Refrigerator fan noise

[IBcarguy]

I have a new Cruisers RV TT with a kitchen slide out. It has a Dometic refrigerator that has a cooling fan that kicks on when it gets hot and stays on for quite a long time. This fan is really noisy and my dealer tells me that it's normal. I've also have heard that this is a common complaint with this set up. I've read that this fan is a cheap 12V 4" fan that can easily be replaced with a higher quality computer type fan with bearings instead of bushings. It's easily accessible but I don't know what fan I should buy. If you google computer fans, there are thousands of fans to choose from. The "quiet" fans are slower and don't push as much air so may not be as efficient as a high speed fan. I understand that the faster the fan....the more noise they make. Anyone have any suggestion on which fan I should try?
thanks

[wasatchmtnatvr]

Stop. Don't replace fan until you fix Cruisers improper installation. You said you can get to fan without removing anything. There is supposed to be an air diverter (baffle) that will keep you from getting to fans. Install proper baffle and fan time will be greatly reduced. New fans on improper installation is throwing money to mask the real problem.

[IBcarguy]

The cooling fan is right behind the upper louvered vent on the outside of the slide out. It's real easy access and I don't have to take anything apart at all. These fans aren't real expensive so I'll just pick one with bearings instead of bushings and give it a try. One other question: the wires going to this fan are very small gauge wire with a plastic plug several inches away. If I decide to try 2 fans, can this small wire handle 2 fans and would it be creating too much draw/resistance running 2 motors?

[SCVJeff]

Here are a few eBay finds. Again.. If its not ball bearing, or it doesn't list current or CFM, you shouldn't buy it because you simply have no idea what you just bought. Why install a 30-50CFM fan when the one you removed was x2-3 times that airflow ? You are reducing the efficiency of the fridge simply because you cant move enough air across the coils, and likely voiding warranty on the cooling unit if this is a DIY.

There are too many fans out there. Don't buy one that won't provide the spec of the fan.

124CFM @ 520ma.

120CFM @ 500ma "waterproof"

118CFM @ 500ma

Or you can spend $90.00 on an OEM fan 12V @ 400ma. that doesn't say what the CFM rating or bearings are, but it has an easily referenced part number thats easy to look up and find even more exactly like it.

Since I am augmenting my airflow for hot days when the sun is beating down on the fridge side, I;ll be adding 4ea. 120mm fans to the upper vent on a separate thermostat along with manual bypass. One will run all the time, and the other three when called for. THESE are very quiet, low current draw, but running 4 gets the airflow up where it needs to be and clean wide air draw across the vent.

[SCVJeff]

fj12ryder wrote:
Mine is a snap to change fans, just pull the cover and there they are.

And since a person has no idea what the CFM of the old fan is, why would the CFM of the new one be relevant? If you're boondocking, current rating may matter, but if you're hooked to shore power, again it's irrelevant. I agree that buying a ball bearing, waterproof fan is good thinking.

Only the cheapest fans can't be referenced back by label. You obviously know that CFM means so I hope you also realize how important it is especially on these huge heat generating fridges like the 1200. The OP also never said he was or wasn't boondocking, so in the interest of my post, yes its relevant.

[fj12ryder]

Mine is a snap to change fans, just pull the cover and there they are.

And since a person has no idea what the CFM of the old fan is, why would the CFM of the new one be relevant? If you're boondocking, current rating may matter, but if you're hooked to shore power, again it's irrelevant. I agree that buying a ball bearing, waterproof fan is good thinking.

[SCVJeff]

I wouldn't buy any fan that has a sleeve bearing, or no CFM or current rating, and all of the above fans fail on one of those.

Pulling the fridge to change crummy fans is a colossal PITA. You need a real ball bearing fan with a CFM rating somewhere closer to 100, not 47 for the Norcold 1200's. For exhaust boosters, 47CFM might work because there would be more than one (at least for me, but they still need to be ball bearing. There are several fans rated for high heat and very dusty environments as well as an eBay seller that rebuilds a particular model of fan to essentially make them waterproof. They have a vid posted of a running fan under a full-on hose for several minutes. When I have my iPad I'll come back and link to the ones found on eBay.

[IBcarguy]

Thanks for the advice. I also thought that maybe 2 "quiet" fans might be better than one high speed fan. I'll definitely contact RV Cooling. Looks like they specialize in RV refrigs.

[SCClockDr]

I used a pair of these to replace the OEM pair in our unit.

[fj12ryder]

When I replaced my single fan, I replaced it with 2 waterproof fans. This was one case where I figured if one was good two was better. I just got water proof 12v computer fans, bearing not sleeve. I think it was around $15-$18 for the waterproof ones. You can get regular fans for $5 but I thought waterproof might not be a bad idea. It too is in the slide.

[downtheroad]

Give this guy a call. Very friendly and knows his stuff when it comes to RV refrigerators and cooling fans... He helped me a couple of times..

RV Cooling....LINK

[agesilaus]

Any 4 or 6 inch 12V computer fan will work you don't need variable speed. Coolermaster is a very well known brand among computer users like this one:

Amazon

one like this might work just fine but no telling how quiet it is:

Amazon