New Refrigerator cooling fan.

Chris Bryant wrote:
It all depends on the model and installation- a standard top freezer model installed normally with lower side vent and roof exhaust vent doesn't require fans, they just help.
Any model installed with 2 side vents (like in a slideout), or a side by side or 4 door model requires the fans.

Thanks for the links. That is just what I have been thinking about putting on my frig. Price has gone up since the early 90s, as they used to sell for $20.00. :(

My Aliner LXE came with a stock Dometic fridge fan. It is called a Dometic power ventilator assembly (pn. 3108705.751). Though it does a great job of increasing the efficiency of the fridge, I found the noise it made when running would sometimes wake me when it cycled in the middle of the night.

The solution I came up with was to replace the noisy (45db) 3,000 RPM 88cfm plain bearing stock fan with 2, 23db artic cooling units. My first set of fans were single speed Arctic Cool, high-tech, fluid-dynamic bearing fans. They are the quietest available, but they weren't cheap. They were rated at only 23dBA @ 56cfm. The bearings had a MTBF of 400,000 hours (20 times that of a standard fan), however their rubber mounts decomposed and failed after a couple years of use due to heat and exposure.

I then bought two, low noise Antec Tricool fans to replace them. They are each rated at 30dBA @ 79cfm on high, 28dBA @ 56cfm on medium (where I usually set mine) and 25dBA @ 39cfm on low. They were cheap - only $6.95 each from coolerguys.com.

Using 2 fans also spreads the airflow across the entire length of the upper cooling coil, not just across the center of it like a single fan does. In short, they are more durable, they cool better, draw slightly less current, and are much quieter. If we listen closely we can barely hear them run on medium and can't hear them at all on low.

I also purchased an electronic thermometer with a sending unit, so I can monitor the interior fridge temp inside my TV and while camping without even opening the door and allowing warm air to enter. I got one similar to this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acurite-Wireless...ometer/16888921

It was about $11 at my local Walmart and provides cheap peace of mind that those juicy steaks and sweet lobster tails will be fresh and safe when I arrive at the CG.

Chip

It all depends on the model and installation- a standard top freezer model installed normally with lower side vent and roof exhaust vent doesn't require fans, they just help.
Any model installed with 2 side vents (like in a slideout), or a side by side or 4 door model requires the fans.

Solar powered vent fans.
Link

panel and fan only

Fan(s) are thermostat controlled (on far right fin of condenser coil at top of fridge). Fans turn on at 130*F fin temp and turn off at 115*F fin temp.

Without them running.........fridge temps will climb until food section is too high temp for proper food storage.

Roughly 0.3A draw per fan

That fan does not draw many amps. If you dry camp for any length of time you'll need a method of charging the batteries anyway. If you don't already have one, get a generator or install some solar, or even an extra battery, as back-up.

They used to sell a solar/battery refrigerator fan, not sure if it is still on the market. You could add the solar/battery refrigerator fan and disconnect the existing fan while dry camping.

What unit do you have? No it's not going to cool properly without it/them running. Most of the fans are computer cooling fans so they do not draw much current.