help with fridge vent

[lornaschinske]

Some do. There is no hard & fast rule saying that you need to vent out the roof. It's just that heat rises and most vents do not have a fan. Close to the ceiling would work and you may want to add a small fan to the setup. If you will be in areas with temps above 90F then you may want to add a fan to your vent anyway. RV refrigerators do not like to get hot.

We do not have RV deathtrap fridges.We think they are accidents waiting to happen. We have 110vAC under counter refrigerators (2) and a house type 12 cf upright freezer. We use vents in the sidewall and no fans.

The fan forced vent for the range is on the left. The vent for the two refrigerators is on the right under the marker light. The freezer vent is identical to the refrigerator vent. (click on image to see whole picture)


View from inside (we have a fiberglass screen over the vent to keep bugs out.


The louvered section of the original RV refrigerator access panel on the Class C was about the size of the louvers on this vent. Hold one vent at the window sill and put a 3" floor/sidewall vent at the top of the window to allow convection air flow to pull the heat away from the fridge and out of the bus. I got the vents shown here from Home Depot in the heat/Air duct area. You will need to be able to open the larger vent to access the rear of your deathtrap.

[roach711]

RV propane fridges are very picky about their venting. From what I've read (don't have one myself) they want to be no more than 1" from the back wall with vents of proper size. If you don't have installation instructions for your unit go to the manufacturer's website and download them. You want to get this right the first time.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by roach711

RV propane fridges are very picky about their venting. From what I've read (don't have one myself) they want to be no more than 1" from the back wall with vents of proper size. If you don't have installation instructions for your unit go to the manufacturer's website and download them. You want to get this right the first time.

The deathtrap that came with the class c was more than 1" away from the rear wall. But I do agree, find an installation manual. That will tell you the clearances and should tell you some about the vents (number & placement). It is very important that an LP refrigerator be vented properly. Also if you EVER smell ammonia, vacate to bus. That means your refrigerator has developed a leak and the fumes are deadly.

http://www.gasrefrigeration.net/dometic_manuals.htm Dometic
http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/applian...ig_manuals.htm Norcold

From a Norcold Install manual....

American Gas Association/Canadian Gas Association (AGA/CGA) certification allows the refrigerator to have zero (0) inch minimum clearance at the sides, rear, top, and bottom. While there are no maximum clearances specified for certification, the following maximum clearances are necessary for correct refrigeration:
Bottom 0 inch min. 0 inch max.
Each Side 0 inch min 1/8 inch max.
Top 0 inch min. 1/4 inch max.
Rear 0 inch min. 1 inch max.
These clearances plus the lower and upper vents cause the natural air draft that is necessary for good refrigeration. Cooler air comes in through the lower intake vent, goes up around the refrigerator coils where it removes the excess heat from the refrigerator components, and goes out through the upper exhaust vent. If this air flow is blocked or decreased, the refrigerator will not cool correctly.

Install the Lower and Upper Vents...
WARNING: Make sure the bottom of the opening of the lower intake vent is even with or immediately below the floor level. This allows any leaking propane gas to escape to the outside and not to collect at floor level.
- Make sure the bottom of the opening of lower intake vent is even with or immediately below the floor level.
- Align the lower intake vent [1] vertically below the coils [2] and the condenser [3] of the refrigerator.

- If the design of the vehicle allows, install the roof exhaust vent [9] directly above the condenser [3] of the refrigerator.
- Install a baffle [10] to prevent stagnant hot air in the area [7] above the refrigerator.
- Make sure there is less than 1/4 inch clear-ance [11] between the baffle and the top of the refrigerator.
- Make sure the baffle is the full width of the inside of the enclosure.
- If the design of the vehicle does not allow you to install the roof exhaust vent directly above the condenser of the refrigerator:
- Center the roof exhaust vent [9] above the con-denser [3] of the refrigerator, but move it inboard as necessary (See Art01286 and Art01287):
- Install two baffles [12] and [13] to prevent stagnant hot air in the area [7] above the refrigerator.
- Make sure both baffles are the full width of the inside of the enclosure.
- Make sure that both baffles are no more than 45° from vertical.
- Put one baffle between the top rear edge of the refrigerator and the inside edge of the upper exhaust vent opening.
- Put the other baffle between the outside edge of the upper exhaust vent opening and the side wall of the vehicle.

[gbstewart]

I vented mine on the wall , I used a cold air regester cover for the top vent, works great

I have not cut any holes in my roof, and I wont, that's just me.
gbstewart

[Jimi257]

I like that solution. Do you still have your skoolie? I'd so, is this still working out for you?

[trinitysj]

Originally Posted by gbstewart

I vented mine on the wall , I used a cold air regester cover for the top vent, works great

I have not cut any holes in my roof, and I wont, that's just me.
gbstewart

I am wondering as well how this is working for you still. Do you still have your schoolie and is it still working as expected?