Refrigerator in slide?

[kb0zke]

Recently I've heard some speculation that one reason we're seeing more refrigerator fires on newer refrigerators is that more of them are in slides. The thinking is that refrigerators in slides are vented out the back, while those not in slides are vented out the top. Since hot air rises, it would seem that a roof vent would be preferable to a side vent.

Does anyone have any real evidence one way or the other on this? I understand that few things are as simple as A or B, but I'm wondering whether this is a valid concern. Yes, the refrigerator in our mpg is in the slide.

[powerboatr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb0zke Recently I've heard some speculation that one reason we're seeing more refrigerator fires on newer refrigerators is that more of them are in slides. The thinking is that refrigerators in slides are vented out the back, while those not in slides are vented out the top. Since hot air rises, it would seem that a roof vent would be preferable to a side vent. Does anyone have any real evidence one way or the other on this? I understand that few things are as simple as A or B, but I'm wondering whether this is a valid concern. Yes, the refrigerator in our mpg is in the slide.

my parents bounder (2004) is on the slide
I think its more about how its installed vice where...
my damon the upper chimney vent area had loose insulation floating around that blocked airflow, it actually started out gassing and smoldering on the ride home on delivery when we ran the fridge on gas....burning fiberglass is AWFULLY bad smelling , luckliy i found it and saved us a burn down

my cedar creek had the vent area blocked by a thin piece of luan that was glued in WRONG
the installation is key in making the air move like it should

["007"]

Not knowing what fridge you have you can use this link for reference go to page 20 and will start to show diagrams of fridge vent installations.
Main concern is to make sure baffles are in and secure and any insulation on top of fridge is blocked from falling into main vent areas.

[LEMO]

I have a 05 Southwind with a Norcold 1200 in the slide. No problems, it has cooling fans behind the unit and two access panels, (upper and lower). The fans are quite noticeable when sitting outside.
LEMO

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEMO I have a 05 Southwind with a Norcold 1200 in the slide. No problems, it has cooling fans behind the unit and two access panels, (upper and lower). The fans are quite noticeable when sitting outside. LEMO

Basically the same as our DSDP except we only have one fan. I replaced the failed bushing fan with a high volume ball bearing computer fan when I replaced the cooling unit.

[Hipshot]

My 2008 Bounder Norcold is on the slide. No problems except last summer it would not cool below 40 on max cold setting of 9. I found the upper outside baffle shown on page 22 was not installed. This is the baffle that goes from the top of the fans to the bottom of the condenser coils to force the air from the fans through the coils. I made a baffle out of scrap tin. After install of the baffle the fridge temp is 38 on a setting of 2.

[Paul T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hipshot My 2008 Bounder Norcold is on the slide. No problems except last summer it would not cool below 40 on max cold setting of 9. I found the upper outside baffle shown on page 22 was not installed. This is the baffle that goes from the top of the fans to the bottom of the condenser coils to force the air from the fans through the coils. I made a baffle out of scrap tin. After install of the baffle the fridge temp is 38 on a setting of 2.

Exactly The same results after I created a extension to the factory installed baffle in my Winny. Original was nearly 4 inches from condenser which is way out of Norcold specifications. Just wish I had found the problem two years ago. I highly suggest anyone with cooling problems on a slide install check the baffle spacing at top vent against what Norcold has in its installation specs.

[Gary RVRoamer]

It's not the location - the cooling unit doesn't overheat unless it gets a leak. Only takes a pinhole. Once it loses much of the coolant fluid/gas, the burner runs continuously and can overheat. That's why the recall installs a sensor right on the heating chamber.

[nosticks]

Norcold in the slide, Florida, extreme heat, zero problems.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hipshot My 2008 Bounder Norcold is on the slide. No problems except last summer it would not cool below 40 on max cold setting of 9. I found the upper outside baffle shown on page 22 was not installed. This is the baffle that goes from the top of the fans to the bottom of the condenser coils to force the air from the fans through the coils. I made a baffle out of scrap tin. After install of the baffle the fridge temp is 38 on a setting of 2.

Here's a photo of mine



It was there when I got it ( 9 months old ).

[Hipshot]

Cliff from the looks of your photo my Fleetwood installed baffle is about half the height of yours. There was adout a 2" gap horzontally and 4" vertically between the baffle and the bottom of the condensor fins. This allowed at least half of the air from the fans to bypass the condensor fins. The Norcold installation manual says this gap should be 0 to 1/4 inch. The Fleetwood installed baffle has a row of hole in it, like a another baffle should be fastened to it with screws. Since I bought this Bounder from the original owner and he never used it, it had 2700 miles on it, I think the baffle was omitted at the factory. Anyway working good now, Life is good.

[Paul T]

Trying to upload a picture of the factory installed baffle on my Winni which did not meet the specs Norcold calls for as referenced in the previous post.
I added a sheet metal extention to it which solved my intermittant cooling problems. If photo doesn't upload try CondenserBaffle - iRV2.com RV Photo Gallery

The original spacing between baffle and condenser wasn't even close to the instalation specs Norcold provides.

[Dr4Film]

If you talk to RV technical professionals who know what they are talking about, most will say that both Dometic and Norcold 4 door fridge's were not designed for installation in a slide. However, the RV manufacturers have developed floor-plans in such a way that it required fridge's to go into slides. If those RV manufacturers have installed the necessary baffles and insulation along with proper added ventilation and fans to remove the heat efficiently, than the fridge will work fine in a slide.

However, most have taken no additional steps to make sure that they were installed correctly. All they have done is to plop them in the slide, throw some insulation around and hope for the best.

Therefore, it is up to the RV owner to inspect their installation to make sure that it is installed correctly and working efficiently.

Besides being properly baffled, one of the most important items is to get rid of any hot air trapped at the top of the slide. The best method is to add exhaust fans at the top.

Dr4Film ----- Richard