fans, the temp variation seems to have stopped.

While I'm fairly confident that my Whirlpool would continue working without the roof fans, I can't deny the temp decrease I saw, and I believe the increased ventilation may lengthen the life of my residential.

[TechWriter]

RDG wrote:
Does anyone here vent their HOME residential fridge to the out side?

No, but my RV residential fridge is essentially in an enclosed cabinet with its back against a thinly insulated wall that can be exposed to direct sunlight and potentially high temps.

I monitor my Whirlpool's freezer and fridge temps pretty closely. During a month I was in a southern campground, I noticed a consistent temp rise during the day as the sunlight hit the fridge side of my RV. The Whirlpool manual suggests the fridge works best in an environment between 60 - 90 degrees F and also warns against installing next to a heat source.

Anyway, after I added the roof fans, the temp variation seems to have stopped.

While I'm fairly confident that my Whirlpool would continue working without the roof fans, I can't deny the temp decrease I saw, and I believe the increased ventilation may lengthen the life of my residential.

[jorbill2or]

I would think the heat involved is much less. An absorption fridge uses heat ( fire/ electric) to transfer the temp outside. A compressor refridge works on a different principle and I think open vents provide other bad opportunities. I'm with the seal it up and use it like in your house crowd.

[RDG]

Does anyone here vent their HOME residential fridge to the out side? I doubt anyone here does, so why the big issue with the residential fridge in the motorhome? I changed over to a residential unit and have never felt any amount of heat coming from under the unit or off the top.
Bob

[bluwtr49]

My Samsung is front intake and front exhaust. There is a baffle in the rear that separates the inlet and exhaust with an access plate covering the two. That's why I thought about removing the plate and cutting it so it only seals the inlet and air from the fan would still cool the condenser but let it exhaust out the back and up the sidewall to the roof top vent. Since it would be a positive pressure not additional fan would be necessary.

Of course I could be fixing a non-exsitant problem,...I've been known to do that occasionally.