Posted on 24/10/2017 20:17
Has anyone successfully fitted fridge fans to assist air circulation and thereby improve the cooling process, especially in hotter weather, (Europe rather than the UK).
I have a Bailey Autograph with a Dometic fridge.
What did you fit, how and where? Where did you source your fans? And do they make any difference to your fridge performance?
Posted on 24/10/2017 20:41
I was thinking along similar lines but to conserve the heat during winter. Unfortunately on my caravan it is not straightforward as the gas exhaust is in the same place.
However, I did dig out some old computer cooling fans which would be simple to fit on a plywood shelf inserted behind the fridge between the two grills.
Posted on 25/10/2017 11:03
I used one then, subsequently, two computer fans. Cost zero. Just find an old computer that somebody wants to get rid of - the fans are the right size. Failing that, as has been said, you can get a kit from Dometic.
I fitted ours to a Bailey caravan and attached the fans to the extract area (top) by screwing to a wooden batten that was then glued to the inside of the body behind the vent. On our caravan this was easier but depending on the layout you can fit to the bottom (inlet) and blow air. You can get a thermostat but I didn't bother so I fitted the fans in parallel through an in-line fuse (about 1 amp I think) then ran the wires under the seats so they popped up by the 12 volt auxiliary plug. I also had a plug that I could use. Just plugged in when we were on EHU and the weather was hot.
I would say that they helped a little but not exceptionally. I was intending to fit them to our Autosleeper motorhome but the new Thetford fridge is fantastic. It kept cool this year at temperatures of up to 37 degrees without needing to change the setting.
The ease of installation will depend on how you can attach the fans and whether there is access to a 12 volt supply. You may also need a switch and a thermostat as you may not want to run the fans if you are off grid.
Apperley
Motorhomer