Inside refrigerator fans

[hotfishtacos]

I started a new thread on this topic because we have several refrigerator performance conversations blended together on several threads. I finished installing my fans inside my 4.3 Dometic unit today and wanted to show you the finished results. I built mine just to save a little money.

> The fans are mounted with tie wraps on plated steel bars, vibration insulated with punched, closed cell foam mountings about 3/4" from the cooling fins, angled slightly upward. The fans move 76 cfm of air total and pull .1 amps total.



> Power was provided by tying into the white supply wire from the light switch (+12Vdc) and a microswitch was added to turn it off and on. A hole was cut through the light switch cover to provide access to the microswitch.



Here is a short video of it operating...

Fan Operation - YouTube

I will share more info when I actually test it camping in a few weeks.

Steve

[dave1]

Steve,

Very nicely done. Great job on isolating them for vibration. Looks like you have the bottom of your freezer installed without the door. Is that just for the install of the fans or are you using that way?
Sure looks good!!
Dave

[hotfishtacos]

Originally Posted by dave1

Steve,

Very nicely done. Great job on isolating them for vibration. Looks like you have the bottom of your freezer installed without the door. Is that just for the install of the fans or are you using that way?
Sure looks good!!
Dave

Thanks Dave. I had the freezer door installed during the pics and filming. I keep the freezer installed now always. You can barely see the screw heads in the hinges in the first picture with the fans.

[Jim Bennett]

Good job, Steve. I use the battery powered fan, which does do a good job, but is in the way a bit sometimes. I would prefer something more permanent, and out of the way, but I don't have 12V in my fridge. Should add it anyway, so I can get a light going too.

[daveandsandyclink]

Steve... can you please post some all important performance findings when you cool your refrigerator down. Outside ambient temps, inside fridge temps, with fans on and off, cool down time, and any additional conditions that may effect your results.
Thanks

[hotfishtacos]

Originally Posted by daveandsandyclink

Steve... can you please post some all important performance findings when you cool your refrigerator down. Outside ambient temps, inside fridge temps, with fans on and off, cool down time, and any additional conditions that may effect your results.
Thanks

You must figure me for a engineer or something... ""have spreadsheet will travel"...let's see..cosine of the moon phase plus wine consumed divided by ambient pressure and # of beers left...$$##@@!!!

[daveandsandyclink]

I was going to compliment you on for solution but thought..."I wonder if this has any positive improvement on our problem?" I'm guessing I am not alone on that thinking.
Down south here we call these kind of modifications "southern engineered." I'd like to know your results before I build or purchase mine from Fridge Fix.

[hotfishtacos]

Originally Posted by daveandsandyclink

I was going to compliment you on for solution but thought..."I wonder if this has any positive improvement on our problem?" I'm guessing I am not alone on that thinking.
Down south here we call these kind of modifications "southern engineered." I'd like to know your results before I build or purchase mine from Fridge Fix.

Even if it offers no value at all, having another working electro-mechanical modification on my trailer is friggin great! ...of course, the spreadsheet data will sort it all out...

[RickM]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Good job, Steve. I use the battery powered fan, which does do a good job, but is in the way a bit sometimes. I would prefer something more permanent, and out of the way, but I don't have 12V in my fridge. Should add it anyway, so I can get a light going too.

Jim, you can easily add 12 v to the interior by running wires through the grommet that houses the copper supply line. Then, from the outside access panel connect the wires to the junction block. This link should make it more clear.



http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...ight-1617.html

[rbryan4]

Awesome job, and super quiet too! I'm also interested in their performance vs the fridge fix, since I was pushing it so heavily based on Mama's hearsay.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by RickM

Jim, you can easily add 12 v to the interior by running wires through the grommet that houses the copper supply line. Then, from the outside access panel connect the wires to the junction block. This link should make it more clear.



http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...ight-1617.html

Thanks for the link, I had forgotten about this one. Something I am going to look into for sure, even if not just for the light.

[hotfishtacos]

Well, I turned my 4.3 refrigerator on 120 VAC with the new fan system on yesterday evening and this morning at 9:00AM the temps were 1 degree F in the freezer and 32 in the refer with the fans running, temp set at coldest (5 lights) , no load inside and 87 F degrees ambient when measured. I measured 1 degree warmer at the door verses in front of the cooling fins so the fans seem to be mixing the air well. I will be camping starting next Monday in the Eastern Sierra Mountains of California at 7,000 ft for two weeks and will keep you updated. I plan to occupy a full-sun camping space with the trailer tongue pointing South so I will have the sun baking on the fiberglass surface behind the refrigerator until about noon. The weather forecasts predict temperatures from 80 degrees F to 100 F with intermittent thunderstorms. The fans inside the refer will be running full time. I will be watching and reporting how well the refrigerator handles those high temps and temp swings...but of course fishing, barbeque and alcohol will be the priority and not necessarily in that order...

Steve

[hotfishtacos]

I just returned today from a week of camping at Silver Lake at 7,000ft near Mammoth in the Sierra Mountains of California and wanted to update you on the operation of the two fans I installed in my 4.3 refer. Before I left I cooled down the refer empty with the fans running and I think it took about the same amount of time as without them to cool the unit down...maybe 6-7 hours. The next morning I packed the freezer full and lightly packed the refer and left. When I got to camp the freezer was around 20f and the refer around 45f. I traveled while the day was still cool. This didn't make sense because I was it wasn't over 80f and the unit had always operated better than this in the past. After messing with loading for a few days I learned that once I moved the items in the freezer away from the fins so that nothing was actual toughing them the unit starting cooling significantly. Nothing else changed including the refer load nor weather. Originally, in the freezer, I had two plastic bags with frozen chicken jammed against the fins (packing it full) along with other goodies. The one change that had a dramatic positive impact on cooling was moving that chicken away from the fins. The rest of the week the refer unit worked fine and I turned it down a notch. Although I have no scientific conclusion on the impact of the cooling fans I believe that they help recirculate the air so that items in the door are colder and keep the cooling fins from icing up. I also don't need to small battery operated fan anymore.

On the way home I drove through the desert along the mountains for about 300 miles of the 400 mile trip at 95f to 100f and the refrigerator temps climbed to 20 in the freezer and 47 in the refer. Unfortunately, the hot climate cooling issue is still with me.

Steve

[Greggo]

The chicken didn't happen to be spicy habanero wings? That could certainly affect the temp! Cool ranch might be a better choice.

[jamman]

I need help with the Fridge-Fix fan installation.

I have the new, large fridge - Dometic 8555.

1) The Fridge-fix (fan/light) works fine when connected to 12V.

2) My interior fridge fin appears to be NOT grounded. (Fan red on +12V, black clip to fin - nothing. Digital VOM shows open circuit between interior fin and known good 12V ground.)

3) My fridge light power wires are VERY tiny. They show about 11.5V when the fridge interior LEDs are off and 10+V when on - I am not sure it is safe to use this to power the fan.

4) The thermistor exits behind the fins and comes out the back high up behind the baffle - essentially impossible reach without R&Ring the fridge.

5) It is possible (but not easy) to get 2 wires out the condensate drain but they will come very close to totally blocking it.

Plan A: Someone here comes up with a solution - or shows me the error of my ways.

Plan B: I contact Fridge-fix Mike and ask for a longer black lead. I drill an additional hole from the inside near the bottom of the fridge, run a pair of wires to the back for DC power, and caulk it shut.

[RickM]

Doug, take a look at this and also the links within it.
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...ight-1617.html

[cpaharley2008]

The white wire is the feed wire for power, not the brown wire. The ground clip has to be firmly attached to the rear fins for a good ground. Go to post #175 here for pictures of install
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...e-4109-18.html

[Jubal]

Jim
How did you splice into the white wire ?

[cpaharley2008]

They include a little plastic wire splice that you place onto the power wire, insert the red wire and then clamp down with pliers and close the snap, done. Here is a picture of the item
http://www.amazon.com/Solderless-Wir...s=wire+splices

[dave1]

Jim,
I think you insert the red wire into the splice. The black wire is the ground and has the clip to attach to a cooling fin.

Dave