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Refrigerator Boondocking Vent Mod


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Larry Gamble of Little House Customs came up with a great idea a few years ago for the Casita's that doesn't run a fan to keep the fins cool. While we were at the Rally in King City, CA. I noticed that our fan wasn't shutting off at all during the day, so I pulled off the cover and it was really over heating in the sun and it was no longer keeping up with it being on AC and on the 3rd setting. So I grabbed the roll of rebar wire out of the tool locker and used Larry's basic idea once again, but on Goldilocks this time.

 

When boondocking, we don't want to be running fans all the time when they really aren't needed. The fridge door vent, after you open the locks leans out on its own a few inches and this is all it takes to vent all of the heat directly out and away from the fridge. So I cut a couple pieces of the wire about 6" long and made the holder to keep it in place. Now the fridge fan doesn't come on and run down our batteries at all :)

 

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You can see how I slip the wires through the lock holders and then just bend them down to firmly hold it in place.

 

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Happy Camping,


null


Reed & Karen Lukens with Riffles our Miniature Poodle


2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II  Standard, Hull #200 / 2017 Silverado High Country 1500 Short Bed 4x4


Past TV - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel


Click on our avatar pic above to find the videos on our Oliver Legacy Elite II


 

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Then before we leave, I pull the wires out of the locks and push them inside and out of the way of the fan. Then close and lock the Vent Cover normally and leave the wires stored inside and unseen behind the Vent Cover.

 

 

Happy Camping,


null


Reed & Karen Lukens with Riffles our Miniature Poodle


2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II  Standard, Hull #200 / 2017 Silverado High Country 1500 Short Bed 4x4


Past TV - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel


Click on our avatar pic above to find the videos on our Oliver Legacy Elite II


 

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That's an interesting scenario..

Does the fan give you an advantage elsewhere?

We have no fan in the 2008.

Sherry

 

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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Reed,

 

Simple and affective mod.  Good job.  BTW, I like that combo hammer, pliers, etc. tool in the picture.  What is that?

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John


"I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt."


LE2 #92 (sold),   Black Series HQ19   

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That’s an interesting scenario.. Does the fan give you an advantage elsewhere? We have no fan in the 2008. Sherry

When it's hot out, the fan comes on to help keep the fridge cool, but... With the fan on top, just pointing out the vent, it's simply pulling what hot air it can while getting heated up by the hot air as well. There have been a ton of topics on the fan and where it should be placed on many of the forums and most agree that the fan would be better used for pushing cold air up from the bottom instead of trying to pull the hot air thru itself.

 

In my opinion...

 

The heat is being held in by the Vents Outter edges and trying to vent the excess heat back down thru the vent holes, leaves the top portion where it seals against the trailer, above the top vent holes, holding the most heat and allowing it to recirculate down around the sides. So by opening the vent, it's allowing a lot more airflow out the top of the fridge and not holding the heat in anymore. I think that 2 fans in the bottom would work better over all,

 

but as is in the newer Dometic fridges, with the fans installed up top and connected to a thermostat, the fan does help some in milder climates. If any of you are hearing the fan run all the time or come-on a lot, then try this quick mod or just crack the vent door when the fan is running and see what happens in the next few hours. For me, right now, the fan stays off and the heat flows freely out the now open vent while keeping the fridge a lot cooler then it was with the fan running. So the fan helps some, but opening the top of the vent really does a lot more.

 

So... If the fridge was vented out the top of the trailer... At the very top, above the vent... There may not need to be a fan... Or a stack fan could be put into the 2" bathroom style vent pipe going straight up and out the roof behind the awning...

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Happy Camping,


null


Reed & Karen Lukens with Riffles our Miniature Poodle


2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II  Standard, Hull #200 / 2017 Silverado High Country 1500 Short Bed 4x4


Past TV - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel


Click on our avatar pic above to find the videos on our Oliver Legacy Elite II


 

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Reed, Simple and affective mod. Good job. BTW, I like that combo hammer, pliers, etc. tool in the picture. What is that?

Hi John, we picked the hammer up over on the coast at a little gift shop for $20. It's built really well for the price and I didn't want to carry a tack hammer just for putting the plates on our walking sticks, so this filled the gap. I found them on Amazon but I would contact the seller or the gift shop where hwy 1 was closed on the south end and buy it from them,

 

http://www.raggedpoint.us/ragged-point-inn-San-Simeon-CA/ImagesSlideShow/pages/dd-Giftshop1_jpg.htm

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016Y2AXAE/ref=twister_B06XXS5J8T?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

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Happy Camping,


null


Reed & Karen Lukens with Riffles our Miniature Poodle


2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II  Standard, Hull #200 / 2017 Silverado High Country 1500 Short Bed 4x4


Past TV - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel


Click on our avatar pic above to find the videos on our Oliver Legacy Elite II


 

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