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Old 03-20-2021, 12:32 PM   #1
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Vista 29VE Norcold Refrigerator external fan Install

In my Winnebago 2019 Vista 29VE I have a Norold N7XF with two 24 by 16-inch external vents. I wish to install external fans to help the refrigerator stay cool in the hot weather. The key is where to get 12-volt power from the back of the refrigerator. Picture attached. Has anyone installed an exhaust fan and tapped into the 12-volt- power? If you have could you please share how you did this?
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Old 03-20-2021, 03:19 PM   #2
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On my 2017 29ve there was already a fan, I just added another one with it.
I used the same power, both fans seem to run fine. Other things I did while I was in there, I added aluminum tape to protect wood/etc where the exhaust port is. It just seemed like that area gets hot, and there is (was) exposed wood. I also changed the fan controller so that I can adjust the temp when the fans come on. I think I set it to around 115 degrees.
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Old 03-21-2021, 05:05 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by corvetteSS View Post
On my 2017 29ve there was already a fan, I just added another one with it.
I used the same power, both fans seem to run fine. Other things I did while I was in there, I added aluminum tape to protect wood/etc where the exhaust port is. It just seemed like that area gets hot, and there is (was) exposed wood. I also changed the fan controller so that I can adjust the temp when the fans come on. I think I set it to around 115 degrees.

CorvetteSS,

Thanks for the quick reply. I don't see an external fan in my setup. Although I haven't opened up the top external vent. Could you describe where it is located? Any additional information would be helpful.

Safe travels.
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Old 03-21-2021, 07:37 PM   #4
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Easy to see when looking down in top opening.
Mine looks like a larger PC type fan.
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Old 03-22-2021, 08:13 AM   #5
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Easy to see when looking down in top opening.
Mine looks like a larger PC type fan.
CorvetteSS,
Thanks again I assume is 12 volt. How big a second fan did you use?

When you talk about the fan controller I am assuming this is one that came with the RV?
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Old 03-22-2021, 05:18 PM   #6
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I put another similar sized fan in parallel with the one in there. Basically it blows twice the air. Now I changed from a hard wired, preset thermal switch (what was there) to a temperature controller with a relay that will turn the fans on (using the same voltage supply wires). You can find these on online, and I just wanted to have the ability to set/change the set temperature. You could probably just buy a different thermal switch, but I wanted to see how it reacts at different temps.



Fans: 12V DC 120mm, Controller: Makerhawk W1209 12V DC Digital Temperature Controller. from online retailer where "Wonder Woman" grew up.


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Old 03-22-2021, 08:07 PM   #7
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The Yellow and white wires coming up from the bottom along with the gas line are your 12V power leads for the control box. Yellow is positive.
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Old 03-26-2021, 07:30 AM   #8
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The Yellow and white wires coming up from the bottom along with the gas line are your 12V power leads for the control box. Yellow is positive.
Your setup is quite different from my 2019 29VE. I opened up the top vent. I didn't find a fan. What id did find was a metal baffle that blocked much of the vents. I am trying to reach out to Winnebago to find out what is the purpose of the baffle. A picture is attached. You can just see the top of the refrigerator above the shiny black baffle. It is made of two pieces joined by the screws you see.

Again thanks for your help.
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Old 03-26-2021, 08:05 AM   #9
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Your setup is quite different from my 2019 29VE. I opened up the top vent. I didn't find a fan. What id did find was a metal baffle that blocked much of the vents. I am trying to reach out to Winnebago to find out what is the purpose of the baffle. A picture is attached. You can just see the top of the refrigerator above the shiny black baffle. It is made of two pieces joined by the screws you see.

Again thanks for your help.
Possibly I misunderstood your original question. I thought you wanted to located 12v power to install more fans. But yes, your fridge linstall is different than mine. My fridge vents thru the roof. Good Luck. A satisfactory working fridge is a hit or miss when unmodified
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Old 03-28-2021, 06:45 AM   #10
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You will need to remove the "Water Guard" which keeps water from getting into the area from the vents. After you remove that, you should be able to see if you have the fan. You can also take some time to cover anything (like wood) that you don't want 200 degree exhaust baking to a crisp (over time) with something like aluminum tape.

And make sure that the "guard" does not rattle when you are done, or it becomes irritating very fast. When I finished, I pop rivit it back together.


Also on the left top of those fins you see would have the fan temperature switch that would operate the fan. You should be able to see that without removing the "weather" guard.
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Old 03-28-2021, 09:10 PM   #11
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Although my Norcold 1200LRIM already has 2 OEM fans near the top of the evaporation coil, I added a blower-type fan just above the accumulator tank using zip-ties. It helped a lot, I had to reduce the fridge setting to keep the milk from freezing in the bottom of the fridge. It's output must be 4-5X that of the computer-type fans, I can feel the hot air movement at the top vent and the inflow at the bottom vent.
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Old 04-06-2021, 01:39 AM   #12
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The existing fan on mine is way down from the top vent, about halfway in between the two vents. It's tough to get at the fan itself, but just locate the wire to that fan and tap into that wire where ever you see it. It is 12 volt fan, looks like a computer fan.
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Old 09-25-2021, 12:54 PM   #13
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Unhappy Baffled by vent baffle!

Quote:
Originally Posted by nnason View Post
Your setup is quite different from my 2019 29VE. I opened up the top vent. I didn't find a fan. What id did find was a metal baffle that blocked much of the vents. I am trying to reach out to Winnebago to find out what is the purpose of the baffle. A picture is attached. You can just see the top of the refrigerator above the shiny black baffle. It is made of two pieces joined by the screws you see.

Again thanks for your help.

Did you ever get to change your fan configuration? I have a 2019 27N that probably has a bad fan and I haven't been able to remove the baffle. BTW, the baffle isn't for weather protection, it's required by Norcold to ensure adequate airflow over the condenser .
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Old 10-12-2021, 04:54 AM   #14
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Did you ever get to change your fan configuration? I have a 2019 27N that probably has a bad fan and I haven't been able to remove the baffle. BTW, the baffle isn't for weather protection, it's required by Norcold to ensure adequate airflow over the condenser .

Sorry for the delayed response. I was on an 11-week coast-to-coast trip. I decided to not mess with the installation. I bought a Fridge Defend https://www.arprv.com/index.php and had it installed professionally. It worked very well in the many over 90 degrees days. I had one issue with a large and small wire not connecting well. The support from Paul Unmack at ARP was outstanding.
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