12v fan in the refrigerator vent space

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Papachazz

Papachazz

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Posts
24
Location
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
I was looking into getting a 12v fan to place in the vent space behind my refrigerator to help vent the heat quicker. Has anyone used these type of fans and how well do they work. The manufacturer claims that it will reduce the cool down time of the fridge by half and increase the efficiency while it is running. While it is fairly inexpensive for the fan I'm just wondering if it is something that would be a worthwhile upgrade.
 
A fan can help in hot weather, but probably won't make much difference in cooler temperatures unless something is choking off the airflow behind the refrigerator. 

Normally the hot coils behind the refrigerator set up a fireplace-like chimney effect.  Air heated by the coils escapes out the roof vent while drawing in cooler air through the lower inlet.

This works in cool weather, but may break down when the outside air gets into the 90s and above because there isn't enough difference in temperature between the coils and the outside air to keep the chimney working.  In this case, adding a fan to push the air up and out the top vent can help the refrigerator get rid of it's waste heat and keep working efficiently.
 
I put a muffin fan in the vent hood and wired it to the a 12v connection at circuit board. Used a fuse holder with spade fuse so I can disconnect in winter or when not in use. Works good and it does make the beer...or milk...colder, no difference in winter.
 
My Montana came with 2 fans hooked to a thermostat.  I didn't realize this until I heard them start one day.  I did add 2 fans to my frig on my houseboat and they did help on hot days.  I hooked them up to a switch that I could turn on when I needed them.  It was a cheap fixed and worked well.
 
My first coach had some issues with the refrigerator not cooling well, and after the fans were added, it made a world of difference. For me, it was an inexpensive and worthwhile solution.

Two cents worth.  8)
 
My coach comes from the factory with fans to exhaust the heat since my fridge is in the slide and no vent up top. It is the best fridge freezer I have had yet in regards to motorhomes.
 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RQL5_rnilyM

See the link above. I am not endorsing this product and only passing along some info.
I have a home made version and it works well for those hot days when it seems to take a long time to get the frig cold after setting up camp.
 
Not being an expert on laminar flow I can only relate my experience on this.  It is much more effective to draw the air through the system than to push it.  A fan at the top blowing hot air out works much better.

I installed 4 super quiet muffin fans in my top vent and it made a huge difference in cooling performance.
 
Thanks Mudd. I only have one access to the space behind the fridge and that is at the bottom so I was thinking about mounting it in the vent pipe on the roof to draw the air out. That way it is pulling in fresh air from the bottom vents and not trying to blow it back out the same vents.
 
I have two Corsair 120mm computer fans mounted under the top Norcold vent. I had to make a mount out of aluminum angle and it worked good. Good idea to seal around the edge of the fans to the surround so it pulls air from the bottom and not in a circular fashion st the top.
I have a Fridge Fix inside the fridge and an ARP controller with the fan option installed to control overheat of the Norcold. The fan control wire handles both the Fridge Fix and the two Corsair fans by merely connecting the wires to the fan control wire. Since install my fridge has performed flawlessly. Set on setting 4 it has kept the temps perfect from below freezing to 95 degrees. The cool down is about 2 hours to normal fridge temps, not 8-10 hours like it used to be. The ARP runs both the Corsairs and the Fridge Fix only when the unit is producing coolant.
With this combo system you will be extremely happy.
I See that ARP is a sponsor on this forum and they will answer any questions you may have. Their after sale service is top notch.
Good luck!
 
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