Fridge vent fan upgrade Mk2
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2020
- This is an updated and improved version of my Fridge Vent fan project. In this video i fit a more permanent solution to the back of our fridge and create a far superior version for our Dometic fridge in our Bailey caravan. This s a how to project that anyone can have a go at to improve the fridge efficiency in warmer weather conditions.
Some useful links :
Fan Controller Video
▶ • ZFC39 PWM Fan controller
Blog post
▶ the-trudgians.com/fridge-vent...
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What a fantastic idea and very well explained. With the prices of caravans nowadays this should be fitted as standard, something for all the caravan manufacturers to think about in the future. 👏👏
I was wondering why your entry door was on the drivers side of the camper....then I heard you speak. Now I understand. In your terms.... "Brilliant Idea".
A lovely upgrade, Mr Trudgian. Clear concise and much need in this heat. Stay safe and well.😷🙏🌞😷
Brilliant upgrade Dan . Thank you so much. You are the caravan guru, as I have said before.
Thank again Dan for another great blog. Was great meeting you both while we collected our wobble box from the amazing Swindon Caravans. Take care and stay safe. 👌👌👌👌
Hi Dan,
We also purchased a Bailey 640 Phoenix special edition but from Lowdhams in Huddersfield a couple of years ago. Love the van but we experienced the same problem with the fridge. Today i ordered the parts you suggested and look forward to giving it a go ,thanks for putting this kit together .
Thanks for posting your videos and guides, I had to replace the fridge 240V heating element so I decided to add a cooling fan whilst the fridge was out. I used all the main parts you listed and used your wiring schematic as a guide. I took the 12V power from a junction on fridge itself and put the on/off switch in the fridge front panel. It really was a breeze to do after watching your videos and following your guide
Thank you for this clear explanation for fitting this in. I am inspired to have a go for my thetford fridge.
When it comes to computer fans there are two types of airflow. You get Static Pressure and High Flow. Static Pressure fans are generally used to mount to a radiatior because there is more resistance. The High Flow move more air but don't work well on a radiator, usually these will be mounted on a case vent. It's the High Flow which would work best in this application.
As usual great content explained very well. After my fridge has started playing up in the heat we have at the moment I was also going to do the same as your MK1 but after seeing this MK2 is the way to go. Thank you
Thanks for this Dan. Fitted the Titans just for ease, but handy to know the 12v green and the white earth on the bailey!
Brilliant, with the summer looking to be a warm one then this will be fantastic. Great Vlog and Blog with the instructions. Thanks Dan
Thank you Alan. You’ll soon see some more projects popping up soon. 👍👍
Wow, very clever, and completely automatic! Very impressive.
Great video on explaining how it works. I have just fitted two fans to the grill with the same controller and works very well. And I am now going to fit small fans inside the fridge.
A cracking project and clearly described. Cheers for sharing this one Dan 😀 Martin & Jo
Hi Dan,
Your skills never fail to surprise me !
The best I ever accomplished - and this was donkey's years ago on an ancient ABI Celebration (!?) - was to replace the broken fridge vents and err...that was it ! 😉
Incidentally I've followed your example and put together a simple tool kit.
And for good measure, I've popped in one of the 13 pin realignment caps...
Very useful video. Based on it, i installed a couple of high flow fixed speed (2 wire) fans using a thermo switch and an isolating on off switch to our bailey phoenix 420+. Wow! What a difference. Didn’t really see the need for the added complexity of a circuit board and variable speed fan, and would rather the fan run less often when it needs to. Hottest week of the year and the setup has kept the fridge cool. Excellent.
Thanks for sharing your vlog just fitted the thetford version to mine. Last year it really suffered hopefully not now.
Excellent job Dan, something I really need to do on Patsys' ageing fridge. Cheers.
Well done, great solution and thank you for all your work on this.
Great solution to the problem, as we do a fair bit of off grid, in our caravan i will be doing the same, thanks for shearing
A very good job and really well thought out and put together. Really good information.
Hi.
Thank you very much. Great hack. My fridge rear setup was much tighter but with some lateral thinking . Now all fitted and working great.
Thanks - keep up the excellent work.
Even I should be able to follow these fab instructions 👍 thank you.
Love the videos from a fellow caravaner in Chippenham
Today I collected from your video. Works great. The temperature in the freezer dropped 5 degrees. Many thanks.
Thats excellent to hear. take care
Thanks Dan, a useful tutorial and addition.
Great idea Dan I had issues with heat whilst in Italy with the fridge. When we started caravanning in 2018 we had no idea about anything to do with caravanning and your Utube presentations were excellent for use. BIG FAN Excuse the pun.
Brilliant video, thank you. Looking to install this in my 1996 Niesmann & Bischoff. The Dometic/Electrolux fridge seems to only function in laboratory conditions 😂
Excellent well described, seems very straightforward 👍👍
Nice one Dan very useful information and simply explained, thanks.👍
Great video Dan and very clear i will save and put on my caravan when i get one
Very neat installation 👍
All the parts arrived today so have been busy building. It all works I used my heat gun to test the thermal switch. All I need now is a decent day to fit. Incidentally my Dometic model is different and the upgrade kit suggested I fit the fan in a much lower spot, but that would involve screwing the fan to the back of the fridge which I don't want to do. So will fit just you did the movement of air will be just the same with the fan running.
Brilliant. Very well explained definitely will be doing this mod. I guess our tower fridge has the same insides just bigger. Cheers, Oliver
Oliver, this should only be necessary for 3-way fridges but not compressor fridges (so I read somewhere), check which type you have.
It’s the 103 litre Dometic 3 way fridge. The unicorn 4 doesn’t come with a compressor fridge👍
Great video definitely going to fit a fan to my fridge on my lunar Solaris cheers . Ken 😄
Thanks Dan good tutorial and very clear! Thanks for sharing.👍🐶🐾😀
Excellent video. Thank you!
That tape is a bit like superglue sticks to everything bar what you want,very straight forward vid and explanation.
Copied this and fitted to my coachman...away at moment and wife turned fridge down as working so well....silent fan as well..
Hi Dan, great vidio I did manage to make the LED striplights for my awning with your tutorial, so now i'm considering having a go at your auto cooling fan set up, I'm not confident with electrics but hay-ho.
Thanks - it made me do my research and like others find a high quality turn key solution - Titan Rack Fans.
Thank you! Have shared this with hubby for his info 😂🤣
Excellent video, really well explained :)
Love the videos from a caravaner in Chippenham
Nice video. And did love the music 😎 Able to share what it is?
Oh my. A great video and edited. Hopefully you'll get to try it out soon. All the best dan.
Thank you Jon, hope you are well.
@@TheTrudgians Getting there bud. Looks like I may have lost my job but thinking of the positives. Hope you are well? Must be nice to finally get to the van. specially seeing that chap caravan shorts..
oh no, thats sad news, but looks like we are in the same boat too regarding jobs. Getting to the caravan has made a world of difference. just to be outside the house...
Keep strong, hope you stay safe.
Dan
The most help you can give these little 12V/Gas fridges is to not start or run them empty. Throw a couple jugs of water or something in them to add some thermal mass. They will never get very cold when left empty. Before I take a trip (when I have time) I start the fridge 12-24 hours before I leave. If I'm short on time I use gas for the initial cooldown. Gas will cool much more quickly than electric. More airflow is of course always a good thing though!
You have to wonder why Dometic don’t include a fan as the standard build of the fridge. Even in coolest parts of Europe, we have warm enough summers that push the fridges beyond their limits.
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Great video as always Dan, since I bought a van and found your channel you have inspired me, I have taken the plunge and uploaded my first caravan video with intro etc. Be nice for you to have a look. Let me know if I should give up lol, thx dan
Nice video and modification one to add to my list. Last weekend install was a reverse camera and an a frame light, lots of crawling around underneath running cable and so on, it worth it I think. This weekend planning on installing usb in to the front cabinet then on to fridge and the stereo both courtesy of your videos. Stop giving me ideas please lol.
nice one, great time to do those DIY jobs 👍
Hi. Great video, very helpful.
This is a solution applied to many of us, because it works. Why doesn't it apply in series manufacturing? It would be a good question for the manufacturers. In southern Europe, it is a big problem. Thanks for your videos, every day better. From Catalonia, greetings.
Very informative 👍
Nice neat job Dan, just hope we can get out soon to use our vans. You said you had made a spare fan.....I’ll have that 😂
Take care, Martin
I’ll post it up to you pal, and the controller if you like. 👍
Thanks for uploading this Dan
I have completed the wiring installation while waiting for the rest of the components to arrive, I made a slight change to the wiring. By swapping the Thermo switch and the manual switches over in the circuit I can still turn the system on/off but my LED switch inside the caravan won't illuminate until the thermo switch gets to its working temperature of 50c.
Just a small change, but I like the visual indication that the fan it running.
Which LED inside the light is it? I don't see that in the video
what a great idea being hands on i bought all parts and put it together, spent some time making sure id done everything....... so went to fit the fan .... NO WAY impossible to fit unless i took the fridge out, my top vent opening is a few inches to higher than what is in the vid, it would not be possible to even fit the official fan. My caravan is a swift only 3 years old ........
Great Video Dan - I'll definitely be adding this to my van.
I'm trying to create a shopping basket from Your links in the description. But can you let me know the sizes I need to order for the crimps and T-crimps please.
Sweet vid 👍
Great video Dan. I'm about to do mine. I'm just waiting on the fan to arrive.
Could you just clarify the dip settings that you recommend please?
here in australia we are fitting the fans on the back of the plastic vent
Nice 1.hope you peeps get out properly soon.at moment we not allowed.
Hi Dan. New to caravanning, so have been learning from a number of your videos (sometimes wishing I had watched them before an event!) so thanks. Going to crack on with this, as fridge is struggling. Looking to see what parts I can use that are lying about, is there a reason for the metal plate, could I use a thin plywood?
Good job done and well explained Dan. The genuine Dometic fan kit installation instructions illustrates a '12 v DC OUT' on a circuit board. I wonder if this is the dedicated socket built in the fridge for their own fan kit? Thetford don't have a dedicated connection point. Shame we're in lockdown and can't get out caravaning now as this very warm weather were having would try the fan out. Best Regards Rob
Thank you Rob, i hope you are both well. I looked everywhere for the 12V DC out but couldnt find it anywhere. I think it is a dedicated outlet for this specific reason. But like you i just took the feed from the 12v inlet. I also didnt want to screw into the back of the fridge as the mounting location is pretty ambiguous in the instructions, hence my metal plate and adhesive tape.
Hopefully not long now before we are out again.
Stay safe.
Dan
Also, i first bought two 120mm fans but these wouldnt fit below the condenser so these are now cable-tied to the outlet vent and I purchased a 92mm fan to fit under the condenser fins.
Great video thank you. I have a small Domestic RM123 and cannot find on the website where the best place is for the Thermal switch. Following the circulation of the heat through the pipes as the heat travels along am I correct that it would attach where the pipe and it's heat emerges from the fins?
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the MK2 and the MK1 videos it has convinced me to have one fitted. However I have a few questions. 1. Is the fan noisy? 2. I’m thinking about having the double Burner fan fitted at the top to extract the heat. Do you think this would be beneficial and do you think I could connect them to the Dometic fan wires with the fitting connector you used? 3. If they were connected to the Dometic would they switch on automatically when the Dometic fan did?
Great job Dan ! Just wondering if the tape gets hot will the fan fall off ?
That’s great
I'm part way through building this. Having looked at the two great information videos (on the fan controller and the MK2 design) I think I will replace the 50k thermistor with a 10k one, and set the temperature range on the board to be 50-70C. This should (I think) map to a real temperature range of 15-31C with the 10k thermistor, and I'll position the thermistor to measure ambient temperature.
I got the 10k thermistor now. After a quick try out (not on the van), I think it works well with the controller switches set to 60-90C, with the 10k thermistor that works out as 21-48C. So at up to 21C the fan is nice and quiet, but as the ambient conditions increase it gets faster and should increase the fridge cooling significantly. Also the 10k thermistor I bought has a 1m lead so I can position it where I like instead of the short one that comes with the board.
@@richardt7211 Hi where did you buy the 10k thermistor. Regards Alan
@@alanpugsley8900 ebay, £2.75 "NTC Thermistor Temperature Sensor Waterproof Probe 5*25mm 10K 1% 3950 UK"
@@richardt7211 Thanks for that info Alan
Great idea! do you have any other tips for keeping the fridge/ freezer cool. (Ours is the small domestic ) Especially the freezer compartment. We can only keep stuff frozen at the back of the freezer near the fins. Items freeze on one side and not the other.
Hi Dan, would I be right in thinking that when activated with the fridge using gas, it wouldn't use as much because it doesn't need to work as hard?
A great video Dan, this is a mod I shall definitely do as the fridge really struggles in temperatures over 25c. You don't have any suitable mods for the front pull out slats to convert the seating into a double bed ? Totally useless, we have to remove the drawers to get it back in place.
Nice one Dan, well executed and tidy solution to inefficient/overheating ‘van fridges... 👍🏻
In the opposite vein, are you an exponent for fridge vent blanking plates through colder months, asking for a friend... 🤷🏼♂️
Cheers for the instructional and useful entertainment, stay safe, Rog... 👍🏻 😉 🐍
I'm having a go at this. I built it all up but when I got to the storage site was a bit dismayed to discover there was no way the fan would fit where suggested. (The dometic instructions show it at the lower part of the fridge pushing the air up.) I have a Unicorn Madrid 3 with the tall dometic fridge. There is no space for the fan where Dometic show it fitted. I think I will try it behind the top vent pulling the air out. I have also tested the settings for (air) temperature and thought that the fan would be a bit slow. Looking at Dan's other channel someone suggested putting a 500K pot in parallel with the thermistor, I have tried this and it seems to work well. You can tweek the resistance across the thermistor to achieve full fan speed at around 30 degrees (You can set it to whatever temp suits with this) . Now to fit it all in! One question I have is about the thermal switch. Does this only activate when the ambient temperature is high which makes the fridge work harder and thus raises the temperature of the ammonia running through the pipes? ie in normal temperatures would the circut be off?
Thanks Dan for an interesting project.
hi At 7:48 there is hot air cavity above condenser . Rectify by sheet metal just above condensor to top lip of upper vent
Good job as always Dan. Very elegent solution you would think they would be fitted as standard as it looks like a design floor in hot weather.....
Very useful video explains the steps so that a layman like myself can follow. Thetford are selling a kit on eBay for £44 but not sure what parts are included. I've sent them a message and if the fan and thermo thing are included I may go with that. One question why do you need two thermo devices please, or am I being stupid. I mean the small round thing you fitted between the blades and the printed circuit board.
Great video Dan, I've just followed this on my Capiro 550 as the fridge was useless in the heatwave, had to use a smaller backplate for the fan and put the circuit board in the bottom vent area due to lack of space. Turned the fridge on last night went back 1 hour later and the fan was going I cannot believe how hot the pipe to the fridge actually gets, to hot the hold is this normal?
Hello Dan, how have you found the fan controller? Was the 35c ramp up to warm or did it do the job well? Would you still recommend putting in the speed controller or would you maybe just skip it next time to have just a thermal switch and on or of states rather than ramping?
Thanks for your vent fan videos. I am making a vent for a Dometic chest refrigerator. Since I want to be able to slide the chest out and even remove from the van on occasion, I will be omitting the thermal switch and just use the PWM controller that will be attached to the vent, not the refrigerator. Any thoughts on that? Thanks!
I notice the food in my fridge was half defrosted. when warm out side is this is what I need to do. how much did it cost to do. a d what was the cost of the brought one from the fridge build
Great video.. we haven't had any bother with our fridge in our Coachman even in extreme external temperatures, and wonder why this is necessary. Even so it makes good sense to increase the air flow over the vanes..
Do you have part numbers / suppliers for the fan controller etc please...
Dave
Hi Dave, all parts are listed in the video description and on the corresponding blog post which is again listed in the video description,
The cooling is a big issue for the smaller fridges, taller ones don't suffer as much, however like you said any help will always be beneficial.
Hope that helps
Hi, not read all the comments so don’t know if anyone has suggested this already. As the tape likes to stick to anything on the way in, why not offer the plate up and mark it’s position then put the tape on the fridge instead?
Hi dan could i just use the heat probe that comes on the board??
Thank you ross
Great job dan , just a thought, do you have a cupboard above the fridge ? If you do you could put the on/off switch in there, it would be easier to control.
Yeah im sure I could fit a switch somewhere that is easy to get to, but to be honest, It will remain on - unless i realise i dont need it or its too cold for the fridge to work properly..
This looks like a great mod. Last week here was over 40 degrees C and up to 44 degrees. My fridge was totally useless, so I had to rely on my car fridge. My question is, has anyone tried out this mod in very hot conditions? What were the results?
Hi Dan
Did you do a follow up video to show how your mk2 fan worked
Hey Dan, I am in the process of making your kit ! Thanks for all the hints and tips. Just one question please - how did you find out that it was the green and white wires you needed to connect to ? Many thanks, Charlie
Hi Charlie, i used a schematic initially to pin point the wiring i needed, then to confirm i used a multimeter to measure the voltage across those wires. I then tested it was the correct circuit by removing the 2amp fuse on my bailey, which did confirm i was using the correct power feed.
Hope that helps
Dan, In the Dometic PDF instructions, it shows the fan location as being low down on the fridge on some models. Mine is the RM 8550 and the drawing indicates both low down or high up but with there being no written instructions from Dometic other than the diagrams it's hard to tell what's going on. Do you know if this means it can be either location? Your fridge looks the same as mine. During summer I notice that even in hot weather the fridge can get down to 5 deg on mains, but only to 10 deg on gas and I can't understand why that is. If you or anyone can enlighten me there I'd appreciate it.
Last summer I installed 2 fans in the upper vent when the ambient temp was about 28 deg. I found not much benefit overall, although I did also install a fan inside the fridge and this helped reduce the huge amount of frosting that appears on the upper fins in there. (I had removed the freezer box)
going to order the parts now but the retaining strap for the fan is not available, could you suggest where i might get one or the name of the component so i can order one please, as im having difficulty searching for a similar product, cheers
It's an old post but if anyone is kind enough to answer... I don't understand why the fan would ramp up from 35-50, surely at that temp the fan needs to be on full? I expect noise might have something to do with it. We are in southern Spain and I can imagine it would just need to run day and night from June to September. I think Dan's video is really helpful and it's a great solution, I want to know if I should do what Dan say's and put the thermo switch straight to the fan.
We have a manual switch for fan on out fridge it has 3 positions middle is off goes up and down which is position do I need to have it on ? Tia
Hi Dan, thanks for the very informative video.
My question is, if you connect the fan to the 12v wiring, will the fan work when you are plugged into EHU?
Hi Roger, sorry for the delay. Yes when on EHU all you really connect is the battery charger and a few other mains voltage items. the 12v system is still running throughout the caravan. So, in short this will work providing you have a leisure battery on the caravan.
Hope that helps.
Thanks guys, I have connected the fans now and all working well, thanks to you👍
What were your results? Where did you end up setting the toggle switches? Thanks
Have you ever had experience fridge blows out on gas, especially if weather is windy?
Hi Dan can you tell me were you got your parts for this prohect
Hi Dan - Brillant video and very detailed as always. I want to install this on our Motorhome which is a Swift Bessacarr 562. I've bought all the parts but there's just one thing concerning me. You used a cable tie to install the switch. My question is will this not melt when the fridge gets hot. Cable ties are normally made from Nylon aren't they? Thanks Ed.
From my experience of playing around with a cheap fan: 1)The pipes never get anywhere near hot enough to melt a cable tie. 2) With a fan running the heat is dissipated very efficiently and the pipes barely get warm to the touch.
@@tollerdogz Hi John. Thanks for the info and taking the trouble to reply. I'll go ahead and make the installation based on this. Thanks again.
Hi dan im trying to find the links for everything cant seem 2 find it any where
Excellent presentation! Total cost?
does this work aswell when running on gas or mains, is there any issues with carbon monoxide entering the caravan because of the fan ,
Hi, this will work on any fuel selection, eg mains or Gas. and for Carbon monoxide, the back of the fridge is sealed off from the caravan cabin. The flue has its own outlet on the top fan that is isolated from the condensor pipe. If anything, this fan will help push out any lingering fumes to outside.