Cool RV 3 way Refrigerator mods and maintenance
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- The 3-way fridge in the Xplorer ran warm in hot weather. I installed a well-known upgrade and performed suggested maintenance.
If you want a preassembled kit for the fan mod, look here: www.amazon.com...
Did a similar modification to the dometic 12 volt fridge in our boat years ago. It was installed under a dinette seat and by design was a slot under the fridge to let air in, and a 4" square exhaust vent. Needless to say not very efficient, never cycled off, and drinks barely cool even in the icebox. I put one computer fan under the rear coils blowing upwards, and another pushing out of that exhaust vent. After that the drinks would freeze in an hour, could keep ice cream bars, and had to keep the thermostat down to avoid freezing our veggies. Will be doing a similar upgrade when we get a camper. Cheers!
Tool Time Steve. Nice job man. Most people would just think it is broke and old, and replace for a ton of money.
I just got a 1999 Xplorer and love your videos. I will try your suggestions as I was going to replace the fridge since it did not seem to be working. With only 36k miles I don't think it was used very often. Love how neat and meticulous you are.
You nailed it, Steve. Any time that the horizontal venting system (two side vents vs one side and one top mount) is used, fans must be used for anything over about 80 degrees F, outside air temp. Just not enough air flow without the fans.
Interesting observation regarding the vents.
My Phoenix Cruiser has a roof vent at the top instead of a second side vent. I've noticed more manufacturers going with this 2 side vents set up. Until your video I thought that would be a better design, one less hole in the roof. Today's video shows that this is just 2 "lower" vents, and it interferes with air flow. Now I'm glad I have the more traditional side/roof refer' vent set up.
Anyway, GOOD JOB, thanks…Ian
The side thing works at 75 degrees or less outside temp. After that there is a drop off. I have seen that Valterra makes an inline exhaust fan for the roof models.
I always forget your also a Vegas local. Im in NLV and love how you showed Frys hehe....
I enjoy your videos. Your meticulousness is inspiring. My 5th Wheel has a roof exhaust with no problems. Three of my friends with new 5th Wheels with the fridge in the slide out and side vents like yours all had the same problems and installed similar solutions.
The roof vent is the way to go. Direct venting.
not many things I like more then a repair/upgrade video thanks steve great way to start the morning
A couple of other things to watch for when doing the maintenance. With older refers the vertical tube for the burner will start to deteriorate (as indicated by the localized rust at the bottom). As the tube deteriorates rust chunks can fall down onto your burner, which will alter the flame characteristics while using propane.
The other thing to watch for is that spiders have an affinity for the smell of propane. They like to set up nests in your propane burner mixing tube. This too, will alter the flame characteristics while using propane.
Nice job Steve! I would of hit that rust with a wire brush and then aluminum spray paint and bend a small wire and make sure the burner orifice was clean.
I learned a lot in this video. I wonder how many people paid out big bucks for a new fridge when this little hack would have worked for them?
Good explanation! I took this a step further and wanted a better solution than a simple on/off thermostat. I bought two 150CFM pc PWM fans, then programmed an arduino to ramp the fans from 10% to 100% across 75F to 150F. any time the fridge is on the fans are moving at 10% just to get circulation, if they hit 99F you can start to hear them, at 150F they are moving 300CFM and are loud but this would only happen in direct sunlight with the fridge cooling.
it is amazing to me that you know so much. So many systems. P.S. I truely enjoyed the play between you and "the girl child". Her playing the silent partner is brilliant. Like silent bob....
Thanks for commenting and for your support.
I am an idiot for not checking my email sooner. Admittidly, I didnt know thats how this works....Are you really a retired USPS employee? And if so, from where? Carrier? Mail processing? MH? Or maybe supervisor?
Really great solution for your fridge. Will have to try the Sushi place next time I'm near Henderson. Looked delish!
Thanks. That place is consistently good. For being in the desert area.
Thanks for the video Steve. Great job as usual. I breifly read about this mod. Our fridge has stayed nice and cold even in the 100 degree days so I just kind of brushed it aside. Now I’ll be looking into this more, if nothing else but for energy efficiency gains :)
It's also a good idea to insulate the top and sides of fridge to keep hot air out
+Xplorer Steve
Once again you have astounded us with your ingenuity.
I actually copied the ingenuity of others before me. It is my hope that I just spelled out the how to a little more clearly.
Xplorer Steve Sir...you are way too modest....that thing you did with that thing was all you.
Great video, thank you. I’m going to do this to my fridge. Can’t believe it dropped the temperature that much.
Screw the fantastic fan Im going to design the new explore steve custom vent fan over my kitchen! Thanks for the idea bud!
Winner winner chicken dinner!
Now you can enjoy a frosty PBR on a hot day
You can also wire in a relay that is triggered by the off-on switch. That is usually the green wire on the outside board. Would save you from having to turn it on and off manually.
Great vid! I watched this a few years back and installed fans on my campers vents and ended up putting one fan on the low side pulling air in and the top vent with a fan pushing out. Works great and made a huge difference! Now that frys is out of business, do you know of any other stores that sell electronics like they did? I ended up losing a fan/vent cover because i forgot to lock the tabs and it fell off in transport. Im running max flow fans but cant seem to find them anywhere forsale since Frys closed.
Great video , Steve! I have a Roadtrek and it's almost a duplicate set up. We don't have a Fry's, but, I can still get what I need to do the update. Thanks for doing the design work. Sushi, in the middle of the desert?? America is really a wonderful place! lol Thumbs Up !!
It seems to still be working out. Summer is fading fast though.
useful ideas need it for my little fridge so cheers for that .. best wishes from uk
Good job Steve, I enjoy your videos. I just might have to get me one of those vans someday.
They're fun.
Nice mod! It will be handy on the hot desert days.
Nice job sir,think I will try camco fridge fan,if that doesn't cool enough will go with the extrs fans,that sure made a huge temp.difference
The fans work just as well, and much quieter, if you wire the fans in series(6v each), so they run slower, use less battery, and last much longer, but still move enough air to keep it cool.
Great idea. I'm going to be wiring this up for my new fridge here shortly.
Great video Steve. Excellent how to. The fridge vent on my Chinook is on the roof and I haven't had a problem with that, but the fridge does take a long time to cool down when I take Harvey out of storage. (like more than a day) I think the fan inside the fridge might help with that. Thanks for the info.
The roof vents are better because they offer direct exhaust. The side vent thing, not so much so.
I expedite the cooling process by freezing some 3/4 filled water bottles and placing them in the fridge when starting it up. It helps the 3 way fridge cool down much quicker. Plus you have cold drinking water when they thaw.
you are such a hands on guy i hope you do decide to take on some sort of a conversion project weather it be a small bus or a step van
That could be in the future.
Xplorer Steve i look forward to it
Hey Steve nice job on the video. I'm sure you know but here's my two cents, (from Dometic.com), "you need to Remove the wire and flue baffle from the top of the flue tube. 6. Using a flue brush, clean the flue from the top. Blowing compressed air into the flue WILL NOT properly clean soot and scale out of the flue tube." You can buy a brush on-line or do like I did and buy a 3/4" plumber's brush at home depot and then cut the handle off and solder a stiff wire ( life a fish tape) to the short brush to extend the reach and insert it from the top and clean out the flue tube. You can also remove the baffle from the flue tube and clean it with a wire brush. This may help a little, think chimney cleaning.
Also you can insure there is a drip-loop in the water drain hose as it feeds out through the bottom vent. Doing this leaves a small amount of water to block warm air from the outside coming into the refrigerator. The same way the drain in a sink stops the sewer gases from coming up from the holding tank. This can make a several degrees difference.
I had a problem with my RV Dometic unit, It worked fine on electricity and not so good on gas. I tried everything and the problem was the propane jet being dirty and my flame wasn't high enough. I tried to clean it and was not successful, and ended up replacing it with a used one and it made all the difference.
One more thing, (sorry for the long post) if your unit works good on gas and not so much on electricity, verify that the heating element is the right wattage. You can pull it out and read the wattage stamped on the element. You can also check that it's function properly by taking a clam-on amp reading and using ohms law insuring the wattage is correct. I have seen factory elements that did not produce the correct wattage and even a few watts can effect the cooling of the refrigerator. I have found units that someone had replace the element with one too low and so it failed to operate properly. Cheers...
.
First rate! Very nice video.I just watch for the way you have a handle on life.Your adventures and how-to's seem so easy,I find your channel very relaxing.
Great informative video, as usual, Steve, and gotta love that music you used upon entering Fry's, lol~
It is a great place to shop!
Was recently in Henderson to eat with a friend that lives there in pretty Boulder City...
"I Love Sushi" looked delicioso, plus really fresh so will try it out next time I am in that area and will
tell them Steve sent me so perhaps I will get
a nice little discount:)
When you said favorite Henderson sushi place I knew it would be I ❤️Sushi. Thanks for the info. I still haven't used my 3 way domestic fridge in my trailer yet, I purchased a 12v compressor fridge but would still like to use it for some items.
Totally amazing fix. Best one I've seen. I want one of those brackets!
Point of order. You said garage, it's "The Van Cave"! Isn't it?
I installed a solar fridge roof cap that runs a cooling assist fan. The supplied fan works but I find the noise transmission distracting. I will be replacing that fan with a 4" computer fan and install it submarine style with double rubber isolation to cut noise transmission and increase air flow. The fan is solar powered so it's independent of the batteries. Plus obviously, it works during the daytime sun, not at night. Also the brightness of the sun determines the speed of the fan which again works because hottest days, not all, are sunny so the fan has more sunlight making it move more air through the coils. It's been working well for a year now. I do like the heat sensor but my installation I don't think I could get my big hands down in their to reach the coils. For my setup, 1 fan should work fine. I did post a video showing the entire installation. Take care,,,
Sounds like a plan.
Very good instructional video. Thank you for sharing.
My fridge is so cold that this modification would only serve to make my beer colder!
You are so cool, you don't need a fridge.
Nice. Maybe wire them in series (6v each) and then you can have them at half speed so they wont be so loud.
Way ta Show those Canadians who's the Boss around Here!
well done Steve..
As always informative and entertaining. The LV Frys is really impressive . . . Thank you for your efforts. Any updates on the MBZ consideration ???
Thanks Uncle Al. I could spend hours in Fry's just looking over things in "real life". The MBZ is a daydream and opinion. I like the X. It is stealthy enough and I have never been bothered. I follow the rules though. With the MBZ, one could likely tear up the rule book.
That was great ! When can I make an appointment for my upgrade ? Good stuff Steve !
It is an easy DIY. Try it.
Amazingly helpful video thanks so much. And no, not everyone has electronics knowledge, so thanks for the schematic.
Darn it no Fry's stores in Florida at all. Closest are up in Georgia . Are the computer fans still doing their job in February 2019 to make the fridge work better to keep things cold Steve or did you have to replace with a new or newer one ?
I have since gotten a new one. There is a video on it here somewhere. My van in now 20 years old.
Another winner. Awesome. ☺
I would also suggest putting a resistor on the fans to slow them down a bit. Steve doesn't own a heat gun?!
Nice video. The fans sound a little loud which you did say was from sensitive camera mic. How was it inside the RV?
Nice mod.... like to see how you mounted the switch in the end....
I'll likely give it a cameo in the future.
Hi great video, that solved most of my problems, any chance you could do a short video on how to split the computer fan wires for DC?
Cheers,
David
Hello, Great video. I am looking to do this mod but want to maybe plug into a switched 12v source. Although, the rv fan switch you show is an option.
I was curious to hear your thoughts on the propane supply solenoid, it seems that would be an on/off switch when the system calls for cooling.
Thank You.
Great video, I know this is a year old but I just wanted to comment that if someone does not know how to wire an inline switch, they should not attempt any of this type of work. LOL
Nice and easy plus cheap! Doesn't get any better than that! :-)
Great Job Steve & I love Sushi too!
Thanks Paula.
At 1:38 in the video, is that ice on the line? If it is, it indicates that refrigerant level in the system is off (Too high, too low, I can't remember). I'd take it and have it serviced. I don't recommend DIY (unless you are up on your refrigeration skills). These units use something besides Freon to cool (ammonia?, I think). Servicing would be much less expensive than buying a new unit. These things can last for decades (My Dad has a 1972 model that has never been serviced and cools perfectly).
Did you see any difference between propane and electric after you serviced it? IE, did you improve the 110VAC performance w/ the servicing?
great work , simple cheap solution
So what is that about 1.5A of draw? Seems like a bunch compared to a Noctua. I bet you are really moving some air though!
Very clear and concise. Thanks!
Great video. I've gotta do mine.
Wouldn't it make more sense to put the fans right on the back side of the grate cover? The heat is rising and building at the top of that cavity and won't exit until that heat has piled low enough down from the ceiling to exit that grate cover since the cover is oriented backwards by design. You showed it works and drops the temp but it still doesn't make sense to me since your fans still blow the air up toward the ceiling. The only thing that I can think of is that the fans increase the volume of air at the ceiling faster than it can evacuate and so that volume of air's first exit is the grate after filling the cavity near the ceiling. That's why I thought flush mounting the fans to the back side of the grate would be better. The air would be direct exiting vs building up and then exiting.
Each case is an experiment in fan placement. I had your identical thought but not enough clearance for that (grate cover) set up. I was looking for placement that would evacuate the stale hot air by force when needed (like when it is hot) but still allow venting in cooler (without the fan) weather without much obstruction. It seems to do that. I ordered the thermostat kit and inline fuse and will report in the future on the performance in real-life conditions. Thanks for your comments.
All the fries electrical stores that were here in Phoenix Arizona are now all closed
That's too much fan. Have you worked out the amp draw?
Nice upgrade cool video.
Success and Sushi! Life's good.
Indeed it is.
Did you install a fuse. nice install as usual
Ordering the thermostat. The fuse will go in.
Also I put insect screen behind the vents to keep out mud daubers
Good tip.
Great mod. Thank you
Really enjoyed the video thank you but I think you do need to get more in depth when it comes to wiring I know people need to see that
Great job as always.
Great video but consider doing away with the food thermometer that you are using. I have a thermometer that provides an inside frig temperature WITHOUT opening the frig door. Mine came from radio shack. I'm guessing that its actual intended use is for home use, to provide an inside and outside temperature reading. I ran the wire with the thermometer on it, into the frig and simply tied it to the wire frig shelf in the middle of the frig. Just run the wire through the door opening where the hinges are. No need to actually drill holes for wiring and then Velcro the box that provides the readout to the wall. It runs on 1 AA battery. I've been using the same battery for 2 years now (I'm not full time). This gives me a temperature reading inside the frig WITHOUT opening the frig door and thus letting all of the valuable cold air out. Based on the temp reading, I can adjust the frig setting accordingly. It also gives me the inside temperature reading of the RV as well. Ideally, the frig temp should be about 40 - 41 degrees. I also use one of the free-standing frig fans which helps circulate the cold air, keeping the temp consistent throughout the frig. Try to avoid using things like frig organizers that are solid and block the circulation of the frig air. I know that they make "wireless" thermometers that transmit temperature readings to an outside source but they don't get great reviews. My wired one works great. Thanks so much for the video.
Thanks for the tips.
Great Video thanks
awesome vid!!! I been wanting to mod mine as well....
I don't like to camp in the heat as a rule but I got caught in the heat wave on my last trip and let me tell you, I lost some yogurt through Nebraska and South Dakota. It was 100 degrees plus humidity. Fridge seems to do okay at about 80 degrees or less with cool nights.
Very helpful thank you!
Is this the I Love Sushi on Eastern and Sunridge Heights? We eat there fairly regularly.
RIP Fry's!
I have a thermometer wire probe running to inside the refrigerator so I can see the temperature without opening the door.
I've heard of wireless ones too.
You don't SUCK out hot air with a fan. Best way is to pump IN with a fan COLD air, which when hot EXPANDS and rises to the exit. In many cases, the size of the exit is not large enough to exit the expanded hot air.
Ha. Naw. Max Air and fantastic fans for RV's both evacuate. Fans made for the attic in homes evacuate. As long as you have an inlet, you're golden. In this case the inlet vent is the lower one. The evacuation is the one above it. Hot air rises. Get it? Can't argue with a genius....
Buy 24v fans and run them t 12v. Much quieter and the air flow is still good.
Wire the fans in series to the 12 volt supply and it will accomplish the same result. They'll still move plenty of air and run slower/quieter.
good fix.
never assume anything.
Hey Joe!
Great video 👍🏻
wow each time you update takes more longer than before previous video
Great maintenance and modification information. I hate raw fish. LOL :)
Good build. Is there a rechargeable in fridge fan on the market? I don't like having to buy and throw away batteries. Thanks for sharing.
I have seen people wire a small computer fan directly into the 12 V DC. I would've had to drill a hole in the interior of my fridge however
Gotta love Sushi.
That I do.
How many xplorers were built by dodge and how many are there out there to buy still in the used rv market,just wondering?
I don't know. You can find them out there if you do a nation-wide craigslist search.
Should add a fuse too.
Maybe an inline fuse also if someone else hasn't mentioned it.
I did mention it.
Xplorer Steve I watched your video again and yes you did show the inline fuse in the switch wiring detail. I missed it.
I agree it is a good idea.
Xplorer Steve I have a 3-way refrigerator in my travel trailer and it's slow to cool down. The portable fan inside is a great idea. I bought the camco aerator on Amazon. Thanks for the info.
Smart idea!
I "thumbed up" @ sushi!
I would have just yanked the fridge out and put in a modern compressor unit. Of course your way is about $600 cheaper than my way.
Do you have one? Do they work in 95 degree weather?
first radio shack. now frys is gone. even some one off places are history. no place to buy locally in northern ca.
hi Part no for fans ??
Love you movie ❤
My only question is: how do you keep your hair looking so neat? You need to share your hair gel formula secrets on RUclips...
It's a wig.
Xplorer Steve I want to know your wig sales guy!
Please be honest... the fan addition really didn’t fix your hot day outside temperature cooling problem, did it? I’ve owned three Dometic three way refrigerators. 3 way refers just don’t reduce Inside Box Temperatures (IBT) when the Outside Air Temp (OAT) is above 80 degrees. Above 90 degrees OAT, the IBT will degrade significantly where perishables perish. Above 100 degrees OAT,... well, buy some ice.
IBT refrigeration should be maintained below 40 degrees..... No amount of fans, inside the box or trained on the outside absorption will reduce IBT when the OAT is above 80 to 85 degrees. End of story for a 3 way!
I was expecting that mod to not work. While a passive cooling solution would be much better, it's not practical with the way the van was setup. What a bad design by Xplorer, which is surprising seeing how well everything else in the van was thought out.
It is actually a Dometic Corp design, not Xplorer. Newer Refrigerators have a top vent with fan. I am liking the newer compressor fridges though.