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tmw188 · 03-09-2016, 04:35 AM

Does anyone have one and is worth it.

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JohnBoyToo · 03-09-2016, 06:41 AM

Sorry - can you elaborate a bit ?
We didn't get the full conversation

have one what ?
A refrigerator ? Yes
A solar powered roof vent ? No, but there seems to be some available:
https://www.google.com/search?q=sola...+rv++roof+vent

Dr4Film · 03-09-2016, 06:49 AM

They do not have the rpm's needed to be of any use or benefit the additional cooling that the rear of the fridge really needs.

Plus if parked in a shady area or have many cloudy days the solar is basically useless.

Your money is better spent on box fans installed in the same area.

Just another gimmick to separate an RVer's money from their wallet.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

MikeandRuth · 03-09-2016, 10:30 AM

I had one.
Richard is correct... Not worth the expense.
I installed the RV Cooling Warehouse fans inside and on the condenser and like them a bunch.
When the solar fan died I left the cap and solar panel in place. Bad idea!
The solar panel split and the next big rain storm let me know it had happened! The indent in the cap acted like a big funnel for the rain water.

tmw188 · 03-09-2016, 11:17 AM

Yep just curious. So are these refrigerators starving for air? If so is it only while sitting, what about driving?

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wahoonc · 03-09-2016, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmw188

Yep just curious. So are these refrigerators starving for air? If so is it only while sitting, what about driving?

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Mainly while sitting, the heat is moving via thermal dynamics, but if you can help it along with a small fan it will improve the efficiency of the fridge.

The solar power vent caps are absolute garbage. I have had friends get them and then helped them replace them with the OEM style caps less than a year later when the solar panels crapped out, or the caps cracked.

Aaron

tmw188 · 03-09-2016, 06:05 PM

So are there better fans or room for dual fans? What about while on shore power any difference?

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bluepill · 03-09-2016, 06:17 PM

And another question: Do the fans cycle on only when the gas valve is energized?

Belgian · 03-09-2016, 09:01 PM

Our Dolphin (2004) already has a fan built into the back of the refrigerator to move the air when needed. When we are on propane you can occasionally hear it come on.
Yours being a new Dolphin may have one also.
My experience with the fans on the inside of the refrigerator were not good. Most of the time our refrig. is set at 5, maybe 6, and keeps everything cold or frozen solid if in the freezer.

I find it very tempting to try all the gizmos that are out there, but haven't been very impressed with most of them.

Your results may vary. Enjoy!

wahoonc · 03-10-2016, 03:40 AM

Fans on the back are a good investment IMHO. I also use fans inside. They help whether the fridge is on electric or LP, you are trying to help get the hot air out of the compartment faster than it can rise on it's own. If the ambient temperature is high it will have an effect on the fridge performance too, you want to park that side of the unit in the shade if possible.

For outside fans I use something like the Valterra, there is another brand with a thermostat, but I can't recall the brand. For inside I use a computer cooling fan mounted to the fins inside the fridge. It gets switched so it can be turned on and off in necessary.

I am looking for the link, but there is a great article floating around on RV fridges out there, the writer covers the basics of operation and what it takes to get peak performance out of them.

Aaron

Dr4Film · 03-10-2016, 05:24 AM

I custom built my 4 pack of fridge vent fans when I still had the NotSoCold and after it was replaced with a residential I sold the package to another member.

However, HERE is what looks like a pretty good triple fan package kit that would work perfectly for the top roof vent opening. The only thing I see with this package is that the fans are low speed fans which may be OK but the ones that I had purchased had a fairly high RPM and CFM.

If I still had one of those crappy Norcold 120XX units I would definitely be looking into installing one of these to improve the heat removal from the cooling stack or possibly buying separate parts and piecing it all together such as THIS higher speed and higher CFM fan.

Dr4Film ----- Richard