Do you need to place 3way fridge in front to outside vents

[vini]

Hi,
We lend our converted Sprinter van to our son, who thought he would help "make improvements"
He has moved the fridge along the van so it no longer sits in front of the vents. We mainly use it with the gas and electric charge when driving.
Is it safe to leave the fridge a short distance from the vents or do we need to move it back inline with them?
Thank you

Vini

 

[MichaelT]

If its 3 way and you use it on gas it needs the vent to expel the carbon monoxide and other gasses to the outside as well as draw fresh air in to burn. Plus whatever energy source you use the top vent needs to be clear to cool the heat exchange or it won't work.

 

[Nirvanauk]

The fridge also needs to be sealed from the inside of the van.

 

[Abacist]

I think there are 2 issues wrong with this!

The vents provide an airflow over the coolant radiator on the back of the fridge which will otherwise get hot and the fridge performance will not be so good.

Secondly, when on gas, there is a flame burning. Fumes from this will not be good inside the van and the air vents help remove any fumes, smoke and gas.

 

[DBK]

It will probably work on electric here in the UK (not too hot) while driving but unless he has re-routed the exhaust gas pipe it will be lethal to try running it on gas. Even if the flue has been re-routed I suspect it won't draw properly due to the horizontal section which must have been added and this may result in poor combustion and excess soot not to mention carbon monoxide. And as said already, you need the vents to get the flow of air over the rear of the 'fridge to cool the refrigerant. If the air can't flow freely it won't work properly.

But the rear of the 'fridge should be enclosed around the vents in any case so any stray gases will be vented to the outside. It is possible it isn't which is why your son thought it would be OK to move it.

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[autorouter]

There are several issues. First, the flue, which I presume he has moved so that the gas exhausts to the outside. It is not a 'room-sealed' type of flue, the intake air comes from the general space behind the fridge which is normally vented to the outside.

Next issue is the vents behind the fridge are supposed to allow cold air to circulate in through the lower vent and warm air out through the upper vent. If there is no external venting the heat can build up and the cooling becomes less effective and eventually stops.

But the major issue is that the space behind the fridge is supposed to be 'room-sealed', so that no fumes from the gas combustion can enter the living are. This is a potential safety issue that can result in life-threatening levels of carbon monoxide in the living area. It is normally sealed by a compressed foam seal around the fridge rear edges.

It's not essential that the vents are positioned in the wall exactly behind the fridge. Some converters build them into the rear or a corner, with a lower vent in the floor and an upper vent going up through the roof, I think. But the space behind the fridge still needs to be vented and room-sealed.

 

[gus-lopez]

The fridge,as stated, has to be fixed in place in front of the external vents & sealed to the outside. Otherwise on gas you quite possibly will all be dead in the morning.That's why you also need a co2 detector in place along with a smoke detector.

 

[autorouter]

That's why you also need a co2 detector in place along with a smoke detector.

It's a CO detector you need (detects carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas) not a CO2 detector (detects carbon dioxide, a relatively harmless gas unless it builds up until there's no oxygen left)

 

[mitzimad]

Smaller 3 way fridges have the flue connected to the air vent if that been disconnected its now dangerous

 

[ManTheVan]

As others have pointed out, the rear MUST be completely sealed off from the rest of the fridge so no poisonous fumes can enter the vehicle. For the functioning of the fridge, there also needs to be access to cool air over the fins at the back. Many owners have installed fans to assist with this, even when the fridge is installed behind the vents. Without sufficient cool air, the fridge just won’t work at all.

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[Minxy]

Hi and welcome to the fun house.

First thing I would do is give you son a slap for messing about with YOUR camper without I assume your permission! I'd then tell him to put it back as it was and also get HIM to pay for it to be checked over by a qualified gas fitter (familiar with van conversion) to ensure it's been done correctly. You do NOT mess about with gas appliances unless you know what you're doing and by the sound of it your son doesn't.

Sorry if it sounds harsh but having experienced a 5ft 'blow torch' in a previous MH due to a badly installed BBQ point by a dealer (the internal connection was lethal) having someone who appears to not know the basics of why the vents are there is something that would make me very concerned as to the installation itself.

 

[poppycamper]

I would be intrigued to know why and how he managed to moved it.
Is your sprinter van already "fully" fitted out.. if so how did he manage to move it without disrupting other fittings?
Or is it just a van with loose fittings, including fridge just sitting there against a vent in side of van..
Obviously to move fridge he must have rerouted/refitted gas pipe as well?