Fridge cooling fan

gypo

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We are currently in France and it’s 34d.
The fridge is struggling a bit due to this.
On our old van I fitted a fan in the fridge to help cool it.
I’m thinking of doing the same on our current van.
I’ve been looking at these, has anyone fitted one as if so any comments would be good please.
Thanks
D

Cooling fan
 
There have been a fair few posts on this subject, mostly with people fitting a 12V fan sold for PCs along with an on/off switch to control it. That is definately the cheapest way to get some forced air into the back of the fridge.
There is quite a long and useful thread here as an example - https://motorhomer.com/threads/fridge-cooling-fans.46496

But to answer your specific question, I have fitted something very similar to the one you have linked to, i.e. a Pre-packed fridge fan 'solution'.
I installed the Titan TTC Fan Kit, which I found was a great fit for the Thetford Grill size

IMG_20210730_190144_0

But where I think this excels over the typical DIY kits is in the operation. It comes with a controller that you can have in Manual mode and set the fan speed from 6 different options; or you have in Auto mode and it will adjust the fan operation and speed according to the temperature probe that comes with the kit and you mount behind the fridge

IMG_20210730_132230_0

For me, this is a better solution than any of the DIY options, including the ones I have installed for others and incorporating a temp controller, but is it worth the extra expense?
I guess I would ask myself would I buy the same kit again or would I DIY a setup? For my Compressor Fridge, I think the extra cooling is not so critical so 50/50 if extra features is worth the extra expense. (I did add this still as I knew my previous compressor fridge in my last van really did benefit from the forced air flow onto the compressor).
If I still had my 3-Way Thetford, I would 100% go for the more advanced and expensive kit to optimize the cooling.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for detailed reply.
Only our old van I did the diy setup, i included a temp sensor that would switch the fan on and off.
This time I’m thinking of going for a setup like you have in your post.
Do you have a link to where you bought it, also did it come with the controller?
Thanks again
D
 
3 way fridge.

About 7 years ago I fitted a couple of 12v computer fans (cheaper alternative).

As temporary fix, I cable tied the fans to the inside of the top grill (blowing out); passed the wire through an existing grid; and fitted a cigar plug which I plug into an existing socket.

So far the set up has worked brilliantly.

Give me another 7 years to evaluate the proof of concept and I'll upgrade to a permanent solution. .
 
gypo said:
Thank you for detailed reply.
Only our old van I did the diy setup, i included a temp sensor that would switch the fan on and off.
This time I’m thinking of going for a setup like you have in your post.
Do you have a link to where you bought it, also did it come with the controller?
Thanks again
D
Click to expand...
This was the kit I bought - https://amzn.to/3TjBRpq . Was £57 at the time (July 2021) and was the 120mm one.
I see that 120mm I bought is now unavailable but they have a 120mm+ . No idea of the difference - probably an updated & improved version?
I found the 120mm kit was just the right size for the Thetford grills. If you have a Dometic, they tend to have a larger more square grill and you could use the bigger 140mm one if you wanted (but that is in the really silly money range, at least on Amazon).
Was a complete kit - the two fans, mounting hardware (I didn't use as ty-wrapped to grill instead), temp sensor and wiring to included controller (as shown).
This is a photo of what I got (not my photo, but same kit)
715YTNTAAjL.jpg


As mentioned, not cheap but it was a quality well put together kit. Amazon reviews are also good with 4.5 rating.

FWIW, one other reason I went for this is that it had an IP rating as it is expected to get subjected to the elements much more than the typical PC fan (basically, the kit is spec'ed for the purpose)
 
That’s great thank you, I have the thetford one so should be ok.
Thanks again for your help
D
 
In terms of power, on my 3-way Thetford, I had a permanent 12V line into it to power the PCB for the AES function and gas igniter. I just reused that for the fan kit as they are so low power draw (3 Watts per fan) it was hardly noticable. Assuming you have a similar permanent 12V, I would think you could tap into the same line in the same way?
 
Quick question, from the advert it appears to be plug and play, is this correct?
Thanks again
D
 
gypo said:
Quick question, from the advert it appears to be plug and play, is this correct?
Thanks again
D
Click to expand...
not sure quite what you mean, but everything has connectors attached so no wiring needed other than to tap into a 12V supply. (can't recall if supply wires are bare, have connectors or an inline fuse, but you won't have any issues fitting if you have done any 12V wiring previously)
 
Is this for a 3 way fridge, or a compressor fridge?

We have a standard domestic 240v fridge run off of the inverter. It is fairly enclosed. Would putting a fan in help it deal with hot weather, and then hopefully reduce the battery load?

Steve
 
Bertietoo said:
Is this for a 3 way fridge, or a compressor fridge?

We have a standard domestic 240v fridge run off of the inverter. It is fairly enclosed. Would putting a fan in help it deal with hot weather, and then hopefully reduce the battery load?

Steve
Click to expand...
The first Compressor Fridge I installed was a 240V one (I don't think 12V or 240V makes a difference) and it was in a pretty tight enclosed space. It worked fine, but the rear of the fridge did get pretty warm (too warm for my liking) and by adding some forced air flow with a fan, the running temp (not the internal fridge temp) dropped by quite a few degrees.
Fridges are designed to run within a lower and upper ambient temperature and if they get too hot they can start to misbehave a bit, so it wouldn't hurt to try and keep the temp down.
 
I used a couple fans from Maplins, remember them? A Chinese temperature controlled switch and a switch from my local motorhome dealers shop.It's still working now 9 years later.Similar total price to the kits already mentioned.
Motorhome fridge Fans
 
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