Refrigerator venting

[chev49]

i think you are gonna get a lot of differing opinions, as well as things like the domestic instillation paperwork will also help. i will just tell you what i have done in the past and have now. in the past, i have had apartment frigs which were unvented and never had any heat issue..., one half size 2 way which just had one of those plastic roof vents - 3 inch round i think - from camping world ... and it worked fine. Currently, i have a full height 2 way domestic, which has been on steady for 6 months now, and it also has a 3 inch round plastic vent that is made for a vent pipe, but the piece pipe that i put through the curved portion of the roof is very short.. just extends inside enough to seal against bus. I also made sure that there is an access panel behind the frig to the outside, and enclosed the whole frig in metal panels cause they can occasionally catch fire. I also allowed for very good air circulation at the bottom.
I did not use a fan, nor do i think i need one cause it never has got very warm inside its metal cabinet. The venting is for exhaust gas when on propane.
I also have a good fire extinguisher on the wall 5 feet from the frig.

[lornaschinske]

The "large" side panel is because you need access to the rear of the LP/AC refrigerator.... that panel should be close to the bottom of the refrigerator. The ceiling vent isn't really all that big. Look up Dometic install info and use their vent placement/sizes.

[jkindt]

My bus has a large Norcold RV fridge and I would agree that you should follow the manufacturers suggestions for venting. The unit needs proper airflow in order to work. They are very specific about the venting clearances, but it is really quite easy to build if you follow the manufacturers installation instructions. A properly vented fridge is the most efficient which means less wasted energy.

[sportyrick]

I also didn't want a source for roof leaks and put my upper vent 12"x12" where my window used to be. It works in cooler weather but doesn't work well in summer heat. I then put a commercial evaporator fan in there "a quiet one" and it works pretty good now (110v because we are usually plugged in). Of course it works better on electric than gas because of the extra heat generated from the burner. You need plenty of convection air flow for it to work properly. A muffin fan could work if moving quite a bit of air especially if straight up and out. Sportyrick