Improved Refrigerator Cooling on Hot Days

[chaunclm]

We have a little trouble keeping our refrigerator below 40 degrees on hot days with low winds.

I installed an auxiliary fan to improve air circulation.

The fan I used is a Coolerguy CabCool 1202 Dual 120 12 volt DC fans with Cooler Kit. The kit provides a 120 volt to 12 volt transformer, a fan control unit with thermostat which turns the fan on at 86 and off at 81 degrees. I installed the unit and turned it on. In the first two hours the internal temperature on our refer went from 40 Degree to 32 degrees.

This fan is for computers and home entertainment systems. But it seems to work great.

CG CabCool1202 Dual 120mm Fan 12V Cooler Kit Cabinet / Home Theaters w/Thermal Control

Chauncey

[njs42]

Where exactly do you install the fan? I like the looks of the fan and may use it else where but I just do not know where to install it with regard to the fridge.

[NULarry B]

For cooling inside the fridge, we and several others over on the NUWA owners site bought this fan. It clips to the the fins in the fridge, and just connects to the hot wire in the light, so as long as the fridge is on it is moving air.
Here is the link to find it.

DOMETIC NORCOLD REFRIGERATOR FAN FOR RV 12 VOLT | eBay

[chaunclm]

When one opens the cover for the outside vent (Lower) on the refrigerator and looks at the lower back of the refer, one sees the burner/flu to the right and the coils the the left. I placed the fan on the left side of the vent with the fans as close to the vent as possible and in position to blow toward the coils. Our trailer is equipped with a double 110 outlet that the refrigerator plugs into. I plugged the fan in there. I positioned the thermostat about 1/2 inch above one of the coils.

My thoughts were that the coolest air would be the outside air. So I set it up where the fans would pull air from outside and move it toward the coils.

I've tried to post pictures here before but can't quite make that work. I'll try again in the next couple of days.

I'm just dumfounded at how much better the refrigerator is working.

[njs42]

We use our MH for four continuous months often. We get a build up of frost on those fins. Does the fan have any effect on this---how do you deal with this?

And thanks for this information by the way this is interesting, evidently effective and inexpensive----a three fer.

[NULarry B]

The fan inside the fridge keeps the fins from icing, because it is circulating air across the
fins all the time.

[njs42]

hot digity--gonna git me one! Thanks

[dooks@verizon.net]

Larry:

Thanks for the suggestion. Ice buildup on the fins is my main problem in the summer - plus I usually have to run at a 4 setting to keep things cool enough. I ordered the one you suggested - short money for a quick boost. I'll report back once I get it installed and have used it for a while.

[NULarry B]

One thing I like about the fan, is that even boon docking it uses so little energy, it doesn't drain your batteries.

[Yonderin']

Have you folks tried movinging the thermister upwards? That's the little white tab that's attached to one of the fins, usually over on the right-hand side. Worked great for me. Temps now are consistently 35 to 38 degrees at the 3rd of 5 settings on the frig's external control panel.
Hope I'm not repeating anyone...

[NULarry B]

Just a question, but how would moving the thermister effect the cooling?

[Max Hubrich]

Hi Guys/Gals,

I have a Dometic fridge in my rig. Thought you might to read this thread Istarted a few months ago. No more icing up in the fridge-.

I'll start the Freezer mod in the fall.

[chaunclm]

We finally had a chance to try our new fan system when we were running the fridge on propane, and the improvement in performance was just as spectacular as when running on electric.

We spent a couple of nights in Walmart parking lots and ran the fridge on gas. The way I installed the system it will only operate when our rig has 110 volt A/C, and I wasn't sure how well the burner would work with the fan working. But it worked great.

We run our generator anytime we are without plug-in electricity. We switched over to propane to extend the generator run time on a tank of gasoline.

[tvman44]

I put a fan inside the fridge and it makes a difference, I had it mounted on the wall but just the other day remounted it to the fins blowing directly on the fins and cannot report on that yet. http://i28.tinypic.com/vfcutl.jpg this is a picture of the previous installation which did work but like I said I just moved it to the fins and will report back later.