Jump to content

What temp does refrigerator fan run?


Recommended Posts

Though it's not been terribly hot yet, at what temperature does the refrigerator fan sensor need to be at for the fan to turn on?  

Yes, the switch is in the on position. Today will be the hotest we had the Ollie in, so we'll see. 

Chris
2016 Legacy Elite II  o--o  Hull #110 o--o  Wayfinder  o--o  Twin Bed  o--o  2020 RAM 1500 Limited 5.7L 
Augusta, Georgia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My understanding is that in these very early numbered hulls, if there is a manual switch, you don’t even have a temp sensor. When the refrigerators started arriving with a built-in fan and sensor, Oliver decided to eliminate the manual switch entirely. Some Dometic RM2454 fridges have cooling fans located between the upper and lower coils, in an area that is completely inaccessible without removing the unit entirely. Jason in Service told me that they started receiving these units in mid-2017 (mine was delivered in May '17), and that previously there was NO Dometic fan installed. On those units Oliver added their own fan, positioned high above the upper coils where it was easily reached, and I believe these fans also had an inside On/ Off switch. Yay! Good thinking.

I can’t tell you how hot it has to get for the sensor to work, mine would turn on the fan on a blistering hot day (100 degrees plus) in full sunshine all day, and the fan would blow non-stop far into the (hot) night. In 2018 the fan bearings went out so It was squealing and keeping us awake. I eventually disconnected the power wire to it since accessing the fan on #218 requires removing the fridge entirely. So far the fridge works fine, but if it seems to struggle I will just remove the louvers. (It has not been in those extreme conditions since I took off the fan wire.)

The lack of a manual switch (or an accessible fuse) when there is an INACCESSIBLE fan and sensor seems like a bad concept to me…. FYI, if you have any specific comments about how yours is setup, could you please add them on the following page? : …. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3296-how-to-dometic-refrigerator-cooling-fan-noisy-disconnect-the-power-wire/

If I ever pull out the (functioning) fridge I could install a new fan up high, with a manual switch….. but most likely the aging (five seasons)  fridge will get scrapped in favor of a DC compressor one and an extra lithium battery to deal with the additional electrical load.

John Davies

Spokane WA

  • Like 1

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

On another bandito post, I noted interest in improving the performance of our refrigerators in extreme hot conditions.  Ditto for myself.  We spend a lot of time in our OE2 in hot western areas and use propane to cool our unit.

Here is my best shot at it with about a $40 solution:

AERO COOL FAN: Larger diameter (7.9”), slow RPM (800) makes for a much quieter fan.  This one is 18 dB.  Works for me!  

image.png.08aaebc70533e487110ca512b9bfcf29.png

image.png.8af2b9e3a4925cbd124a3849b65e0eb6.png

image.png.eb4027185b1d2eb2f12f3859c65be883.png

Thinking just one for our Ollie.  Has three wires.  One Negative and two hots for fan and lights.  I would not hook up the lights (Bug Draw). Check rotation speed with 9V battery. 

Space permitting, do tilt fan for install to help exhaust flow parallel to top Oliver louvres.  See video for a simple solution.  Would cushion tilt screws to absorb vibration and wear of louver.

Thermal Switch:  This 40C (104F) switch activates fan when temp exceeds setting:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Happy+Camper+Refrigerator+Venting+System&oq=Happy+Camper+Refrigerator+Venting+System&aqs=chrome..69i57.6934j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ddc03a18,vid:0wVTP89-Btg

 

image.png.6a697867952a25b3d930a3256d6760c1.png

Finally, add a fuse and on/off switch for convenience and peace of mind.  Would appreciate your thoughts about the above, and especially where to mount the on/off switch.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

TV:  2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker      OLLIE:  2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed.    OLLIE DYI’s:  BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps.    TV DYI’s:  2 5/16" Anderson System, Timken Bearings, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all.

  image.jpeg.9633acdfb75740f0fd358e1a5118f105.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/19/2021 at 2:08 AM, Wayfinder said:

at what temperature does the refrigerator fan sensor need to be at for the fan to turn on?  

Wayfinder:  Upon re-review of your initial post, as well as the responses, I noted that it did not appear that you got an answer to your question. 

In my research for the above post, I found that the Fridge Defend Fan Control Sensor is a 130 degree F sensor.  It is mounted directly to the absorption coil.  Their approach is to defend the system from overheat damage.  What most of us are looking for is a way to improve the cooling of the system.

To do so, a less costly and longer lasting approach is to monitor the air temperature near the upper louver as John D. indicated above.  With natural air flow, a the airflow exiting Ollie from the refrigerator louvers will be less than the temperature of the absorption coil.  Hence, I selected a 106 degree F turn on temp sensor.  For FYI, here is the Defend source and post.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

https://www.arprv.com/rv-fridge-slide-out.php

Optional Condenser Mount Fan Sensor

We now only recommend mounting the fan sensor on the absorber coils.

This next image shows the Fridge Defend + Fan Control sensor mounted on the Norcold 1200 condenser outlet for the above coach. Please note, we now recommend mounting the sensor down on the absorber coil because it is just as affective and easier to get to. This is an excellent location to control the fans from because the condenser should not get over 130°F, but the condenser is hard to get to, thus the fans sensor can be mounted on the absorber coils with ease. If 130°F is exceeded the fridge louses its efficiency and will run hot in warm weather. Please note that we put our precision sensor directly on the tube, where as the factory fan sensor is on a fin which does not measure the process temperature. Also, the Fridge Defend fan sensor is a +/-2° accuracy sensor, whereas, the Dometic or Norcold sensor can louse accuracy (or drift) so that it is +/-20°F of error over time.

  • Thanks 1
  • Like 2

TV:  2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker      OLLIE:  2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed.    OLLIE DYI’s:  BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps.    TV DYI’s:  2 5/16" Anderson System, Timken Bearings, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all.

  image.jpeg.9633acdfb75740f0fd358e1a5118f105.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...