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Old 09-22-2017, 09:12 AM   #1
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Will installing a small fan in my fridge help with frost?

Looking at a norcold 12v fan that attaches to the fins in the back of the fridge. My fridge cools well, but seems to frost over pretty quickly.

Will this fan help with the frost at all?

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Old 09-22-2017, 09:16 AM   #2
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Those might help with icing up on the area of the fins directly in front of it, but I don't see how it could help with the entire fin area. I would recommend the FridgeFix fan bar.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:21 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers View Post
Those might help with icing up on the area of the fins directly in front of it, but I don't see how it could help with the entire fin area. I would recommend the FridgeFix fan bar.
I installed them in both of my fridges. Work great. Not sure about getting rid of frost.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:25 AM   #4
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I have the exact same fan set up in my Dometic and it does keep the fins frost free - I am full time and this fan runs 24 - 7. When one of the fans started to fail I contacted the seller and he has sent 2 new fans that I replaced on separate occasions. This product would last much longer if they used ball bearing fans - I am going to look for some shortly as I just replaced the last fan they sent a couple weeks ago.

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Old 09-22-2017, 09:29 AM   #5
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Frosting of the fins in the refer part indicate that thevthermocuple is bad. It is the smallnunit that clips on the fins. Replace it and the frost will go away. And a fan is great for circulating the air keeping food fresher.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:43 AM   #6
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Its my understanding that these are not self defrosting refrigerators and that frost build up is normal....to a certain extent. If you have excessive frost I'd suggest checking the door gaskets to be sure they're sealing properly.
I get frost after a two week trip.
Not sure the fans would do much other than evenly distribute the cool air throughout the compartment.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:49 AM   #7
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I;m leaning toward the post above regarding gaskets. See if you can slide a dollar bill along the gasket with the door shut normally. If you can, the air gap is contributing to your frost problem.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:51 AM   #8
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Exactly what baraff said !

Moisture in the air makes frost. The more outside air that gets in, the more frost.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:53 AM   #9
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It is true that these are not frost free, in the freezer compartment. Frost in the refer section is not normal. Those fins will be wet during normal operation and that is why there is a drip tray and drain hose to the outside of the coach. Do check the door seals with the dollar bill pull check, and if good anyone with frost on the refer fins needs to look at the thermocouple. Search google or better yet YouTube and then you can see how to replace.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:54 AM   #10
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Yup. My 08 had a recall dealing with door shims ( as I recall ) and that cured the frost due to door seals.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:58 AM   #11
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I found my thread from 2009. It had to do with condensation on the inside ceiling.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/norco...all-60450.html
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Old 09-22-2017, 10:33 AM   #12
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Yes, to some extent fridge fans work to circulate air evenly. That may even help reduce frost on the fins. Yes, gasket leakage contributes to frost --- but then every time you open that fridge for a cold drink, ingredients for your meal or even to check contents for a grocery list you introduce more outside and, maybe, more humid air then is already there. And that humid air - every lettuce leaf, tomato, kumquat or steak also contribute to internally generated humid air. I have one of those fans. So far with the current 12 cu ft NorCold reefer haven't seen the need to install, bur every past RV had a smaller Dometic and every one of them needed fans. I just wish that I could 'fix' that ever decreasing size freezer some way other then a shutdown defrost 2-3x/season

This is not 'gospel' by IC2/Dave W but only my experience with RV fridges over 40 plus years, other folks experiences will differ
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Old 09-22-2017, 04:02 PM   #13
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I noticed that the frost got really bad after I bought 6 ice cube trays and started filling them with water. So even if there is a poor seal, I am introducing all kinds of moisture with those ice trays.

I also see a wet spot at the top of one freezer door, with ice forming just inside there. I just stretched the rubber seal a bit, but not sure if that will fix the leak.
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Old 09-22-2017, 04:20 PM   #14
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I have used a fridge fan since my first year as a fulltimer and I feel it is worth the price. I replaced the dead Dometic cooling unit with an ArtiCold in 2014 and the fridge door in 2016 due to a torn gasket along the bottom edge.

Last month I was having insufficient cooling which I traced to another damaged lower gasket and possibly lack of a trap in the drain line. Instead of another $85 door I used a double layer of peel and stick window gasket that I bought in a hardware store for $8. I put a strip along the fridge and another along the bottom edge of the door.

My RV came with the drain line formed like a p-trap, but I thought that was a factory error. Then I read that there should be a kink in the drain line that collects water so warm air doesn't enter via the drain hose. The new gasket and the water trap seem to be working well. The fridge stays below 40*.

Is the water trapped in the drain line a necessity?
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