Fridge fans suck or blow (1 Viewer)

rrusty

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Dec 4, 2009
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I got 2 fans fitted after last summer season and now I'm in Spain and been here for 4 days and the fridge is getting hotter and hotter by the day.

Fans are fitted top vent sucking the air out., clearly not working.

Reversed them 4 hours ago and they are now blowing hot air out the bottom vent and the fridge is chilled and working normally

The oven and gas option on the fridge are working normally as well.
 
Sep 10, 2013
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Hot. Air normally rises, so it would be usual to extract from the higher level. Maybe check the air space behind your fridge to ensure a clear unrestricted air flow around the heat exchanger on the rar of said fridge.
 

Snowbird

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Always fitted in the top vent pulling out. Never any other way.

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Techno

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If blowing the heat back down is helping cooling then the problem is you don't need the fans on at all yet
Sucking out the top is normal but if it's drawing heat away too much it will impede cooling
 

Snowbird

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All the vans I have owned that had fridge fans fitted were in the top vent pulling out. They were all automatic being switched on by a thermo switch. They only came on when the outside temperature was in the high 20s and then only for a few minutes before switching off again.
 

Chris

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I am glad you made clear this thread was about a fridge....

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magicsurfbus

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I've bodged a computer cooling fan into my top fridge vent using the spare terminals on the solar charge controller as the power source. It seems logical to have the most power available when the sun's at its peak.

One thing I reckon happens is that the metal draining board directly above the fridge creates a sort of feedback loop, where any heat that doesn't escape the vent properly is reflected back onto the fridge top causing it to warm up. As it warms up, the fridge burns more gas to compensate, thus creating more heat that can't escape from the vent and so on...

To my simple way of thinking, an extractor fan on the top vent will help to break this loop.

I may of course be totally wrong.
 
Apr 27, 2008
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I fitted a 5" fan in the top vent, blowing outwards and it works fine when it is very hot (around 30C +). It does reduce cooling if its on when the temperature is lower though. Perhaps the reason yours appears to work better is that going against the normal airflow it will be less efficient and thus have less of a negative effect on cooling. I'm surprised it's hot enough in Spain yet to need the extra fan, usually temperatures are only in the mid 20s in May.
 
Aug 10, 2012
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the correct term 'I think' :cool: is 'induced draught' i.e. blowing outwards at the top, i.e. inducing an air flow
but what do I know, I initially wrote draft instead of draught:)

fans can do induced draught and forced draft:whistle:

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Aug 18, 2014
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All the vans I have owned that had fridge fans fitted were in the top vent pulling out. They were all automatic being switched on by a thermo switch. They only came on when the outside temperature was in the high 20s and then only for a few minutes before switching off again.

Mine comes on at 30º but doesn't go off until temp has dropped . which doesn't normally happen until early a.m.
In Alicante Thursday night Friday a.m.I had to disconnect the sensor as the wife complained of the noise. Think I'll have to get a different sensor.:LOL:

I fitted a 5" fan in the top vent, blowing outwards and it works fine when it is very hot (around 30C +). It does reduce cooling if its on when the temperature is lower though. Perhaps the reason yours appears to work better is that going against the normal airflow it will be less efficient and thus have less of a negative effect on cooling. I'm surprised it's hot enough in Spain yet to need the extra fan, usually temperatures are only in the mid 20s in May.

You should move here.Been in the 30's all week, 34º today :( appears that it could be the same this year as last with temps in the 40's again, late June /early July.
 

Snowbird

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Mine comes on at 30º but doesn't go off until temp has dropped . which doesn't normally happen until early a.m.
In Alicante Thursday night Friday a.m.I had to disconnect the sensor as the wife complained of the noise. Think I'll have to get a different sensor.:LOL:



You should move here.Been in the 30's all week, 34º today :( appears that it could be the same this year as last with temps in the 40's again, late June /early July.

The last one I did I put two brushless computer fans in. No noise whatsoever.
 

magicsurfbus

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I find the fan I've fitted reverberates on the MH side panel and creates an annoying humming inside the van which is louder than any noise made outside. I put rubber pads between the fan and the vent which helped reduce it a bit, but it's still quite loud. It would probably be anti-social using it on an aire, but it could be handy when taking a break at service stations or when shopping at a supermarket to keep the temperature down before the next stretch on 12v. I think I might look at a brushless fan as per @Snowbird now the wiring's in place.

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If you use your existing temperature sensor to decide when to switch the fan on the internal regulator on this fan will set the speed to match the temperature which should help keep the (minimal anyawy) noise down
 

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