Refrigerator Upgrades

[dpgllg]

Hello,

I'm sitting here contemplating what upgrades I want to do to my 5th wheel once I pull it out of the underground storage facility in the spring.

The frig is in a slide out and from what I have read you should boost the ventilation for this setup

Frig Fan

I am considering adding this fan and also the baffle pictured.

Is this a good idea? Is it enough?

I just want to have all parts ready when spring finally gets here. Seems a long way off as it is only 7 degrees here right now.

Thanks

Dave

[wa8yxm]

Well I do believe fans help.. No matter if it is in a slide or not.
But the Fridge should be properly vented either way. Top or side vent the difference is if you side vent you mount the fridge LOWER on the wall so you have to bend over more to get to the bottom shelf/drawers..

Or as my Mother used to say when she would have one of us kids get something low down "You need to be more Stoop-ed" (As I get older and joints don't bend like they used to.. I fully agree with her. She was a wise woman.. I'm still learning how wise).

[Almot]

Old-Biscuit, sides of the cabinet are often filled with insulation, so it's not quite a zero clearance from the walls.

[PhilandJoyce]

I've wanted to do the same thing; increase the air-flow across the coils.

My question is.... why hasn't someone come up with a vent cap with built in fans?

Something with a thermostat that would automatically turn them on when the vent area reaches a high temperature.

Yes, I've researched, and found I can "add this" and "add that", but why not just have a complete "vent kit" that I can replace the current cover with.

[dpgllg]

OP Here,

First thanks to all replied!

Second the reason I am considering doing this modification is that in my old 5th wheel I had to replace the cooling unit. I don't ever want to have to deal with that again. I also have been reading that refrigerators installed in slides are more likely to fail because of lack of ventilation.

Based on the responses here I am going to wait until I get the RV out of storage and see what my installation looks like before I order any parts. I may or may not need anything

Thanks again!

Dave

[beemerphile1]

ScottG wrote:

beemerphile1 wrote:
Fans and baffles are used to correct bad installations. If it was installed correctly by the RV manufacturer you won't need to do anything.

Not necessarily, higher end RV's often have the extra thermostatically controlled fans installed from the factory for the worst of conditions and not because of installation deficiencies.

Since the OP is the owner and not the manufacturer, I was referring to owner installed fans and baffles. Many refrigerators in slides use a fan because it is deemed by the manufacturer to be necessary for correct installation.

It is silly to start modding something before determining that it is needed.

[SoundGuy]

dpgllg wrote:
I'm sitting here contemplating what upgrades I want to do to my 5th wheel once I pull it out of the underground storage facility in the spring.

Fridge fan aside, another issue you might want to consider is whether your particular fridge has a switch that allows you to turn off the (power consuming) climate control heater. Even for those who normally camp on sites offering shore power it's still worthwhile being able to disable this heating element when you lose shore power for one reason or another and have no choice but to run on battery power until shore power is restored. In recent years it seems fridge manufacturers have been deleting this switch on some models even though the heating element is still there, meaning it runs all the time whether you want it to or not. 😞 My own Dometic fridge is an example - schematic shows both the heating element and switch but no way does this particular unit have the switch ... so I installed my own.



Might be a good addition for your spring "to do" list. 🙂

[dougrainer]

1. ALL Refers(RV) in a slide must have fans for best operation. They will work without fans but not at peak operation
2. The PIC in E bay you sent is a perfect example of good installation of the baffle. You want the cool air to flow completely thru the Condenser fins. Without that baffle, most of the air fails to go thru the fins. You also want to make sure the TOP of the refer above the Condenser fins is also baffled to force all hot air out the upper door and not allowed to go up into the cabinet
3. Very few OEMs install a GOOD BAFFLE SYSTEM. It is difficult to do in a mass installed production system.
4. Most slide room refers will do better with a 2nd fan mounted blowing out the upper door. That makes sure the air coming up from the bottom gets forced out faster and improves cooling.
5. Very few OEM's install fans on slide refers. They option the fan from either Dometic or Norcold that are mounted on the backside of the refer. Larger 4 door refers come standard with fans regardless of installed in a slide room or not. Doug

[Lynnmor]

garyemunson wrote:
I don't think I've seen a newer slide mounted fridge without a fan from the factory. I believe the install manual says it needs one if installed in a slide. They generally are on a thermostat and only come on when needed, The problem is in a slide you can't have the roof-mounted vent for proper convection like you can with a fridge mounted in a non-slide area.

That is correct. Often the baffles are not installed correctly, so check the installation manual. See page 17 for an example of what needs to be done for a Norcold installation. Norcold manual

That eBay fan can be bought for a much lower price, it's just a common muffin fan.

[garyemunson]

I don't think I've seen a newer slide mounted fridge without a fan from the factory. I believe the install manual says it needs one if installed in a slide. They generally are on a thermostat and only come on when needed, The problem is in a slide you can't have the roof-mounted vent for proper convection like you can with a fridge mounted in a non-slide area.

[ScottG]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Fans and baffles are used to correct bad installations. If it was installed correctly by the RV manufacturer you won't need to do anything.

Not necessarily, higher end RV's often have the extra thermostatically controlled fans installed from the factory for the worst of conditions and not because of installation deficiencies.

[Lwiddis]

“No it is a brand new unit we purchased last June. The frig works fine.”

Then why?

[Old-Biscuit]

What is BRAND/MODEL of your fridge?


Installation clearances are critical to good airflow which determine how well fridge can function and maintain cold in high ambient temps

Top/side/bottom clearances should be ZERO (0") between fridge and compartment and need to be completely sealed

Backside clearance (between rv outside wall and back of fridge) should be no more then 1"
If clearance is more...then baffles may be required to direct airflow up thru absorber tubing and then across condenser fins at top.
No dead air space at top either.

Fans help when fridge is installed in a slideout due to lack of natural draft that occurs with roof top venting.
Airflow thru lower side wall vent and out top side wall vent is NOT ideal so addition of fans is good

[marcsbigfoot20b]

After my refrigerator died, I replaced the cooling unit with an Amish built cooling unit. While I was in in there I added two 4 inch muffin fans at the top of the vent with a switch, and adjustable thermistor by dometic. Also added internal fridge fans that mount to the fins in the fridge.
I live in Phoenix, in the summer it’s 118 degrees and my fridge is 34.

[Ivylog]

If it's a NoCold 12XX it needs all the help it can get...extra fan and no dead airspace at the top.