Motorhome fridge issues

[andyfen]

Hi, I have a Hymer Classic 1993. My fridge has been replaced with an Electrolux 4267 but that means the vents are not in the usual place for that fridge i.e. the vents are at the side of the fridge rather than the back. On our recent trip to France the fridge struggled to cope with 30 plus temps even with two fans running. I have cleaned the jet and blown out the flue etc. I can achieve a difference of 18 degrees at best and often far worse. I have a sensor in the fridge and have seen 23 degrees!! Can I cut holes in the rear panel and fit two new vents in the recommended positions for this fridge? The prevoius owner had already cut a low level access hatch to service the burner which could have a vent fitted to it. Would the negative pressure at the rear of the van when rolling, cause problems? If so what about one new vent at the top (no new one at the bottom) which would benefit from the negative pressure when running on 12V. There is rather a large gap between the back of the fridge and the rear panel of the van, should I reduce this by panelling to improve the efficency of the fridge cooling? Has anyone any other ideas please? Andrew

[Ranger]

Hi Andyfen, I have the fridge vents in the back of my 'van, no problem on the move on 12volts, in fact can get a bit too cold sometimes. No problem with negative pressure what so ever. You definitely need two vents, I once had a 'van with only one vent, the upper one, failed in hot weather, had to fit the lower vent so when the hot air went out through the top vent, cool air could be drawn in at the lower vent, then all was OK. A sheet of something at the top of the back of the fridge to funnel the hot air out through the top vent helps too. Hope that points you in the direction you wish to go??????????

[Brian Kirby]

Andy

Before you go too far have a look on the Dometic web site for installation instructions for your fridge.  Then have a look at how close you can get to the recommended arrangement.

The gap between the back of the fridge and the external wall of the van is critical, as are the positions of the top and bottom vents and the inclusion of a deflector plate to duct the rising hot air out.  Sealing around the fridge is also essential for  convection to work properly, it is necessary to create a natural stack over the cooling fins on the rear of the fridge.

Dometic's instructions give optimal dimensions to ensure this is achieved and, when it is, cooling should be reasonable up to around 30C.  May need assisted ventilation above that temp, and almost certainly for your installation if you can't comply with Dometic's optima.

When you've worked out what you think can be achieved, why not have a chat to Dometic's technical bods, who I have in the past found very helpful?

Hope this helps

[andyfen]

Many thanks to both Ranger and Brian. With rear mounted vents, I was worried that, on the move, the Negative pressure would 'suck' air out of both top and bottom vents and cause the convection to stall, but if it worked for you Ranger then I suppose its worth a punt. Should I leave the original Hymer side vents as extra ventilation or blank them off? I was unable to get the manual for this fridge. I received the following massage from this website: http://www.dometicmanuals.com:8080/dometic/masterdometic.nsf?Opendatabase Error 500 HTTP Web Server: Lotus Notes Exception - Maximum number of memory segments that Notes can support has been exceeded. Any ideas?

[Ranger]

Hi Andy, regarding the original side vent, you may find to avoid a second air flow disturbing the convected flow of cool air from your new lower vent up through the cooling fins and out of the new top vent, you may find you need to block off the original vent. You may also find you need to decrease the size of the space behind your fridge to ensure that the flow of air all passes through the cooling fins on the back of your fridge. Like Brian sez! why not have a chat with Electrolux tech staff, as Brian said they were very helpful.